Candidate Journals

Leaving for Nebraska tomorrow.Still need to put together a self defense presentation for Saturday.Lots of Thrusters yesterday, Owner training, and lots of sparring drills in class.

Today, we celebrated Noah's birthday. He turned six. He acts so grown up and you couldn't ask for a more sweeter boy. He's sensitive and puts the feelings of others before himself. I wish more people could be like that. This morning started with training with the other Masters at the Huntersville location. Great work-out and much needed review. I need to get my gears rolling so that I can prepare myself for my students. They're counting on me.

Great training with Master Evins today. Worked on Pal Gwe forms and Hapkido. Crossfit and Kickboxing. Worn out right now!

No yard or fence work this morning! But that's ok...getting up at 6:00 tomorrow and heading to Home Depot soon after for rails and pickets mainly. Had a great class with some of the other masters at the Lake Norman school this morning. Got to work on Hapkido, Pal Gwe, and black belt poomsaes. Definitely helpful.

Today we went to soccer, and my brother scored a goal! I was so happy, and he did great defense on the coach. We saw my friend's sister she did good in soccer too. I am reading " Max" , it is very interesting, it makes you think about who killed Kyle, Justin's brother. I think it is Kyle's friend Tyler. I also went to the pool with my friend Melanie and her sister. We spent 3 1/2 hours there at the pool. We had fun today!

Swim Day at Summer Camp....got a little burnt, even though I used sun screen! Ran/walked 2.5 at Mazeppa Park before going to the pool. There is no shade there and it was about 92 degrees...made it about 2 miles before I had to stop and walk. Martial Fit tonight with my peeps. Looking forward to training tomorrow with Sa Bum Nim. Happy Birthday to Instructor Tucker! Good Job today! Had one of my favorite Junior Tigers in for Testing today. Congrats to Aaron and thank you to Andre for working with your little brother for his next belt!

Today was my 49th birthday and I had a great day! I didn't use the day as an excuse to eat cake or to be lazy! I ate healthy food all day, went to black belt class and worked out hard, and drank tons of water. I was kind to myself and I feel really good about that! Stocked up on Spark and meal replacement shakes tonight so I'm ready for tomorrow.

Wow, what a busy day! Today was just a non-stop high energy day. Happy birthday shout out to Instructor Tucker! I am still chiseling away at requirements. Pushups and situps are up to around 130ish a day.....knocking them out usually in sets or 20 or so....just staying sore. Basic kicks same way usually. Journaling is actually a challenge...its hard to know what to write every day!

Today we started with soccer. We watched my friend's sister. She is amazing at soccer, and we watched her and she watched my brother. After we went to the playground. We were there for a few min. We relaxed for a few min, and then practiced with my bother his poomsae and self defense. He did great! And for doing so great he got his new belt. It is sold yellow. I have a summer reading book and one for my black belt. The summer one is "Max" it is a very interesting book. My black belt one is "Hoot". I can't wait for tomorrow!

     My hero is Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a five-star general in the US Army and was the 34th United States President.      Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, TX to David Jacobs Eisenhower and Ida Stover Eisenhower. Dwight was the third of his parent’s seven sons. His family lived in a tiny house near a railroad track where Dwight’s father worked cleaning train engines.      Once his Dwight was a year and a half years old his family move to Abilene, Kanas where his family first lived. They moved there so David could get a better job at his brother-in-law’s creamery. Soon afterwards Dwight’s 10-month-old brother Paul died from diphtheria when Dwight was 4 years old.      After graduating from Abilene High School, Dwight started working with his father and uncle at the Belle Springs Creamery and also worked as a moonlighting...

The heat is driving my kids crazy. The pool water feels like bath water due to the 100 degree temps from the last two weeks. My grass is crispy. Extra crispy. Still getting requirements done.

I had a great 'diet' and exercise day today. Protein shake for breakfast, blackened chicken salad for lunch, Apple for snack and 2 eggs for dinner. I drank my body weight in water (ok, not really) and did not have any diet sodas today. I trained with my South Charlotte King Tiger peeps tonight and we did a million kicks (ok, not really) and went over some Palgwe forms. Looking forward to class at North Charlotte tomorrow.

Tough morning at CrossFit. Running, burpees and Pull ups ...well, ring rows for me...but got 45 of each in so that was nice! Second week of summer camp also started today. Went to a park that we hadn't been to since last summer. They had put in awesome new equipment and the kiddos had fun....and it was shady! A little piece of chicken and a little piece of pork with some asparagus and beans for lunch. Should have a kickboxing class later to get in some sparring rounds!

Saturday I went to Heroes Con. It is a convention of super heroes and you have a check list/passport that you can visit people and you have to get stamps in order to finish the passport. It was fun and I saw a lot of super heroes, my brother Aaron was dressed up as Groot(a plant) from Guardians of the Galaxy. People took pictures with him and said hi to him. He liked the attention. We also got Legos and I saw my dads friends Pablo and Ed. After Mom, Dad and I had star bucks. We had a good day at Heroes Con.

Had a blast at the King Tiger 5K this past Saturday! Even got my fastest time ever so far. Ended the weekend with more outside work, and soaking in some sun! Met up with my Dad on Sunday for a Father's Day dinner. Definitely good to see him.

Happy Father's Day! I didn't get much of the physical requirements done, but got some good random acts of kindness and meditations.

WOW.... I just can't get into a good habit of journaling! I am on my lap top every single day. I even log on to the King Tiger Black Belt site almost every day. But I can't seem to get into a good journaling habit. Week One of summer camp is done and it was great. It was a little hectic though...getting into a groove. Hopefully we can get on a good schedule so that I can go to CrossFit this week. I can't wait for the Fall Candidates to start their Pre-Cycle because my summer campers and instructors that are on the cycle will motivate me to get so many more requirements done.

I am truly exhausted today. Woke up and ran/walked the King Tiger 5K, helped Master Randle and Instructor Dege with Junior Tigers class, went home, showered, raced off to Philip O'Berry high school to teach CPR during halftime at the Heart-of-Gold celebrity basketball game to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and now my left knee is screaming under the ice I have propped up on it. Other than the run, I didn't get many requirements done today. Back at it tomorrow.

Not too successful in getting into a routine yet. Tried journaling using my Kindle last night and the font is too small for me to see, so that won’t work. I need to make a special point to get onto my laptop to journal more regularly. I have been using a memo app to keep track of the requirements as I do them since I keep my phone close usually. Pushups are getting a little better. Fifteen at a time beats ten. I need to make more use of weekends to knock things out, but haven’t brought myself to do that yet either. We have a make your own 4 week challenge that I am doing with Instructor Tucker and one week is 125 pushups, one week is 125 sit-ups, one week is 15 burpees, and the other week is 5 jump rope rounds. Mix and match the days is allowed...

I love Fridays. Got to work out today at the new gym and knocked out a bunch of requirements. We're heading out tomorrow after sparring class to Looking Glass Falls with the family. Just the family.

Yesterday I helped Aaron with his poomsae and self defense and kicks. He tests on Tuesday and I hope he goes to the next belt. It was also a chill day so we relaxed and watched TV till Tae Kwon Do. At sparring class I worked on my bon bon kicks. My instructor told me to be faster. Before sparring class I had a frappuccino and I had so much of it I was bouncing off the walls. After I played b-ball with my dad and he taught me new moves. I had a good day.

Lots of poomsaes and kicks tonight in class. I am SO thankful for the support I receive from Master Randle, Instructor Dege and Instructor Donna Harris. Their support and encouragement make me stronger! I couldn't keep going without my King Tiger family. I picked up my 5K T-Shirt and race number today after work. Hope to see everyone Saturday!

Got a couple of trees cut down today, spent most of the morning pruning/cutting, and almost done installing a back gate for the fence. Had a Subway sandwich for lunch, then steak and steamed rice for dinner. Knocked out some more requirements (of course), but really sore using muscles I guess i don't normally use daily. No trouble sleeping at all this week! Haha!

Today my summer was a blast! This morning I woke up and played on my computer, and I also played music on iTunes, I was listening to" It is going down for real". I also played basketball after breakfast. In the afternoon I played more basketball and then watched a show called"NBA slam funk". It is super funny. They make bloopers of NBA players. Also I went to the pool and saw a lot of friends from school. At night me and my brother practice his poomsae , self defense and kicks for his test. He will be ready.

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.