Fun With Karate

We had a great karate class this week, and it all stemmed from a minor inconvenience that we had to adapt to, which BTW had nothing to do with dumplings. R had to go to a graduation dinner which meant that she couldn't home to watch the kids. This meant I either had to get a baby-sitter or take the kids along. They had never seen dad doing karate, but a couple of their friends take the class.

I asked them and they said they'd like to come along, so I brought them, hoping for good weather (it was supposed to rain) so that we could have class outside. This would allow them to play and watch. We had errands to run early in the day, so we headed out and got them done.

While we were at the store, we saw Master H, and the kids finally got to meet him. I told the kids that he's intimidating and not the kind of guy you want to mess with when you first meet him, even though for the record, he's got a heart of gold and loves children. He came over and talked to us and met the kids, and afterward, N said, "Dad, you weren't kidding when you said Master H looks like a guy you wouldn't mess with." I almost fell over laughing. It is ironic, too, because as I mentioned, Master H is a fantastic guy, it's just that he's a master who's been through two tours of Vietnam and was a guard in a maximum security prison, so he knows how to protect himself and is dedicated to the art of Karate.

After supper, we loaded up the bikes and headed to class. It was cloudy and cool, but nice enough for us to have class outside. I think sensei C also decided to do it outside because of the kids, which was for my benefit. Thanks. Two of A&N's good friends were there, and they played on the playground and got crazy before class. Then we began, and the kids got to see us in action. I think they were interested, because they watched the entire time. Plus, they got to see that kids their age take part and have fun.

We had a good class, and are preparing for the next stage in our testing. Best of all, both A&N expressed interest in taking part, which I think would be fabulous. We'll see where it goes, but I would love it if they learned how to break boards with their fists, not to mention heads... just kidding. Sort of.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Linden Laserna for the pic.