Goodbye 2012...Hello 2013

Jiu jitsu has been very good to me this year.  Very good indeed.  Awesome new gym, shiny new blue belt, game changing techniques, training with Leticia and Hannette, lots and lots of beautiful jiu jitsu...and so much more.  Can't wait to see where the journey will take me in 2013.  Wishing you all peace, love and great jiu jitsu.  :)

Creating Mrs. Ibarra

My favorite jiu jitsu author and fellow blogger Mark Johnson wrote something the other day that really got me to thinking, reflecting, contemplating.  It was a blog post he called “Creating Mark Johnson”.  Check it out here.  So if I could rebuild myself, make myself a better version of what I am already, what would that look like?  So I made my two lists.  So Mark, here goes…

What I am…

Moderately fit 45 year old woman

Happily married

Mother to Emily and Ben

Daughter and Sister and Friend

BJJ Blue belt

Student of Muay Thai who is afraid to spar

Blogger and aspiring writer

Dreamer

Someone who believes in the good in others

Sometimes controlled by my irrational fears

What I want to be…

Extremely fit 45+ chick

Still happily married

Awesome Mom to Emily and Ben

Open, honest and trusted Daughter and Sister and Friend

The best BJJ Blue belt I can possibly be

Fearless student of Muay Thai

Successful blogger and freelance writer

Dreamer

Someone who will never stop believing in the good in others

Someone who is not controlled by fear

p.s. if you haven’t already done so, check out Mark’s two books on Amazon -- Jiu Jitsu on the Brain and his new book Borrowing the Master’s Bicycle (which I am reading right now).  Good stuff people! 

Hannette Staack Women's Seminar

This past Sunday I attended the Hannette Staack women’s seminar in Houston.  I don’t think I’ve ever come back from an event as excited as I was after this seminar.  I was literally on the best jiu jitsu high ever.  Her teaching style was absolutely incredible.  She was friendly and encouraging and learned every person’s name and made a point to work with every single person there.  It wasn’t a huge group, just right.  I didn’t count heads, but I think there were about 20 women there.  The techniques she taught were two different open guard sweeps and two different ways to pass open guard.  We did lots of drilling…lots and lots of drilling.  She wanted to make sure we understood the techniques so that when we left we would remember them.  Guess what?  I still remember them, and I can’t wait to drill them and incorporate them into my game.  Thank you Hannette for a wonderful Sunday afternoon of jiu jitsu!

Me and Hannette after the seminar!  :)

Our Team SMAA Ladies!