The Karate Kid

Bryce's Frankincense gift (the gift that is designed to draw them closer to Christ) this year was Karate lessons. The connection may not be immediately apparent, but Bryce needs improvement in the areas of self control (he has my temper --ugh) and self discipline. Karate really emphasizes those characteristics and qualities, and both of them are examples of fruit of the spirit (patience & self control). The owner of the studio is a christian and so is Bryce's instructor, and while they may not necessarily be teaching anything about faith, their example as people to respect and emulate will hopefully be beneficial. Plus, before he tests for each new belt we are going to have him memorize a verse at home. So, with all that taken into consideration we decided to go for the lessons as a Christmas gift. So, on Christmas morning he opened a new karate outfit (it has a proper name, but I don't recall it) and we told him his lessons would begin on January the second.

Let me just tell you, He LOVES it. It is incredibly right up his alley. He has a grin from ear to ear the whole time he is there. The first couple of nights, his lesson was one-on-one, and he got some great individual attention. Last night, there were 5 others in the intro class, and 3 of the other kids were his age and size; and Bryce loved that too. There are other classes going on as his is, and Bryce just looks around with his jaw dropped at what the other folks are doing. He sees all their head and foot gear, and he sees them sparring or fighting, and you can just tell he's thinking, "When do I get to do that?"

So here is my new little Karate Man. If you're wondering, he has to earn his first belt so right now he doesn't have one. It will be awarded when he learns basic form, at the end of the intro course.

And, now for some FUN FACTS. I realize that I've either forgotten them or they haven't seemed appropriate, and so several posts have been without a Fun Fact. I wouldn't want ya'll to be without an occasional Fun Fact, so here are a couple for your reading enjoyment.

FUN FACT #5: There is a new store in Chattanooga, that ya'll may not know about. It is located in the old Home Depot shopping center off of Lee Hwy in what is now the Sportsman's Warehouse shopping center. The store is called Steve & Barry's. It is a trendy clothing store, similiar to an Old Navy. The clothing brands or designers they carry are Hollywood/New York names like Sarah Jessica Parker and Amanda Bynes. Anyway, the cool part about the store is that there is nothing over $20. They have womens, mens, and childrens clothes and it is fairly large store. I went in it before Christmas, and was just real impressed by how cute the clothes were. In fact, today (1/8) on Oprah they are talking about Sarah Jessica Parker's line and Steve & Barry's.....you can check it out at Oprah.com. So, I just thought if ya'll hadn't been there or heard of it, you might want to check it out.

FUN FACT #6: Ya'll already know that I'm a blog junkie. I enjoy reading other peoples (especially adoption blogs). My friend, Tammy told me about Beth Moore's (of Living Proof Ministries) blog. Most of you know that Beth Moore writes incredible bible studies. Anyway, her blog is so refreshing. She talks about everything, from spiritual to just ordinary nothingness (if thats a word) like recipes and new shoes and going to the doctor. Some of her posts are very thought provoking and encouraging and some are just down right hilarious. I now have a link to her site over on the left. Check it out from time to time, you may just be blessed.