Breathe

It's amazing to me that summer is almost over. Even though the calendar says we have about 6 weeks left, kids go back to school in 2 weeks. Here in Vermont, the crickets are singing. For me, that's a real reminder that the schedule is about to become busier and the relaxed yet full days of summer are coming to an end. It's at a moment like this that I have to remind myself to breathe.

Many times this summer, I have felt a twinge of guilt because I haven't been the blogger that I aspire to be. I've also been squeezing in soaping instead of making it my daily focus. I'm sure I'm like lots of other moms who put all of the "important" stuff on the shelf to submerge into the joy of being with their kids and soaking up these fleeting days. It's such a balancing act. Again, I need to remember to breathe.

Gerry tested for his Black Belt successfully a couple of weeks ago. He made a great montage of photos from his testing and the rest of the Blue Wave Summer Camp weekend. I smiled when I listened to the song that he put with the pictures. Good to know we're on the same page. Congrats, Mr. Tallman!

Here is a great video done of Summer Camp 2008 by Mr. Emerson & Miss Kline. Summer Camp is such a blast!!

Black Stripe Super Star!

Gerry tested for his Black Stripe at Tae Kwon Do last night. He tested with Ramsey, who earned her Red Belt! Both of them were amazing! Both Masters Chase said that their testing was impressive and that they were very proud of them!

They weren't the only ones! I was all choked up watching Gerry. It's really inspiring to see how well we all can do something when we practice really hard and put our minds to it! His testing was a great demonstration of determination & discipline. And Ramsey was right there with him! Watching the two of them test makes me want to challenge myself even harder!

PJ also tested last night and earned his Blue Belt. He did a great job, too. He has the loudest kiyup ever!

Congratulations to all of you! Your testing last night proves it~ Randolph Dojang Rocks!

Red Belt Success!

Last night the Randolph Blue Wave TKD clan traveled up to the Burlington Blue Wave Dojang for a great night of testing. Once a student has reached 3rd Gup (Blue Belt with Red Stripe), they must test outside of their home dojang. Gerry was notified last week that he would be testing in Burlington for his RED belt. This is a huge deal because earning your Red Belt leaves you only 2 tests away from BLACK BELT! It also means testing in front of a formidable panel of Black BeltsTesting is really hard physically and pretty intense emotionally. Here's a quick vid. of Gerry's Board Breaking and Sparring segments. You can see that he kicked Master White and Miss Essig when he tried to break. It looked painful. Gerry apologized after the testing. He did an amazing job during his testing! He was very focused and looked great!!

I get the sense that being a Red Belt is kind of like pledging for a fraternity. Master White was telling the dojang last night that lots and lots of people quit TKD as Red Belts and that students have to stay focused and determined to make it all the way. They often have to drop and do push-ups for whatever reason a Black Belt comes up with. They also fetch the Black Belts their coffee, serve ice cream to 350 people at Summer Camp and do other types of scrub work.

I can't wait for the day that my three boys test for their Black Belt. Although Austen and Peter weren't quite ready for this testing, they are working really hard to earn the right to test before the Fall. Gerry has said that his goal is to test with the boys for Black Belt. Big congrats to Sonja and Mike who also earned their Red Belts and Ramsey who earned her Red Stripe! Huge congratulations to Gerry for his outstanding job!! We are all so proud of you!!!

Meanwhile, I will test (with Ella?) for my yellow stripe on Tues 7.29. I'm nervous, but I totally love the personal challenge that TKD is making me face. TKD couldn't possibly be any further out of my comfort zone and I am totally into it.

Dear Best Friend, Happy Birthday!

It's a very special day! Today is Gerry's (my darling husband) 42nd birthday! I have to share about how amazing he is and how lucky I am!

I've been lucky enough to call Gerry my best friend for 23 years. He is all of the things that a girl could hope for. He's smart, funny, kind, generous... he knows how to use a vacuum cleaner! He treats me like a princess. (And I only deserve it some of the time!) He is a successful attorney who treats everyone that he works with, with respect and courtesy.

Gerry is the best father I know. He's patient, loving and 100% active in his kids' lives. He plays games with them for hours! I've seen him play Barbies and then go throw the football or teach lacrosse or baseball techniques. He wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy the other night because Cora mis-placed her tooth before it made it under her pillow! He also spent 2 weeks working to help kids who had missed Little League sign ups get a second chance. (this included Peter who missed try outs. After 3 weeks and lots of energy to keep him off of the team, the Board generously voted 6-2 to allow a second try out day. That's a story worth its own post!)

He is even behind my bubble business in every way. He counts my inventory without grumbling about the 457 different organza bags I have. He helps get ready for craft shows. He turned his life upside down so that I could go to the HSMG conference for three days! He smells, washes and tries everything! He even smiles about being covered in Diamond Mica from a shimmer bar experiment!

I love you with all of my heart, Gerry. Thank you for being the most wonderful person in my life. Your arms are the safest place I know. Happy Birthday!