It's midnight and I've just spent several hours at a graduation ceremony/dinner celebration with my new fellow blackbelts, so this'll be short and sweet:

Graduated to 1st-Dan just over exactly seven years after I started training in Tang Soo Do (minus the time-gaps spent at uni). Even though rank's never been important to me, acknowledgment of such a feat is still a triumph for the very reason that it's honestly probably the longest amount of time I've spent in any one activity. Martial arts has truly shaped my life in an incredible way and I can't wait to continue on this new path. The camaraderie that accompanied the graduation was fantastic.

"Welcome to the Inner Circle," to quote a senior classmate/instructor. ^_^ I feel special.