BOMs Away - the Black Belt edition

Welcome to the link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM-type project 

so they don't stall out in UFO-land!

(Linky at the bottom.)

I survived! - Man, that was hard. Like really hard. 

But look what I have to show for it!

I wouldn't have made it through the test without the super-attentive help of my classmate, Linda Silveira, who kept bringing me water and icing my neck and head down. It was super close, making it through Black Belt testing with Lupus stuff flaring up. When I took my socks off for warm-ups, my feet were black, not just blue, and from the start I was struggling through phenomenal fatigue, sweating so much by ten minutes in that one of the two docs at the first aid station was seriously scared that I was having a heart attack. He just about not only pulled me from testing, but also almost called the ambulance. Fortunately for me, Linda was the other doc and is very familiar with what it's like for me when a flare is hitting, as is our school's Master. So she talked the other doc into relaxing and letting her help me through it. So far, haven't found anyone who caught a picture of her helping me out. I totally felt like a football player with personally-dedicated support staff - LOL.

We figured out that she refilled my water canteen four times, so during the 2.5 hour test, I drank at least 90 ounces of water! And zero talk from my bladder. That's how much sweat was just streaming through me! 

It wasn't pretty, but it got done!
Here we were starting to work Poomsaes after almost two hours
of sparring formulas and self-defense.

If Chanda is able to get the video file to me successfully that shows me doing my compulsory board breaks, I'll add it in here.

I did make it through the final test (yesterday was the culminating event of six weeks of the testing period) and managed to do my duty as the appointed class speaker. 

Even when the mic cut out and I had to project for
the whole City Auditorium on my own.

I was given the very special WooSong Award, and I hadn't expected that. It is the DaeSabumnim's award, who is a really big deal in the Taekwondo world both in Korea and the U.S., so I feel a deep sense of honor to receive it.

Three and a half years to get here! So thrilled to do it with both my youngest daughter, 

and my hubby!

As my cousin said: "The family that kicks together - sticks together!"  heh!

With our Sabumnim on the left, Master Jay Kuk Lee, and Pejo Sabumnim on the right, who is his senior. He heads a sister dojang but is always at every one of our belt tests, so we feel doubly honored to get our photo with both of them.

It all produces big smiles when your breath is caught up. 

And today while resting, I got most of a fishy put together. Still needs a fin and a spot and an eye, but already cute.

So, what have you got going on at your place? Thanks for putting up with a journaling page. You can see that quilting work was back seat this week, as you can probably imagine lots of extra practice went on all week before the big event. I hope all is well, and look forward to the sharings of BOMs projects happening out there!

~*~*~ 

How about you? Have you done any BOM work recently? 

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up,

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.