Candidate Journals

 Today I was doing stuff for the cycle all day. What kind of stuff you may ask,  two essays, Physical Requirement and now a blog it is a lot of work but I will be done soon. Anyways I will like to tell you about my day. So the first thing I did today was the two essays. The first one was the White Belt challenge essay. The one thing I had to do on the essay was finish the last few sentences and I was done. The second essay was the Hero essay number 1. If you want to now who my hero is then you have to read my essay. A really like this essay. After I did the essays I went right into the requirements. When I was done with  the requirements ate lunch and the got right back into it. That leads to here and now. After...

Today i went to the pool with my friend and we were there for 30mins until thunder so we had to get out of the pool and wait the bad thing was that there was so much wind the tables and umbrellas were flying everywhere.my friend was also outside of the pool when this big branch almost falls on top of her but she moved out of the way to safety  

Today Usain bolt ran his last Olympics and went out with 3 golds. Hopefully a segway doesn't take bolt out again. 

Today I watched Game Of Thrones for a long part of the day and I finished my requirements for today.

Sorry i couldn't journal for the last 4 days. I was at Philadelphia for my family friends dance graduation. I had a break for 4 days from physical requirements. 

  Today I woke up and did my poomsaes. Then I played with my brother’s cars. We got to have hot dogs for lunch. We had a birthday party with my sisters' friends at Sky High. They had a rope climb where you were attached to a rope and you had to go on a tight rope. It was scary. We had pizza. After that I went home and finished my day.  

Today I woke up watched tv got in the pool then went to a party got home took a shower and did my stuff.

Today I did some of my requirements. My cousin went home today. He left at 12:00. After that we ate lunch. I did some requirements after lunch. I also did my white belt essay. After that I played outside for 2 hours, ate dinner and now I'm going to sleep. Good Night.  

Today was my Grandma's funeral and while it was very emotional for me and my family it was beautiful at the same time. Every person at the funeral had such nice things to say about her and when I say every person there was at least 200 people attending the service. I will miss her dearly but I am glad to know that so many people love her and will keep her in their thoughts and hearts for the rest of their lives.

Today my brother came back from Virginia, he said the trip was good and I got my drops for my pink eye today. My eyes still hurt but they're getting better.

Today I met the new neighbors that moved in yesterday. They live in my brother's friend's old house. It is really close to my Grandma's. The mom is Diana. The youngest boy is 11 and his name is Lucas. The second youngest is 13 and his name is Joseph. The oldest is 14 and I forgot his name. I think it is Allen. When I first met them Joseph and Lucas were out searching the neighborhood. Joseph was on a long board and Lucas was on a bike. Allen is just like my brother and he plays on his computer almost the whole day. I look forward to getting to know them better.

Today I got home from Virgina Jellystone Park. I slept in a cabin and jumped off a huge obstacle. I also went fishing and to the lake. I was glad to be home and see me family and puppy.

Yesterday I got back from being at Florida and I would like to tell you some details about the trip back  to North Carolina. First thing that I want to tell you is the the trip back was 12 hour long. Can you believe that!? That is half of a full day, plus I love the change of scenery from a beaches, the ocean and the sand to grass and hills. It was a very beautiful site to see. I was amazed at how much I missed my home, I am so happy to be back. I also had fun  during this vacation. I am ready to get back to life and continue the Black Belt cycle. I will try to get as much done as I can.  Thank you for reading and good night. 

Today I got home from camp. It was a lot of fun. We went to two real concerts, not little choirs singing. We had this thing called house wars where everyone is divided into four teams and we compete against each other in things like capture the flag and giant bouncy house races. We ate lots of good food, in the house I was staying at with 15 other guys, we made 2/3 pound burgers, 5 pounds of fries and 5 pounds of beans! And ate it all. We made giant platters of bacon and pancakes, breakfast pizza and cookies! It was a very filling and great weekend.

Today I went to Defy Gravity for my sisters party. She got a lot of presents.  My friend and I did almost everything there was. We had so much fun. The juice we got was awesome. That was pretty much my day.

Feeling good today, not Tony the Tiger Great but good so I will take that.  Got some requirements done but have to cut away as have family coming for dinner.  Our one niece is heading to NYU for college and yikes is it making me feel old.  She was just a little squirt going on adventures with us now all grown up -- not sure I like that.  Looking forward to all the fabulous things she is going to rock!!!

Today me and my Dad went shopping for clothes and food. I got a lot of miles in and caught a lot of Pokémon in Pokémon go. That was my day.

Went for a run with Nala, my beagle, in the morning. We chased some rabbits.  Knocked out some requirements. Interviewed my second living hero. Black Belt class was excellent. Master Evins broke down some of the turning kicks, which I really needed. Practiced the kicks in the pool afterward. It hurt less that way. Now I have to learn not to get dizzy so I can practice more of them on my own. Need to work on my falls and rolls so people are not so afraid of me getting hurt with self defense. Again the dizziness  is a problem when I practice rolls. No one can afford to get injured, so prevention and proper technique help. Unfortunately, my only near injury so far was when I tripped on my pants going up the stairs in my own house. Who trips going up the stairs??? I landed on my right knee. It hurt...

During our trip to Dollywood, the day we were going to leave, I got very very sick. I threw up at 4 in the morning. Then after that I threw up again at about 9:45. We were going to stop at Parrot Mountain on the way back but since I got sick we had to go straight home. But we still had to do a three and a half hour drive all the way back home.  Before we got home my grandma had to stop so I could throw up one more time. The trip overall was very fun but getting sic was not. 

Sparring classes have been going really well. I've been told that my kicks look a lot better since I started taki g the classes, and I can see and feel the difference. One thing I know I need to work on is chaining multiple kicks together and knowing what to doin the clench. My mentee sessions have also been going very well. My mentee is is looking much better on the things we've worked on. It's nice to watch them grow and be part of the reason for that growth. 

Today I started my day by finishing some of my physical requirements. Then I went to King Tiger. Sparring class time went by super slow. Instructor Hero gave us a long hard class. After that I took black belt class where I did a lot of stuff. Later I ate lunch and played with my brother's new toys. We got to go to my dad’s friend’s house warming party. They had a zipline in the woods behind their house. I was able to ride it and it was lots of fun. After that I went home and ended my day.

Today I went with my grandparents to see houses to buy and just spend time with then and then went running.

Today I woke up early got dress than went to tae kwon do. My mom came with me so that she can do kickboxing. Later I went to sparring class and black belt class. Later I ate at KFC and that night I went running. 

Today when I went to black belt class we worked on on all color belt kicks, poomsaes and white high white and bo cho Dan self defenses. We also did Koryo and Pal Gwe Il and Yi. When I went to the pool after lunch, we got to play for 45 minutes and than the lifeguards found someone's business. That was not fun, but I was happy I got to play some.

today we went to the zoo and my sister brought a  friend along.

Today I completed all of my requirements and went to the weekend black belt class. After that I went home and walked my dog and that was my day.

So very happy to be back in town!!  My body & mind are still on another planet from the last few weeks but otherwise all is good.  In the past when I get back from these longer work trips I end up sick so today I did not go to class but slept in, don't think I have slept till 8:00 in a long time, ran most the domestic errands then came home and took a nap.  I feel so much better so going to ease into the rest of the domestic tonight and try to go at some requirements.  Want to feel good tomorrow so I can go at the requirements hard and just have food prep to worry about for the week.  Hope everyone has a great weekend and look forward to seeing all next week.

Today was a fantastic day I started another dog sitting job today and will continue it until late tomorrow evening I always enjoy these jobs as it is relaxing and fun to be around dogs besides my own. Besides that I got to hang out with a group of friends late today and we had a blast like usual. You would think after ten plus years of friendship you may get sick of each other or move apart but not for us. These four guys (while the three are actual family(they are triplets)) are the brothers I never had.

     Today was just another boring summer day. I woke up around 11 am because my dad doesn't like me sleeping in. There is nothing much to do at my house since everything is packed up. My family is going to be moving soon, so I couldn't do stuff like watch TV or play the Playstation. So yeah just a typical summer day. 

Today I did a few push-ups and sit-ups and ran 1 mile. My mom went to the mall and my dad ordered pizza for me and my brother. We played Xbox and played outside. Now I'm going to sleep. Good Night. 

Today my brother went to Virginia with his friend won't be back till Sunday. I will miss him and he will also miss class tomorrow. But he did extra requirements for the past few days. So he's good????????

Today I woke up early and finished my physical requirements. Then I went to king tiger. Today was electronics day so I got to play with electronics. Later I helped out with testing. Then I ran with the second testing. I was also able to spar. We got to eat at Hickory Tavern. Then I finished my day.

Today we went to the library then the park and lunch we then played in the back then I took black belt class and ate dinner.

Today I got a electric scooter type thing. I also completed my daily requirements and went to black belt class. 

Today we brought our electronics to camp. We watch tv shows and after that we played on our electronics for about an hour. Later we played gladiator. After that I helped out with testing. And that was my day.

Today my dog went crazy like out of nowhere her jumped right on to my face I freaked out and thenI went to vergina we had a lot of fun and then I went to bed good night.

Today my dog went crazy like out of nowhere her jumped right on to my face I freaked out and thenI went to Virginia we had a lot of fun and then I went to bed good night.

Today I did some requirements today. We didn't do much today because we were relaxing the whole day. I played xbox with my cousin and we went out to eat for dinner. Now I'm going to sleep. Good Night.

My dog got his haircut today. Today I did my workout played with the dog I watched some movies and then I went to tea Kwan do it was good and then I went back home and then I did my journal and then I went to bed good night

The walking I'm doing at school is beneficial. I'm able to get miles for the cycle extremely conveniently. At the same time, though, I'm not able to do other requirements. It's an interesting trade-off, but I think it's worth it. I won't have to take extra time to go to a gym or walk around my neighborhood. I'm able to walk three to four miles a day, which is usually more than I do at a time anyway.

     Today was the final day of my Debate Camp. Every group was supposed to come up with their own idea of what they wanted to do. For my group we decided to talk about if we should give the Philippines and Vietnam $250 million for military reasons. Our debate was really quick since we were all novices, but you should have seen the veterans. They were speaking crazy fast and very detailed. But I had to say their speeches were kind of boring. I started to fall asleep, but I ended up not sleeping.       So yeah, that has been pretty much my day.

Today I did my workout played with the dog I watched some movies and then I went to tae Kwan do it was good and then I went back home and then I did my journal and then I went to bed good night

Today I woke up early and finished my physical requirements.  Then I went to my grand parents. We got to see the Secret Life of Pets. It was a good movie. I was able to help out with the 4:30 class. Later we celebrated my brother's birthday. He got cool presents and I got a new record for 20 pull ups.

Today was the first full day my sister was gone from the house since she went off to App State. I can say that the house is really quiet in the house but in a good way. We have no person sleeping on the couch all day and everyone is productive around the house. I love my sister but this good for all of us.

Today I helped out in testing and my dog got groomed, the groomer was nice and my dog is nice and clean!!???? testing was good because everybody did good and I'm getting better at helping out in class????

Toodddddddddddaayyyyy I stayed home with my little brother and it was fun. We woke up did nothing then did chores.

Today we went to spare time for laser tag and to play at the arcade, which I got a jackpot on one of the games. I had fun at laser tag but I could have done better.

Today we did laser tag and then ate lunch then played at the park then we took class then I helped out ran and did requirments.

Today I went to the reedy creek park and had a somewhat mini Olympics. We did javelins with noodles and we also did jump ropes and we tossed the ball back and forth. Later we did a workout and also played gladiator. It was fun. After that I helped out with testing and later played a game of speed. 

 Today I did something new and I really had fun. What did I do you may ask, well I went to lagoon that went to the ocean. The cool thing about this is was that I have never seen a lagoon before so that was a new experience. Plus the ocean did not have as much waves so it was nice a calm there. The water there was not cold but not hot so the water was perfect to swim in. We also found some sea shells at the beach and there were some awesome ones there.  Oh and I almost forgot that my brother got a starfish at the ocean. Of course we let it go but it was cool to have a live starfish in my brother’s hand. Also we saw some fish in the lagoon jumping out of the water and we also saw a tadpole in the lagoon...

Today I left for a directed by my church  I'm a little nervous as I haven't really met anyone but we do fun stuff in church so this should be fun too. They told us to bring clothes that you're okay with never wearing again soo...

Today I stayed with my dad today because he just came home from San Diego yesterday.

Today, I will be going to my sisters open house. I really hope she gets the same teacher I did when I was in her grade. Even if she doesn't, I hope she gets a good teacher.

Today I stayed with my grandma, I helped her around the house and got some Black Belt stuff done.  

Today I didn't do any requirements because I was tired. I played with with my cousin and my brother. I also went outside to play with my friends. I went to sparring class and I helped with the family class. I came home and I ate dinner. Now I'm going to sleep. Good Night.   

Today we woke up at Dollywood's Dream More Resort. My Grandma dragged me and my brother out of bed at 8:00 in the AM after we had stayed up til 11:00.  For breakfast we went to a buffet and I had a pancake, a waffle, french toast, a lot of ham, some strawberries, and a cup of coffee. Then we went to Dollywood Splash Country. First thing we did was get in the Lazy River and do that  a time around. After that we played in the wave pool for a while. Then we went to one of those water slides that you climb lots of stairs for...vertical drop slide. My shirt kept getting pulled up and it started burning my back. We went on something that was called a water coaster. It was a great day! I'm ready for tomorrow.  

Today, i did my requirements in the morning and did stuff at my friends house. Then i went to taekwondo

Great black belt class yesterday going over the fine points of the poomsaes. Reviewed a lot on my own today to nail down those improvements and changes.    Went over palgwe IIl and Yi. Productive couple of days

Today I ran and then I played then I watched the dog and then I went to tea Kwan do did wacky weekday then went to bed good night

Today I finished all of my requirements early and then helped out for class so it was like a normal day, and I am going to help tomorrow's testing, and hope everyone does good.

Today I went to the movies and saw the Croods.  Later I went to the park to eat.  After that I went to class.  After that I played tiger ball.  A few hours later I went to sparring class.  And that was my day.  What was yours?

Today at camp we went to the movies and saw the croods we then went to the park ate lunch and played infection then we took class ate snack then I went on a run and did my stuff today was really fun.

I have been silent for a few days as I am still mentally recovering... My grandmother passed away on Sunday, she was always a positive force in my life she always supported me no matter what and she came to almost all of my testings throughout my taekwondo career she always came to black belt testings. I will never forget watching her slip away right in front of me, as one of the only times she was lucid she pointed at me and brought me in closer and she tried to say something but I couldn't understand what it was. I will always love her... I hereby dedicate my cycle to not just myself but to my grandma as I know she wanted to be there to see me test.

Taking class on a college campus is going to be awesome. Not only am I going to have more free time, but I’ll be walking to many of my classes, meaning I can count my travel distance to the cycle. Just today, I walked over 4 miles! I’m probably not going to be walking 4 miles every day, but something is better than nothing. I've also been working with my mentee, and one of the major improvements I'd like them to make is on their rolling. I used to need major improvements on my rolls as well, so I'm going to teach her the same way I was taught.

Today I woke up early and finished my physical requirements. Then I went to King Tiger. We got to go to the park. It was hot there. When we got back I got changed and helped with class. Then I took class. During my mentor session with Quinten I taught him how to do sit ups by himself. Later I took piano lessons and black belt class and ended my day.

Hi I had a fun past two days in Orlando Florida. I want to tell you what I did and share some of my favorite moments . The first day that I was in Orlando I visited Universal with my Family.  The rides there were the most fun one that I have ever gone on. Plus I got to go on some that I was not able to go to last time. Some of the roller coasters that I was not able go on last time were The Hulk, Dragons Quest and Doom free Fall.  I want to tell you which rides were my favorite in order. Number 3 was the Dragons Quest roller coaster because this is a very fast and fun one and I really enjoyed it. Number 2 was Doom free fall, It was a very scary ride and it got shot really high up and it was fun. The...

Today, i woke up and did my requirements. Then, i had lunch.After that, i watched YouTube. Then, I went to the family class to help out. There were only 4 people in class. Then, i had a mentor session. Then, i took black belt class

Today I went to the park and had lunch. Later I had class and later had a mentee session. In the afternoon I had sparring class at the Lake Norman school.

Today we went to the pull, and I could actually get in this week, the pull was pretty fun and cold due to it being overcast. During summer camp class we used nunchuks, and during all the other classes it was pretty bear.

Today there were thirty one kids  we then went to the pool then ate snack then I took another class I went running then took sparring.

Today in black belt class we did almost all the color belt forms. We did them slowly so that we did the technique right. The only one we missed was Pal Chang though. I got a lot of poomsaes done.

Today I did my workout played with the dog and then I went to the vet for are dog and then I played then I went to bed good night

Today we took our dog to the animal hospital and he got a checkup and he's good. He does need medicine in his ears for the next 2 weeks, but he is good.

Today at tae kwon do we went to the park and played kickball and enfection then went back to take class we ate snack I went on a run and did my stuff

Summer is ending for most its still a couple weeks away others its their last full week and start Wednesday. And then it is back to ssssccccccccccchhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooollllllll.

Today was insane! Aside from the fact that there were 35 kids at summer camp and only 6 counselors including the Hartles, i did a LOT for my cycle. I did over 50 Poomsae's throughout the day! Me and my mentee were working on a lot after we finished his actual mentee session. We ended up working for an hour! We sparred, did partner push ups and sit ups, everything. If i do all this every day, I'll be done with the cycle in no time!

Today I woke up early and I finished my physical requirements. Then I went to King Tiger. We had to do some relays before we went to the pool. The pool was fun. I played a game and went on the slide. Then I ate lunch. Later I took hyper. We got to use nunchuks. Then I went home and ran and finished my day.

Today in the morning I woke up late and did not want to go run. My legs are still tired and sore from Saturday's sparring class. I watched the Olympics during the day. My sister wanted to watch her shows so she got mad, but we figured a way so we both got what we wanted. Then I went to Tae Kwon do and went to Hyper. We used nunchucks and jumped over targets.

Today I ran and then I played with my dog watched the ???? and then I went to bed good night

Today I went to the pool. Later I ate lunch and did my requirements. A little will later I had my regular class. That was my day what was yours?

Today I went to hyper and we used nunchucks. It was pretty cool. And we also jumped over targets and that was fun. So today was good and I got a metee session in.

Today, i did my requirements and after that, i built a tent. It was fun! My legs hurt like crazy. I ran 1 mile lateron. Then i went to take hyper pro and helped out in the family class.

Tomorrow my Grandma, my brother and me are all going to Dollywood in Tennessee. It is 7 hours away. It is a resort with a water park, a theme park, and a game room. We went last year too and I enjoyed the water park and the game room the most. But I only got to use the game room for about two hours because we only found out about it the day we were going to leave. This year I'll be able to spend more time in the game room. The room we will be in has a queen size bed for Grandma and a bunk bed for me and Ben. It is also poolside so there is more space. Since it is right outside our door we will be able to swim in the pool all we want. I'm looking forward to my trip. 

The soreness in my legs is coming back. It started after sparring class yesterday, and the pain messed me up while I was running miles today. Usually, the pain leaves after a couple days, so I’m not that worried about it. I’ll be starting school tomorrow, so my schedule for getting requirements done is going to heavily change, but since I’ll be taking classes on a college campus, I’ll be doing a lot of walking that I can convert into miles for the cycle. That's going to bother my legs, but I won't have time to care about that.

I woke up and went to McDonald's for breakfast then I watched tv then my   Mom and I ordered pizza and started watching the flash.  

I woke up today really really sore. Yesterday at black belt class and sparring, I worked out so hard that this morning I woke up sore all over. My neck was tight. My biceps and abs were tight. My feet and legs were sore. Every muscle in my body was hurting. Even my face was sore because during self defense I accidently got punched in the face by my partner. SO yeah. All of today I was sore and probably am going to be sore tomorrow. 

Today I did all of my requirements and took care of my dog, and I am going to finish my book and start that essay.

Today I woke up and started packing. We had to leave our rental house at the mountains. On the way home I got to have half of a croissant sandwich. It tasted really good. We also got donut holes. When we got back I got out a splinter and played some video games. Then I had lunch. We watched the Olympic gymnastics while my dad went to Target. I made a birthday card for my dad's birthday. Then I watched more Olympics, ate dinner and went to bed.

We celebrated my uncle's 90th birthday party yesterday in Durham. He looks much younger than 90 and still works at his car shop as a master mechanic. I was surprised he was 90. He looks and acts about the same as he did when I was growing up. It was an inspiration to hear all the stories friends and family told about him. He was in the army during world war II. He and other church members fought for fair, safe access to childcare facilities in Durham. He is what I call an everyday hero. I had no idea all he had done. He has had a productive 90 years. As healthy and active as he is, I suspect we will be celebrating his 100th birthday in 10 years. 

Today, I woke up and ate breakfast. Then, i did my requirements and ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill. Then, i had lunch. After that, i 

Today I went to see where my grandpa grew up. We learned about the history of the house and the people. I learned that it used to be a plantation. I did not do much to day but I did learn something.

Today I did not go run in the morning because I was very tired from class yesterday. Before lunch, my dad, sister and I went swimming. It was really fun, and we were lucky because just as we were getting into our car, the lifeguard blew the whistle for thunder. We ate pizza for lunch and then at 5 we will go to my sisters dance class.

Today I did my workout played with my dog watched movies and then I went to bed good night

Today I woke up early and had some cereal. Then we went to the Spartan Race in Asheville. First the kids went, then the adults went. I did the kids race. They had cool obstacles. I liked going through the tube obstacle. It was fun. For adults, there are 3 races: the Sprint, Super and Beast. My parents did the Super which is supposed to be 8 miles and take about 4 hours. But this time it took 7 hours and it was 10 miles long.

Today was a good day I worked really hard for both sparring class and black belt class a ton of sweat was shed and I learned a lot as well. After class I had to dog sit for a couple of times before dinner. After dinner I hung out with some friends. I am exhausted.

Today I woke up and went to black black belt class then went and had sogos then watched Hulu then I went running and did my requirements .  

Today, i woke up and ate breakfast. Then, i went to black belt class. We worked on self defense and some pomsaes. Then, i had a mentor session with master Knight. Then, i did my requirements and ran 1 mile.

Today was officially the first day of the cycle. It was a little scary but it didn't feel any different than the pre-cycle. I went to black belt class, worked on some requirements at home and then later I went to my friends birthday?going away party. She's moving to Germany for a year! It was nice to see a bunch of my friends though because I know that from here on out it'll be all Tae Kwon Do, all day.

Today I took sparring class and black belt class. Later I did a mentor session and played Pokémon Go. During that my sisters got their own goldfish. Later I ran and did my requirements.  I also got a hair cut.

Today I went to a 2mile run in the morning for the cycle. Then I ate breakfast and went to sparring class at North Charlotte. We did lots of drills and I got to spar 2 people. Both are really good. Then I took black belt class. We did things from every colored belt. Then we did black belt curriculum. We got lots of tips on how to do our self defenses and poomsaes correctly. Then I had a mentor session with Master Knight. We worked on staff and stick forms and also Keumgang. It was a great and tiring day.