Congratulations! and Thank You!

Congratulations!

Two students from our dojo, Fritz and Austin, were promoted to 1st Dan in Okinawa Kenpo Karate and 1st Dan Kobudo on July 10, 2010. They worked hard and did a great job at testing.

My husband was promoted to 6th Dan Karate, 6th Dan Kobudo. This was a difficult test for Tom due to chronic injuries and back pain.

I would also like to extend congratulations to fellow martial arts bloggers on their recent promotions.

Sandman was awarded his Black Belt this weekend.
SueC is now 1st Kyu Sue!
Frank was promoted to Orange Belt.


Thank You!

I would like to thank the Physical Therapy Assistant Schools blog for including my site in their list of 50 Best Karate Bloggers You Can Learn From. My blog was included in the teacher blog category.

I consider myself an accidental blogger. I was at the computer reading BobSpar's blog and I clicked on the button 'create blog'. Initially, I felt uncomfortable having information on the Internet that anyone could read. The first person I told about my blog was my sister. She told me not to worry about blogging because no one is going to read it.

Thank you to all the people who have read posts, commented, subscribed or became a follower of this blog!

Lemonade

Bob Spar of the Middle Aged Martial Artist blog awarded me with the "When Life Hands You Lemons" award. Bob is a high brown belt in a mixed-martial-arts school in the New York Area. During his black belt testing, he tore his ACL in a grappling match. Bob was the inspiration for me to start my own blog. Receiving this award from Bob means a lot because his blog was the first one I found when I was searching for other martial artists recovering from ACL surgery.

Recipients of the "Lemons" award are asked to:
* Post the logo on your blog.
* Nominate blogs that show great attitude or gratitude
* Link to the nominees within your blog post.
* Notify the recipients of the award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link back to the person from whom you received your award.

I would like to pass on this award to Martial Arts Mom. MAM is a mother and a martial arts student. Her blog is one of my favorites. You can tell by reading her blog that she is a dedicated and enthusiastic karate student. Since the start of 2009, she has been going through a rough time. You can stop by her blog and read her story. In one of her recent posts, Just MAM.., she says:

The way I feel when I'm in class is the way I want to feel all the time...confident, not as self-conscious. I feel like the me before I was part of a twosome. I feel like I am gradually becoming MAM...just MAM

I read her post and her inner strength was shinning through. It is because of her strength that I send the "When Life Gives You Lemons" award to Martial Arts Mom.