Candidate Journals

It's good to see my guys still excited about being on the cycle. Their motivation and excitement helps to drive me forward.

Sun and Mon were rough days. I know what the culprit was, but I have to say, It totally tasted good!. Sometimes it is like Russian roulette. .. Oh well, I am trying to push through. Today I missed BB class, then pain was a bit much tonight, I had to lay down. Still trying to work on requirements today. I am finding pushups to be tough, my shoulders are not happy with the idea. and jump ropes.. well that has been an issue since day one of my first dan cycle. took me forever just to learn to jump over the darn rope, I'm not very good at it. Something else to work on. The form changes I hope will sink in. There is truthfully still a lot I need to work on. One day at a time, I'm running with it! Night all, going to try to beat the...

Today I did all of my daily requirements and played outside with my friends It was hot so we played inside for a little while. And then we went out for dinner after Tae Kwon Do. I had a fun day today.

today was a nice day i went for a run in the morning! and i walked my dog at the time i was done i went to work with my dad again we had a nice time!when i was done i went to my grandmas house it was here birthday so i went and also had a great time there to as soon as i got done i did some requirements and went to taekwondoe for a mentor session it was nice we only did red belt and we did a lot of work as soon as i got done i took black belt class it was really fun because in one part of class i did red belt number 1 really good the flip was really great i got the hang of it and we did basically all the self defenses when bb class was done i went to PMAA...

today was a nice day i went for a run in the morning! and i walked my dog at the time i was done i went to work with my dad again we had a nice time!when i was done i went to my grandmas house it was here birthday so i went and also had a great time there to as soon as i got done i did some requirements and went to taekwondoe for a mentor session it was nice we only did red belt and we did a lot of work as soon as i got done i took black belt class it was really fun because in one part of class i did red belt number 1 really good the flip was really great i got the hang of it and we did basically all the self defenses when bb class was done i went to PMAA...

If you are on the cycle, and you still don't have white belt through high red belt curriculum down, that is a huge problem. Please make sure that you have it all down and you are not struggling with it. We have a lot to do on the cycle, and if we are struggling through black belt classes with our color belt curriculum, its going to be an extremely tough cycle. Use the website, your mentors, whatever you have to do, especially if you want to pass the pre-test! Thank you candidates! Just trying to pass on some helpful hints...

Today i went to sumer camp for about 6 hours today went home ate ran and did some requirements then went back to king tiger and helped out with another class took black belt class and a pmaa class fun day

Today I had my second mentee session and I worked on Taeguek Sa Jang. I also took black belt class. We worked on Hapkido 1-20. I didn't realize how many that I don't remember very well until I actually had to do them. I have physical therapy tomorrow. I am supposed to go twice a week for two weeks or do the stretches at home.

The last few days I have been laying tile in my boys' bathroom. It has been tough on my knees and back which makes it tougher to do certain things in class. I can't wait for it to be finished.

Today I spent most of my day with my cousins and then I went to pmaa and it was pretty fun

Spent the morning running 1.5 miles then worked on my requirements. The rest of the day I got to play videos.

Today we went to the Spraygrounds. It was okay. But tomorrow we are going to the movies.

Went to the pool today and had lots of fun with friends did requirements earlier this morning

Went to the pool today and had lots of fun with friends did requirements earlier this morning

I went to my mom's school and played Minecraft on the SMART board. I built a house. After I had chicken nuggets for lunch. Ryan came over and we played Minecraft with Augie. When I got home it started pouring down rain. I had to go get my haircut though. I had Hickory Smoked Sundried Tomato Turkey Brest.

Even good things must come to an that includes leaving beautiful Hawaii.   I wanted to stay but money said go home.   I was able to get a few push ups in.time to go 

This weekend was the best ever. We went to the pool with my two of friends and we stayed there for three hours, ya wow. We also went to a place that is called Pelicans Snowballs, they have 100 flavors, is that cool? Oh I did my first stick poomse at Saturday black belt class, it was awesome. I am also getting two stick and a staff. I am so excited. I can not wait to keep up my Tae Kwon do skills.

today was a nice day i went out for a run and also i did a lot of requirements in the morning! as soon as i got done i left my friend back at his house! we had a great time together we ate breakfast and i went to work with my dad we had a nice time it was like father son time we played some car games and we ate ice cream and fun! when we got done i went back home to walk my dog! and then went back to work with my dad so today was only really about me and my dad i did a lot of poomsaes and self defense with him! and the whole day i was with him i watched netflix just a little it was about a fat boy and how people where making fun of him and how he didn't fit...

To begin my day, I had a big breakfast!  Ham,cheese, vegetables and three egg omelet.  Of course my coffee.   I visited Schoefield Barracks, one of the military post, and was educated on some of the highly sophisticated equipment they use this day and age on the battlefield.   I did manage to get some requirements in too.  I had a fantastic day.

Overall, today was a good day for credits. However, I am going to have to take a little something before bed for my back. I hurt it a bit doing back falls. The falls definitely make me feel old and awkward.

Today I woke and did some chores I also played with my brother. We had to get dressed to go to class. In hyper class today I learned how to work with swords.

Today I woke up and did some chores. I also played with my little brother. then we had to get dressed for tae kwon do. I had a hyper class after my regular class and I learned how to work with swords.

Today i was able to work out with my uncle and since i have been doing my requirements and he is not on the black belt cycle, lets say he couldnt move for 30 minutes.

There's so much negativism in social media. The media would be happy tearing our society apart and pinning one group against another. The dojang is my happy place.

I did my requirements this morning while my brother was at basketball camp. I also went to the doctor today about my thigh. She said not to strain it and I will be going to an orthopedic doctor tomorrow. I went to the 4:30 class today and I meant to help with the 5:30 and 6:30 classes to try and fit in some leadership credits but I didn't because I had a migraine. I went home and slept for a while then it went away.

Crazy busy day at work which is pretty much normal. Had appointment after work to get the gray sparkles removed which turned out good as I was able to have meditation time. Got home later than planned so went for run then got some requirements in. Dinner now time for bed. Its going to be a long week and want to pace it and get some rest. Am hoping with upcoming work trips that can knock out a few essays.

Today I went to summer camp,we went to the park. It was kind of fun,it was really hot though. Then when we came back from the park we had reading time,class,then we played a group game and then I left.

Today I did all of my daily requirements and got to play with my friends. I ran 2 miles today because my dad wanted to bump up the miles so that we can finish before the ten week cycle.

I got to play a new video game with my friend Bradley today. I also went to Hyper Pro class. Master Evens taught us the new sword forms. That was a lot of fun.

Today, at 8:18 my friend Ryan came over though I hadn't even had breakfast! So I had breakfast and went over to his his house. We played Minecraft. After Mom and I went to Walmart. After I rode my bike and had Cheesy Chicken.

Today i woke up and did some requirements before going out to the beach and pool all day and then got back and finished.

Had a decent weekend. Knocked out some requirements on Saturday. Got the yard mowed, and a little bit of yard work done. Sunday was definitely my relax day. Just spent it relaxing and recuperating.

5.7 mile run yesterday.33 back squats60 wall balls40 pullups10 C&J

I did some swimming today,  worked on a few requirements and just had a fun day.  It was very relaxing. 

Going to start another 24 day challenge soon.Aug 1st.Got good results from the last one, and have only gained back a few pounds.Want to ramp it up again and achieve a leaner physique.

Today my mom went shopping for groceries and got all the food i wanted. Then after that we went to the pool which wore me out.

Yesterday, Master Shin had a pool party for the people that help clean the dojo. It was so much fun. Mom makes the best cupcakes. Thank you Master Shin for the party.

Today I got to go to Carowinds with my best friend. I also went to the water park at Carowinds. Before the water park, I went on the Fury 325!!!! It was so much fun. When we went to the water park, I went on almost all the rides. Today was so much fun

yesterday was pretty fun i couldn't write my journal entree though because at night there was a party and i couldn't really get anything done so my parents said i had to write it today but this is it yesterday was a fun day i had fun my friend nick was withe me!.. but the day started out with a run and also some requirements!..when i got done from running i came back and walked my dog and he was playing with some wooden stick! i was afraid he would get blisters so i took it away he kept barking so i gave him a treat and he calmed down as soon as i got done i waited a little and went to black belt class and had a nice time i reviewed over some poomsaes!! and when i got done with black belt class i took sparring and i learned...

I had a sleepover last night. When I got home me and my family went to church and Sunday School. We had a party and I had trail mix, a cookie, and Cheetos. When I got back I went to Ryan's house. We went to the pool and played Minecraft.

Today plugged away at some domestics and requirements along with a nice visit from our niece and her daughter. Surprised I could even move this morning after yesterday - - tight but at least I am moving. This coming week is going to be a tricky one with getting requirements in and classes. Our location is closed this week but lucky I have options - - -obstacle is going to be work and being that I leave Friday for back to back trips will make it challenging. Just going to take it day by day and do what I can. 

"A Still Water That Runs Deeps" I like that proverb

Today I went to the movies with my family. Then I came home and did some requirements and went outside.

Today I went to the movies with my family. Then I came home and did some requirements and went outside.

Today I went to the movies with my family. Then I came home and did some requirements and went outside.

Today I went to the movies with my family. Then I came home and did some requirements and went outside.

Today I went to the movies with my family. Then I came home and did some requirements and went outside.

Today I did some of my requirements except for running. I didn't do running today because I woke up late so I did the other requirements and finished them early.

Today I went to church. Then after church me and my mom did nothing the rest of the day.

Yesterday I woke up and ate we also watched Harry Potter. After we went to my Black Belt Class we went to eat at Sushi and the Lake. Then we shopped and did the physical requirements for my black belt cycle with my dad. Then I rode my bike and played Wii with my friend Melanie, she ate dinner with us and after we watched Jumanji. Yesterday was fun. See you tomorrow.

We had a fantastic day yesterday. KT Belmont started with an adhoc BB class followed by 1.5 hours of sparring class. EVERYONE stated to help me clean the dojang. We lifted, washed, dried and layed the mats back into place, mopped the bathrooms and organized. My heart is swollen with gratitude. THEN, later in the afternoon, we met at our neighborhood pool for some hotdogs and hamburgers and some cooling down time.

Took BB class in Belmont today. We worked on koryo changes and hapkido.. i wish i could just run through them and they would stick but it just doesn't work that way. Lol. After class Ms Julia and I worked on requirements.. She is wounded and I'm finding that two classes back to back are much for me.. we got alot done tho.. then we all pitched in and scrubbed the dojang down. All the mats up.. everything moved dusted and vacuumed. Afterwards we all headed to the pool for a cookout and some king tiger family time. always enjoy time we spend together as a group. Thank you Master Shin for all you do! (And Ms Lori too !)

Master Shin had a black belt class today. We worked on the changes to Koryo. It's pretty hard to remember all the changes but it must be even harder for higher belts because they've been doing the poomsae for longer than I have. After black belt class I didn't go to sparring, instead I worked on requirements with Ms. Pam and stretched my thigh a lot. After that a lot of people came and helped clean the dojang. We moved all of the furniture, dusted, took all of the mats off the floor, scrubbed them, cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed the floors, cleaned the mirrors, etc. It took a long time but afterwards we got to go to a pool party in Master Shin's neighborhood. It was nice because we could all relax and unwind together after cleaning and working out. Thanks again Master Shin!!

Today was a good day and i did all my requirements in the morning and the afternoon. Also i went to black belt class and did the stick form and the new updated version of the koryo poomsae. Then i did sparring which was OK, after sparring class i had learned a lot. Then i went to my house ate lunch and that was the best foot long ever!

Today my wife and I celebrate our 46th anniversary.  The only thing we will be doing is having fun.  We will finish our day at a luau where we get the opportunity see some Hawaiian dancing and other customs.  Did I mention gain more weight!(lol)

Today was a busy day. I helped with 2 classes took BB and sparring class. Also I`m sleeping over at my aunt`s house.

Today, I went to the black belt class today. After I stayed for the sparring class. I did 4 sparring rounds. After Master Shin had a dojang cleanup. We took off all the mats and washed them then dried them. Then when we were done I had chicken nuggets for lunch. Ryan came over and we played Minecraft and rode our bikes. After I had nacho cheese tacos for dinner. Yum!

Taught the family class this morning. Then, helped out with the Crossfit Kids program. Did some yard work, and knocked out some requirements. It feels great to do requirements outside in the sunshine! Someone asked me about the Random Acts of Kindness yesterday...I don't know how its possible to not do ROAK daily! As martial artists, it should come naturally!

Wow what a productive day!!! Up early, few loads of laundry, 3 mile run then off to North Charlotte for classes. Got there at 10:00 and worked with Jerome on SD & Poom's then black belt class and sparring. Yup I was tired, sparring class was a blur. Thanks to my two partners Michaela & Courtney they kept me going. Major light bulb moment today- -learned new SD and actually was able to retain the 1st four in just one class - -that is so not like me. Good day overall but done with requirements today as I am going to listen to my body. Hydrate more and maybe I will not be so tight- - - -. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

I took the BB and Sparring class today at Master Shin's. Afterwards I stayed to help clean the dojo. Looking forward to the pool party today that Master Shin is giving. Thank you Master Shin.

Went running with the Mrs. today. We didn't bring a phone to keep track, Just Forest Gumped it. We made it 6.7 miles. I never thought I would have been able to make it that far this soon. At the beginning of June, I could only make it 1 mile before walking. Good Day.

Thursday was not a good day.. I did not accomplish nearly what I had hoped to.. I am trying so hard to 'listen' closer to my body and figure out just how to pace myself. Running behind tonight too .. missed that toll of midnight when the journal credit switches to the next day. How quickly you can lose a day. Need to get some sleep now.. BB class in Belmont tomorrow... sparring? (That depends on that listening thing again)...And then it is dojang cleanup day. I really should have been in beds hours ago. Happy Sat. ALL..

today was a good day i woke up nice and i went down stairs to walk my dog and when i was walking him i ran into a big spider wed i didn't know if i had the spider on me so i just ran back inside and checked but gladly i had northing so i toke my dog back outside and he did what he needed to do and i went back inside and i gave my dog to eat and i went to do some requirements and my dad came home and as soon as he came we went to pick up my friend nick so we had a nice day so far we had fun and he's leaving on sunday so we got a lot of time to spend when he came we went to music and arts and we had a nice time playing with the instruments...

Today in black belt class we did more review on the new WTF style poomsaes they are very different

Today was a good day considering that i went to carowinds and road thunder road. The reason why it is great is because thunder road was suppose to close on Saturday and i went on it today! I also went on the intimidator and the new ride FURY 325!!!!!!!! So the day was awesome.

Busy, busy day at work trying to get finished up with documentation before I leave for the beach early tomorrow morning. Today is my son's 14 th birthday. Seems like my kids are growing up too fast.

Today was the same as usual. I went to the pool with my grandma. Then we did not do anything else. Then when my mom came to pick me up we had Zaxby`s.

A friend and I took the kids to Carrowinds today. It was a blast. Nice breeze and not too hot. We did rides for a couple of hours, went to the car for lunch, and then hit the water park. The turkey got a little roasted.

It was a hot day! In he morning I went to the dentist. I have no cavities! Yipee. After I had corn dogs for lunch. I went over to Ryan's house after. We played Minecraft. I came home and had pizza for dinner.

I don't believe I actually let my wife talk me into going for a swim this morning; something I haven't done for a long time.  The crazy thing is I enjoyed it.  I am looking forward to a great day of very hard work.   

Today, I got most of my requirements done in the morning. I went to the pool with my cousins in Highland Creek and we stayed there for a few hours. I got some advice for my thigh today from Ms. Pam. I am trying it and it is getting better.

Ahhhhhh Friday - - - -got home and went into machine mode with requirements. Decided to go for a run at 4:30 -- oops mistake. Will be smarter next time and go in the morning when it is not as hot. Happy with accomplishments for the day. Now time to focus on cleaning, laundry and groceries so will have more time on Saturday & Sunday. Happy weekend to all!!!

Today we woke up and went to my grandmothers house. We had to do that because my mom had therapy for her mouth. We stayed there for a hour. After that we relaxed for a hour or 2. We also watched the movie Descendants. Today my dad came home. See you tomorrow.

Today I am going to do extra requirements. After I do all my requirements, I will play with my sister. Later in the day, my sister and I are going to go to the pool. I am gong to have so much fun today.

We're getting geared up for the Dojang Clean Up day on Saturday. My students will come to BB class in the morning, then take sparring class and finally help me clean the dojang. Afterwards, we're having a pot luck pool party in my neighborhood. It's going to be a great weekend. Thanks to all of the volunteers.

today was good going day i did some requirements and i did get half way threw the book im reading. so happy i stayed home today and i did a lot of the things ! i walked my dog and i spent some time with him when my mom came home i went to my grandmas house i really don't know why but she cooked nice food i was starving because i didn't eat but as soon as i got done i went to black belt class it was pretty fun because we went over hapkido! also some kicks and some basic poomsaes and today i also had my first mentor session! with Master knight!! we worked on all our selfdefense and now i need to work on all of them and i want to get better and better so i can complete this black belt test easy!! but today i...

I went to PMAA class tonight. It was cool because we learned a few interesting breakaways. I also found out today that for the cycle I have to learn double sticks section A. My thigh has almost shrunk back to normal but it still hurts. I asked Master Shin about it and he advised me to put heat on it so I'll try that. Still not walking normal.

Today I did my daily requirements. I ran with my friends and played outside for a while and then went inside. I also payed with my baby brother for a while. I had a fun day today.

Well let me start by saying that Wednesdays have become wipe out Wednesdays. No requirements - -nada- -and not good. Have to figure this day to make it in my favor. Had a meeting after work and by time I got home I was toast. Now today another story. Got to the dojang early and was able to work in quite a bit of physical requirements while keeping an eye on the 4:30 and 5:00 classes. Lead both the 5:45 and 6:40 classes and knocked out a bunch of physical requirements since it was red stripe day. We have a good team at South Charlotte and can not thank Inst. Tucker enough for being there tonight!!!!!

I believe I tried doing to much in the sun today.  I am denergized, nothing left.  All I want is rest.   I did do 6 pull ups.  No other requirements.  Tomorrow I will be off and running.  

Today was as usual. I went to the pool with mp y grandma and we did not do anything else after that. Then my mom came to pick me up. Then she took me to BB class.

Today was a pretty good day. I did all the pull ups, push ups, sit ups that I needed to do and then went to my moms doctor appointment and used their WiFi. That was awesome! I got to watch some videos on you tube. and then went to class to get some credits.

Woke up this morning tired but knew I had to work on my requirements so I went running with some friends. When I got home I spent some time playing on my video games. Tonight I went to Master Evens school and took a BB class. Had lots of fun. I was glad to see Master Shin at the class.

Today was a great sparring class as i got a lot of sparring rounds and even some jump rope rounds which was tiring but still fun

Great evening at Master Chin's dojang! Got to work with some great kids and then had a challenging black belt class jam-packed with kicks, poomsaes, jump rope rounds, push-ups, sit-ups and squats. Donna, Jerome and Roger did an AWESOME job teaching tonight!! Tomorrow I will pack up my stuff and then I'm off to the beach for vacation with my family! Can't wait!

Today, I went to the I MAX theater with my grandparents. The I-MAX was about great white sharks. After I got back, I went to Ryan's house and we played Minecraft and rode bikes. While we playing Minecraft it started pouring down rain. When I got home I had porkchops for dinner.

Ok, got the written test printed out and started! The first few pages I don't even need to look up (thank goodness), but there are some things I will definitely need to check and find out. I also need to decide which book to read for the cycle, and get a copy!

Today we woke and played video games. After we got dressed and ate breakfast, we went to see a magician at King Tiger. He did a lot of really cool tricks. He had a really fluffy bunny. I also got my arm painted and a balloon swords. This afternoon I have TKD class and sparring. See you tomorrow.

I was a little disappointed with my requirements yesterday. I fell a little short. I didn't even put them for yesterday until today. I made sure to knock out a lot of my requirements early today. Hopefully there aren't to many of those days ahead.

Woke up around 9 am and finished all my requirements by 11 about to go and eat lunch

Today I am going to do extra requirements like instead of 1.5 miles I am going to do 2 miles. I want to get a head start on my requirements before school starts. Then I am going to have some fun with my sister after I finish my requirements today.

It feels so much better to be nice. Today's RAK occurred at our neighborhood pool. Today was more crowded than usual for some reason. A large group (I'm guessing a family reunion) came to the pool today while I was with the boys. They looked around for a covered table in order to get some shading. When I noticed there were two grandmothers in the group, I offered to share our table and they eagerly accepted my invitation to get out of the sun. The two grandmothers sat with me as we watched our loved one play in the water. As we packed our belongs and started to leave, everyone in their family made a point to say "thank you" to us. I hope my boys are watching and learning. It's not about doing the "right" thing. There was only ONE thing that could be done!

Today I did some of my daily requirements. I couldn't do all because my cousins came over for one night and went back today at 8:00. We played xbox until 11:00 and woke up at 9:00. But we still have a fun time.

Today I did all of my requirements at home. I still am not able to walk really well so I go for a walk on the treadmill. I had to finish all of my requirements by a certain time so that I could still make it in time to volunteer at Holy Angels in Belmont. I had a lot of fun today.

My soreness didn't seem 'quite' so bad today. I actually took two classes. I love Inst. Tucker joining us in sparring. The soreness has returned. It appears we are becoming good friends. I am really working on trying to get all requirements each day but I still haven't quite got a schedule down... and tonight well, I'm just beat! No more frog jumping here. It is all good tho, much better to move and be sore than sit still, or not be able to move!

Today wasn't the brightest day but we looked through some old VHS' and stumbled upon a almost 20 year old video. I saw a few people I haven't seen at all or I don't remember them. 2 of the people in the video arnt even alive anymore. But i did take class and got a good workout in sparring. That was the end.

today started out with going to atlanta because my parents needed to renew a few things so i decided to go with them but my dog had to stay in my grandparents house he felt like it was his second house and on the ride to atlanta the only thing i could do was eat sleep and read i really read a lot on the car ride i had fun! and i couldn't get a lot of requirements done because it was a 3 hour car ride mostly 6 because going and coming back!i took out my dog when i came back home and when i finished walking my dog i came back my parents went to work so i was home alone i was sleeping because i had to wake up at 5am so now i need to sleep early so i can do some requirements tomorrow! goodnight!!!

My push-ups are getting better!! Only took me this long.

Today was really fun, so we went to cooking camp, well my sister cooking and i baking and so we have a lot of friends there. So actually were friends with everyone but we have some really good friends we just met. So let me introduce you to them, first there are the two best friends that are baking (with me) are named, Reagan and Azlyn, so my sister and I are best friends with them, we laugh so much. Anyways the other friends are baking with my sister. There all guys, first theres Tristan we laugh a whole bunch with him, then theres Caleb, he just makes s crack up, then theres Ben he's the annoying one, but you can really crack a joke on him, Then theres Nate he's kind of the DUFF. :) Well today we cooked and baked until 1 PM (well my sister and I are...

Today I spent the day at King Tiger having fun while trying to stay focused on my black belt cycle. I ended up doing really well on my cycle today and I also had fun at the park. So far I feel good about the cycle work. I am excited about testing for a new belt and getting another chance to break a brick. I didn't break the last one because of the chunks of granite in it. Plus it was three studs wide. I feel really confident about breaking the brick the brick and this will show that I am getting stronger. I also know that I am getting faster at my running and better at jump roping. I feel confident that I will get my next belt but I am a little bit worried about the breaking kick for my first don because I've always not been good at breaking with a hook.