Our Beautiful Temple

We had our Ward Conference Temple trip on Sept 17th. Since it was on a Thursday night @ 7:30 (abt an 8:15pm session) finding a babysitter on a school night was tough. So, Greg decided to let me go alone and he'd stay home and watch the kids.

On my way out, Hannah came up to me and asked me to take a picture of the temple for her. I told her I wasn't bringing my camera with me so we'd go take temple pictures some other time. But as I drove up to the temple, I couldn't believe how beautiful it was! At that moment, I was so bummed that I didn't follow the suggestion of my 8yr old and come prepared to take a picture of the temple. I had to use my camera phone, which lacks in the picture taking area. But even with my pitiful camera phone, the true beauty of the temple shines through...blurry and all!!

I was so grateful to attend and get the chance to listen to the Temple President. It was a wonderful opportunity! And I'm also grateful that my amazing little girl taught me a lesson...I can learn a lot from the mouths of babes! :)

Going To The State Fair!

One of the traditions in our family, while growing up, was going to the State Fair. I used to look forward to it every year! Several times I submitted my "art" and won a few ribbons. The thought of the fair brings a smile to my heart. It also reminds me of my grandpa who holds a special place in my heart.

So, on Saturday, we went with my mom and sister to the fair. It turned out to be a really fun time! It was great to spend time with my sister and nephew because we don't get to see them a lot. Hannah and Gabe had a blast on the rides and I loved looking at all of the art submissions....Oh, does anyone know when scrapbooking became an art catagory? Just wondering....anyway, I also enjoyed looking at the photography. If we're still here next year (and with our luck we will be) then I'm going to encourage Hannah to submit something to the fair. I think it helps kids gain confidence and pride in their talents.

Here are some pics...


We thought this bench was funny because it had the handicap parking sign right behind it. I was like..."look mom! They have a special seat just for you!!" She didn't find it as funny as I did :)
(Hannah took this picture...she's pretty good with the camera!)

All the "kids" on the big colorful slide!

Braydn and Hannah on the ride that slowly takes you way up and then drops you. I'm not a fan of this ride, nor any ride that is similar to it. Hannah said it was fun until she got to the very top. Then she said her body started shaking but she said she'd do it again!

Braydn and Hannah and the funky blue robot!

Hannah, Greg, and Braydn on the "flying ride". This one was a "must" on Hannah's list. Greg seemed to like it as well.

Gabers and Daddy on the "helicocker" ride. Gabe was just THRILLED that there was a "helicocker" ride! He had a blast on it!!

Here's little Gabers playing like he's an airplane while Braydn carries him around. The reason his legs are straight out is because they are his "wheels" and he says he can't land without his "wheels". I thought that was cute!!

Hannah and Gabe on the Huge Wheel!! Gabe was amazed by how big it was...but he's infactuated by wheels so, of course, he'd be in love with this one! Not so much the tractor but it's wheels.

That's it, until next year...

I Did It!!

So, this past Saturday I had my first ever "belt test" and I passed!! I wasn't sure what to expect but I assumed I just needed to do my Poomse and that would be it! I guess that's what I get for assuming, huh! They ended up testing us on our kicks, our blocks, the Student Pledge (froze on that one but stumbled my way through it), our poomse, and last but OH SO NOT least....breaking boards!! yeah, you heard me right...BREAKING TWO BOARDS AT THE SAME TIME!!! I almost broke into tears when I realized I was going to have to break some too. At first I thought it was just for the higher level students so I didn't think much of it. I mean, wouldn't they let us know if they were going to have us break a couple pieces of wood so we could practice!?! Uhhhhh.....NOPE!!! As soon as they called Nick to come forward I about passed out because he was testing for his yellow belt as well. I seriously looked like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming triple-decker diesel!! I had to keep reminding myself to breath OR to stop breathing so much. I was a MAJOR MESS!!! When they called my name, I squeeked a "yes sir!" and made my way to the middle of the mat. I look at my instructor like, "Are you seriously doing this to me?!? There's no way I'm going to do this!! I'm gonna make a fool of myself!!" But he just smiled back at me. I think he was slightly amused by my shock and fear. Well, needless to say, I managed to break both boards with one hit!!! YIPPEE FOR ME!! It's been a while since I've had such a huge grin on my face. I seriously couldn't believe it!!! I was like...."No Way!!! No Way!! I did it!!!"

Well, last night was the belt ceremony when I received my yellow belt and certificate. It was a proud moment for me. I'm really glad that I followed one of my interests because I'm seriously having the time of my life! I LOVE it!!!

Now onto my yellow belt with the black stripe!!!

This is me just before breaking the two boards. I'm looking at my instructer with my "don't make me do this" eyes. He had no mercy!

This is my instructer "Master Augustine" (I think that's his title...he's never really told me) and he's writing on my broken board. I still can't believe I broke those things!! They were abt and inch thick total!! Just crazy!!

Here I am with my written on, broken boards. Greg was like, "Remind me never to get you mad!!" but of course, he was just joking but I think he was pretty proud of his wife!! :)

Greg's 36th Birthday!!

Yes, Greg is getting old! I can't believe that he turned 36 yrs on the 16th of September! Too Crazy!!

He was out of town for most of the day which allowed Hannah plenty of time to "get ready". She decorated the cake, wrapped his present from her, and made a banner that said, "Happy Birthday Daddy" with a giraffe on it. She was so excited that it was her daddy's birthday!!

Here are a few pictures from the Big event...

The Birthday Boy, Gregory Lee!!! (Yes, I was scrounging for candles but I got creative and was able to come up with 36)

The kids and their creation. After Hannah was done decorating the cake with sprinkles, Gabe came along and dumped the rest of the sprinkles right in the middle of it. He was very proud!

Opening his gifts...looks like Gabe was helping his daddy out!

Hannah's Birthday Banner for her special Daddy!! She was so proud of it. I love seeing the amazing relationship that Hannah (and Gabe) has with her daddy!

HAPPY 36TH BIRTHDAY GREGORY LEE!! I LOVE YOU!!

Really?

How would you feel if you just found out that your neighbor had been dead in his house for about a week?

Well, let me just tell you...awful!! I didn't know my "directly-across-the-street" neighbor well, in fact, we hardly ever spoke. Maybe a "hi" or a "how are you?" in passing but not much more past that. A couple months ago, he had dug up a pretty tree from his front yard and left it in his driveway. I went over to see if we could have it and I think that was the only normal conversation I had with the man. He was always alone. I never saw anyone visit him. He had a couple of dogs and I saw him walking them sometimes. Every once in a while, I'd see him out watering his lawn. But usually when we saw each other it was either when I was pulling in/out of the drive way or when he was. We'd give each other the "friendly wave" and move on.

I guess his boss became really worried when he hadn't came into work all week and wasn't returning his phone calls. He came out to his house and knocked on the door and became even more concerned when no one answered. He called the cops. The cops came and found him dead in his living room.

Isn't that so sad? The man was always alone. And even when he died, he was alone. I think that is one of my worst fears, is being alone...forgotten...no one to care if I lived or died! I can only hope he had some family that loved & cared for him and maybe they just lived out-of-state or something.

So, after being disturbed that I didn't even know his name, I went online and looked him up. His name was Leonard Charles Jenkins. He was 51 yrs old. Once I read it, I remembered that he liked being called Leo but I'm embarrassed to say I really didn't know him at all. Not at all!

After that girl that was found in some guys backyard 18yrs after he kidnapped her and now with this, I am seriously realizing that I need to "know" my neighbors. I'm not the most outgoing. I mainly keep to myself but I think I need to try harder to create real relationships with those who live around me.

A lesson learned.

Two More!

Last night, I gained two more stripes on my belt at Taekwondo!! I got a red stripe for completing my "poomse" without a mistake and a black stripe that signifies that my instructor "believes in" me and is "recommending" me for my test on Saturday. It's all symbolic but it made me feel good! There were a couple of people who were scheduled to test this Saturday but after the "stripe test" the instructor decided not to "recommend" them for testing. I really felt bad for them (of course, they are way more advanced than me. They're working on their red belt or something! The stuff they have to do it much more difficult than mine) but I guess that's how it goes. I think the integrity of the instructor would be compromised if he allowed them to "test" even though he's the one giving them the test. Does that make sense? Again, it's all symbolic.

So, Saturday's the big day and I hope I pass and get my yellow belt. But if I don't, then I will use the example of those who didn't pass the "stripe test" and just bow, say "yes sir!" and try harder next time. It's not a competition between students, it's just a competition with ourselves.

9/11

So, here we are 8 yrs later and the emotions of 9/11 are still fresh within me. I watched a few news specials, a few videos on the web and read a couple of artilces and can't help but cry! Gabe kept asking me if I was "sad". And yes, I am sad!! I'm sad that my children will never know what it was like before the towers fell...before flying was so difficult...before passports were needed to get into CANADA, for heavens sake. They will live their lives always wondering if it'll happen again or WHEN it will happen again. I was blessed that those type of thoughts never ran through my childhood mind. But those days are over and now we are living in a different time. I just wish it never would have changed because my children deserve the best! And the "America" we're living in right now, is far from the best! But they will hear the "Glory Days" stories from Greg & I and I'm sure they'll try to invision "how it used to be". I can only hope and pray that they will never have to experience the pain, shock, fear, and confusion that I felt on September 11th, 2001.

Got Me Some Stripes!

Tonight at Taekwondo I got me three colorful stripes!! So excited about that!! I had to do my "poomse" and recite the student pledge to earn them. My performance wasn't flawless because I was scared to death but I made it through it. YIPPEE for me!

You know, the more I learn about Taekwondo, the more I want my children in it. They teach such great values and they focus a lot on respect and doing well in school and minding parents, etc. I'm very impressed by it! Gabe is already running around the house yelling "Kee-ya" so I'm sure he'll be in it as soon as he turns 4 yrs old (if I can get him potty trained...yeah, right!).

Here's the student pledge...

I am honorable, trustworthy, and honest
I have the utmost respect for law and order
I take pride in my skills and will never be abusive or reckless
I pledge to meet the standard of excellence and to become an example to follow
I am a Martial Artist!

Destination...YELLOW!!

Ok, so I just have to say it one more time...I TOTALLY and ABSOLUTELY LOVE Tae Kwon Do!!!! It is so much fun and holy cow, is it a workout!!! I can barely lift my legs off the floor and my arms and shoulders ache BUT it's a good kind of pain!! LOVE IT!!

So, I began learning my first set of patterns/skills last night. I was thrilled by the end of class because I had already memorized them. My instructor told me that he wants me to test for my yellow belt on the 19th with the rest of the students who have been there at least 2 months longer than I have! I was so proud and excited...but now I'm a little nervous! I hope I don't make a fool of myself.

Anyway, I am just so happy that I found something that I really enjoy and that doesn't feel like an inconvenience. Running was more of an "inconvenience" to me because I didn't enjoy it much. It was like pulling teeth to get myself motivated to get out and run. But with Tae Kwon Do, it's different. It's something that I look forward to, in fact, I'd go every day if they let me :)

Here are the levels (belt colors) that I'm hoping to attain and their explanations for each. Hopefully on the 19th, I'll be a new proud owner of a yellow belt!! :) YIPPEE!!

Belt color epxlanation

The explanation of belt colors was derived from the book of General Choi Hong Hi.
In WTF Taekwondo there are 10 Geups, starting from the 10th Geup (white belt) and ends with the 1st Geup (red-black belt). The term "Geup" means degree. The term "Dan" means phase. There are 9 Dan degrees, starting with the first and ending with the 9th. All Dan-degrees are represented by a black belt.

White Belt (10th Geup)
The color white indicates that a person is "innocent", has no knowledge of Taekwondo. The white-belt is automatically gained by taking Taekwondo classes.

Yellow Belt (8th Geup)
The color yellow indicates that the person is getting to know the basic techniques, this stadium is compared to a plant growing its roots.
The student going for yellow-belt is usually not skilled enough to show "Chayu daeryon" (non-contact sparring). Instead the student has to show "Sajoe" ("four-direction-movement", one specific technique shown to all directions).

Green Belt (6th Geup)
The color green indicates that a student is growing as a Taekwondo student. The color of the belt is compared to a plant growing its leafs.

Blue Belt (4th Geup)
The color blue indicates that a student is reaching higher, like a plant that is growing towards the sky.

Red Belt (2nd Geup)
The color red indicates danger. The student is warned to practice the control of his/her movements. The color red also warns an opponent.

Poom
W.T.F. Taekwondo requires that one has to be 16 years old to get a black belt. If younger, you get a Poom, which can be replaced by a black-belt when passed the age of 16. The requirements are the same as for the black-belt.

Black Belt (1st dan)
Black is the opposite of white and means the maturity of the student in the art. It also is an indication of being impenetrable for fear and darkness.


Pretty cool...huh? :)