Candidate Journals

​Not too much going on today. I woke up, completed a few requirements, and grabbed some breakfast before heading into the garage to clean up a bit. Shortly after, we went over to my in-laws' house for dinner—it was delicious as always, and I always appreciate their cooking. ​After getting home, I knocked out a few more requirements, showered, and now I'm heading to bed. Today was Day 2 of my no-soda challenge. I had a strong craving to crack open a nice, ice-cold Coke, but luckily it passed pretty quickly.  

Today was a really busy day! Me and my family woke up at around 7ish. I ran my mile and then also did my physical work. Then we stared our 4 hour drive to Atlanta Georgia. I slept for the whole ride. Then we arrived at a family friends house and stayed for lunch. I ate naan and baked chicken with salad! It was really good. After I played with the kids and then we went to a majlis and also ate dinner. After we went to a Majalis again and also ate dinner and I played with the kids. Then to our drive to the hotel I read The Grit workbook for kids. And then played Roblox. After we reached the hotel and I took a bath and brushed my teeth. The I finished off with practice my work and the heading to bed.

Today was my mom’s birthday so I forgot to do all of my requirements and I didn’t go to sparring class today. I went to sleep at 3 AM but I somehow stayed awake during the whole sermon at Church today. After Church we found out that my brother was sick so he was quarantined for basically the whole rest of the day except for using the bathroom. I gave him his food and stuff. After a while we gave him a supply of food and drinks and we went to a skating rink and I had a LOT of fun. I think the last time I went there was just before covid in 2019’s spring break. Then at 5 pm we had to leave so we spent 4+ hours there. I surprisingly didn’t fall once even though I got bumped into a couple times. After the skating rink we went...

I am not a fan of all this rain because it makes it difficult to train outside. I like to practice my creative form outside so I have more space but with the ground muddy, it's near impossible. I started my summer reading book for school today; I figured I would wait until later in the summer to read it so it would be fresh on my mind going into the schoolyear. Tonight I went for a "run" but only about 1.5 miles in, I could tell I ate to big of a dinner. I ended up having to walk the rest of the miles. Hopefully next time I run it will be more successful. That's all for today, I hope everyone is doing great!

Today I didn't have any class, so it was pretty boring. I start cat-sitting for my neighbor tomorrow, so I had to go over today and make sure I know what I have to do. After that, my mom and I went to the store to get a few things. We also went to see my sister at work, which was nice because she works at Buckle, so we got to look around at the new things in the store. After that, we went home, and I completed my requirements, and now I'm gonna go to sleep. I hope everyone had a great day!

Today was my grandmas bday! After I woke up I was talking to her and chilling a little. Later on I had some food and starting working on her cake. I made her a mango white chocolate cake and it turned out pretty good! I went to sunday sparring class for the first time around 2 and it was very different from normal class. We did a bunch of unique exercises and I was among professional sparrers so when it came time for actual matches they were very intense and cool to watch. I learned a lot and am looking forward to next week. When i came home I finished up frosting the cake and we had some people over to have a small celebration. Everyone said my cake was very good. Pretty normal day, my rest day so no requirements today but still pretty tiring because of sparring. Tomorrow is...

honestly i can’t even keep up with the date anymore 🫩. today i went to my sat prep class in the morning and got back around 1. after that i had lunch and did my requirements. i then went to my neighbors house since they got a new dog. thats pretty much all i did.

Happy Sunday! I tried to get up early to run today but quickly hit the snooze button and slept in. Good work in poomsae class today, we worked on some different parts and then did a mock competition for the rest of class. Afterwards I worked on my creative form with Master Natasya. I got home and got my run out of the way, pace was pretty slow but I think I'm just tired. Finished up the rest of my requirements and finished choreographing my creative. It took a lot of hours and a lot of hardwork but I'm happy with it. For the next 13 days it will just be practice, practice, practice! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Keep working hard! ~ Peyton

It's August already! This year has really flown by, and so has the summer. School is next week and I'm mostly excited. I'll be a junior and all of the upperclassmen have said junior year is really easy and you have a lot of free time so I'm looking forward to that. Requirements are getting a little tiring I admit, but I just have to keep pushing through. My day was pretty good. I took another practice SAT test this morning, I only have 2 weeks left to study for it. I think I'll get a pretty high score so I'm not too worried. I also went to the mall today and I found this really cool flamin hot cheetos shirt. 

Woke up this morning to my 12 hour print that I did overnight all finished up. It turned out pretty cool! We didnt do too much today, kind of a chill day before the week starts. I did get my requirements done, and played some video games. Now im just relaxing and watching youtube, while I wait for my doordash. Good night!

Sundays are always busy, but today was productive. I made it a point to get two days' worth of Black Belt requirements completed since I know Monday is going to be a whirlwind. We have around 180 campers for Ninja Week, so it's going to be an exciting and very busy day!

Today I woke up pretty late as usual and got changed then headed to breakfast. After breakfast I cleaned around the house then soon after went to the gym and ran 1 mile and did my push ups, sit up, v sit ups, burpees, and jumprope in a private training room, then I went to starbucks with my mom for a few drinks, Right after the starbucks trip we went to this art place in cramerton and spent the afternoon there leading into the evening a little. As soon as we got home, I ate dinner and cleaned the rest of what I had todo, I am about to go take a shower. I hope evryone had an amazing day!

I woke up really late and got my miles done and did my requirements. After that i worked on the grit workbook then just chilled out until my mom got home and we ate dinner.

It's the first Sunday of a new month, which means it's Communion Sunday at the church I attend.  After church, I got in about an hour at the Y.  I don't know if I got kicked in my left calf from sparring practice or it's just strained from running so much these last 3 months, but it was on fire today, so I had to slow my pace down some.  After the Y (and a shower), I went to go see "The Odyssey".  Since I'm such a big fan of the 1997 version of the movie, I was really just curious to see how different this version would be.  In my opinion, while this version of the movie was okay, the original was better (as is the case with the "original" anything a lot of the time).  

    I have not been doing so good on keeping up with my daily journals. Here is a quick breakdown of what has happened. The past couple of days I have been enjoying my time with my friends at King Tiger Summer Camp along with working my requirements. Anyways, today I woke up and went to poomsae class and practiced sa through pow then realizing I need to work of chill. I then got home and played with legos before eating some lunch. I then went on a quick run and finished the rest of my exercises. Then here we are where, it is 6:04. I will eat dinner and am thinking of ending my day with watching my TV or playing with my friends online.

I am so tired from Camp Cherokee. It was hard to get up. I went to church and when I got home I did my mile and some jump rope and other requirements trying to get caught up. I also did another essay today. 

Yesterday was the first day that the requirements were stepped up a notch. For the kicks section, i usually already to more than 5 minutes but i was for sure more tired because of the other things. one thing im going to start doing is running more than a mile a day. its summer and i'm like really really free so, why not?

I’ve been thinking about how people just train injured. I’m sitting here with a bag of frozen peas on my ankle, and remembering I have instructors that have had entire hips and knees replaced and still shown up the same. They really don’t get enough credit for that. What I’m training with isn’t even remotely close to some of those cases, and it still makes training that much more difficult. Anyways, shoutout to them, and I hope you all are having good days, goodnight!

Today I started off the day with a black belt class. I was definitely able to get a lot of poomsae and self defense minutes in. Later when I came home, I was just chilling cuz my parents were getting ready to go on a day trip. I was practicing my piano and playing with my dog and stuff. My grandmas birthday is tomorrow so I was thinking about baking her a cake. I watched some Tv and my sister went out with her friends. In the meanwhile I was looking at cake recipes. I ordered some dinner for me and my grandma but i ordered it pretty late. Oh i also went on a walk with my dog for 2.25 miles. That’s all, goodnight!

​Started the day off with black belt class! Missed an email from last night, so I was a few minutes late, but it was a solid session—definitely gave me a few things to work on. ​Afterward, I got the van door fixed and ready for summer camp next week (just need to charge a battery for Monday morning). Then, I picked up the boat and took it out for a few hours. It ran great! It was our first time taking it out since getting it fixed, so that was a huge win. ​Finished up the day handling a few quick tasks, getting in a little gaming, and catching up on some good sleep. Hope everyone’s having a great weekend so far!

This morning I went to black belt class, which was really good because I got to work on 1st dan self-defense for the first time in a while. After class, I went home and did my requirements and took a nap. When I woke up, my sister, my mom, and I  went school supply shopping, although we don't really have supply lists, so we mainly just shopped for my brother. After that, we came home, and I watched a show. So overall, today was a pretty decent day. I hope everyone is as excited for the third week of the cycle as I am, and I hope everyone had a great day. 

I woke up this morning with enough time to complete the majority of my daily requirements before class. This morning's class was good because we went over some very important things to help us be successful. After class, I worked on my creative form; mostly just some skills in the form that I still need work on. The rest of the day I was exhausted, yesterday and today I felt like this so hopefully another good nights rest does the trick.

Paint is all that is needed now on our bannister. Worst home project ever. 0 out of 10, do not recommend. But it's in the end stages now. Class this morning, helped with the stairs project, ALL of the laundry, got some miles and requirements in, started emptying out closet.  One giant bag of trash later I have almost my entire side plus my bookcase moved and organized into the spare room. We are having new carpet installed this week on our stairs and master closet so we wanted to get everything moved before the week began. Good class this morning, lots of curriculum work is always a good thing! Poomsae class tomorrow, gym, creative work and finishing getting our front room clear again. Should make for a full Sunday! Have a great day!

Happy Saturday! I got up for an early morning run before black belt class. Class was hard work but it felt good. Little tigers wasn't too bad today and family class was a nice size. I came home and then went back out to meet my friends at Alley 51. It was my 2nd time there, its a food market with lots of different kinds of Asian foods (Korean, Thai, Filipino, etc). It is delicious! I came home and cranked out my requirements. I've just been relaxing the rest of the night! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Try to get ahead on your requirements while the numbers are still relatively low! Its much easier to be ahead then play catch up. ~ Peyton

Today was my birthday and I had a lot of fun with my friends. I got my exercises done and now I’m getting ready to sleep 

After getting in my requirements today at the Harrisburg YMCA's weight room, I attended the end of summer barbecue being given by my fraternity at one of the pavilions at the Harrisburg Park.  It was well-attended, the weather was not as hot as it's usually been this summer, and I made a couple new friends.  Although the pitmasters did the majority of the grilling, I have to give a shoutout to the wives who brought some of the food.  They are welcome at our events any time!

I kept up on my miles but I’m going to be playing catch up on everything else. Had an amazing week at camp now let’s get to wok!!

Today was a normal day, I woke up at around 8:20ish and went to taekwondo, there I did sparing and helped out with the junior tigers! That was fun of course! After I came back how did my physical work and ran my mile and also learned a little bit of green belt. Then I took a bath and played Roblox then went to some house and ate food and then went back home. I read my book a little then played Roblox again and then went to bed.

hi guys, today i woke up at 5:10 am to go to school because today was our senior parking spot painting. when we got arrived there were already a bunch of people in line and some people even camped out. I still ended up getting in row 1 closest to the school so i'm really happy. my dad and i were waiting for our primer to dry so while that was happening i went to black belt class at 7:50 and by the time i came back the primer just dried so we started putting the base coat on. we're mostlyyyyy done with it but we're gonna come back tomorrow and do some touch ups!!

Another late post arggg, it’s fine. Today was ok, I had two arguments with people and those wore me out. But sparring helped haha. My leg was still killing me after. Not much I can do for that but wait. I’m very tired. It crossed my mind today that I have no idea how I’ll have energy to do this much when school starts. But I guess I’ll figure that out when the time comes.

July is over. Three weeks left of summer camp. Fourteen days left to get ready for the Master testing in Greenville.  There are moments where I think "I've got this" and then there are moments where I think "I am doing what?!"  Trying to concentrate on the first and use my time to accomplish my goals. Peyton talked about our KT family some. I am so thankful for them all. Today in class I was helping some other students go over a few self-defenses and they were both very appreciative. I was struck by how easy it is to help and be helped at our dojang. We are very lucky. See you in class!

I came home from my grandpas last night. Woke up this morning and played some video games. I did my requirements, tested out the new swing that my parents got, and then my dad said we would go fishing this evening, but he got home too late so we didnt. Instead, we got out my 3d printer that I got for my birthday and got it all set up and running. I havent stopped printing! Now, im about to go to bed while my print is finishing. Black belt class in the morning. Good night yall!

Today was kind of a rest day. I wasn’t supposed to take one today since I already took some earlier this week but band camp and the cycle have been really tiring me so today I skipped band camp and got some good sleep finally. I was planning on finishing my requirements later on in the day but my stomach was hurting really badly. I was kinda just chilling mostly but I went to my dance class at the end of the day. That’s it Goodnight!

Today was a pretty tough one to get through. My feet are bruised up pretty badly from sparring over the last two weeks, and while getting out of bed wasn’t the hard part, actually walking was brutal. I pushed through the pain, made my way to work slowly, and got through the day. Group 3 had movie day, so we watched Monsters vs. Aliens—it’s a good movie, and most of the kids hadn't seen it before. In the afternoon, I made sure the fleet was good on all fluids. I decided to skip black belt class today because I really wanted, and badly needed, to give my feet a rest. As soon as I got home, I plunged my feet straight into an Epsom salt ice bath for about 20 minutes. Once the feeling came back, they felt about 50% better and I was able to walk around somewhat okay after...

Today was really just a rest day for me. When I woke up, I went on a walk and worked on some poom sae's and self-. I had to help my mom with cleaning a little, but after I finished with that, I finished the rest of my requirements. The rest of the day I just watched a show and hung out. Overall, today was a pretty good day. I hope everyone else also had a good day and is having a great cycle.

I woke up feeling absolutely awful today but I managed to get an ok run in this morning. It took me a long time to get through my requirements and I had to take chill break before work which almost never happens for me. TKD definitely cheered me up, all the people there are basically 2nd family and just so fun and easy to talk to and get along with. BBC was alright, worked on some color belt poomsaes, black belt self-defenses, and cinuwales. Definitely going to bed soon, I'm exhausted but its been a good week. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! ~ Peyton

Hello everyone, for me, today was a long day, I got up and ate some breakfast then thankfully I was able to rest for a little bit in the morning and I watched a movie. Then I went to work and completed my shift, after that, my brother bought some food because our parents are away right now and the food was good. Then I went to chill for a little bit, did some of my exercises, and now I will go to bed, I know this is late for a journal at 10:30 PM, but that doesn't mean I won't do it. See you all later, and I hope you had a wonderful day today.

Today, I woke up late again, and then ran my mile. I was feeling bored so I ran another one why not. After I completed my requirements for the end of week 2. Then later in the afternoon I went to the little tiger's class which was fun to teach although I realized that teaching the younger ones requires a lot more patience and dedication than I thought but its alright. After the little tigers class I completed a mentor session with Master Chelley then went to Black Belt Class. In class we worked with our sticks and our Bo-staff which was fun. After class I felt tired so my parents and I got takeout and I called it a day.

Today I ran my mile as early as possible and the rest of my requirements as well. During lunch I made an egg burrito and had a taco bell quesadilla to my surprise. I was charging my phone but didn't hear my mom leave to go get some food. I watched YouTube for a bit then I started streaming FIFA 16 and a few Roblox games until I had to leave for sparring. During sparring I kinda hurt the knuckle part of my big toe but I still continued so it wasn't too bad until I had to walk to the car. After sparring I got home and took a bath after I showered because I just wanted to chill for a while. Then I said goodnight to my parents and went to sleep.

Today I had attended both black belt weekend class and advanced sparring class. We had spent class on talking about balance and also ended up doing falls. In sparring I was able to get a leadership opportunity and I think today was one of my personal best days when it came to sparring.

today i woke up and did all my requirements. i then did a whole bunch of nothing for the rest of the day. around 5 i headed out to sparring class. it was my first sparring class in a few years and it was with this new instructor, but she is really cool and i had a lot of fun. most of the fun was from seeing myself and my friends attempt to spar. surely we’ll improve a bit in the next 10 weeks…right? anyways that’s all for today. also i saw someone journal about school reopening soon and now ill be sad for the rest of the night…jk i’m super scared but excited. everyone says junior year is the worst year but i don’t know…we’ll just have to see 

Today, I woke up late in the morning did my mile run for the day and then quickly did my requirements. After I helped my dad out with a few things then later in the afternoon I went to the class before sparring and did punches and kicks along with helping out getting of that knocked out. After that I joined sparring class and got my credit for that. 

With it being the last day of July, it made me realize how close the school year is getting. Not particularly looking forward to school. Anyway, my new staff is one of those staffs that can be twisted apart into smaller pieces to easily transport but when I practice my creative form it always ends up twisting apart. To prevent this, I wrapped some electrical tape around the middle; haven't tried it out yet but I will know how it works out tomorrow. I went to class later in the day and all was good there. For some reason, I am super exhausted so I am going to bed early tonight to hopefully get some quality rest.

This is what our instructor to us a few years ago when I was a white belt in SKA at Summer Special Training.  That same thought was going through my mind during sparring practice tonight, which was held right after black belt practice.  I felt a little better after discovering I wasn't the only one still trying to recover from last Friday's black belt practice/ sparring practice sessions.  I came home and made a beeline straight to the tub and some Epsom salt.  

Today was okay, I went to camp and we watched a movie for an hour or so. Later I went to my dads house after I went to my moms house, I went running and got a miles worth, I then did my other workouts, ate dinner then looked in my book for other things if I need any, well I am about to go grab some snacks and watch a movie. I hope everyone had a wonderful day.

  This week was definitely a busy one, but it was also a lot of fun. Summer camp always keeps me on my toes, and every day brings something different. Even when I'm tired at the end of the day, it's worth it to see the kids having such a great time. One of my favorite parts of the week was hiking with the campers at Latta Nature Preserve. It's such a beautiful area, and it's nice to get outside and enjoy nature for a while. The kids loved exploring the trails, and it was a good reminder to slow down and appreciate the scenery, even in the middle of a hectic schedule. Now I'm looking forward to Black Belt class tomorrow. It's always a great way to refocus and work toward my goals. I'm also hoping to get some extra requirements completed this weekend. Staying ahead when I can helps...

Today during sparring, sadly i couldn’t spar because i was dizzy. but i think it was a blessing because i could really see how other people sparred and how different the styles were. some people have strong kick some have fast some have good front kick and so on.

Not feeling well today, so I didn't take black belt class. I'm going to try to make it to tomorrows black belt class, but we'll see in the morning. Anyway, hope you guys are well, and goodnight.

I got home from my vacation after having a lot of fun. This Saturday is my 14th birthday!!! I did my exercises and run. That’s all

It was kinda rough to get everything in today. I still did but I’m behind on logging them here. I got through koreyo fully for the first time today. It was slow and messy but I still remembered it and that’s progress. I’m a lot more tired than usual at this hour. Might try to sleep early.

Took Ronin to Football again today, since my parents are away for a bit I'm my brothers chauffeur everywhere. Went to work and got a mentor session in and learned Anyo Isa for the first time and worked on my creative form for a bit. After work I went to sparring and sparred master Marcus and learned some new stuff to make me better at sparring. Finished my requirements and was able to watch some TV, but it got kind of late, and I have to wake up early in the morning, so wish me luck! Goodnight.

Today was once again tiring. I had marching band camp in the morning and we were running and practicing marching out in the hot sun. When I came back home I ate some lunch and got some nice rest so that was good but I had to finish up my jump rope. Then I was playing piano for some time and just chilling a little before going to taekwondo to help out with a class. Very small class but still fun. Once I came back home I was pretty tired but I still had to do my run so around 9 I did a quick 2 miles and now i am exhausted and I have to do it again tomorrow🫩. Goodnight!

Hello everyone, today was yet another, busy day for us, I decided to sleep in a lot today and was actually able to still do what I need to do. I woke up got some breakfast, and then watched some TV with my brother. After 30 minutes, our mentor came over to practice with our weapons and creative form, I know that all of you will think me and my brother's creative form is awesome. After that we went to work and had a good time, after work we did sparring, but I felt like it was too easy because I only sparred twice, but it was still great. Then I went home, ate some, dinner, and now I will finish my exercises, I hope you are all well, and see you later.

today was my dojung's belt testing so i helped out. it was kind of weird being the one helping instead of the one testing. usually i envy the helpers because they're not stressing about getting the next belt. turns out i was wrong and most of them still are. but it was great telling people that they did a good job and watch their face light up. so anyways, until next time!!!(probably tomorrow)

My creative is coming along, fourth sparring class done, poomsae and self-defense work with Peyton tonight and requirements this morning. Long day but a good one.  Tomorrow is movie day and then there will be only 3 weeks of summer camp left.  The summer has flown by!  Hope everyone has a great Friday, see you in class! 

Today I ran my mile first thing again but I ran a little slower than yesterday. I read 2 chapters of the Atomic Habits book in the morning and in the car. I helped out with 2 classes and took one. After I came home, I took a loooong shower and I then watched TV.

Slept in until about 9a.m. this morning which felt nice, started on my requirements and got all of them done pretty early. I worked on my creative form for about an hour before work. I got to KT around 2p.m. and worked classes and summer camp until 6:30p.m. I was feeling pretty exhausted from the week but sparring woke me back up! I stayed after until about 8:45ish to work on some self-defense and weapons forms with Ms. Jen. Good session in before coming home and relaxing for the rest of the night! Keep working hard everyone! ~ Peyton

This morning I woke up, and my sister and mom were gone because my sister had her senior photoshoot, so I just took a chill morning before they came back home. When they came home, I went for a run and worked on my requirements. I got to watch my favorite show after that, so that was pretty fun. Later, I had sparring class; I got to work on some of my kicks and help the kids get better at sparring. I also had a training session with my mentee, and we worked on high yellow and yellow belt forms. So overall, today was pretty boring. I hope everyone had a good day and is enjoying the cycle so far!

Today was an interesting day, I started the day by randomly waking up at 6:30ish. I think it was because yesterday I had an orthodontist appointment and they added an extra wire to pull a specific my K Nine tooth down. But then I brushed my teeth and the made my self breakfast which was two pieces of Sara dough bread. Then I watched my anime show took some pauses and then took an hour break. During my break I read The Grit Workbook For Kids, and after played some Roblox. Then I ran a mile and did my physical work. Next after I took a bath and changed to go to South Carolina for a funeral. I personally wasn’t close with the person who died but it was really sad.(RIP) We also stayed there for 5 hours and then went home. Then I played MORE Roblox with my best friend...

Today was a good day. I was running a tad bit behind this morning due to traffic being busier than usual. As soon as I arrived at work, I picked up a vehicle from the shop, then helped get a game together for Group 3 before leaving for Quest with the young kiddos. It was probably 5 degrees cooler today than on Tuesday when I went with the other group which was fantastic, yes it was hot but not to bad. Got to see some different things there today, which was cool. I didn't work out this morning in anticipation of taking sparring today, using the time while waiting for class to start to knock out some requirements. Sparring hurt like usual, but it felt better than last week in terms of moving around on the mat and just feeling out the opponent. Wrapped up the evening with dinner, completed a...

Today was mostly a normal day. I ran in the morning and I kinda had a headache for most of the morning so I just practiced poomsaes and took a nap after lunch because my headache got worse. After I woke up I was feeling better so I finished up the rest of my requirements. Then I went to a different neighborhood to play volleyball. It was fun but there was a lot of younger kids there that kept messing up the rallies. I think I hurt my wrist more too. I dont know whats wrong with it but its not too bad so I don't think I have to get it checked out. 

hi guys, i honestly think i'm cursed. today started well with me finishing up all my requirements in the morning. then i was studying for a few hours and was working on my essays after. i had another shift today and as i'm driving back home i hear a big POP 😨. so i'm like oh what could that be but i don't pay any mind to it. as i keep driving i start hearing a thump thump thump, and then i'm like oh no its wraps. so i'm 5 minutes away from home so i was like ill just let my dad see if he can hear what i'm hearing. i pull up to my house and my dad was playing basketball at our hoop and he heard the sound of my car so he came over and took a look. there was a BIG FAT NAIL in it. the...

Today I was able to help my king tiger tae kwon do club by assisting today in both of the testing sessions , such as holding boards, attacking for self defense, and sparring higher belts for their testing requirements. I was also able to get a class assistance credit because of this!

hi guys, today i had a pretty relaxing day. i woke up a little later than usual and did all my requirements before lunch time. i then went to the gym with my friend. i lowkey haven't gone to the gym in a couple of weeks but i hit legs and omg i think my legs are going to fall off. i was doing my digital detox this year so i was super bored so i read this book called "lessons in chemistry." it was SUPER good and i highly recommend it. do not be fooled by the name...it is not about chemistry. it's an inspiring novel about a brilliant chemist in the 1960s that turns into a cooking show host. if you like stories about female resilience you should check it out. then i went to my friends house. that was pretty much all i did today. 

Tonight was testing night at the dojang.  As a group, Masters Knight and Foster were both happy with everyone's progress, but there was one young man who stood out.  He was initially told by both of them that he wasn't ready to test, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.  He was determined to test.  He put in the extra work he needed to, so much so that Master Foster recognized him to the parents and students after testing was over.  Listening to Master Foster talk about this young man reminded me of a quote I read by Calvin Coolidge a few years ago that has always stuck with me.  It concerns the importance of persistence.  You can google the quote if you aren't familiar with it, but, in a nutshell, he says, "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common...

Today was quite eventful. I did my physical requirements in the morning like usual and then practiced my creative form. My dad had to get his car inspected so I had to pick him up from the mechanic, otherwise he wouldn't have a ride home. Later in the day I went over to King tiger for sparring class. sparring class was pretty good and I was able to get a mentor and mentee session as well. I'm feeling pretty tired so the rest of the night will be for relaxing and sleeping.

Today was pretty good, I went to the pool and stayed for a little. Later I went home and and went to the gym at like 6pm, then I got home and did my sef defence and kicks and poomsaes, I am about to go take a shower, I hope everyone had a wonderful!

Yesterday it was getting late so I published it today I started by finishing my daily requirements early and do my morning routine then decided to run one more mile. After  this I went to a teen meeting and came home late at night.  

Took a rest day on Tuesday. Body feeling beat down. Just to add some fun, I got a root canal on a tooth that would no longer hold my crown. Will have to schedule my crown replacement ASAP. Still feeling challenged to find a place to practice my pull-ups.

Another ok day. I’ve been a bit stressed out, trying to find ways to help that. Had black belt class today, some much needed kick refining. Went well but my leg was killing me after. It’s healing up fine but gets uncomfortable when I’m doing a lot. I’ve been working on writing music too, hopefully that can be my new skill. That’s all really.

I started the day by waking up late...like twelve minutes after I should have been at work late. Never a good way to start your day. I got it in gear though and got my day started at hyperspeed.   The kiddos at camp and all of my fellow instructors and counselors were all super sweet and I was on the receiving end of many birthday greetings. And sang to at lunch. While at the park, Peyton and I cranked out our self-defenses. Sweaty but we got it done.  When we got back to KT, Peyton's mom delivered still hot from the oven home-made brownies. Awesome surprise.  Today I received beautiful handmade cards, amazing NC made candies, a new body pillow for my very sore self and some other very thoughtful things. Thai food for lunch! And sweet smiles and laughs from Baby Olive!  I got home and cranked out some requirements...

Woke up this morning to get my younger brother from his football practice and take him home. It was kinda weird seeing kids from school again, I forget that they have their own lives with their own problems and joys and everything. I bet you guys didn't know that there is a word for that feeling, and it's sonder. It's the feeling when you realize that everyone you see is going through something completely different from what you are dealing with, like maybe you pass someone on the street who looks completely normal and harmless, but turns out to be a Tae Kwon Do master. Anyway, finished my exercises and played some games tonight. My parents leave for Vegas in the morning, so I am in charge for the coming weekend. Goodnight and I hope you are enjoying cycle so far, cause it's only week 2!

Today was a busy day, I woke up and went to work, went to the shift and had a good time. Once I was dropped off at my house, I chilled for a couple of hours, then after that, I went to TKD again for the 6:00 and 6:45 PM classes. Then headed home and watched my brother play Red Dead Redemption II. Now I will go to bed and I'll sleep in a little tomorrow since my shift starts at 1:00 PM. See you all later.

I skipped the morning workout today—I really wanted to test the difference in my energy levels throughout the day without an early session. By the end of the day, the difference was huge. Camp went smoothly: my group headed to the pool while the other half took care of things at King Tiger. After work, I came home to tackle two hours of yard work, grabbed dinner shortly after, and then knocked out some requirements. It’s a peculiar feeling—how you can physically feel stronger overall, yet feel so weak in the moment that you can't display your full strength. Happy Birthday to my mentor soon to be Master Jennifer Gould.  

Today was pretty good. When I woke up, I knocked out all of my physical requirements. I worked a lot on my creative form. Currently I am trying to do it as much as possible so it can become muscle memory. Tonight, I went on a run but instead of running in my neighborhood, I went to a track. I mainly went to the track because it is completely flat but also so I could pace myself after each lap. My first two miles were really good, I was making good time. However from mile 2 - 3 was when it started to get very difficult. I could feel my body wanting to drop from the pace I was at. That third mile felt like 2 miles. once I completed mile 3, I only had one more mile to go. I was so tired after this, my body wanted to stop....

Today, when I was doing my mentor session I realized that mentoring someone else really gave me a deeper understanding on what I was doing too. I mean I've read somewhere that teaching other people is what helps people remember best. Plus, I think that mentoring is a requirement BECAUSE it gives us a deeper understanding. (Also it helps with your people skills too>)

Today was a pretty chill day. I finished my last assignment for the class that I was taking, and I am so happy to finally be done with it. After I finished that, I went for a run and did my requirements. Later, I went to taekwondo and got to help with the shin kickers class, which is my favorite because the little kids are so cute trying to figure out how to kick. I also had sparring class tonight. Sparring was pretty good, although a kid did get hurt (he's ok). Overall, I had a pretty good day. I hope everyone else had a good day too!

Today was a good day. I ran a 8:27 mile which was my best time on the cycle but not my overall best time which is 8:19. I did my requirements and worked a lot on staff form 2. I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of it. I can get through the whole thing but admittedly, I'm probably making some parts up near the end. Hopefully I can get it good by friday which is when I'm having a mentor session with master knight. Today in class we just did a kicking drill and worked on our belt level curriculum. I also did a session with my mentee after class. 

Black belt cycle is hard, its meant to be, but you learn so much about yourself in the process. Even if you don't pass the test at the end, thats not really what its about. Arthur Ashe once said, "Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome." The black belt cycle is hard for a reason, its supposed to challenge you--physically, mentally, emotionally--but the way you become better is by persevering through the worst times and making an effort to become stronger and get through it. This cycle is only going to get harder but if you go in with the mindset that you grow as a person whether you pass or fail, you will have grown far more than someone that thinks they must get their black belt to succeed. With that being said, happy Wednesday and Happy Brithday Ms. Jen! My day...

Yesterday was pretty good in terms of like I went to summer camp and we went to the park for a while, later I went to taekwondo and did the black belt class only and went to the track right near my dads house so I ran about 1/4 of a mile before it started pouring, so we went home and I did my other workouts there. Today was okay, I went to summer camp and we did a few games, later I went to the gym and ran a mile there, as soon as I was done running my mile I went to taekwondo and did all 3 classes there, when I got home I changed and started to fill up my candy dispendser with resin ducks, frogs, black furry things, ect. I hope everyone had a wonderful day!

Today I woke up late around 9:30 then did my mile, the time was 11:30 because I kind of twisted my ankle right before my run so I had to walk a bit too. After I did my requirements and then in the afternoon I went to the 4:15 class did punches and kicks and taught. Same time for the next class as well. After I got home scheduled another session with my mentee tomorrow.

I arrived at the Harrisburg Park track this morning to run with my group.  To be honest, it was a little bit of a struggle.  But at times like that, I remind myself of 1) why I'm going through all this, and 2) just like pledging a fraternity or going through ROTC Officer Basic Camp or Airborne School, as hard as going through something like that is, it always ends.  It doesn't last forever.  After I left the track, I went to the weight room and got in some weight training, pull-ups (someone was able to show me a better way of doing them), planks and ab work.    

Im still trying to get back on track with doing my requirements because I was on vacation last week and I ran two miles and did everything else x2. after that I took a shower and chilled out until my dad got home and we went to the 6:00 class.  

Today I woke up not as early as usual and I decided to run my mile first and I ended up running a 7:10 which is the fastest I've done since starting the cycle but, I almost had an asthma attack after. I've always been more a explosive short burst type of speed not holding a speed long term. Hopefully I'll improve my long term stamina by the end of the cycle. I helped out in 1 senior tigers class and took 1 class which was the black belt class.

Today was okay. Got my requirements done, it’s late so I’ll log them tomorrow. I had a mentor session, and helped out in a class. Which was nice. I’m very tired, and sore ofc. But that’s okay, I’ll have more time to rest tomorrow. I keep getting worried about certain things on the test, then having to remind myself I still have over 2 months to figure it out lol. 

Today I did my exircises early so I could enjoy my day. We took my grandpa to a baseball game for his seventeenth birthday and me and my cousin got a ball. Today was very fun

Today was very tiring. I had get up at 7 for my band camp which is 8-12 and we were outside doing a bunch of physical training and marching and hen when I came home I didn’t have much of a break before I Had to finish my black belt requirements but at least it was less because of camp. I’ve also fallen behind on my pull ups. Anyways after that, I chilled for a half hour ish and then got ready to go to class to get a leadership credit and some practice in. Not many people today overall but i was able to get a mentee session in as well so that was good. After I got home I had a nice dinner and now im so tired and sleepy so goodnight!(have to do it all over again tomorrow🫩)

When I woke up, instead of doing my physical requirements, I jumped right into poomsae, self defense, and creative form practice. Typically, I practice my creative form over concrete in my backyard because it is the most open and flat area that is easily accessible. Today when I was twirling my staff like usual, one end struck the ground and completely snapped off. I was shocked; I didn't even know that was a risk. Anyway, later in the day, I went by king tiger in order to get a new staff and since I was there, I was able to get a leadership credit as well. When I came home, I finished up the rest of my physical requirements. That wraps up my day.

Long day. Peyton and I met last night and spent a couple of hours working on self-defenses, our weapons and poomsaes. I got another section of my creative done and we finished the evening with milkshakes for the win. I worked on an essay some tbis evening, helped with some home DIY and cranked out some requirements.Tired Jen now. Hope you all have a lovely Wednesday!

Today I went to work and taught classes, I got some food from Jason's Deli and it was really good. I went to go see the Odyssey movie and I loved it! I do recommend it to everyone who is of age to watch it. I finished my exercises after I got home, but it was pretty late, so I'm tired. Goodnight and I hope you guys are having a great cycle so far!

Hi guys! I went on vacation on 7/25-7/28, I completed all my requirements still, at the gym in my hotel and have returned today!

​Today was a good day. Went to work out before work, and that was killer—chow at every round, 1,180 reps in total! I was exhausted after that, but I powered through work, and today's field trip was Quest. It’s always a cool experience; every year feels a little different visiting these spots with the kiddos. ​After work, I stayed for class, logged some leadership credit, and worked on self-defense. Came home, ate dinner, and relaxed with the family. Ended the night with a bit more self-defense practice, and now it's time for a good night's rest before doing it all over again tomorrow. ​Good night, all. Hope everyone is getting stronger, mentally and physically.

Hello everyone, today was another busy day for me, started my shift at 9:00 AM, it was fun because we got to teach all the kids new stuff that they didn't know already. After we were done with classes I ate snack for lunch which was nice, once my shift ended, I went home and chilled for a bit, then me and my family went to go see the new movie called the Odyssey, I would recommend it to anyone who reads this. Now I'm home and I'm ready to go to bed. Hope you all had a great day, and see you later.

Oh my goodness, I'm exhausted. Today was alright, got to work at 9a.m. The kids were pretty rowdy and talkative since we stayed at KT and played games all day. They had fun but it was hard to get them to calm down and listen to instructions. I came home and had a long needed break...I was completely drained. I managed to get most of my requirements done. Another long summer camp day tomorrow! I hope everyone had a wonderful Tuesday! Keep up with your requirements everyone! ~ Peyton

After going to the gym this morning, I went to the dentist for my annual check-up.   This afternoon, I visited a couple of car dealerships with my niece, who's beginning her junior year in college in 2 weeks.  Tonight, in our regular class, I was able to snag some much-sought-after leadership credit and class assistance.  We are conducting testing on 7/30/2026, so I was able to help a couple of students with their poomsaes, board-breaking kicks and self-defenses.

Today I finished my second 12 hour period of the digital detox and I feel like a free man. One thing I noticed is that it's easier to focus and get tasks done but when you're done it feels like "now what". I dont like reading at all and I just cleaned my room so I just took a nap which I haven't done in a long time. I remember when I was forced to take naps😭. I was worried that class was going to be worse than it was yesterday. Yesterday's class was really bad for me because I had already finished all of my requirements but I had to do 2 miles because I forgot to do it the day before. Overall today was a relief and I'm glad I can listen to music again.

Today, I went with my mom to look at some apartments for my grandparents, and after that we went to the movies and saw Hadestown, which was really good. After that, I drove home and got ready for taekwondo. Taekwondo was really good today; I got to meet with my mentee and work on some color belt forms. I also had black belt class, and we worked on some stick forms and self-defense. Today was a little sad, though, since it was one of my friends' last day at taekwondo. When I got home, I knocked out my requirements and now I'm gonna go to bed. I hope that everyone had an amazing day!

I came to stay with my grandpa for the week. Slept pretty late this morning. Played with my kittens for a while then went to my great grandparents house. We ate watermelon, I did my requirements, then jumped in the pool to cool off. After swimming had class. It was pretty fun. Bo staff forms was tiring. It was also Jack's last class which was pretty sad. Now im back at my grandpa's getting ready for bed. Good night!

Today was a super fun day for me! Today I woke up are 12 and ate a chocolate croissant for breakfast, then I watched my anime show and then read The Grit Workbook For Kids. I really like that book and enjoy it a lot and I feel that this book is especially very helpful to certain kinds of kids who really need to work up building there Grit. Then I did my math worksheet around 2ish and then around 3 I  practiced some of my taekwondo. After I played Roblox with my best friend and then did my physical work and prayed, after I called Kendall to work on MORE taekwondo and after played Roblox. Around 5 I took my Quran class and then got ready to assist in senior tiger class. That class was really fun and thankfully I wasn’t alone because ria (hope I spelt it right) but...

I keep forgetting to journalllllll anyways today was pretty normal I did all my requirements and worked on staff form 2 A LOT. Its so hard for me to remember it for some reason so I just need to keep practicing it. I also caught up on jump roping since I was a little behind. I know I should definitly start my essays before school starts, but I have been busy for the past few weeks practicing for my SAT which is coming up in about a month so I need to find time to work on them because I most likely won't once school starts.