Candidate Journals

Yesterday I watched the NBA Finals, I'm so happy because the team I was going for the Golden State Warrior's won! Every person was participating. Andre Iguodala was on fire he was shooting 3's and 2's the whole game! Harrison Barnes had so many 3's too. Golden State won 105 to 97 against the Cavs. I also learned something new at sparring class. I learned that when you jump rope you are doing Cardio and you are exercising your calves muscles. I went to the pool and saw one of my friend, his name is Cole Webb. We shot water guns at my other friend. I had fun yesterday.

Morning started early with more fence work. Get to cut down a few trees with a chainsaw tomorrow, definitely looking forward to that. My wife and I are considering joining a gym near our house soon. I don't think I will even need it for at least another week or 2. Not with all of this hot weather and work to do. Requirements are going pretty decently. Of course always sore somewhere, though.

I just want to eat a bowl of ice for dinner. 102 degrees today with similar temps for the next 10 days. The AC in the dojang can't keep up with the heat. I have great instructors at our school. I'm grateful for all of them.

When the school year was ending I got to take a field trip to my new school, it is named M.I.S. When I was at the school I felt excited to see my old friends and make new one. Plus it carries responsibilities because you have to take care of your own laptop. I also learned when you are in 6th grade you can sign up for basketball. I'm excited for that! I also got to see what pilots wore back on the day and it was pretty cool. Last year in 3rd grade I learned a lot about laptops so I'm good for 4th grade. I'm really looking forward to meeting new friend and having another good 3 year at M.I.S.

Really fun class at North Charlotte tonight! Master Evins exercised our brains as much as our bodies and it wasn't pretty! I had a little emotional breakdown in my car on the way home from class, though. Ended up crying and talking to my husband on the phone for the entire 30 minute drive. I'm very unhappy with myself and my lack of commitment to my health. I'm so uncomfortable in my own skin. I'm frustrated with requirements because I am not fit enough to even make a dent in my numbers. The thing is, I know exactly what I need to do to fix this problem. So why won't I just do it?

Started early this morning clearing out more things out of my yard. The fence is almost halfway done! Have almost all of the post holes dug and the post cemented in. Man, it gets really hot so fast! Definitely doing a lot of sweating before I even get to the dojang!

Under the weather this weekend with a slow start back to doing requirements. I'm reading a book on the prehistory of Korea and should be ready to get started on at least one essay this week. King Tiger 5K is right around the corner!

Great class this eveing. TJ's knee is getting better from this Saturday's sparring class. We agreed to him to keep low until the Lee Brother's Cup in November. Julia started helping out with the summer classes. It's good to have her helping out. Did I mention it's going to be HOT this week?! Great chest day at the new gym. One thing I miss about Gold's - the summer day care for the kids while I worked out...

I know that the Kukkiwon Cup has past but I want to tell you what I learned. One thing is to block. The reason is so when my opponent kicks and I block he will not get a point. I also learned to do your best and never give up. After I sparred I watched my instructors spar. Watching them spar inspired me to give it my all. I also made friends on the way, their names are Ava and Sam. They supported me while I sparred, they are honorable friends. My experience at the Kukkiwon Cup was a good one because I learned a lot of things about sparring and about the Korean culture.

Feeling much better today! The back is still a little stiff, but I'm still planning on going to the gym tomorrow. Monday is a new day for the week and it's an exciting Monday. Most of my students have tested for their new belts and are excited to learn their new material. When they're excited, I'm excited!

Yesterday was the second day straight in a gym since my ACL injury (Sept 2014). I over did it the first day by doing "back" exercises. Usually, when I tweak my back and can't bend over, I have to squat in order to compensate. Unfortunately, I did "legs" on the second day so I wasn't able to bend over or squat today. It's feeling better this evening and I'm excited to be working out again and look forward to working out again tomorrow and Monday.

A lot has happened today. Today is the first day of summer break for the boys and they started it with tennis lessons. I had my final ortho appointment in regards to my ACL surgery. The Dr says it's stable, but looser then he would like to see it. What does that mean??? It will take another injury to justify another operation. I told him it felt loose three months ago and he didn't seem concerned. I worked out at my new gym today. It's closer than the Golds in Gastonia, but it doesn't have nearly the same equipment. There was a near drowning at the pool today. Too bad it was one of my own. Noah decided to jump into the deep end and forgot to grab his floating noodle. I had to jump in after him to get him out. Yay for summer...

A lot has happened today. Today is the first day of summer break for the boys and they started it with tennis lessons. I had my final ortho appointment in regards to my ACL surgery. The Dr says it's stable, but looser then he would like to see it. What does that mean??? It will take another injury to justify another operation. I told him it felt loose three months ago and he didn't seem concerned. I worked out at my new gym today. It's closer than the Golds in Gastonia, but it doesn't have nearly the same equipment. There was a near drowning at the pool today. Too bad it was one of my own. Noah decided to jump into the deep end and forgot to grab his floating noodle. I had to jump in after him to get him out. Yay for summer...

Had a great black belt class this morning! Awesome workout! Led a fun birthday party for one of our students and his sister. Knocked out some requirements as well later on.

A lot has happened today. Today is the first day of summer break for the boys and they started it with tennis lessons. I had my final ortho appointment in regards to my ACL surgery. The Dr says it's stable, but looser then he would like to see it. What does that mean??? It will take another injury to justify another operation. I told him it felt loose three months ago and he didn't seem concerned. I worked out at my new gym today. It's closer than the Golds in Gastonia, but it doesn't have nearly the same equipment. There was a near drowning at the pool today. Too bad it was one of my own. Noah decided to jump into the deep end and forgot to grab his floating noodle. I had to jump in after him to get him out. Yay for summer...

We had testing tonight at the King Tiger Belmont location. I love the raw energy of testing. There's excitement and hesitation in the air. I'm so proud of my students and I'm ready to show them my energy and love for the sport of tae kwon do. Let's do this!

I worked on the Palgwe forms quite a bit tonight. Still can't do more than one or two pull-ups even when I use my bungee cord to help. Pull-ups are very frustrating for me because it just never gets any easier. I think I'm getting stronger with my push-ups, though. I can do about 20 at a time now as long as I don't break the plane and stress my shoulders. If I keep my elbows at 90 degrees then all is well. My daughter is going to record my first video this weekend. If I do one video per month until my test, I'll complete all 5 video requirements!!

Started the day off with unpacking more boxes, then got a chance to do some training with Master Cavazos and Master Chelley. We worked on Pal Gwe forms, and the Hapkido forms. Pal Gwe forms are getting easier, definitely need to continue working on them (especially Sam, Sa, Oh), so they can flow.

Today I have been in a funk. Not feeling positive at all and just plain old tired. Signed up for the King Tiger 5K last night. Hopefully I will have a better day tomorrow.

Nothing too new to report today...still unpacking boxes and things. I connected my washing machine this morning. Cable guy came and hooked up cable, internet, and our new security system. Had a great class this morning with Sa Bum Nim, and Master Cavazos.

Summer is almost here. I'm grateful that the school owners are still meeting during the summer break in order to continue our training.

145 days until the overnight test. I have been walking my mile requirements since I started the Masters Journey, but today I began to incorporate jogging into my daily routine. Right now I'm running 60 seconds, walking 90 seconds, running 60 seconds, walking 90 seconds, etc. and I'll hopefully build up my endurance a little each day. I was a little worried about my knees, but so far so good. Now it's time to do some pushups.

Had a great weekend! Parents' Night out on Friday night...went mini golfing. Birthday party on Saturday night with good food and good friends. Cook out at the parents house on Sunday. Ran 4 miles on Friday (skipped crossfit because I couldn't lift my arms above my head). Ran 3 on Saturday and took the day off on Sunday.

My wife and I moved into our new house this weekend! All day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was spent moving and unpacking. I'm actually still sore! With the house and the cycle, it will be a lot going on, but I can handle it! Looking forward to getting everything put away, and returning to "normal" life.

My wife and I moved into our new house this weekend! All day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was spent moving and unpacking. I'm actually still sore! With the house and the cycle, it will be a lot going on, but I can handle it! Looking forward to getting everything put away, and returning to "normal" life.

Gearing up for Summer CampGot to figure out how to schedule my workouts and runs during camp.Not sure I want to workout at 5:00 am

Beautiful day today. Sparring combinations, kicks and jump rope outside, then inside for push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. My plan was to start on my essays this weekend but I didn't quite get there. Next weekend for sure!

Today was a busy day! Assisted in 2 classes with Master Randall, took class for 2nd dans and higher, then took black belt class. Came home and worked on some more requirements. Now I'm totally exhausted and laying in bed at 6pm. So Sad! Corrected my leadership numbers on the website. Still so far to go.

I had a great time with my friends at the Zac Brown concert last night but I'm a little tired from the late night. Looking forward to class tomorrow and getting some work done on my essays. I'm learning a little about Lectin which is a fat burning hormone that is really important for female weight loss. More research to be done.

It takes a lot of courage to become a black belt or to decide you want to test again. And so the journey begins again. Best of luck to all of the Fall 2015 candidates.

Had a great weekend at the Kukkiwon Cup! Had a great time working in the Holding Area with GM Jung Ho. Great food and great company all weekend.

We closed on our house yesterday! I am now a homeowner! Woo hoo! Also had a great mentor session this morning, and an awesome wacky wednesday class this evening to cap it all off!

Just finished answering all the questions on the written exam! Now I will just have to review the questions and answers often. Push ups and pull ups are still really tough for me, but I'm doing them consistently every day now. Hopefully it will get a little easier as I get my body and mind back into shape. I have to miss class tomorrow night because a friend bought me a ticket to the Zac Brown concert. I'm not much of a "concert-goer", but it should be a fun evening with friends. I'll fit my training in somewhere..... Maybe on the lawn at the concert!

Great class tonight. Lots of kicking! I'm getting up before work to do 50 push-ups and 50 Sit-ups then my goal is to repeat that 4 times during the day. Today I only did one set of 50.

Not feeling great today. Gonna power through some requirements anyway. Have started getting some resources together for my essays and then I'll be ready to get started. October is right around the corner!

The Kukkiwon Cup was amazing! I'm so glad I was part of such an historic event. It's always so good to see King Tiger family from other schools. It's like seeing a favorite cousin that you haven't seen since the last time the family got together. And King Tiger is definitely a big, happy family! I'm going to get started on my essays this week and will continue to amp up my training. My goal is to be at least 10 pounds lighter before 7/11/15.

Wow! What an experience participating in the Kukkiwon Cup this weekend! It was a great opportunity to see some friends we don’t see often and meet some new people. Once my event was over, I even had a chance to check out some of the Korean Cultural Expo exhibits and booths. The demo teams were fun to watch too! What a lot of work must go into those performances! In the afternoon, I helped with leading groups to their sparring ring and offered some support to a few who didn’t appear to have a coach during their match. That was certainly outside my comfort zone, but a little more exciting pulling for those competitors. It’s much easier to see things that could be done differently while not in the ring. While the day wasn’t nearly as long as those of Instructors Camp, I slept quite well last night. Thanks Master Randle,...

The black belt cycle meeting last night made everything seem very real all of a sudden. I have a lot of work to do! I'm really looking forward to the Kukkiwon Cup this weekend! See everyone there!

Excited to see who shows up to the BB Cycle meeting tonight! Every cycle is unique...every group wonderful in their own way. I love it!!!!

Found out yesterday that I will not be sparring at Kukkiwon Cup.I will be competing in Poomse, and then assisting with judging.Been working alot on endurance and conditioning.Going to try to keep up the sparring workouts.

Pulled an abdominal muscle in class on Tuesday. Makes push-ups and sit-ups very painful so I'm taking a break from them for now. Black belt cycle meeting is today!

Crossfit this morning, 2 mile run and kickboxing....good day of exercise. Lettuce wraps for dinner... day 17 of the 24 day challenge. Down 10 pounds. Can't wait for the tournament this weekend!'t

Today has been a busy day so far! Had to meet with my lender, go to the bank, pack a few more boxes, whew! Everything is still looking great with the house, though. I am so ready to be moved in and done with this process. That will make the cycle much easier to focus on! Still need to knock out some essays and things...

Sore from yesterday's "murph" work out at cross fit. Gonna have to do something today to work out the soreness a bit.

2 miles run100 pull-ups200 push-ups300 squatsFelt great! Day after a 3 mile run with 45 burpees and 45 squats. Day after 3.3 mile run with 20 burpees.Worked out hard to counteract the long holiday weekend.

Day 12 of the 24 day challenge. I have lost 10 pounds. Very happy about that. Have run 9 miles so far this week, need to get some good miles in this weekend. Crossfit was not too bad today....but the Monday work out promises to be Cray-Cray......

Getting through a little groin tightness, and a bit of strained abdominal.Quick Martial Fit workout last night. WOD later this morning.Day 12 of Challenge. The cleanse is over :-(

This is my first journal entry of my master's journey. Better late than never I guess. So, in honor of officially starting our new black belt journey, I have attached one of my favorite Black Belt pictures. :)

getting excited about Kukkiwon Cup....only about days away. Not competing, but have been practicing my ref skills.

I finally logged in the small amount of requirements I had done since I started and see what a small dent in the big numbers it has made. I keep telling myself that I need to get into a routine of doing regular requirements, but the tunnel seems long. I'm sure it will become short much faster than I would like. In addition to all the requirements, there is always so much to learn. I guess for a little while I should concentrate on my form for Kukkiwon Cup and then worry about learning new things. As high as the numbers look now, I am determined to get a big chunk completed before the end of the year, so when work gets to be much more demanding I don't have to choose. Definitely easier said than done.

Busy Tuesday! Lots going on for the house my wife and I are trying to get. We have hit many obstacles along the way, but have overcome them all so far. Hopefully we will be closing in a few weeks! That will be a big weight off of my shoulders. I know that there will be lots to do when we move in and start unpacking. Wow...you never realize how much stuff you have until you have to move..... Had a good class with Master Cavazos this morning. Looking forward to a sweaty morning tomorrow starting with Crossfit, then training with Sa Bum Nim!

I am back! Finished with my presentations in Boston and I think everything went really well. No one saw me shaking behind the podium. Great black belt class tonight at North Charlotte. I am going to refocus on Taekwondo now that my work stressors are in the past. I'm especially getting myself back into physical condition so that I can do well during this black belt cycle.

Tough day at Crossfit....1 mile run and 58 ring pulls....had to modify a bit because of time constraints....should have been a mile and a half run. Will work in another mile or so into the Martial Fit class tonight. Day 9 of 24 day challenge. Feeling good!

Day 9 of our 24 Day Challenge.Lost 5.5 lbs so far. Still looking for another 7 lbs.Great Crossfit workout yesterday, followed by mowing my yard.

Excited about the 24 day challenge. Day 8 and I have already lost 6 lbs! Crossfit was hard today....54 burpees to add to my totals. Ran with Master Schneider, slowly. Still have kickboxing tonight...so I am off to have some spark and catalyst! Then, early to bed I think!

Excited about the 24 day challenge. Day 8 and I have already lost 6 lbs! Crossfit was hard today....54 burpees to add to my totals. Ran with Master Schneider, slowly. Still have kickboxing tonight...so I am off to have some spark and catalyst! Then, early to bed I think!

Doing great on the challenge so far.Doing the meal replacement shakes during the new cleanse phase. Want to get a few more pounds off before competition in the Kukkiwon Cup in a couple of weeks.

Trained at the South Charlotte school tonight. Class was great and I enjoyed seeing my old friends again.

Wow! Definitely still have a ways to go...I need to get more frequent with my journaling, and also some other requirements. Sometimes it just feels like days are not long enough! I spent a little bit of time outside of town this weekend, now I am back in the groove. Looking forward to a CrossFit class tomorrow, and will be starting some of my essays soon!

I've been very inconsistent lately with logging my requirements (of which I have done few) and journaling. I'm in the home stretch with my presentations. I go to Boston the week of May 11-May 17 and my presentations are on 5/13 and again on 5/16. I hate to wish my life away, but I can't wait until I've done the presentations and I can focus on TaeKwonDo.

Here it is already May and my next black belt cycle is less than a year away. It is time to get back into the swing of regular requirements. Easier said than done, but it has to be done. This morning I helped with Jr. Tigers and then Family class. Then was black belt class taught by Master Randle and I went home sweaty. We worked on a variety of poomsaes, kicks and self-defenses. My falls need work! What a beautiful spring day to be outside!

Had a great Crossfit class this morning. Legs are nice and stiff now. Good training with some of the masters and Master Evins after that. Will be moving to Concord in early June, so will have to find another gym. Northlake will be too far to drive for me in the mornings each week. Don't worry, I will still be here at King Tiger North Charlotte.

In addition to trying to remember red belt #2 self defense, I am leaving a job (and a profession) and a home. On April 30 I will walk away from the practice of law for the second time in my life. On May 13 I will leave my condo which is being sold. As of May 13 I will be unemployed and homeless and I could not be happier about it. I'll tell you why in my next post.

Lots of requirements done today. My arms are quite tired from the push-ups. I finally registered for the Kukkiwon Cup and will be competing in forms. No sparring for me!

Was able to spend about 3 hrs training yesterday. I think I am going to make it. Self-defenses are still my achilles heel.

Congratulations to everyone that tested this past weekend! Everyone looked great and did a phenomenal job. I am very excited for the Tea Ceremony tomorrow, can't wait to see everyone there!

Trying to re-master 1st dan self defense this week. Not as easy as I remember it. Actually, I don't recall much of it at all. So glad the Charlotte masters took the time to help me video them.

I just wanted to say again, that everyone did an AWESOME job during testing, and I am very proud of everyone!!!! I cannot wait for the Tea Ceremony, and I can't wait for Saturday!!!!! Wahooooo this is awesome!! I hope that everyone is as excited as I am. Can't wait to see you guys!! And great job on the cycle, everyone, I know that you tried very hard, and I can see it in your performance. I can't wait for the next cycle!!

Congratulations to all who tested last weekend. I was with you in spirit. Spent the weekend at my mother's house in rural AR with no internet. I was quite pleased with the pictures I saw posted when I got back. I am still training.

I love North Carolina, but my allergies are killing me. I'm thankful for Claritin. Looking forward to class tonight. I'm very stressed about these presentations I have to give in May and the only place I'm not thinking (obsessing) about them is in the dojang!

Using my Fitbit flex to help me keep track of my miles. Push-ups are still killing me. Tomorrow I'll begin another week. Hope to lose a pound or two by the weekend. My knee will thank me.

Heartiest congratulations to all my friends on getting our next level. All our hard work paid off and look forward to seeing you all in the tea ceremony this Friday and wear our new belts :)

The black belt candidates had an awesome test today! The whole group did really well. I came home motivated to work on requirements after their performance. The next black belt test is right around the corner. (Gulp.)

Last night we had an awesome testing. Mostly everyone did great. I am very proud of everybody!! Keep up the great work!! Make sure you practice a little before the show!!

I have not written a journal in a while. But I wanted to say that I hope that everyone does well during their testing. I am a little nervous, but that is to be expected. I have been practicing all day, and know I will do great, as well as everyone else. * I am upset though, because I am not sure if my pull ups got logged in, and after taking class I ended up doing way more poomseas than what was there before. I also did a lot today. * I also don't understand why the website is not working, because I wanted to check it out and make sure everything was updated, but it would not work.  Good Luck!!

Today is the night the big night we have all been waiting for black belt testing. Are you ready I am. Comment if you are or not.

Here we are..Tonight is final testing. Heading to school now and will be back in the evening. Need to sleep for a little before i head out for the overnight testing. Master Randle and Master Knight gave me a lot of confidence yesterday before our Black Belt Class. I was extremely nervous and I am kind of ok now.... I wish everyone all the best! See you soon

Wishing all the black belt candidates a GREAT night tomorrow when they begin their test at 9p. Work hard and finish strong!

Well, the cycle is one week and one day from full completion. Tomorrow night is our Overnight Test; Saturday is our Demo Test and then our Tea Ceremony is scheduled for the 17th. While the past several weeks have been a major part of the journey, the cycle truly includes all of the hours and sweat that have gone into my 2nd Don Black Belt these past 2 years. I have enjoyed all of it and I am looking forward to the next leg of the journey. See you all tomorrow night! We are ready!

Tomorrow is the final test. I am so nervous and excited! (Can that happen?) I know I can do it because I practiced and I am ready! :)

Starting to feel better about my Boston presentations. I'm about half done with both power points! Now I just want May 13th and 16th to come and go so that I can take a deep breath and get back to work on my TKD essays. My left knee is hurting again. It's very frustrating not be able to do what I want to do physically. Can't even kneel on the knee anymore. Will just have to take it one day at a time. Looking forward to the Kukkiwon Cup!

This is the last journal that I need. Yes. Oh yeah. Still got to hone my skill. SO allsons-y!! ( that's french for let's go.)

This is the last journal that I need. Yes. Oh yeah. Still got to hone my skill. SO allsons-y!!

All of a sudden i have become very nervous. I have been practicing all my stuff and trying to make it clean. 2 more days!!!

There is 2 days left until testing. Are you ready. Comment if you are or not.

Man, I am very excited for this cycle of black belt testers. Testing is only a few short days away! A lot of people have stepped up, and come a very long way. This gives me motivation for the next cycle I am honored to be attacking Master Cavazos for his testing, I just hope he doesn't clean my clock too bad!Go Black Belts!

So I'm really nervous / super excited about this Saturday is been 2 long years for me to get my black belt so ready for it

Soon, so soon. I am going to test for my Black belt. YEAH! Hard work pays off.

My da was good. I went long boarding today. That is really all.

Had a good day at school. We had pizza party and we loved every bit of it. Saw Master Chelley's email on the Friday night testing and just got nervous... I hope we all do good and get through the night on Friday. 2 more days!!!!

I've noticed as I've gotten older that the body needs a bit more time to bounce back between workouts. When I tested for first dan (around 34 or so) I was quite proud that I could keep up with the youngsters. 13 years later and I have had to accept that while I can still do most things, it just takes a smidge longer to do them. It makes me realize that martial arts may be the best way to stay in tune with your body. The body is the best indicator of all things from physical health to emotional well being. I pledge never to stop my martial arts training. Weight lifting may be beneficial but the physical training of martial arts just keeps you in balance and in tune much better.

After visiting Charlotte and Master Evins I now have added AM and PM workouts. Staff form #2 is a bit of a problem but nothing I can't handle. Feeling more confident every day now.

My day was good. I went shopping all day. And my feet are killing me.

I am sick with a stomach bug or something, I don't know. GRR THIS!!!!

Enjoyed this weekend was able to get my garden ready for planning. And was able to let my mind have a rest ,there is nothing like working in the dirt with your hands and taking your mind off everything else. But today it was back to business and for the next few days.

This is becoming real now. Final week is here. I am super excited for the testing. Heading out to school now and will be practicing all evening today.

Just spent 3 days with Master Evins. Feel like a martial artist (albeit a sloppy one) again. Looking forward to pushing on through.

Still thinking about this upcoming weekend getting nervous / excited can't wait

Today I got back home from Florida. It was awesome bye  

My day was good. My nana and papa came to my hour today. I happy Easter .