This mini-series is about my experience during my Women in Charge Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu self-defense class. This course is five days and each day you learn new techniques to protect yourself in the world we live in. I hope enjoy my rants and raves about the course and maybe some of you will join Gracie Barra for the next Women in Charge class. Initial impressions: I’m nervous but excited! I don’t know what to expect. I hope I don’t get my ass kicked.
Today is the first day of my Women in Charge self-defense class. We had to show up half an hour early to sign a waiver before the class. After signing, I received a pink shirt and info on the course. About ¾ of the class is already training in Jiu-Jitsu. It was a bit intimidating, I’m not going to lie. We started class with introductions by rank, Professor Tussa (highest rank), Professor Rafael (second highest), Professor Russel (third highest), Professor Amber (fourth highest), and coaches Rene and Sara. We then proceeded to warm-ups. We did 20 jumping jacks, 10 squats, 10 extended leg curl-ups, 10 crossbody sit-ups on each side. After the warm-up, we started learning techniques. Professors Amber and Rafael demonstrated how to do the technical stand up. We then partnered up and practiced. I (conveniently) partnered up with a woman named Andrea. We practiced the technical stand up 3 times each then moved onto what to do when someone is pushing/pulling you. Professor Rafael tested my base and rebase while pulling and pushing me. He said I was strong and he was impressed. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
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Hello everyone! Happy Thankful Thursday! I wanted to share a few highlights from this past week that I am thankful for. First and foremost I want to share that last week I did pretty well with posting onto the blog. It’s been a while since I’ve posted more than one blog post per week. I am glad to announce that I posted three blog posts last week. That’s huge, especially for me. So, I am very proud of that accomplishment! If you haven’t checked those posts out you’re totally missing out. Just saying. ;) Second, I have been struggling at work and even though I was promoted to CDM, I still have been struggling with my overall happiness. Well, I am proud to say I have made the decision to start looking for a new place for employment. I like what I do, but I feel mistreated and don't feel valued as an employee. I need something better. I have applied to a few places and hope to hear back soon. I am proud that I decided to take this step and start looking for something better for me. Lastly, on Saturday, I had a girls night with my friend, Lisa. She and I played Pool, drank beer, and had a fun time. I’ve only known Lisa for six months but I am confident to say that she is a true friend. I even consider her a best friend. No one will replace Adele and Estevan, but I can definitely add Lisa to the list of people I truly care about.
What are you thankful for? Let me know in the comments! This is a trigger warning for the following blog post. Read at your own risk. Protect yourself, friends. Friday was an interesting day. First off, it was Friday the 13th (where are all my spooky people at?). Second, I had a fundraiser for work I had to attend. Third, I got horrible news on my way to said fundraiser. Well, to make a long story short, later that evening I had a horrible anxiety attack. My anxiety was so high it prevented me from sleeping. I desperately tried to shut off my brain and get some sleep but no matter what I tried I couldn't sleep. My brain took me to horrible places and I tried to fight the negative thoughts flooding my brain but I failed to redirect my automatic thoughts. Well, I noticed my knife had fallen from my side table to the carpet next to the bed. I stared at it for a few minutes then something horrible popped up in my head. I seriously considered getting my knife, going to the bathtub, and slitting my wrists. Immediately, I caught myself and told myself to "stop!" Tears filled my eyes and began to run down my cheeks. I told myself again out loud to stop. The thoughts lingered so I decided to get up and call my best friend. Estevan knows how to calm me down and snap me out of situations like this. I called him and no answer. I knew I couldn't just go back to my bed and lie down because I feared I may do something stupid so I looked through my phone and called another friend of mine, Luci. I woke her up, but thankfully she answered. Luci asked what triggered the attack and calmed me down. She gave me great advice that night. She told me: "Dre, don't do permanent damage for something that is temporary." Upon hearing that my thoughts started to slow down. She also reminded me that even though I felt alone that I am not alone. I have people who love and care about me that will support me in my time of need. A lot of the time people just don't understand what it's like to have anxiety. Luci helped me that night and calmed me down enough to try to get some sleep. I am sharing this because I know I am not the only one who has struggled with such bad anxiety that they believed ending their life was the only way out. I'm here to remind you to not do permanent damage for something that is temporary. Anxiety attacks suck, and they may seem like they last forever, but remember, that is something temporary. Once it goes away you will feel better. It may not be ideal, but it will be better than you felt during your attack. Don't give up.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts please call this number. 1-800-273-8255 We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Happy Thankful Thursday everyone! I want to start off by saying that I am thankful for all of you. You all make writing the blog much more fun. Thank you for all the wonderful comments and feedback. I feel I am growing so much more because of you all so thank you! First, I want to share that on Saturday I went to the casino with my Mom and both she and me got lucky! We both hit on the Dragon Link slot machine. I came out with a little over $100 and she left it all there but she had a fun time! I love being able to spend time with my Mom, even if it means spending money we probably shouldn't and spending an evening at the casino. After we left the casino she, Anthony, and I went to Fuddruckers and ate yummy burgers. Overall, it was a wonderful time. Second, I went to watch It Chapter 2 with Anthony, Kris and Zakk and I didn't get scared! Well, I did get scared, but I actually liked the movie. Those of you who know me know horror movies are not my thing, but I am willing to go watch them because Anthony and I try to compromise in our relationship. After the movie, we went to Red Robin and they had my favorite season beer, Samuel Adams Octoberfest! So, that was just a bonus thing to be thankful for! Lastly, my younger cousin, Arianna needed emergency surgery to remove her appendix. Well, I found out her surgery went well and that she's doing fine. I got to work yesterday morning and found out she had to have surgery and I was anxious all day. It was a relief to hear that she is okay. I'm extremely thankful that she is okay.
What are you thankful for? Let me know in the comments! Last week, I had an extremely busy week and failed to write and post a Thankful Thursday post. Well, I’m not letting this happen again. First, I want to share that I had a four day weekend. Over a month ago I requested August 23 off of work as my personal day. I chose this date because I felt it was lame to request my birthday off, so I chose the Friday after. Well, unfortunately, AWMD training was scheduled for August 22 and 23 so I couldn’t request either of those days off. My supervisor said she would reschedule my personal day to a later date. Well, I got lucky because she rescheduled my day off for August 30, which means that I would have 4 days off instead of 3 because of Labor Day. I am thankful for that because I have felt burnt out at work and I needed a mini vacation, so thank you, Traci for letting me have a 4 day weekend! Second, I got help from a friend, Melanie, with character development for a story I am writing about a dream I had. I’m new when it comes to creative writing, so I struggle with characters and making them sound like individuals rather than cliches. Well, Melanie is an amazing writer and has a lot of experience in creative writing (she has an MFA in creative writing) and she offered to help me with my struggles. She asked me a lot of rhetorical questions and gave me a lot of wonderful advice to bring my characters to life. Had she not helped me, more than likely, I would have been stuck with cliche sounding characters and have no idea what to do from there. So, thank you Melanie I appreciate all of your help. The last thing I want to share is I used my Labor Day to engage in some self-care. I started my day with a great work out at the gym. I then went to my mom’s and gave the dogs a bath. My dogs desperately needed it. After giving the dogs a bath, I came home and cleaned mine and Anthony’s bathroom. Lastly, I spent the day with my Mom strolling Hobby Lobby. My Mom and I could spend hours in Hobby Lobby just looking around and daydreaming. It was definitely what I needed. I feel refreshed and ready continue working.
This week was a wonderful week! I had a few that I wanted to share. First I wanted to share that Anthony and I went to a concert last Thursday. We saw Locash, Chris Janson and Chris Young. We didn’t get to stay for the entire show because it was on a Thursday, however, we had a great time anyway. Chris Young played all my favorite songs before we left so that made things so much better. Second, Friday, Saturday and Monday, I celebrated my birthday with friends and family. Friday my friends Stephanie and Russell invited me over for a kickback where we enjoyed yummy burgers, brats, and drinks. Saturday, Anthony and my Mom surprised me with dinner with close friends and family at BJ’s Brewhouse. It was such a nice gesture. I am not the kind of person who cares for my birthday so it was nice to be thought of. Monday was my actual birthday and my first day as a Community Discovery Mentor at LifeROOTS. When I arrived at the office, my supervisor and coworkers brought homemade cupcakes and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me. It was a huge surprise because my coworkers and I don’t have the best relationship. It was a nice start to my day. Lastly, I finally got Tint for my windows. I got a decent price from my friend and fellow Xingona, Diana. I couldn’t be more thankful for Diana and the people at Tint N Wraps. They were very courteous and accommodating. If you need Tint I highly recommend seeing them!
What are you thankful for? Let me know in the comments! Happy Thankful Thursday everyone! This week I want to share a few things that I'm thankful for. First and foremost I got a promotion! My coworker and friend, Jazmin put in her resignation and the person she works with needs one on one attention. My boss, Traci had hired someone and they didn't work out for whatever reason so I got a called and got offered the job. I gladly accepted because I love working with this individual. He's a fun time. I also got a raise so that's a bonus. I'm looking forward to this new opportunity. Second, Anthony and I got to celebrate our anniversary in Santa Fe! Ok, we went to Buffalo Thunder to gamble. Neither of us have ever been there so we decided to take a trip and casino hop between Buffalo Thunder and Tesuque. Unfortunately, I didn't win but I had a good time with Anthony and my mom. I would like to go out there again but maybe stay in the resort for the weekend. A little staycation would be nice! Also, he got me flowers! This is a once a year thing for him so I appreciate the gift. Lastly, I've been eating healthier and exercising and I have seen some results. Last week, I decided to try on my skinny jeans that had no longer fit me and they actually fit! I hope to continue the healthy lifestyle and see more amazing results. This is just the beginning of my journey. I can't wait to see how it pans out.
What are you thankful for? Let me know in the comments! I’m sure most of you know the tragic events that took place on Saturday. It’s horrible to see what our world is coming to. Innocent people were injured and killed for absolutely no reason just because a racist 21-year-old white male decided to let hate take over. This man disgusts me. For this Thankful Thursday, I want to remind everyone that even after this tragedy that we can still find things to be thankful for. The first thing I am thankful for is being blessed with another day on Earth. Life is short and you never know how long you have, so we need to live each day like it is going to be our last. So, I thank God I was blessed to live another day. The second thing I am thankful for is being able to see Slipknot for the first time. In the past, I never had the opportunity to go to one of their concerts. Well, this year it was my birthday present to myself. I took Anthony and I had a blast! We got rained on, but a little bit of precipitation didn’t stop the show! Lastly, (it’s a small one but it makes me smile.) One of my clients asked about me when he didn’t see me. I know it sounds lame, but I’ve worked incredibly hard to build a good rapport with him and now, I find out that he misses me when I am not around. He has come a long way since I started working with him. This just made my heart melt. I feel so proud. This is one of the things that makes my job so rewarding!
Happy Thankful Thursday! This past week was difficult but I still managed to find things I was thankful for. First, on Saturday we went shooting with a few friends and my aim with my .224 Valkyrie has improved at 100 yards. Anthony and I have a deer hunt coming up in October and I've been working on aim. When I started, I sucked at shooting a target, and now, I can hit the target for a killing shot. I still have time to practice but I'm proud of how far I've come. Maybe by October I can come home with a deer! Second, I got some much needed girl time with my friend Stephanie and my friend Lisa! I spent Sunday at Humble Coffee with Stephanie and yesterday, I got to spend time with Lisa at the Craftroom. It was nice catching up with the both of them. I tend to isolate myself a lot so when I spend time with people I actually care about it feels great. I am trying to keep myself surrounded by good people. It is a great form of self-care for me. Lastly, I started working with a new client who is amazing! He is a kind, hard working, individual who I am glad I get to work with. It was quite refreshing to get to work with someone who actually likes working. I'm used to having to convince someone that their job isn't that bad and if they want to keep receiving money they need to keep working. I'm really thankful he is on my case load.
What are you thankful for? Let me know in the comments! Happy Thankful Thursday! I hope your week has been amazing and hope you have a lot to be thankful for this week. As for me, I want to share three things that happened this week that stood out. First, I got to spend some much-needed time with someone other than Anthony! My cousin Brittany didn’t have her kids this past week and we (and her boyfriend) went to Billy’s Long Bar shared a few drinks and had an overall great time. The best part was the next day I didn’t even feel hungover! I am so proud of that! Second, on Saturday, my Mom, Anthony and I went to the casino because my mom wanted to go. I honestly never expect to win more than $40 but lady luck was on my side and I won the major jackpot on a machine called “Sugar Hit.” What was funny is not even 30 seconds prior to me hitting that jackpot, Anthony had mentioned he had a dream that we would win on a machine that resembled “Candy Crush.” I didn’t hit thousands, but I did hit $300 and to me, that’s amazing! Lastly, Wednesday, I did my Assistance With Medication Delivery recertification and I was a bit nervous about taking the test. Well, once again, lady luck was on my side and I scored 100% on the test my first try. I can continue to assist with medication at work, thank goodness!
I hope you all have an amazing week! See you next week for Thankful Thursday. |
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