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I MISS MY FRIEND

Written by Captain Mary on Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Over two years ago a good friend of mine was taken away from me. Bad choices or just stupid stuff, just the same he was gone. We wrote to each other on a regular basis and it would always put a smile on my face when I read one of his letters. It started to be normal, which is not the way a friendship survives, I still missed him so much, but it was bare able. Time passed and he was transferred to a closer location, which somehow made me feel better.

I still can't help thinking about when we met though, better times. The karate studio that we both began attending. Women and girls would talk about him and how cute he was, yet no one would ever say a word to the man. One day I just sat down next to him and began a conversation, that was in 2006. We became fast friends and spent time together, we went to karate competitions together, we traveled all over the place, once landing in Las Vegas, all I can say to that is "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". Even though we were years apart in age, we had so much in common. Sharing each others secrets and we could talk about virtually anything. There is something very special about our relationship that defies the normal thinking.

I remember going to karate competitions and the girls and women wondering if we were dating and the rumors were something that we encouraged and got a really good laugh out of. They would never believe that we were just great friends, we use to try to explain our relationship and in the end it was more fun to let them think what ever they wanted. He lovingly calls me "old lady", it makes me smile, since he is 18 years younger, I have nick names for him too, I call him my "boy toy". He is so good as a friend, always making me feel beautiful and special, we encourage each other every time we are together.

I did get a short visit with him while he was at work yesterday and he grabbed me, hugged me and made obscene gestures. Its those moments that make up for the time we are away from each other. Most would think he is out of my league or I am out of his. But true friendship does not see age, body size, or anything physical. I must admit I don't mind looking at him though. I see far into his soul and who he really is, he is a wonderful, loving person. I can't wait for September when he can resume his normal life once more. As strange as a friendship can be, I only hope that everyone can say that they have a friend that has their back no matter what happens.

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TWO MORE TO GO....

Written by Captain Mary on Friday, October 21, 2011

...to get their Black Belts.  Monica and Jason with Senior Master, and our instructors Isaacs, at their Black Belt ceremony in June. Went to yet another graduation ceremony at Integrity Martial Arts on Tuesday. The testing was unnerving, yet a proud moment. I saw my 3 grandchildren work the hardest they could to surge toward their Black Belts. Jonathan, finally out of Tiny Tigers and now a Green Belt. Jasmine, with awesome kicks over her head, is now a Blue Decided Belt. So close to their goals after a little more than a year.


This is Sam getting his Black Belt tied on by his brother and me, what an honor! That has been 4 months already. Sam gave a fantastic speech, along with my daughter and son,(who made the instructor cry).

Just this week Max received his Black Belt and what he told his instructors was that he was going to get his 4th Degree Black Belt and take his job. Even though Max knows he has to wait until he is 18 years old. Max will be nine next month, 9 more years to go.  He is now working toward his 2nd Degree Black Belt as we speak. I guess I better get on the band wagon and work on getting my 2nd Degree, it has been far too long, waiting for my not so perfect joints to perform. I will just have to do what I can, I have my family to cheer me on, of course, along with my Integrity Martial Arts family.
I don't know if my body can keep up with the gruelling work-outs, but I know just being at the IMA school lifts my spirits so high, it feels like I can do anything.

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My TaeKwondo Family

Written by Captain Mary on Monday, October 17, 2011

My TaeKwondo family. I can’t help being proud of my family and their accomplishments. The little ones are learning things that they don’t even know. They are learning respect, confidence, and a whole plethora of wonderful and admirable traits. When I look around and see that these traits in today’s children don’t really exist. I am proud to say that, “My grandchildren and children are the best!” I am always proud to introduce them to the world.


It was great to see Grandpa show up to see the kids testing. The gang was so happy to see him and show off for him. The boys and Jasmine doing their splits for Grandpa. I know Grandpa was amazed at the grand kids and their abilities.

Max tested for his Black Belt, he has been in TaeKwonDo since he was 4 years old. Most of his life, and I think it makes a real difference. Jonathan, will be another that starts really early. If you could only see the 4 of my grandchildren do their stuff.

Each time I go to a rank testing or their graduation ceremony, I am brought to tears. I have watched my grandchildren grow in a direction that will take them to another level when they become adults.

The school is a place that a person wants to go to. When I walk in the door, I am greeted with smiles and looking around all I see is people of all ages, talking and smiling at each other, like a family. I wish that all sports had the support that TaeKwondo has. There are rules of course, the first and most important is to support each and every student, and the second is never to coach on the side lines. Unlike soccer and other sports, coaching from the side can disqualify the competitor immediately. I have seen lots of sports and competitions. I never remember seeing how proud the people are just to compete. The kids are taught that to be a winner is just to participate and give it all you got. Who could ask for more!

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LIMPING AROUND

Written by Captain Mary on Tuesday, January 27, 2009

I have been hiding in my house for months, ignoring my life outside these walls for months. I am getting back to my very busy routine. June called me and forced me to go out with friends, that was my first step. Shelah called and took me to spinning class, that was another step.
My TaeKwonDo school called and they missed me, so we made a barter, so that I could return. Last night was my first night back, boy did I forget everything I learned. I was feeling great when I arrived, after an hour of spinning I was warmed up and ready to go. We were have a great time, kicking, working a little bit with weapons, its always fun to whap yourself in the head with a numb-chuck, (that's how it feels anyway). Then it was time to put on the sparring gear, I am totally out of shape, so I took it slow, with hardly any contact. Things were going well, and then a freak accident occurred. I was pulling back and my partner was lifting his knee, what is the odds of a direct shot to the Charley horse bone. I landed on the ground in pain, my instructor tried to pick me up, but ended up carrying me off the floor instead. My calf swelled up like a football that was over inflated. I had to be carried to my car, Shelah drove me home, put an ice pack on me and took care of me.
This morning, it is still swollen, but I am walking and soon to be on my way to work. My first day back at class and now I am hobbling around on one leg. Makes me feel kind of normal again.

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THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER....

Written by Captain Mary on Tuesday, November 11, 2008


...STAYS TOGETHER. We have our up and downs, but one thing we have in common is we kick ass. I must admit I have a great looking family. I am so proud, considering I really didn't do much as a parent, I simply got lucky when it came to my kids. I have two more grandchildren and my hope is that we will have a picture in the future that includes the whole gang.


I recently received my Black Belt and my school proudly announced to me that I managed to make November's Student of the month. To see the article please Click Student of the Month.

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BLACK BELT CEREMONY

Written by Captain Mary on Wednesday, October 29, 2008



Well two years of hard work has ended up with me receiving my First Degree Black Belt. The ceremony was wonderful, my nerves were shot. The hardest part of the ceremony was when I had to get up and make my speech. I kept breaking down in tears, and then trying to fumble through the rest of my speech without my glasses on, it was hysterical. Then I had to get back up to receive my certificates for State Champion, in sparring and forms.



The ceremony consisted of first lighting a candle, then presenting the Master with a gold coin in our appreciation, next was the tying of our new Black Belt for the first time. As I begun this part of the ceremony my sister June walked in the door and along with my daughter, Monica, the kids, Shy, Sam, and Max and best friend Shelah held the end of the belt to complete this part of the ceremony. I was so shocked to see my sister and so happy when I saw her smiling face, I fell once again into tears.






I was so honored to have so many people be part of this great accomplishment. My entire IMA family, my sissy, June, my sister-in-law, Margo, and Monica and the kids, and as always the wonderful Davis family. I can't thank my instructors enough for their efforts, they worked as hard as I did to get me to this point. As the Master says, we are now truly a student of TaeKwonDo, and only now is when the adventure begins.





To see more photos click Black Belt Ceremony Pics

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BLACK BELT TESTING

Written by Captain Mary on Monday, October 27, 2008




I was in the zone while testing, which means my focus was to do the best I could and not let anything or anyone distract me. My friend Scott took some pictures because everyone who had a camera was also testing. After looking at the photos I was convinced that I did well, not to mention I didn't get the phone call that said I failed. My instructor did tell me that some of my timing on my hand movements were off. I will work on that for next time, the graduation ceremony is tomorrow evening and I have my speech ready to go. I will probably fumble through it, because this is something I am so nervous about, but I am also proud of my achievement. I will be there to cheer on my friends who have worked so hard to get their promotion too. I can't wait, tomorrow seems so far away.






This weekend I was also lucky to give a kitten away to a new home, a cute little boy, #5, I can't wait to find out what his new name is, thank you Emily for giving a good home to my little boy.


The kids had great fun at the first Halloween party of the season, hosted by Monica and Jeff. They wrapped each other in toilet paper to make mummy's, it was funny to watch and Monica had some of the greatest decorations, jars of eye balls, ghosts in a cup, a jar of lost soles, and everything she had was edible. Tis the season to get ready to spook and party, just the beginning of Halloween celebrations, all the witches will be out!

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BLACK BELT TESTING

Written by Captain Mary on Saturday, October 25, 2008

Two years of training and practice, the day to test for my Black Belt Rank was here and now gone. Last night I performed my 4 forms and broke my two boards, displaying my sparring skills and now wondering if I passed.
After all the testing and the nerves calmed down I could take a sigh of relief for it was over and I felt good about my performance. If we fail to qualify for our new rank, we will get a phone call over the week-end, I think I will keep my phone turned off. I did get a sign that may indicate I passed, before I left the school the Master came over to me with his arms out and said "How about a Master Hug" Master Isaacs also told the testing group that it was the best performances he had seen from his students. We worked very hard and it showed. There were tears of joy and shaking hands, but the group looked like a synchronise performance of professionals.

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REMEMBER MY BAD KNEES?

Written by Captain Mary on Friday, August 29, 2008

I know that those who know me, get to see me limp constantly. Lately they haven't had the pleasure to see that in the past week. I mentioned that I had started spinning , the first couple of times I was in sheer agony the day after, but always while spinning my knees somehow felt better. Who would have thought that moving even more would relieve the pain in my knees. Currently and this is only a week of spinning, one of my knees is completely without pain. I know that my TaeKwonDo classes have been the heart of my pain, but I won't give that up, so I have found the perfect routine to help with my work-outs. First I spin for an hour and directly afterward I head to my TaeKwonDo class, just think of the calories I am burning. The best part of the routine is I now can do both with very little pain. I figure the more I work my knees the better they will feel. This is a great relief for me, I may actually be able to reach my goals in TaeKwonDo and of course my general fitness as a old lady. Maybe my body can revert back to my mental age. All I know is that I feel good, when a person is not in pain all the time it certainly opens up opportunities to smile more.

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A DAY FULL OF SURPRISES

Written by Captain Mary on Tuesday, August 19, 2008

My days of confinement over, back to work and I can't believe how much I enjoyed scrubbing toilets today. I was willing to do anything to get out of this funk. Worked a full day and then it was time to get ready for my TaeKwonDo Rank Graduation.


A small graduating class due to the summer session, kids do need time off, but I prefer no time off because I will fall apart quickly. First the lower ranks go to the floor to accept their certificates and it progresses to the higher ranks. It was my turn, all the others were given their certificates and yet I remained standing with empty hands, I turned to my Master and asked where it was, his reply "just wait I have it". The others were dismissed and I remained standing there alone, Master Isaacs presented me with my Black Belt Recommended certificate, which is a pretty big deal. I am certainly on my way. Then he asked me to give a demonstration of my signature Kihap, which according to the Master is the best in the ATA. I think I split some ear drums, but wasn't that the whole point.
My daughter Monica received her Red Belt decided rank. Shelah and Rainy moved up in rank with big smiles on their faces.
I was dismissed from the floor, sat down and before my ass could touch the seat I was called up again. This time was for My State Champion accommodations.
I felt so good, it just seemed like my night, but wait that wasn't it, as I was gathering my belongings to go home, the Master hands me an envelope and tells me I have been invited to be part of the C.I.T. program, which is the Certified Instructor Training. I stood there with tears welling up in my eyes for this is an extreme privilege. I guess they want to keep me around for awhile. I had a wonderful day, tomorrow I will still be walking on air.

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BIG DAY TODAY

Written by Captain Mary on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Today, Thursday I will be working like a fool, getting my work caught up and then I will be testing for my black belt recommended rank. It will be a strange testing unlike the usual, where we have to learn a form and test on our skills in sparring. I asked the instructor what we would be tested on and his reply was "it's going to be a surprise", well what the hell does that mean? I have been taking it really easy trying to get my knees to heal, they feel a lot better, but then I do want to start training soon for my black belt, the ceremony will be in October, which is only two months away. I am taking this year off in competition, the last two years I did very well and achieved state champion in my rank and age group. It is really killing me to take off a year, but my goal will be to compete in 5 divisions as a black belt. The divisions are rare for my age group so my chances are better than the younger groups. I want to compete for World Champ, wish me luck, I plan on trying out for Extreme Martial Arts, which is flips and cartwheels. I will probably break something, if I don't that will be a great accomplishment. I have to do it soon before I am too old to do it. I will probably be happy if I qualify for the top ten in the world in ATA TaeKwonDo. My nerves are already getting the better of me, not knowing what to expect in testing. The instructor told us to "do a lot less thinking", the older students tend to over-think all the moves. Learning to just re-act is hard for the oldies. I will let you know next Tuesday if I pass my testing.

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TAEKWONDO BELT GRADUATION

Written by Captain Mary on Tuesday, June 24, 2008



We tested last week and tonight was the evening event, Belt Rank Graduation. If we failed we would be notified prior to our arrival. We knew we had passed our testing, no phone call. My daughter Monica and I were the only ones in the family who could attend. The evening is always a wonderful event for getting people together and having something to eat afterward. We always try to bring something besides sugary snacks and such. This time I brought my world famous Smoked Fish Dip. Seems a little strange in the middle of donuts, cupcakes, chips and cakes, not to mention all the sugary drinks. Anyway, by the end of the evening people were scraping the plate to get the last bits off of the lettuce garnish. If you would like the recipe email me www.captmary2@yahoo.com



Back to graduation, I received my Red Belt Decided and Monica and Jason received their Red Belt Recommended. We have worked really hard to get to this point, so close to getting our Black Belts, the rest is going to be even harder though. With my bum knees and arthritis I keep plugging, I thought it was a personal achievement to ignore all my pain and continue toward my goal. Well, it did not go unnoticed. Tonight special awards were given out. Some of the children received personal achievement awards, they worked extra hard and were noticed. Another award that was given out was for Black Belt Attitude. Our Instructor Jesse announces that these awards are generally never given to adults, but in this case for the loudest Ki hap in the school and for practicing even with bum knees the award is given to Captain Mary. I was nearly in tears.

Stephanie

The Black Belt Ceremony for those who made their goals was a beautiful experience, some of the kids so proud they were giving their speeches with tears in their eyes. I really can't take this, so I end up crying and one of the kids, Stephanie added my name to her speech thanking me, well that was it, tears rolled down my face, Courtney had me in tears too, her speech was heart felt and then she tells us she will be leaving the school. I have fallen in love with this group of people who I now call my family.

Courtney

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TAEKWONDO TESTING

Written by Captain Mary on Saturday, June 21, 2008



Tonight was testing for our new belt rank. I am testing for my red belt decided, my daughter Monica and son Jason are testing for their red belt recommended.
We have to do some sparring, without contact and our form for our rank. It is a nerve racking event.


The Black Belts who are moving up in their ranks are always first and the more we sit waiting the more nervous we become. Somehow we always get up and do our performance. Sometimes we draw blanks other times it goes off without a hitch. Here are a couple of photos of myself and Monica and Jason.

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