Caving In

Call me whatever you want, but I'm caving in to the inane but popular "Guess Where I'm Going On My Misson!" game. I had wanted to avoid this, but alas, my inner fortitude isn't as fortified as I thought.

I'll be nice and let everybody guess a couple of places each. Leave a comment with your guesses and if you get it right, I'll give you a high five or something.

Quick Aside

Many of you may be aware that I have been preparing to go on a mission. Good news! I submitted my mission papers a little more than a week ago, and they are currently being processed. For those who aren't familiar with the process, I'll briefly explain, using myself as the example.

When I first seriously thought about serving a mission (I say seriously because it's been a lifelong dream), I met with my bishop. We talked about my plans and why I wanted to serve, and then he set up an account on the missionary candidate website. In the past, the missionary papers were filled out on actual paper and submitted in the mail. The entire process took months to complete, but now most of it is done online, which streamlines and speeds up everything.

I filled out the forms online, filling out basic personal information like date of birth and things like that. Then came more specific questions like "do you speak a second language" and "have you lived in a foreign country" (I'm paraphrasing, obviously). Then come a set of medical forms and other related information. The Church has to know if you have any serious medical conditions because if you have some debilitating disease and you get called to Papua New Guinea or something and there aren't adequate medical facilities to take care of you, things would get hairy. They like to keep people like that in the United States or other developed countries where they can be looked after properly. Luckily for me, I'm right as rain, so I'm crossing my fingers for an overseas call.

After all these forms are filled out, I saw my doctor and dentist and they each filled out evaluations, validating what I mentioned on the medical forms. Then I went back to my bishop and turned in those evaluations and the rest of the online forms. When that is complete, the bishop writes his recommendations and turns all of that into the stake president. I met with him a week ago, and after that meeting, he in turn writes his thoughts on my papers. He then submits them to the mission headquarters, where they are evaluated by a committee that assigns each candidate individually to a mission.

Once your papers are submitted to the mission office, it usually takes about two or three weeks to get your official call in the mail. I'm thinking mine will come next week - I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck!

Black Belt Test

Last week I tested for the my black belt. I wasn't as nervous before as I have been for other tests, which turned out to be a huge plus because nerves are consistently my downfall. Luckily, this time I was able to keep it under better control and I didn't forget one of my forms. Whew! I felt like this was my strongest test yet, and I hope I passed. When we get back from our trip I will find out.

Reading up on form definitions before the test begins.

Mr. Tatton, my teacher (middle), let me test early because I would be going out of town with the fam. Mssrs. Smith and Patterson, black belts at my school, were nice enough to stick around after class and judge.

Doing my forms. I did five in all: Do San, Yong Gom, Hwa Rang, Hyun Sil, and my testing pattern, Choong Moo. This was the part I was most worried about, as I tend to be inconsistent in this area. I kept my cool and only made a couple big mistakes, so that was good.

Sparring, everybody's favorite part of martial arts! Actually, I hated sparring until this year. It's a confidence issue, really. I didn't do as well against these guys as I have in the past, but I didn't fudge it completely. I hope.

Heh. This picture is one of my favorites - I totally ate it.

Haha! And now I'm completely wide open to Mr. Smith's twist kick. Ok, I'm not as big of an idiot as these pictures attest.

Now I get drilled on pattern definitions. Apparently somebody said something funny. It was probably me.

I lied - this is actually the best part of testing. I love breaking boards. There's nothing like the feel of snapping pine to boost your self-confidence. It's a terrific feeling when you get it right the first time, and dreadfully painful if you mess up. Trust me.

For my breaks I chose a right palm strike and left axe kick. Mom took a bunch of pictures in rapid succession and got some really cool shots. I think Dad got some video, so I'll have to upload that later.

I nailed my breaks! At least I know I got 100 percent on that part of my test.

Yeah, yeah, I know this post is kinda lame, being nothing but pictures of me and all, but I was just so excited that my family actually came to this test and got pictures. Thanks to Krista and Nicole for coming to watch, too. You guys rock!

Got it!

Watch the whole thing; it's really fun.

Independence Day

Happy Fourth, everyone. I love America! And candy!

Celtic Celebration

Maybe I waited a month to update this accursed blog just because I wanted to generate suspense...

Nah. I'll be honest - It's because I forgot.

This past Tuesday I rebelled a little and (*gasp!*) skipped taekwondo. It was for a good reason, to be sure. Two of my bestest buds, Gloria and Krista, are Irish dancers, which is massively cool. Their school, An Dragan Ceilteach, had their annual Celtic Celebration performance, and I went along for the festivities. It's the most fun I've had at a dance recital.

Gloria is the one in the back with the long hair. She's one of the school's stars; she has been dancing for years and years, and now is one of their teachers. She rocks the dance floor!

Krista hard shoeing it up in the navy blue dress. Krista has been doing Irish dance for about three or four years now, if I remember correctly. She is quite talented!

This dance was from the Halloween recital - hence the creepy masks. It was a really fun dance and the music fit perfectly. I think Glo choreographed it... Gloria and Krista were both in this one. Glo has the striped leggings and arms, and Krista is the one in the mullet wig.

Gloria's solo

Every year Gloria choreographs a couple's dance, which pretty much anyone can join, regardless of dancing ability. The song usually tells a story, and her choreography matches. This year's was so much fun. The costumes rocked.

My favorite part of Celtic Celebration was the huge Matrix Revolutions dance at the end. It was so awesome! The outfits they found for the dance were perfect. I snapped a pic of Krista in her costume after the performance.

I took a video of the dance, but I'm having trouble uploading it. I'll see if I can get it on here later.