Frightful Fun

Mackenzie scored us an invitation to one of the largest annual parties in our new neighborhood, a Halloween bash. She texted me at school a few weeks ago, all excited that we had gotten an invitation from one of the moms at the bus stop. This particular mother admitted to me that she loves Halloween more than Christmas and her party did not disappoint. She had bales of hay for seats, festive food, a hay ride for the kids, a disco tent for dancing, games and some neighbors with the most amazing adult costumes that we have ever seen.

As for us, Mackenzie was a bumble bee and Mason was John Cena from WWE.



Darin decided to dress as a rock star. When we moved he found his original high school guitar in the attic. It is no longer playable but can be used as a great prop. The tattoos were my favorite part of his costume.





This is an annual bash so, any suggestions for next year's costumes?

Fall Festival

Tonight while Darin was here ...



... yes, that is the rooftop of a Boston restaurant.

I was here ...





at Mackenzie's Fall Festival. The 8th grade chorus was asked to dress in costume and perform for the families. Mackenzie opted to save her Halloween costume for this weekend's big neighborhood block party and decided to wear a Florida Gator jersey instead.

Next post, our new neighborhood's Halloween celebration!

Victory Boards

Last night, Mason has his black belt promotion for 2nd degree. His new belt has two Korean words, chosen by his instructors, describing him. The instructors decided on "courageous" and "easy-going".
Click here to listen to Mason's instructor.

For the first time ever, Mason had to break two boards at the same time.
Click here to see the board break.

Lastly, he had to give a speech. Luckily, his sister had agreed to help him write it.
Click here to hear Mason's speech.

Mason has decided that he is going to continue with ATA and hopes to receive his 3rd degree in the future.

2nd Degree Black Belt

Months of practice, eighty one moves memorized in his form, three boards broken and he is now an official 2nd Degree Black Belt.

A Weekday Dinner

I shared a rare weekday meal with Mackenzie and Mason this evening. Sure, on the weekends we eat almost all of our meals together: family pizza on Fridays, Saturday morning pancakes, late afternoon lunches and Sunday morning donuts. But lately we haven't had much time for weekday family dinners. Mason's evening schedule has been consumed with football and ATA. You would think we could at least have a nice family dinner on Sunday evenings but Mackenzie has recently joined the church youth group that meets right during dinner. They even provide a free dinner for all of the youth.

But tonight I had the pleasure of enjoying the company of both my kids at my school's PTO Spaghetti Dinner. The best part was the fact that I didn't have to clean the dishes!

Magazines, Magazines and more Magazines

If anyone is interested in renewing their magazines, hopefully at a reduced rate, Mackenzie's school has kicked off their fall fundraiser. Orders can be made online at QSP.com. Mackenzie's school is North Naples Middle and her code is MOR1.

Soap and Candle Ceremony

Mason participated in the ATA Soap and Candle Ceremony tonight. This tradition began after Grand Master Lee was given soap and a candle by his own instructor when he left Korea in 1964.

During the ceremony, black belt are presented two gifts by their instructor: a bar of soap and a candle. Both gifts symbolize the sacrifice of the taekwondo instructor for his students: the soap sacrifices itself to clean the body, just as the instructor sacrifices himself to train the student. Likewise, the candle sacrifices itself to provide illumination, just as the instructor does for his students. Black belts light their candle from the instructor’s candle to symbolize the passing of knowledge. The new black belts then become sources of light and knowledge themselves.