Interesting. People are posting to their own blogs and commenting to others less frequently. Could be it's almost the end of summer. Could be we have only a couple weeks until we start heading back to college. Odd thought, and just when I was getting happy with summer. I'll be glad to go, but I would be glad to stay as well.

As I sit here typing, various potential scenes of violence and mayhem are playing through my mind. "Hmm. I'm glad Mr. Moore made me spar that tough guy in TKD class last Monday. When he came in and kicked me with that hard roundhouse I should have stayed in and outside-crescent-kicked him to the head. Or maybe..." You get the idea. Things like this are working in the back areas of my cranium much of the time. Once I figure scenarios out mentally, they pop into reality the next time I spar. I'm not sure how that works, but it does... Did y'all know that this one study showed that people who spent 15 minutes a day thinking about a particular physical activity that required some coordination had improved just as much by the next week as people who actually practiced it for 15 minutes a day? Sensors showed that just thinking about the activity triggered little responses in the correct muscles. Isn't that interesting?

But the point of me bringing up TKD was to mention that I'll be testing for the next intermediate step between 1st and 2nd dan black belt sometime in the next few weeks. This is the third intermediate step. Next summer I'll be able to test for 2nd dan itself! I am quite excited, because it is a big milestone. It took me three years to earn my 1st dan black belt, and it will have taken me four years for my 2nd. Normally it would take only two years to go from 1st to 2nd, but school tends to intervene.
This "test" is really a demonstration. I have a three-move board-breaking combination, a four-move combo on kicking paddles, and an original form (set of choreographed moves that represents a fight with several opponents). I am looking forward to it very much.

In other news, I had some nice phone conversations this weekend, and I spent a lot of time with my family. I enjoy my family very much, and I am trying to focus on telling everyone how much I love them. Also, God has really been breaking me down this summer. I have cried almost every day, and I've really been struggling with a number of things. Sunday night and Monday afternoon, something happened. I finally let go of what had been bothering me, and I feel myself beginning to heal a long-time sore inside of me. I'm sorry I'm being so secretive. I will tell some of you in a few weeks. Maybe.  ¶ 10:12 AM