Orange x 2

Tonight was Curt's night. I could see he was a bit nervous. Focused. Not impatient, but not exactly in the mood for chasing Benjy around the back yard. Tonight was HIS night - tryouts for his next belt in Tae Kwondo. The big Orange Belt. He must have waited an hour before actually getting HIS turn. So many younger Karate Kids before him and his group. The kids go before the grownups. They were great - young, fast, sure of themselves. Probably not at all as nervous as the grownups who are less secure in the newness of this routine. And then he was on. All those weeks of work came down to this moment. All that practice rehearsing his forms, his one-steps, his pacing, breathing, strikes and blocks. I could picture him here in the family room, the fan humming from the ceiling and the blue carpet cushioning his jump kicks. That look of intensity that never leaves him when he's concentrating. No matter what he's focused on, he's got that same look that tells of a man who plans to not only accomplish something, but also to do his very best.

Well, he got his orange belt. He and everybody else in his class of 4 adults going for that first level. Curt, Tammy, Andy, and Karen did it. They all deserve a high five. But we're most proud of Curt. Father. Husband. Number 1.