Yellow Belt

We had a BRUTAL workout tonight. My legs didn’t feel normal again till an hour after Taekwondo. We did the usual stretching/warm-up, 100 jumping jacks, running in place with your knees reaching your belt (he always picks on me when we’re dong those!), pi-chagi laps, bernies (high, knee-level & low), stretching, 70 leg lifts/reverse crunches, 30 crunches, 60 sit-ups, 100 pushes–I think that’s what he calls them? You sit on the floor with your hands behind you, stretch your legs forward and bring them back without touching the floor. And 30 squats? Yeah. Norma and I had to sit and collect ourselves for a bit before we got in our vehicles to drive home! My legs felt like JELLY.

I’m–in a way–grateful he didn’t make us do the yellow belt form. I DON’T GET IT. I’m so uncoordinated. And I haven’t gotten a chance to practice it, or the walking blocks, at all because it’s been a hectic two weeks. And when I’m not busy doing laundry, dishes, cleaning, running errands, I’m with Emily, who’s going through her “separation anxiety” stage and has a meltdown when she doesn’t see me within a foot of her. She sounds like her lungs are going to explode when I leave to Taekwondo with the boys and then to my class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s quite heartbreaking.

Well, since Sept. 19th, when I last updated, I became a yellow belt! I had a whole ton of stuff to do before the test and then when it was time to leave the boys didn’t want to go, Mom was staying with the girls and I was afraid Mary wouldn’t make it on time. I felt so…alone! Mario was working of course. In the end, Mary and Eenan went and Mary recorded some of my test. Luis practiced a little with Salvador (the boy who’d been helping me the night before) and me and we worked on our one-step sparring. I felt ready, but extremely nervous because Ernesto, who was grading us, notices everything. When it was over and he was telling us what we needed work on he said we mostly got A’s and A+, but for both of us, our blocks aren’t 100% correct. I wish they’d told me the night before that I was doing it wrong so I would have been aware of it. Of course it was during the walking blocks thing that I messed up. AND THEN! We had to break a board, just like the boys did. Only our boards were 3/4 in. thick! It took me three tries to break it, but I’m glad I did. I just got nervous. But it’s okay. I BECAME A YELLOW BELT! Never thought I’d see the day!

Darn! I thought I’d get to finish updating up until now but it’s almost 1am. I promised myself I’d go to sleep before 1 from now on, if not I can’t get up in the morning and I HATE “sleeping in” till 11 or so because I get a headache, feel lazy and the whole day goes by and I don’t get anything done! Good night.