Happy 15th Birthday T$!!!

Happy 15th Birthday to our amazing son T$ (affectionately called that by his teammates and coach).  We hope this is your best birthday to date!  

T has grown and changed so much since last year this time.  He is taller than me now and loves to call me shorty...LOL! He is almost as tall as his dad now.  Of course both of us are vertically challenged...LOL! T will be getting his permit today.  After that we leave to drive up to PA for a USA Taekwondo Tournament.  Between our business and his Taekwondo we live a very busy life.  At least we can say life is never boring.  

T has had an amazing year with his new coach and team.  He has had a great year of school as well.  He is maintaining a straight A average in his schooling.  He trains hard, works hard on school and works with his dad every chance he gets to earn some extra spending money.  It works out better for him to earn money this way verses getting a job where he has to be there certain hours.  We don't want anything interfering with T accomplishing his goals.  His voice has changed a lot since last year.  His face looks very different but that is mainly because of the braces on his teeth.  He has a girlfriend who is also an elite athlete fighter in Taekwondo.  If he has his way it will be his only girlfriend.  We'll see.  He became a dad of 2 Guinea Pigs last week.  He has done awesome with them.  He has quite the set up in his teen cave now between the Guinea Pigs and his gaming systems...LOL!!  

Life moves fast and if you don't make time to take it in and enjoy every moment of it you will miss the good things of life altogether.  Cherish every moment you have with those you love because you can't get those moments back.  Happy Birthday Son!!!  We love you to the moon and beyond and are so very proud of you!!!  

T has Received his Credentials…

T received his credentials for the upcoming tournament tonight. Donna does the art work on them and she knocked it out of the park as usual. 

Compression Therapy…

Along with T’s cryotherapy we’ve been doing compression therapy to help his body recover and be ready for the upcoming tournament. Here’s what compression therapy looks like. 

4 Years Ago v Now...

T has changed so much in four years time and I just had to share.

One Last Time...

T was on his dirt bike for probably what will be his last time yesterday.  We are fixing to sell it because he has outgrown it.  He really needs the next stage bike but he now wants a four wheeler.  That's all he's asking for for Christmas this year.  We've already told him that it may not be possible but we will certainly try to get him one that he can have fun on with his girlfriend.  When they aren't fighting at Taekwondo events that's their favorite thing to do.  Hoping by this time next year we can get set up to where we can go to a place we found about an hour away where we can go camping in an RV and take the toys because they have a spread of land that is just for dirt bikes and four wheelers.  Folks go there all the time to camp and ride.  We have friends that are there most every weekend.  That's how we learned about the place.  Here's a possible one last picture of T on his first ever dirt bike.

USAT EAST GRAND PRIX....

We travel to PA on T's birthday.  He weighs in on the 12th and fights the 13th at USAT East Grand Prix.  He is excited for this opportunity and expects to learn a lot.  He has been working through a small injury from training but it won't keep him from fighting at this event.  It's just minor but he isn't training right now to let his body rest and recover for the event.  I mean really if he's not ready at about two weeks out from any tournament then he's not going to be ready.  He has trained hard and is looking better than we have ever seen him in his fighting.  Win or Learn we are so very proud of this kid!  

Sorry This is Late…

Sorry that I’m posting this over a month after the event but we have been so busy that we just plain forgot. Here’s the USAT VA State Championship video from T’s fight. He brought home Bronze. It was a learning day for Him but he fought great and fought hard. That’s all we can ever ask of him. He’s growing and learning so much. So proud of this kid. 

MYTH BUSTED...

That has been busted all to pieces with our son and so many other homeschooled kids that we know.  T and all of his homeschool friends get plenty of socialization.  So much more than they would ever get in regular school plus it is good positive socialization with peers whose parents believe the same as we do instead of bad peer pressure situations that have kids making poor decisions.  It's a win win all around because he doesn't have to put up with the negative crap that regular schooling brings.  T and his friends can instead are positive influences on one another.  Homeschooling has helped shape T into such an awesome young man who has his screwed on straight.  He is a leader and not a follower and we couldn't be more proud.  So when folks wanna say that homeschoolers don't get enough socialization I know that they truly don't understand because all you have to do is spend time with our son to know that is a lie!

Guinea Pig & School…

Stampy enjoying some one on one time with his dad while his dad does his schoolwork…LOL! 

☝️ of T’s Birthday Presents…a little bit early!

T has been begging us to get him some Guinea Pigs for a while now so today we bit the bullet and got him some. The boy is so happy that is until he has to clean the cage🤣🤣🤣. He’s already been told it better not be us cleaning it else they will get rehomed. Check out Stampy and Dan in that order. 

Early Birthday Gift for T…

Today one of T’s early birthday gifts came in the mail. It’s a David Goggin’s tshirt. He recently listened to a book by David Goggins. He’s a Navy Seal. His book is very raw but it really helps athletes with their mindset.  Goggin’s book has been the difference maker for T and his mindset when it comes to the fight game. T is night and day different than he was last year this time. His mind is strong and he is fighting strong. Win or learn we are proud of the incredible young man that T is becoming. He’s a great teammate, coach, and fighter. No matter what happens in this sport he will always be that. He is going to be a great Master of his own dojang someday bringing up the next generations in the sport. 

This Happened Today…

Today we went and had T’s suit jacket for the dance fitted so it could be altered. $45 to tuck the sleeves. Wish I knew how to sew 🧵 🪡. They are making a killing for just tucking sleeves. 

So looking forward to the photo opportunity that Tyra and I will have with our kids before they head to the 8th grade dance😊. 

Private Training with Master Doug....

Master Doug has a game plan with T for these tall fighters and they are working hard on implementing it before T has to go to PA for Grand Prix.  Love how well they work together.  T loves being at CORE Taekwondo and learning from Master Doug.  Right now they are working on him jamming the tall fighters leg and getting points on the electronic chest guard as well.  This could really help T be able to fight the tall fighters better.  Whether he wins or learns this year we are still so proud of him and all that he has accomplished in this sport.  Master Doug had to wear two chest protectors while working with T...LOL!

Fun Day Friday…

Just wanted to share a video with you of T and Ari. 

Cross Training at Grants 4/15-4/16/2023…

Here’s a video I put together of the training this past weekend. Enjoy. 

Tristan Got His Permit Today...

My nephew Tristan got his permit today.  And mom thought she was done raising kids and having to do the permits and licenses....🤣🤣🤣.  T will have his next month then it will be our turn with our kid driving...LOL!! 

T’s Suit for the Dance with Ari…

No smiling because he was tired of my making him put it on to make sure everything goes well together…LOL! 

Kids Being Kids…

Ari found her dress for the dance in May today. Now to get T a suit to match. As we were leaving the store they were doing this on the stone posts…LOL! 

T Brings Home Bronze🥉…

T is a 1st year Jr fighter. He is the smallest in his weight division fighting fighters that are 6 foot tall. We did USAT Virginia State so that T could see what he’s up against this year. We are still trying to figure out if he continues to compete against the giants or if he should turn this year into a training and growth year. We will talk to the coach and get his buy in on what route we should take for the remainder of this year. T really understands the $ aspect of everything and that bothers him. While I appreciate his thinking about us we had to let him know the $ aspect of it all is for us to figure out and not for him to worry about. He still wants to fight but he knows already that he’ll be learning and not bringing home medals if we go to the larger competitions this year. Mainly just because of the sheer size deficit he’s got to deal with. When a competitors legs are as long as you getting around that is basically impossible. We are so proud of him still because to have the courage to get out there and fight with that kind of size deficit shows he has no fear about fighting. His mind is still in a very good place. 

T was so proud of Ari. He spent a lot of time getting her ready for this tournament and she brought home Gold. 

They ran out of actual USAT medals and had to give out these. T was not impressed. 

T before he fought in his new uniform. 

USAT VA…Competition Day!

Ready for competition and having fun and very relaxed.