Captured by Marie

06/24/2026

An all day tournament is TOUGH! At the start the excitement & energy of a new challenge is underway & there's usually alot of smiles happening. By 2pm, the crowd has dwindled and the smiles are hard to find! Especially if you've sparred not once, but multiple times & still have to pull up from the bottom of the tank the very last reserves that you're questioning if its enough to pull you through in the last round battles of the day! This is where the real tough training comes in. Not the "oh I'm in martial arts, look at me" kind of way. It's the I came here with a purpose & I'm not leaving until they close the doors mentality. Not everyone can do this. I can't. You give me a camera & I'm there all day! But this, this is what warriors are made of and there's not a lot of them around & to me, that's what makes this photo so real. Because right after this, they sparred again. There was a loss, there was a win, but the fact that they both got up & pushed themselves beyond their limits, that's where the win was. Marie Photos from the tournament are up on my website!

06/22/2026

Appreciate our sons & daughter in laws who took time to be with us this weekend! Time is the greatest gift we can share & we dont take for granted the time yall shared with us this weekend💖

06/18/2026

Family time is never wasted time!

06/15/2026

Had a nudge to do a quick look at my photos before I hit the road & now I know why 😁

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

Nothing is better in life than finding your passion! Except for meeting new people who share your passion! I'm continually grateful for the new people I'm meeting, whether in person or over the internet! Y'all make going to a tournament worth the getting up before sunrise, in the rain, to travel to a different state & stand on my feet all day 😁❤ I had someone come over that I just met recently & give me a big hug out of the blue & I'm telling you, you could've turned the lights off & I would have lit the room by myself, it so made my day!!!!!! Thank you!!!!! Everyone I saw yesterday in Neosho is looking great! And just a head's up, I will be delayed on getting photos up. One of our schools favorite sayings is Family takes care of Family & I'm going to go spend some time with family & to me, that's time I can't get back, especially when there's lots of little people involved! So please forgive the delay ❤ I promise I have lots of great photos for y'all to see & I know you're as excited to see them as I am! Thanks for being on this journey with me! Y'all are great & we are doing this! Y'all stay safe in this weather & I promise I'll drive safely 😁 Marie

06/12/2026

One thing I know about all 3 of these competitors is that they made a decision. A decision not everyone is willing to make when they are older. It's one thing to take martial arts when you are young & free! It's an entirely different ballgame when you're older & not so free! These 3 individuals did fantastic & from what I watched, they all deserved 1st. I congratulate all the competitors who stepped into the ring last Saturday, hearts pounding as if they were young again. Figuring out how to push back against the new challenges they face at this stage in life, while learning something new. Praying hard that the pattern they've practiced for weeks doesn't leave them when it's their turn! Hoping that the knee that was tweaked during practice stays in place long enough to get them through the event! It's not easy, but it's worth it! I chose not to compete this year because I've been extremely busy & my focus was not there. And if you're focus isn't there, then to me, it's not worth giving a subpar performance. My goal now is to get ready for the once in a lifetime test that I never dreamed I would do. And I know that if I can do it, we all can do it! Keep learning, keep striving, keep pushing & above all else, keep practicing! We got this! Marie Photos will be up soon on my website.

06/10/2026

😂😂😂😂

06/09/2026

One of the many awesome families that participated in Saturdays tournament! It was a great tournament in spite of the all day rain!

06/07/2026

This year, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Janice Edmiston. Like the Wells, she too has a heart & passion to teach others the way of the martial arts. She has a wealth of knowledge & is willing to help in any capacity that is needed. Congratulations! Marie