So, The Scotsman? Just got his third degree black belt. Bear with me a bit, because I'm going to brag.
It was kind of a big deal this test, because he'd been waiting to take it for close to 9 years. He should have actually taken it about 4 years ago but between his own students and Tae Kwon Do club, not to mention his full-time job and family responsibilities, it kept getting pushed back and pushed back. So the fact that he was finally able to take it was pretty damn special and I was honored that he asked me to come and take photos**.
The test took over 4 hours, which I sort of can't wrap my head around. Don't ask me how he made it through the ordeal, because I would have given up after the first couple of forms and sat myself down with some girl-scout cookies or something and just been satisfied with my two degrees. But he kept going and going and was generally awesome the entire time.
The final portion of the test was the breaking. The Scotsman was the last to go and he was the one breaking the most boards. Prior to The Scotsman's turn, the other students (who were mostly testing for their first degrees) kept not breaking. And they were only trying to break one board. As each of them hit difficulties and had to re-try over and over, I got more and more nervous. Because The Scotsman was breaking 4 boards with his elbow, immediately followed by 3 with a kick, followed by 2 with a different kick (technical term). Grand total of 9 boards for those of you not adding along.
By the time The Scotsman got up there to do his thing, I was pretty edgy. A hush fell over the entire room as he set up the boards, and I overheard a little girl say with awe, "Mom, you HAVE to get a picture of this. He's going to break 4 BOARDS!"
The Scotsman's mom was biting her nails at this point, and I was holding my breath.
But of course, I had nothing to be worried about:
If you look in the mirror, you can see that it takes the strength of 3 burly men to handle the impact. Those boards? Completely broken.
The two kicks went perfectly too:
And let me just tell you, the cheer that went up afterward? Epic. After my heart started beating again, I realized that I had been silly. The Scotsman has been known to break up to 6 boards with his elbow, so those 4? Were like butter.
I might be just a bit proud, you guys.
And then, the next day, The Scotsman cooked me breakfast:
Wearing the belt, obviously. Because you kind of have to.
<3
*He wouldn't, of course, because that goes against the tenants of Tae Kwon Do. But he could, is my point.
** I'm fairly disappointed with how the pictures came out, actually. Too bad his girlfriend is an amateur. Ugh.
It was kind of a big deal this test, because he'd been waiting to take it for close to 9 years. He should have actually taken it about 4 years ago but between his own students and Tae Kwon Do club, not to mention his full-time job and family responsibilities, it kept getting pushed back and pushed back. So the fact that he was finally able to take it was pretty damn special and I was honored that he asked me to come and take photos**.
The test took over 4 hours, which I sort of can't wrap my head around. Don't ask me how he made it through the ordeal, because I would have given up after the first couple of forms and sat myself down with some girl-scout cookies or something and just been satisfied with my two degrees. But he kept going and going and was generally awesome the entire time.
The final portion of the test was the breaking. The Scotsman was the last to go and he was the one breaking the most boards. Prior to The Scotsman's turn, the other students (who were mostly testing for their first degrees) kept not breaking. And they were only trying to break one board. As each of them hit difficulties and had to re-try over and over, I got more and more nervous. Because The Scotsman was breaking 4 boards with his elbow, immediately followed by 3 with a kick, followed by 2 with a different kick (technical term). Grand total of 9 boards for those of you not adding along.
By the time The Scotsman got up there to do his thing, I was pretty edgy. A hush fell over the entire room as he set up the boards, and I overheard a little girl say with awe, "Mom, you HAVE to get a picture of this. He's going to break 4 BOARDS!"
The Scotsman's mom was biting her nails at this point, and I was holding my breath.
But of course, I had nothing to be worried about:
If you look in the mirror, you can see that it takes the strength of 3 burly men to handle the impact. Those boards? Completely broken.
The two kicks went perfectly too:
And let me just tell you, the cheer that went up afterward? Epic. After my heart started beating again, I realized that I had been silly. The Scotsman has been known to break up to 6 boards with his elbow, so those 4? Were like butter.
I might be just a bit proud, you guys.
And then, the next day, The Scotsman cooked me breakfast:
Wearing the belt, obviously. Because you kind of have to.
<3
*He wouldn't, of course, because that goes against the tenants of Tae Kwon Do. But he could, is my point.
** I'm fairly disappointed with how the pictures came out, actually. Too bad his girlfriend is an amateur. Ugh.
Labels: Appreciation, Celebration Time, Girlie behavior, Happy Things, Photography, Romance
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