Month: March 2026

March 29, 2026

Judo tourney time! We woke up a little late, but had no problem getting to the stadium on time since its less than a five minute bike ride away.

The weather was sensational and the cherry blossom trees were in full swing today. Mason got off to a great start and won his first match in 10 seconds. Ippon! It was a decisive victory.

In his second match, he went to war, but came up on the losing side. I am so proud of him. All of Mason’s friends lost their first match, but we had to stick around for another 3.5 hours so Mason could get his Bronze medal. I was able to sneak out to the park for some calisthenics during our wait.

Mason went to McDonalds and to play with his friends after he got his medal, giving me just enough time to write this blog.

February 22, 2026

Well I was not the best blogger this winter. But, I have caught my breath and am attempting my first-multiple-event-update-post.

In January, the LLL’s Father’s Club took a trip to Seoul Children’s Grand Park. We all met at our neighborhood subway station to ride together, altogether about a 30 minute ride. I believe a hat decided it didn’t want to get off at the stop with us, so it kept traveling. Mason had sore thumb after a weight lifting incident at his Mother’s crossfit box, so we put on and took off gloves gingerly throughout the day. They had a little kids hill and a big boy’s hill and let me tell this big boy made record time to the bottom. The kids played for hours and the dad’s killed a few beers too. Tae Young was nice enough to take us home in his van. A really good day with a really good kid.

Inspired by the Dad’s sledding trip, the next weekend, I found another “sled resort” about a ten minute drive from Mason’s grandparents house. So, I alone, in tow with three rug rats, set out to make another winter memory. I believe we each paid 17,000 for entrance and the place had the same slope set up the previous week, one big (and icy) and one small. Son Woo was too scared for the big hill so she stayed on my shoulders as we watched Mason and Yunwoo book down the very slippery slope. Probably the best part for all of us was roasting marshmallows, a fan favorite with my crew.

Now onto February, where the LLL’s Father’s took another trip to the Korean Folk Village together. This time we chartered a bus and I sat next to SunWoo’s Dad and chatted real estate together on the way there. The guide was great and so was the pottery class. Apparently the makoli we had late in the day was exceptional, but its all the same to me, if I’m being honest. The biggest hit for Mason was the tiny connected amusement park, that had a Viking Ship which Mason has grown to love after I convinced him to ride one at Lotte World with me and his Mom earlier this winter. I slept on the bus trip back. Well deserved I would argue.