Crazy with a blue belt

The rack Hubby made me has a new belt.

I knew everything I needed to know for the Taekwondo blue belt test. It was my 6th time testing. You’d think I wouldn’t be nervous. Yet I was. As all get out. But I survived.

I wouldn’t be me, however, if I didn’t mess something up.

During the “back form,” green belt, I started morphing suddenly into the purple belt form. Fortunately, I caught it and fixed it, grateful that I was able to carry on without getting flustered or losing track of where I was. That felt semi-miraculous.

Beyond that, which Sensei may not have even witnessed, as I think his eyes were on my partner at the moment, I did a couple of minor dumb things. One was starting the second set of defense moves before being instructed to. My daughter whispered, “Not yet!” to stop me.

The other was the same mistake I made last time. When we finished, Sensei said, “Go back to your X,” the starting position. I started walking back to sit down because I was done.

As I approached, another daughter sitting there, eyes wide, said, “Your X!”

I swung around, smiling sheepishly at Sensei, as I returned to my X. He smiled back, like last time. Phew!

Eventually I’ll learn.

The next class was the belt ceremony, where we bring food to share after receiving our new belts and certificates. Similar to last time when we made churros, I thought it would be fun to make pretzels from scratch.

Eventually I’ll learn.

A half hour before the ceremony, I texted Sensei. (Keep in mind that, at the moment, since he doesn’t advertise, we are his only students, which is awesome for us.)

He agreed to wait for my go ahead. Then some time later…

Then at the ceremony, for which we all arrived a half hour late, he called me up first.

“I have several things for you,” he said and handed me my certificate, my belt, and then this:

Pardon me. Do you have any Grey Poupon?

I cracked up. The girls each got one too, to their great confusion, and he brought several others so we had enough.

In our haste to leave the house, though I meant to get a pic of the pretzels for you, I didn’t get a chance. (I also discovered when we returned home, that I had forgotten to turn off the oven. Sigh. “Haste makes waste” and all that.)

We did wind up with one leftover pretzel (probably the ugliest one), so I at least have this to show you, taken the next day, looking soggy and old.

It tastes better than it looks. Just like the churros.

“It tastes better than it looks” is becoming my tag line.

At the end of the evening, Sensei walked away shaking his head saying, “I can’t believe you guys are blue belts already.”

Awww… We’re growing up so fast.

Next, on to brown belt!

I wonder what we’ll make for that ceremony.