I made it through another tournament weekend. I didn’t get lost this time, but did manage to add about an hour to my travel time by opting for the more laborious route to the tournament site. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it deserves to be said again…. MapQuest directions SUCK!

An in-car GPS navigator apparently isn’t much better, since a couple of my travel buddies have these and were instructed to take the same route I did, bad choice. The drive home was better and faster.

I will be navigating on my own from now on… I have road maps for most of the southern states where these martial arts tournaments are held, so I am just going to follow these and hopefully well placed signage.

Despite giving what I thought was a subpar performance, I managed to place second in forms and weapons. Whoo-hoo! More bling for the living room.

I used to be seriously into the ‘trophy thing,’ always displaying each one in our living room for all to see. It was cool for me to have a tangible object to show how well I was doing in my chosen martial arts. But, at the risk of sounding jaded or ungrateful, I think I’ve over done it. They have spilled over from the top of the television cabinet onto the floor and some are gathering dust in the garage.

More than eight years of trophies and medals have accumulated to the point of being obnoxious. I need to move them. Pack them up and store them away. Don’t get me wrong, I am very proud of what I have accomplished, it’s just that it’s become a more personal achievement. I don’t seem to need these tangibles as much. I still like them, but once I bring them home, I can put them away and not need to keep coming back to look at them.

I also need to take the time to properly thank Kathleen at So Grateful to be Mormon for this pretty little thing.  She has been a loyal reader and a fun friend. I can always count on her for a sweet note or smile. Thanks Beany, you are totally fabulous too!

 

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