WordSisters

Category: Humor

  • Tae Kwon Do in review

    Tae Kwon Do in review

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA4 black belts. Not an easy path for any of us. There were times I thought Kor-Am Master Lindeberg would kick the entire family out.

    First we had Mr. Antonio who at 4-years old loved to jump on classmates, cartwheel back to his place in line, and once there distract others until it was his turn again.

    Master Lindeberg agreed that it was best that I didn’t watch Antonio while he was in class since it made me cry. I would go for a run instead.

    What you do to a no belt.
    What you do to a no belt.

    The plan was for Crystel to start one year later to give Antonio time to advance on his own timing. Well, that wasn’t happening. We started her anyway.

    Crystel’s kihap (“Taekwondo`s spirited shout) was just a bit louder than a newborn chick … for years. Her defense was definitely going to be her best offense.

    She often wanted to quit Tae Kwon Do and Jody and I told her that she could after she successfully tested for her next rank.  Each time she tested and passed she felt so good that she didn’t want to quit until after she started learning her new form. But then … she couldn’t quit until she successfully tested for her next rank … she started catching on after a couple of years and she successfully quit after receiving her red belt.

    After a year she started again. When she got to be a candidate for black belt I joined so she could humiliate me and feel good about it.

    The humiliation
    The humiliation

    I thought that I might be the first no belt, who stayed a no belt, because when people were standing frontwards – I was backwards, if they were east – I was west. That certainly did keep my children engaged. They found a new joy in Tae Kwon Do.

    I kept showing up though and Master Lindeberg was kind enough to allow me to continue training even though I was slower than others in catching on.

    I must say that I spent extra time working on a menacing look while placing my fist into my palm to scare the little kids even though that wasn’t part of the curriculum. Unfortunately, you don’t get a trophy for looking tough at little people.

    Jody watched all of us get our black belts and then joined figuring if the three of us could do it without getting kicked out of Tae Kwon Do surely she could.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANow since we are all black belts, the only hope for me is to keep working on my look because that sweet girl of mine wants to kick me in the head (and has), Antonio does pay attention, and Jody is in my age group. I might be sparring her some day in a tournament and god help me if she wins.

    Earning a Black Belt is just the beginning.

  • Another way to see the Minnesota State Fair

    2013 MN State Fair
    2013 MN State Fair

    A few weeks ago, Ellen, wrote about her experience of the Minnesota State Fair.

    Jody and I were not loyal fair goers until we had the children. Crystel’s birthday falls on September 4 and the State Fair soon became an activity that we incorporated into her birthday week.  You might expect that a middle-aged person and an 11-year-old girl see the State
    Fair differently.  Because it is part of her birthday celebration, Crystel chooses what we see and the order in which we see it.

    7-years old with his turkey leg.
    7-years old with his turkey leg.

    Over the years not much has changed. Aunt Amie continues to accompany us as she has done every year.

    Since we often enter the fair from the west side the children’s barn is our first stop. Antonio and I skip it, using this time to get our turkey legs – regardless of the hour.

    This year, Crystel stopped in the barn only long enough to snap a picture of a cow for Mama Beth, who grew up on a farm with 50 cows. The kids don’t understand the distinction between growing up on a farm and being born in a barn, so
    they usually tell people the latter about their mother. . . and Jody doesn’t
    correct them.

    Butterfly garden at age 7
    Butterfly garden at age 7

    Even though Aunt Amie is a vegetarian she doesn’t scrunch up her nose at us devouring our humongous turkey legs.

    Taking a right, we walk immediately to the Haunted House. I sometimes think the haunted house is the only reason we come to the fair.

    Crystel has gotten big enough that she can no longer ride on Aunt Amie’s back digging her head into her shoulder blades so she can’t see what she doesn’t want to see. Now she’s progressed to walking next to Aunt Amie, though I can’t tell you what exactly happens inside the haunted house.  I am the keeper of bags, purses, and extra clothes who sits outside contentedly people-watching. What happens inside the haunted house stays inside the haunted house.

    After ugly comes pretty. The butterfly garden is a must after the haunted house. Crystel’s yearly goal is to see how many butterflies’ she can get on her person.

    Butterfly garden at 9-years-old. The hat is to draw more butterflies.
    Butterfly garden at 9-years-old. The hat is to draw more butterflies.

    This is cotton candy time for me and Antonio.

    The Giant Slide is the first time that Aunt Amie and Jody get a breather. I grab a gunny sack and follow the children.

    If our timing is right, there might be a dog show to see after the Giant Slide.

    Nothing is better than your own bag of cotton candy.
    Nothing is better than your own bag of cotton candy.

    By now, we have eaten snow cones, corn dogs, deep fried cheese curds, deep fried battered vegetables, sweet corn, and Sweet Martha’s cookies. Time for the Midway and a couple of rides.

    We have one last item to do before leaving the fair. That is to get Aunt Amie wet on the log chute. It’s not the State Fair if she goes home dry.

    As you see we have not visited one educational building, saw not one piece of fine art, or watched any fair animals being judged. Maybe next year.

    2010 State Fair
    2010 State Fair

    This year, I visited the State Fair like a child.