On January 13th Lucas and Cooper had successfully completed their Black Belt test which included doing kata for a hour and sparring for a hour. I think I learned a lot about what I have to complete at the end of my test just from observing. Now I know that I really need to work […]
Twelve Video Entries From My Test. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DP2YNWiLL52LDC4KXykxLsv5n0_MT65w?usp=sharing
While rummaging through a box of random pictures and notes at home, I found this calendar page. It is from January 10, 1998. That is when I tested for my junior black belt. (Apparently, I had a basketball game that day too, we won 29-15 and I scored 6 points. And yes, I was wearing […]
A little over a month into the challenge now. I feel good with where I am at. I struggle sometimes when I can’t schedule things or stick to a schedule when something unexpected pops up. But, I am on track! I feel like these winter months will be the hardest. It’s hard to get up […]
In the early days of my Isshinryu journey, it was fairly common to hear references to Yin and Yang energy. For example, “Joe is aggressive, he has a lot of Yang energy.” Or, “Susan is very calm, she has a lot of Yin energy.” There’s more to the concept of Yin and Yang than I […]
Happy holidays everyone! This last week and a half has been a big adventure and a ton of fun. I celebrated Christmas with my family up in Auburn and it was nice to be home this year. A couple days after Christmas, I flew out to Florida to go on a Disney cruise with my […]
In the wake of a joyous (although very busy) Christmas time, my family suffered the loss of my aunt. She essentially was a 2nd mother to us and our families were very close. She was a devoted teacher in our hometown. She was also a mother, grandmother, aunt, and dear friend to us all. She […]
Happy Holidays! These past two weeks have been very busy but very fun. On my first week of Christmas break I went down to Huntington Beach California to visit family for the Holidays. My family and I do this every year and it’s always nice to see them. I had a great time in Southern […]
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday’s in your own way. The new year is traditionally a time of reflection. It’s a time to think about the past, as well as the future. I was reflecting this morning on an old memory. Back in my community college days, I had a […]
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year, I know I sure did. Every year around Christmas I get to see all my family that I don’t see very often and it makes me really happy when I am able to spend time with them. That is one of the best parts of Christmas […]