Candidate Journals

I meant to journal before midnight, but I got caught up study. When to sparring and black belt class on Saturday. Sparring was great, we did two on one sparring which was fun. We haven't done it in a while. Got kicked in the face, but there are worse things to happen in life, and it was pretty funny. I want/need to start practicing head shots, I just want to make sure I can do them without hurting someone. We practiced kicks in black belt class. I am really happy with my kicks!. But I still need to stretch more. I went running today and I do not know why, but I really pushed myself today. I ran the mile in 9.4 minutes, which is about average. But for me, that one of the fastest miles I ran.  

The days always start with high hopes for specific accomplishments and finish with less. I have high hopes for tomorrow being different. While it will be hot, it will be good to train with Master Tucker. Some things are much better practiced with a partner. Motivation, intentions, and encouragement go a long way, but reality sometimes gets in the way. Here's to a productive day tomorrow and good sleep tonight!

Today was pretty good, with its start being a sparring class. I spent most of my afternoon finishing requirements and helping my dad with various projects and home repairs.

Today, I went to sparring and BBC. We did lots of forms and self-defenses. I saw the movie Lion King in live-action. It was a great movie. I loved seeing Simba as a cub. He was so cute. I loved seeing all the animals and I want to interact with those animals someday. Wasn't able to do a bunch of requirements, but still some. Will do more tomorrow. I also did a mentor session. Because Luis my mentor is gone temporarily, I have had some temporary mentors. I thank everyone who has mentored me and helped me grow in general. 

Today was a great first day in Florida. Went to the beach for the whole day but before had an amazing breakfast. At the beach took so nice pictures and had an amazing time looking at the sunset. What a great day.

The body needed some rest today got up this morning to go to work only felt about 75%.  Start off doing my walk at work today it end up being a slow walk. Then after  lunch I felt a bit better and got some miles in.????‍♂️????‍♂️????‍♂️????‍♂️

I wasn't able to stay for black belt class today.  Had to go to see my father in Rehab.  This is the 4th medical facility he has been in since his original heart catheterization on 6/20/19 and hopefully this will be the last.  He is starting to walk down the halls with assistance and do some routine daily activities, but most importantly, he appears to be in good spirits.  The past 2 months have been really stressful and I find that all I want to do when I come home from work is sit.  I'm in need of some motivation and Master Dege is going to help me out with that.  We are meeting at a park tomorrow morning to train hard, log some miles and whittle away on requirements.  Fortunately, my drive to north Charlotte is so long she agreed to meet me in the middle- 19 minute drive for...

Today was a normal Saturday for the most part.  I went to sparring class as well as black belt class, and got a fair amount of cycle requirements done.  I didn't get to mow my grandparents' lawn because of the rain though, but that's OK because I can hopefully take care of that tomorrow.

Not terribly much happened today. I got a lot of work done on a painting for school as well as requirements and then worked summer camp to then spend time with my family. Overall it was a pretty decent day.

Today is the day where I go to Florida. I spent the day packing and doing requirements because I knew I would not be able to do them tonight. Currently, I am at the concord region airport and now boarding the plane, flight got delayed multiple times so I’m ready to get on the plane. 

We practiced nunchucks in black belt class. Master Marcus gave good advice on how to get better at nunchucks. He says nunchucks are a broken weapon and to focus on the broken stick that you can control. I think you can say the same thing in life. You got focus on what you can control and change. Life is going to be unfair sometimes, and your going to face challenges that are out of your control. But the great thing about life is that you have the ability to change.

Today I feel blessed and humble I got quite a few cards from the summer camp kids saying Happy birthday.  The made them a few days a go,   But I kept forgetting to pick them up and finally did today.  But brought joy to my heart and make my eyes leak.????

Today was a productive day. Worked out, trained Kidz Camp, got mentored, and took BBC. I plan to hit the pool tonight and get a hot pretzel from the Auntie Anne’s food truck ????????????

Today was not as productive as it could have been. Tomorrow will be better. Maybe I can fit a few pushups in at work. It's a little easier in jeans than a dress. Only a little since the wrists are the same. Worked on double stick 2 with Master Cavazos in my mentor session after class tonight. Kind of makes me feel like a white belt again. I should dig out that video and watch it a few times. I should probably also get out study guides so I don't embarrass myself with the pretest. Thanks for the encouragement Master Randle!

Today I went to my school orientation. I am going to 8th grade. It turns out my mentee goes to the same school. I mentored my mentee today and I went to Black Belt Class. My mentee is a junior Tiger so I learned some of the Junior Tiger curricula from him. We did a lot of Forms and Self Defenses in BBC.I need to practice High Yellow and Red Belt self defense. I also need to work on side kicks. I really hope school doesn't get the way of the cycle too much. I also signed up for a computer elective, which I am excited for. I think we should have a place to chat with other black belt candidates on this website. Texting and calls! 

Today I finished my new skill of painting a self portrait, which was a fun process that gave me a challenge. Now I just have to finish 2 more projects for my art class and my summer reading assignment for school.

My mentee has gotten all her stripes and is ready to test! I don't think she knows that she has been an awesome mentee. We prettty much have mentor sessions 3-4 times a week and she may complain here and there, but she always come and does them. Also, she only comes for the summer, but she's a fast learner and knows all the material. We have two more mentee sessions left, I can't wait for her to belt test. Went to Tiger World, I love going.  Went to the gym today and worked with my trainer. We did a weight-in and took measurements. I'm down 12lbs since May, gain muscle, and lose some inches. It's crazy that I started the year weighing 168lbs and now Im down to 141lbs.   

Had a good day at work,  Had a stop on the way home to pick up apart from my old car Got home late but still got my requirements in even after cooking dinner from my wife.

I trained 2 kids camps and 3 adult camps today. I’m tired. Can’t wait for black belt class tomorrow night! 

Today was pretty long as I was finding it difficult to get myself to paint, and I feel really bad for forgetting to journal the past couple days. My stings are doing better thanks to the Benadryl I’ve been taking but said medicine has just been messing with my sleep patterns. 

It's a better day when pushups aren't the last thing on my list for the day. I found myself doing kicks slower than usual today and thinking more about my technique. Not that I do my kicks fast other days. My walk/jog partner has other plans for the next two days so I will have to dig up some different motivation to get some miles in. I have an earlier day tomorrow, so it's time for some zzzs.

Had a nice easy day. I got my college books, and cleaned up my room. 

I was excited about a part I order today was showing up then I was  Disappointed when I got it. You can't go by the  Picture you see on a website,.????????‍♂️????

Today was actually kind of fun. Had a lot of laughs with the summer camp kids and my friends/co workers. Created a game that the kids have a lot of fun with but at the same time some get hurt but most are over dramatic.

Tonight was a struggle. I’ve been training a lot this week both for my job and TKD and it was a STRUGGLE getting to class. I did make it to assist, be mentored, and take an adult class so that was good. Now off  to bed ????

Its a very crazy day we are doing games, its a lot of fun getting to know more and more about the kids. we are playing lazer tag with the campers. We watched Detective Pikachu, it was a really good movie and everybody enjoyed it. We did not do class because the computer update took a good part of our day. We played a lot of games today and we are getting ready for the junior tigers testing. I am going to be helping with the junior tigers testing. We got a new game today called spot it. I hope you enjoyed it have a nice day bye!

I have been doing what I can before my Tonsillectomy. I'm so nervous!!!!!

My day was a casual day at work. Today was pay day and my check looked nice then came home and worked out hard. Black belt class was fun because it was a mini Saturday class which I felt on Sunday.

It was nice to look forward to a new female adult in black belt class today. I hope she continues to come train with us. Pushups are doing a number on my shoulders. I keep hoping they feel better after I get used to doing so many, but I am still at sets of ten with much time between and not getting in as many as needed. That will be a challenge for me to complete them. Nothing new there, but I haven't even started on pull ups yet. Tomorrow is another day, and tomorrow will help me get closer to my goal.

My sweet coworkers, in their attempt to help me with requirements, will just randomly shout out “Burpee Break”!! When we hear this, we all have to get up and do five Burpee’s no matter where we are. My nursing team LOVES “Burpee Breaks because we all feel better after we do them, and bonus for me, I’m logging requirements! Having support at the dojang, at home, AND at work is a blessing for sure!  We met a new adult student in class tonight, Ms. Pam!  Such a friendly person!  I’m looking forward to training with her!

Today I went shopping at a store called Lidl. The prices there are very good. I also went to class today and got mentored. We did lots of kicking, but no as much as Saturday's class. I currently am working on side kicks.

Long day . Did a lot of yard work,  wishing I could count  That as part of my requirements.????????‍♂️ Had a awesome black belt class , kicks kicks ,????

It was nice to have a day off. I got to take my dog to the dog park. He is super friendly with people, but he gets a little scared or aggressive with other dogs. He did better today and I was able to let him off his leash. My co-worker asked for my shift tomorrow, so Ill be going back to the park again.

Had a good day at work, had to do some rework on my wife's car again , thing I got a bad part. Will see tomorrow how it runs. Had a good pmaa class tonight,  thank you sir.

Burpees are getting easier. Progress!! Had a good day, played kickball with the older kids today at camp. Did lots of poomsaes and self-defense.

Today I went to summer camp at the Raptor Centre. It wasn't as hype as I thought it would be today because on Mondays everyone is busy. What I thought was cool was that I met a friend from pre-k. What I'm looking forward to is helping out in class and helping the color belts. 

Today has been fairly normal. However, for the first time, I made a to-do list. Of course, I have to do cycle requirements. I also want to spend only 1 hour on social media, unless I am using it for productivity. Because school is coming up, I have been using Duolingo to practice Spanish and Khan Academy to practice math. I also want to read my book for the cycle. Pro Tip: Take notes on your book. Your future self will thank you for not having to read the book again. I will help with class today at 6:45 PM.

I'm at work on a Monday morning and just made my coworkers do Burpees with me.  My colleagues in high heels declined to join.  There is strength in numbers!! 

Today was a pretty quiet day, though in church I got to have a really good apologetics discussion. My hands were itching from the stings badly enough to where ice cubes and cortisone didn’t help at all and so my mom and I went to CVS to pick up some Benadryl and some Benadryl cream. I’m definitely going to sleep well tonight with the aid of the of Benadryl.

I sure slept good last night. Today was a relatively quiet day. It seems I have been packing to leave, or to come home, so often lately that it is good to sleep in my own bed for weeks in a row. It is nice to visit, but it always takes a night or two to adjust. Tomorrow is back to work and getting up with an alarm clock. The weekend goes by so fast.

Comic Con was fun. Being able to cosplay and taking pictures with people was so fun. I’m excited to go back in December. I plan to dress like Storm again and add on to my cosplay. Sad I miss black belt class, I heard it was great!!!

Today was Sunday which means it’s my chill day so that’s what I did. Today, I went to go see the new “Hobbs and Shaw” movie and it was good. So what happened.... just kidding I’m not gonna spoil it but then after that went to my step dads house and chilled their for the rest of the day. Still got some stuff in but not that much. But tomorrow is back to the grind.

Today has been a pretty lazy day. I didn't do that many kicks, as yesterday's Saturday BBC had many kicks. I need to work on my sidekicks. Another topic I want to talk about is the fact that people are calling the cycle a grind. It is not a grind, the cycle was made for us to master all techniques of Tae Kwon Do. 

Good day knee is feeling better.   Back on track on my requirements. Was  hoping  to do some work on my old car , but had to order some more stuff .????

Today went fairly well, though I couldn’t do much art or school work today. So I was helping in the back yard and we must have accidentally disturbed a nest of a stinging insect (we suspect yellow jacket but we’re not sure), and both of my hands ended up getting stung by the same critter.

My day today was very fun. Got up early and went to work and then took black belt class. After black belt class, I went to my friends house for the entire day.

Today I was planning to take a rest day. But still need to do some  Requirements. Got up this morning and the knee was not in a good  way , had to slow my walk down , hope it's better tomorrow. ????‍♂️

Went to Charlotte ComicCon today, so much fun!!. I went dress-up as Storm from X-men. This was my first time cosplaying. I was super nervous, but I loved it. Can't wait to got back tomorrow. 

Today I went to BBC weekend and sparring class. We did a lot of kicks, over 300. I slept a little late yesterday and woke up feeling cranky, but I got through everything. Also today is the cycle start date! This day was a great start to this challenge.

I had a great Saturday black belt class at Grand Master Evans's school today

Master Evins really loved ALL the kicks today in BBC. I’m scared I won’t be able to move tomorrow ????. It was a great class though, since that’s my jam. Sparring was a sweatfest too. Lots of kicks and sweat were had during class. Plus I was 30 years older or more then all the participants in class. Nothing like working out with teens, tweens, and boys to keep you young. Also if I hear one more thing about Fortnight today I may scream ????

Great Black Belt class today.  I’m going be very sore from all the slow kicks, but I really needed those.  Slow kicks make you really pay attention to technique.  Now I’m off to visit my father in the hospital.  This is his 6th week as an inpatient. Next week if all goes well, he’ll transfer to a rehab facility.  

i have fallen behind on my stuff but i'm catching up!!!

Today was a very chill day. Went into work so I can get credit for the white belt challenge, the kids in that class are funny. Then came home and worked out then ate dinner.

Today was a pretty relaxed day; after requirements I got a lot of work done on a painting for my art class and then did some baking before going to summer camp. Other than that not much really happened today.

Today was pretty quiet at work, so very productive. I met two of several new teammates. I also walked/jogged 4 miles with my friend today after work, thanks to the downpour. We both prefer to walk/jog outside when possible. Today, the sky was dark and the radar showed some cells that would likely catch us, so we stayed close to the building. We are fortunate enough to have an option for when we have weather interference. One of the buildings has a good sized loop that is our second choice, but our first choice rather than ugly weather. So feeling the first raindrops, we opted for finishing up inside. We went several times around and GPS seemed to be tracking it pretty well for a change. Her goal was to reach at least 10,000 steps and my goal was 3 miles. Once we had each reached our goal, since it was...

Yesterday and today I was reminded that doing 500 kicks in one day I might not have been the best idea. My back has been sore for the past two days. I’m sure it has to do with other things too, but I think I just trained too hard on Wednesday for too many hours. You live and learn.  We had a great black Belt class tonight and I’m rest for a big TKD day tomorrow. 

Had a very good day for a for a man that is getting older. Even went on line and   Bought a new engine from my old car.????????

Today my day was thrown off by me accidentally waking up very late. This was caused by the fact that last night I couldn’t fall asleep until 2am due to how much my shoulders were hurting and just a lot on my mind. My shoulders were still bothering me quite a bit today and prevented me from doing as many pull-ups as I would have liked.

Today was very tiring but fun at the same time because at the summer camp its science week, so the experiments were fun. The classes after summer camp went by very fast but still very tiring. Learned some new stuff at black belt class so that was fun.

Had a good day at work.  When I got home and got the mail i was not too happy , taxes are due on the house ,they went up again.????????????????????

Got my pinky kicked in sparring, its really bruised up. I cant really think about much right now because OMG MY PINKY IS SWOLLEN!!!! Done for the night, going to bed.

Today my ankle was giving me a lot of trouble as it barely let me stand when I woke up. Because of this I didn’t want to risk another injury to that ankle as I hurt I a while back and it’s still giving me issues, so I decided to go on a long walk instead with my brother and dog as the weather was good.

To think this is only another beginning. There is a long way to go and it will surely go by fast; in some ways, not fast enough, and in others, too fast. I guess the same is with life. Don't wish it away and cherish the moments. I had a pretty good day at work today, but it seems there is always some type of fire to deal with. Today was no exception, and resolving this one took until the end of the day. Thankfully, the outcome was a good one and all things considered, another happy camper. My workday ended with a yoga class. Aah, I needed that. Then home for taking care of other things. Here it is, almost midnight again and still plenty to do. Tomorrow is another day.

My day was good. The summer camp was fun because we did science experiments. The classes after we’re also really cool because of the yellow stripe.

Got a lot of requirements done at 9Rounds today! I did so many push-ups the day before so my arms/shoulders felt so weak when I was holding the pads. When I got home, I walked my dog and practiced some ASL.  A comic book convention is coming to Charlotte this weekend and I'ms so excited to go.   Also got a free ice cream at chick-fil-a! 

Had a good mentor session with master Evans today, Was able to get some extra requirements in. Started to tear down the engine on the card in order some parts for it. Have a good day.

Today we had good friends come with us to the pool.  It was a fun time. Then I went to King Tiger for 3 hours. I help with 3 classes, took a class, and got mentored.  My hips were so open and my kicks felt great by the end of the night.  Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment and have to train a lot of boot camps.

Today was pretty good. I woke up at a decent time and got a lot of requirements done; also, I’m almost done with my portrait for my new skill, which I’ll post to the Facebook group when I’m finished with it. I’m also almost done with writing down the questions and most of the answers for the written test.

Not sure what I did to my shoulder. Maybe my arms are at the wrong angle, or just trying to do too many at once, but my pushups did not feel very good today. On a better note though, I am feeling better with the first four Tae Kwon forms. I reminded one of the ladies I work with, who I worked with when I was on my first black belt cycle, how we used to do pushups in the office. I was recently talking with the other who I worked with then, but I don't work with any more. From then, she did 30 pushups every morning. She told me that now she does 60. 

Was able to get in some extra requirements in today. I know I will be taking Saturday off. Will try to get some more In tomorrow.  Always trying to stay ahead.

When running this morning. I got a new app called Zombie Run, hopefully it will keep interested in running. Today and yesterday I've been practicing the ASL alphabet by spelling campers names. Its pretty fun, and it been helping me remember all the signs. The campers went to see Sing at the movies today. Most of kids (both king tiger kids and other camps) were singing and clapping along with the movie. I worked on self-defense and hopkito with Master Natasya. After work, I went to the gym with my mom and worked out. We haven't done that in awhile, but I really enjoyed it.   

Pull ups have always been a struggle for me. If I am not consistently working on them I lose my strength quickly. With that being said having not been able to use my core and back for over a month, so pull up game is not strong. Today was back and bicep day at Boot Camp. I needed to keep reminding myself that my strength will come back in time and I do you to just be patient.

Today started out a bit rough, but I was able to use my requirements to help clear my mind by almost losing myself in what I was doing. Also, I shifted what I worked on with my art from my self-portrait to a 2-page spread art journal that I had to do for my AP Studio Art class. Thankfully my shoulders decided to cooperate a bit more today than they have been.

I guess I'm back at it again. Kind of... It was easier than expected to get the tracker all caught up. It seems harder to get motivated to get stuff done this time. You would think it would be easier after having done it several times previously. I have had some family issues to deal with over the past few months, but it has been really nice to have the opportunity to spend so much time with my younger brothers and their wives and kids. I do not get that opportunity very often, and appreciate it even more lately. I do not get many requirements done while I am there, but did walk from the Museum of the American Revolution to my brothers house in South Philadelphia in ridiculous heat. That was probably not the brightest idea I've had and I saw some parts of Philly that I would likely have...

My day was a regular day at summer camp.Went to work, then did classes, then came home and worked out. This week, I am on my White Belt challenge.

Today I was extra tired for some reason.  I went to my grandparents house in Davidson for a while before returning home.  I took a short nap and woke up afterwards to do some more cycle requirements.  I'm so excited for my birthday tomorrow! :)

Had a nice day. At work was a light day.  Got home and get my requirements done,  Did the adult class, And the PMAA class. Good day. .

Sunday was an eventful day which was filled with the last sessions of my fitness conference, driving home to pick up our old minivan in SC since we got a new one (which my husband picked up the day before), and got to see my family again. Today was back to the mom grind. School shopping, cooking, doctor's appointments, and lots of TKD.  Summer is flying by :(

Hey Amy, try contacting the admins about it. maybe it will work???

So, I realize I'm older than the typical tech savvy young person, but I just can't figure out how to change my rank on this website.  If anyone can give me a hint about how to do it, I would very much appreciate it!   Today was long.  This is the time when I could easily rationalize not doing any requirements, so with that said, I better start doing pushups.  

I am meeting my requirements by going to camp this week.  I helped out in class where I did 104 push-ups and sit-ups! I had a lot of fun and I hope you do to!!!

Today is July 29 it was a very early morning of summer camp we are doing quite time every body is enjoying them self. Its been really tough with the black belt cycle but fun. The king tiger is doing really well, we got some new summer campers but we are way to chatty. I really like summer camp it just brings me joy, the campers are fun to play with I hope you are doing well.                                  

Today was a chill day. I still did some of my requirements but I wanted to take granted of my chill day so I did.Back on the grind tomorrow.

Today was fairly ordinary, though I needed to make up the pull-up requirements I missed yesterday despite my shoulders and back being in about the same amount of pain. I got a lot of work done on my painting, which I suspect should be done if not close to done within the next couple of days, and helped my mom make food for lunches for the rest of the week.

Today was a great day I enjoyed it because in the morning I went to take care of some dogs in the morning I stayed there for about a good 5 hours then left the dogs to go home and see my family that came to visit me. I enjoyed the time I spent with them; I haven't seen them in forever, so it meant a lot to me seeing them today. After that, I headed to the gym to workout. I did some requirements when I was there overall a pretty lit day not going to lie. 

Meal prepped my lunches this week. This week I need to work on running more and do more poomsaes and self defenses

Did not think I was going to get  My requirements in today. Got home and started to work on my wife car.    Dealerships wanted over $2200 to fix her car, For $250 I believe I got everything done, we will see. I  dislike like dealerships.

I am a bit behind but I am working hard each day and catching up.  I ran on the beach this past week! The sand was challenging because my feet were sinking.  I have enjoyed running each day and I have a path in my neighborhood.  There are hills and it is windy.  

Today was a good day. Woke up early and went on a run then went to sparring class and Black Belt class. Then i got home and cleaned because a special person was coming to house to spend the day with me. Then, when she left i got ready for Yacht party out in Lake Norman and it was really fun.

I noticed that my shoulders were having a bad day since waking up, but I tried to do what I could during sparring and black belt class. Once I got home I had to take ibuprofen though, which is something I don't really like to do. I did the requirements I could but my shoulders decided to not let me do as many negatives or even move my arms behind me or above my head for very long. Tomorrow, I will try to make up what I couldn't do today.

Had an awesome sparring class and black belt class! Went to see Lion King. Now i'm going to try to clean my room super late tonight.

Went a little light on the Requirements , need to rest the body and had some stuff I need to  catch up on. May even have to do go light tomorrow,  will see. 

I'm at the  Mania Fitness Conference in Atlanta from Thursday to Sunday getting my CEU for my Personal Trainer license that renews every 2 years. My OSO (other significant other) Theresa and I started this tradition 2 years ago and it’s so fun! Yesterday we worked out for about 6 hours and burned a full days worth of calories. We learned lots of fun new moves and got lots of fitness credits in!

Today after I got home from King Tiger, I made cookies mostly for my brother as he's mostly been the one transporting me to summer camp. They were chocolate with peanut butter chips, and before I started I checked to see if I had everything I needed. Apparently, I didn't check how much vanilla I had, because partway through using it I ran out, of course with most of the other components already mixed, so I had to go to the store in the middle of baking to get more. While I waited for batches to bake I set up the next pan and then did poomsaes until the timer went off.

I am pretty stressed about requirements. I haven’t been getting them all in and I am scared. Also the pre-test is coming up. I need to learn how to do proper pull-ups too! I’m glad that the cycle hasn’t technically started.

When you start focusing on yourself and things that really matter, everything else become white noise ...

Fun morning at work , ever two years we have to renew are airport ID , 60 days before we get a new one ,  We go through a background check through TSA homeland security, and have to have her finger prints done. Ok 7.20  Appointment  It used to take about 30 minutes. Today almost 2 hours and I had a take a test to drive on the ramp. ????

Today was very chill. I got up at 7, did my run for the day and then got back home and did my daily basic kicks. In the evening, i went to get a hair cut because tomorrow i am going to a party and i need to look FRESH (and it was about time for me to get a haircut).