Retirement

After almost 6 years of training, Mason has decided to officially retire from Taekwondo. So, I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane.

Mason joined ATA in the fall of 2006 as a Tiny Tiger. He was only in preschool at the time.



Today, Mason is still friends with Sever and Alicia (they are currently 2nd degree black belts).



October 2006, Mason received his first belt (orange).



In December 2006, we used ATA uniforms for our Christmas card.



In December 2007, Mason began sparring for the first time.



In February 2010, Mason tested for his first black belt.











In October 2011, Mason tested for his 2nd degree.













I guess I could be a little sad that his Taekwondo career is coming to an end. I guess I could also be a little sad at how much he has grown in the last 5 1/2 years. Maybe there was a tear in my eye when I saw how young he was when he joined ATA.

However, just because Mason's Taekwondo career is ending doesn't mean that his martial arts training is over. He just tried his first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class tonight. In 5 years will I have another tear in my eye when I look back at pictures from tonight?

Happy Presidents' Day

Father/Son Experience

Darin and Mason had the opportunity to attend a Father/Son Youth Football Camp this past weekend. It was a chance to learn from the pro's and it included many guest speakers.

On Friday night Mason wore one of his Texas Tech shirts and was surprised to meet Steve Grant who was also sporting a Tech logo. Steve was a linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts and is currently the Chaplin for Texas Tech football program. He asked for Mason's address and said he would send some Tech gear.



On Saturday the kids were given camp shirts which each pro eventually signed.



The camp included lots of drills.



Mason was assigned to the offensive line so his coach was former NFL player John St. Clair who is 6 ft 6 in and 330 pounds.





By chance, you might be wondering how Mackenzie and I spent the weekend without the boys. Well ... shopping and dining of course!

Instagram

The NaplesMorgans have joined Instagram. It's a fast, beautiful and fun way to share our day-to-day life with family and friends through a series of our iphone pictures.



Download the free app to your iphone/itouch/ipad. Create a free account then click on your Profile and Search Instagram for NaplesMorgans. Our photos are private but once I accept your invitation you will be able to follow us on your Instagram Feed.

I will continue to update this blog with Nikon photos but you can follow our everyday lives through our iphone pictures.

Happy Viewing!

Ahoy, Matey

*Another disclaimer, these photos were taken with an old point and shoot that I grabbed as we ran out the door.

Thursday, 6:00 pm ~ Hello, friend! My parents have two extra seats at a table for 10 for tomorrow night's dinner dance fundraiser at church. Would you and Darin be interested in joining us?



Friday, 3:30 pm ~ After work, scouring the local party store for any and all pirate attire but not having much luck.



Friday, 5:00 pm ~ Taking the dog for a quick walk around the neighborhood. A neighbor asks "What are you doing tonight?" Then she says "I have a white pheasant blouse that would be perfect for the dinner, want it?"



Friday, 6:00 pm ~ Exactly 24 hours after receiving the invitation we are enjoying the food, wine and tons of dancing.



Friday, 8:00 pm ~ Sitting next to the big winner of the night. Mr. Panacia was the top bidder in the live auction for a trip to Las Vegas to see Celine Dion perform.

*The post above was sponsored by Mackenzie. Without her generous babysitting support we would not have been able to attend. Thanks, Mack!

Chalk Art 2012

After today I am able to scratch one more thing off my Naples bucket list. We attended Chalk Art on 5th Ave. We have seen it listed each year in the newspaper but just never got around to attending until today. It was amazing! There we so many people and so many talented artists.



What is Chalk Art? As the illustration below shows, it is when professionals, students and even children use only chalk to create original works of art on individual spaces up and down 5th Ave.









The weather was absolutely perfect but after walking up and down 5th Ave the kids were starting to fade. Since we were downtown Darin made a beeline to his favorite ice cream shop.







Anyone want to join us for next year's Chalk Art? It is always held in late January which is the perfect time to visit Naples.

Happy Monday

What have we been up to this past week? Not much ...



...the days have been getting longer so we have been able to enjoy some beautiful sunsets without having to leave the comfort of our neighborhood.



We are enjoying a short hiatus from Saturday sports. We are able to partake in a home cooked breakfast rather than eating on the run.



We are experiencing records high temps so we need subtle reminders that it is still winter.



And, as always, the kids are growing like weeds.

Happy Monday, everyone!