Blue, baby, BLUE!

So I went to class last night.  Got through a brutal warm-up (Carlos just got back from training in San Fransisco and is all hyped up, which is awesome unless you're not in the mood for a brutal warm-up - fortunately, I was!) although I did have to skip out on the jumping jacks.  I'd almost forgotten that 3 pregnancies does not make for a jumping jack kind of a woman.  I thought Christy was agreeing with me, because she kept slipping away, slipping back into the warm-up, slipping away... 

We all circled up to see a great arm bar from standing/ being held in spider/de la Riva guard.  Does that even make sense?  You're standing, your partner has a foot on one elbow, grips on both sleeves and a de la Riva hook on the other arm. You walk your fingers around the de la Riva-ing knee, grab that knee with the spidered hand, grab the de la Riva-ing sleeve with your de la Riva-ed hand.  Stay low, knee on their hamstring during this.  Now step back with your leg from the de la Riva side, pulling on their leg and arm so that their torso ends up against your spider-side leg.  Step over their face with your other leg, keep your grips, sit down and break an arm - well, don't really. 

Anyway, we were circled up watching and I had already seen this on Monday, so when I saw someone walking towards the door, I looked.  It was dark out and hard to see.  "Who's that?" I wondered.  Especially when I saw a small gi walking in with them.  I figured it was one of our guys that brings his son a lot.  Then they walked in and it was my husband.  With all three of my children.

 "Oh no, what's wrong? Wait, why are they wearing their gi, too?  What is he thinking?  Doesn't he know it's a school night?  They can't come in like that!  Oh wait, which leg do you step back with?"
Then I saw one of my training partners walk in, with her jiu-jitsu training daughter:
"oh.  Oh.  OH! OMG!!" as the penny dropped.
Christy came out and interrupted class and I don't know what she said because I was busy trying not to cry (she did cry) but at the end of it all I had a blue belt tied around my waist.  Like every account of getting a blue belt I've ever read, I don't feel ready for it, but I adore it. 

I was so touched that all these people wanted to be there when I got my belt - and really impressed with my husband's ability to keep a secret!  Christy's appearing and disappearing was due to a lot of high level negotiating.  Carlos was going to be late and he really wanted to be there (which just warms my heart!), so Joe was going to bring the kids in at 7:30, but then Carlos wasn't late, and Meredith was already in the parking lot and so on.  Fortunately, not all of my well-wishers were actually gi-ed up because we have this tradition of running the gauntlet when you get promoted - meaning you roll with everyone at the gym, even when they weigh twice what you weigh and/or are several belts above you.  That meant twelve people for me, two minutes each.  Doesn't sound like much, when I put it that way, but it sure seemed like a lot!  Whew. 
Okay, back to training!