It was a “smile and carry on” kind of week

“Why are you always so happy?”

I get that a lot. I’m not always happy. I just try and use thinking techniques to see the good in situations (Pollyanna’s Glad Game anyone?).

Last week, for example, was terrible for me. However, I have family, friends, and my home, so it’s nothing compared to what people in Texas or Florida or the Islands south of there are going through, so let me just get that out of the way and say best wishes and safety to them.

When I got back from the Ultimate Fighter, I found the Syndicate training schedule had been changed. My recovery periods, sparring days, massage days, and physical training days got all discombobulated. I’ve been trying to find a new balance and for the past two weeks, I haven’t been successful at all. It has been sucking…..

Captain stopped teaching jiujitsu classes at Syndicate. That was the biggie of the week. I am pretty upset to put it lightly.



Hopefully he’ll be able to focus more on his MMA training because I’m sure it was a hard schedule for him to teach morning and evening in addition to training. I really like Casey’s jiujitsu classes, so that’s good. Tom Lawlor teaches a great no-gi class. See how hard I’m trying to be positive? I also consider Captain a fight trainer since he corners me and makes an effort to teach me jiujitsu for MMA.

I lost motivation to train last week, which never happens, and actually went home early on Thursday because I just couldn’t. I did a lot of strength and conditioning, though. That’s good.

On the positive side, I’ve taken a few private lessons with Captain and they were RIDICULOUSLY USEFUL. I started implementing all these little details and I’ve gotten a TON of stuff on various people over the past week! That’s really really important and good!

Every day I have to get stronger and better somehow! It’s a race! Every day is a race.



On another positive side, I’m home at Syndicate instead of being locked in the TUF house. I have my car, my friends, my head coach, etc. One of my sick family members is doing better lately, so I’m relieved about that.

I’ve been talking to my Aunt Mary more, which is really nice. I’m trying to keep in touch with my extended family more now that I’m an adult and not in Japan anymore, but it’s still hard, you know?

I’ve been talking to my dad more, which is nice. Same deal- he’s so busy he doesn’t call me that much, and I don’t want to bother him. But I miss him! Lately I’ve been trying to call more.

I made phone dates with my mom to talk every Sunday at 3 PM, because with our schedules, we just weren’t talking AT ALL, which is unacceptable. Now it’s weekly!