Author: Michael Pellegrini

Today I completed my 80th hour of jiu–jitsu instruction, meaning that I earned my 4th stripe on my white belt. In jiu–jitsu, once you reach 4 stripes on any belt, your next step is the next belt. The only exception to this rule is with a black belt, but that’s still many years away for me. As a white belt, we receive a stripe after every 20 hours of instruction, however once you get your blue belt (and beyond) stripes usually take a year or so. My instructor Matt was very proud of me today and gave me a big hug. I’ve only been doing jiu–jitsu about 5 months now, which is really quick to get 4 stripes, and it looks like I’ll be ready to test for my blue belt in the next 6 weeks. In general it takes about a year to get to blue belt but I’m on track to get there in half that time, so that’s exciting. I’m so happy I found jiu–jitsu at this stage in my life. It’s turned into my favorite thing to do and is my only hobby other than watching sports and spending time with my loved ones.

My Mom set sail for the Caribbean today from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She’s been having a tough time with work lately so I really hope this is a successful trip and that she doesn’t get overworked. My Uncle Bob is having surgery on his back today as well so I’m thinking about him and hoping for the best. I spoke to him this morning and he sounded great. Our little Ava is getting her first two teeth right now and she’s dealing with it really well. She’s been waking up at night more than usual but she’s really been such a little champ. She’s so mobile now it’s crazy! We have to barricade her in the living room just to keep track of her. She’s growing up fast and Jessica and I couldn’t be more proud of her.

I’ve been keeping very busy with work and school lately so I’m ready for a relaxing Sunday tomorrow filled with football and couch time. I’m also working on designs for a new website I’m doing for a friend of my Uncle Jim’s, and those are coming along nicely. Hopefully I’ll be able to show him something this week. That’s all for now. I know I haven’t posted any pics for a bit but I plan to very soon.

We spent this past weekend in Las Vegas so that we could attend our friends Shawn and Kim’s wedding. Shawn and I have been great friends for the last 10–12 years but we don’t get to see each other very often due to the fact that they live in Chicago and we’re out here on the west coast. Shawn and I worked together at El Gaucho in Seattle for years and were always really close so it was great to be there for him on their special day. This was the first time I’ve been asked to be a groomsman and it turned out to be a lot of fun.

As usual, we stayed at my Mom’s house and had a great time visiting with her. Since we were busy down on the strip with wedding related activities, Ava got to spend a lot of quality time with her Nana. My Mom was busy getting ready for a 17 day work trip to the Carribean but not too busy to enjoy the time with her grandbaby. My Aunt Lisa is going to be house sitting for my Mom while she’s gone so she arrived on Sunday with her two dogs. This means that for one day we had 8 dogs, 4 adults, and a baby in one house. Surprisingly enough the house wasn’t very chaotic, only because Lisa is so good at controlling all the dogs that none of them dare to disobey her.

We’ll be going back to visit my Mom at the end of October for Devin and Eve’s wedding, which as it turns out is my Mom’s birthday weekend, so that should be fun. Any excuse to get her and Ava together is good for both of us. Our visits to Las Vegas always go by so quickly but I wouldn’t have missed Shawn and Kim’s wedding for anything. We made record time driving home yesterday (4:45) and even got to see my Raiders get embarassed on Monday Night Football. All together it was a great weekend spent with family and friends, and that’s what it’s all about.

After a busy week at work I was really looking forward to the 3 day holiday weekend. Friday night Jessica went to the going away party for her chef at Azul, so Ava and I stayed in and I got ready for my trip to the Gracie Academy in Torrance the following morning. My "Bubba Gracie" grappling dummy was ready for pickup so Donnie and I went up there for a class. Unfortunately I haven’t been feeling that great lately and had a hard time in class because of it, but we got to meet Rorion Gracie (oldest son of Helio – the inventor of Gracie Jiu–Jitsu) and that made the whole trip worth it.

Since getting home from Torrance I’ve been on the computer the whole time getting homework done, as well as studying Javascript and Portuguese on my own. Jessica has had the past 4 days off, which was nice considering how much she’s been working lately. We went out shopping earlier this week and got me a suit to wear at Shawn and Kim’s wedding next week in Vegas. We also finally got a nice big sectional couch at Costco. We’ve been talking about buying a new couch for at least two years so it was about time.

Having the day off tomorrow will allow me to get well ahead on my school assignments for the week so I don’t have to worry about them while we’re in Vegas over the weekend. Ava is getting more and more active every day, which can make it tough to get studying done, but is so fun to watch. She’s really trying to stand up but always ends up in this funny ‘downward dog’ yoga pose. We took the dogs out for a walk today and Ava seems to love it more than anyone so we’ll probably do it again tomorrow. The plan is to leave for Vegas on Friday as soon as I leave work, but of course I have a deadline on a project that day and may end up getting stuck late at the office. Deadlines on Friday’s should be illegal if you ask me but it’s motivation to finish early. We’re really looking forward to the wedding and seeing everyone next weekend. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to post about by the time we get home.

Today our mobile little baby girl has officially be out of the womb as long as she was in! A couple weeks ago I was talking about how she’s not exactly crawling but has her own way of getting around. Well, now she’s full–on crawling and even starting to pull herself up to her feet. Most nights I set her down to play while I’m doing homework but I end up having to go scoop her up and bring her back near me about a dozen times. She’s very inquisitive and loves to grab and hold things. She is starting to develop more facial expressions and she "talks" constantly. We think she’s going to be quite the little talker when she gets a bit bigger.

I had to call in sick two days this week at work. I went in on Tuesday but started getting a fever and a sharp earache so I had to leave at noon. I ended up staying home Wednesday with Jessica and Ava to get rest. It felt like I had an ear infection but luckily I had an unopened pack of antibiotics from my Mom’s last trip to Mexico, so I started taking them immediately and I’m doing fine now. Being sick is no fun but Wednesday was Jessica’s day off so it was nice to have a day at home with her. With our opposite schedules we don’t get days off together very often, so we ended up watching movies and napping all day. It was perfect.

Today I had a really intense jiu–jitsu class and came home exhausted. As a Dodger fan I’m very excited about the big trade today that got us Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Jessica’s friend Nick Punto. World Series baby! I’m getting ready to begin a freelance web design project for a Mexican restaurant in Des Moines, WA thanks to my Uncle Jim. I haven’t done any freelance work in a few months so I’m looking forward to it. Jessica is about to go to work now so it’s time to get back to some homework. Here’s Ava’s 9 month pic plus a couple others.

Screaming for the camera

I was on the road at 6:45 this morning, first to pick up my buddie Donnie up in Oceanside, then continuing on to the original Gracie Academy in Torrance, CA. Torrance is south L.A. county, and it wouldn’t be a trip to L.A. without a traffic jam, but more on that later. It was smooth sailing on the way up there so we had plenty of time to pickup part of the order I had placed on Monday, get ready for class, and tour the jiu–jitsu museum. The memorabilia they have in their museum was impressive to say the least. Original sketches of the UFC octagon (created by Rorion Gracie), Renzo Gracie’s signed gloves from Pride 17 in Japan, and best of all, the Gi (Kimono) worn by Helio Gracie in the super famous match with Masahiko Kimura in 1951. My new Gracie t–shirt is a vintage styled ad for that match so seeing the actual Gi he wore was awesome. The grappling dummy I ordered won’t be ready for at least a month so we’ll be going back up there sometime in the fall to complete my order.

Class was a lot of fun, mostly because it was taught by Ralek Gracie and a few other guys we recognize from all the youtube videos. Getting to meet all these people in person was really cool, especially since everyone we met couldn’t have been nicer. Ralek stuck around to take a picture with us after class, and we even got to meet his brother Rener Gracie, one of the school’s head instructors, on the way out. I now have two 5’x10’x2″ grappling mats to practice on at home, so hopefully this means I can show Jessica a few techniques.

The plan when leaving was to drop Donnie off in Oceanside and be home in La Mesa by 2:15 at the latest. Going up there took less than two hours, so I assumed giving myself 2.5 hours to get home would be more than enough, but of course we were in L.A., so that means we were due for a traffic jam. This one turned out to be one of the worst I’ve ever endured. It took us 2 hours to go about 30 miles on the 405 where it merges with the 5 south, which meant Jessica had to take Ava to work with her and I had to meet them in La Jolla after dropping Donnie off. While texting back and forth with Jessica about the traffic she told me that her Grandma Sherry had a heart attack today. She and Larry were already at the hospital when it happened because of some symptoms she was feeling this morning, so she was cared for immediately, and is doing better now I’m told. Jessica didn’t have time to tell me the whole story because she had to get ready for work so this is all I know at this point. Our thoughts are certainly with her and wish her the very best.

To cap off this busy day I purchased a Mac Pro desktop computer. I found a used one on Amazon with good starting specifications, then purchased a few upgrades and ended up with a very impressive system for considerably less money than buying a new iMac (with poorer specs) would cost. With Jessica studying design and spending more time on the computer, our single laptop was no longer cutting it. We’ve been talking about getting another computer for a while so I’m glad we finally pulled the trigger and got a good deal while doing so.

Since today was so busy, I’m looking forward to not leaving the house all day tomorrow. Hopefully we can get a positive update on Sherry’s status. I’m done with school until next Sunday so I’m ready for a little down time. Next weekend all of our Vegas friends are coming out for a couple days so that should be super fun, then we’ll be heading to Vegas a couple weeks later for Shawn and Kim’s wedding. Joel and Melanie will be coming out to visit around the end of September, then we’re going back to Vegas in late October for Devin and Eve’s wedding. By the time that’s over Ava’s first birthday will be just around the corner! It’s all happening so fast.

Our happy little girl

Donnie and I after class with Ralek Gracie

I’m writing this post from our front patio on a gorgeous 90 degree Wednesday afternoon. Obviously I’m not normally home on Wednesday afternoons but today was a half–day at work because my company is doing their annual office trip to the Del Mar horse races. I’ve had several experiences at the Del Mar track, most recently the spreading of Woody’s ashes, so I decided to pass on that and spend time with my family (and do some jiu–jitsu) instead. As I write this Ava is happy as can be in her new swing. Jessica has been talking about getting her a swing since we moved in here because there’s a perfect place for one on the front patio. Yesterday she decided to go get one and Ava absolutely loves it!

I left work and went to my 11:00 jiu–jitsu class this morning, then Jessica dropped Ava off at my school at 11:50 so she could go to her noon Yoga class just down the street. I’m not sure what’s on the docket for the rest of the day but it’s got to include a dog walk considering what a nice day it is. I’m going back to jiu–jitsu tonight at 7:00, mostly so that I can receive my third stripe on my white belt at the end of Friday’s class. Then, on Saturday morning, my friend Donnie and I are driving up to Torrance, CA to do a class at the original Gracie Academy. While up there I’ll be picking up part of my order that I placed the other day. After selling my big fancy guitar amplifier that I no longer get any use out of I decided to buy two 5’x10′ Gracie Jiu–Jitsu mats, a t–shirt, patches for my current Gi, a new Pearl Weave Gracie Jiu–Jitsu Gi, and an official ‘Bubba Gracie’ grappling dummy to practice at home with. This might sound a little crazy, or maybe a lot crazy, but it’s my favorite thing to do and it’s a great workout so I justify it. I won’t be able to pick up Bubba this weekend because they have to be custom made per order but that gives me an excuse to go back up to Torrance for another class in the next 4 to 6 weeks when it’s ready.

Summer is finally in full effect here in San Diego. It certainly hasn’t been bad lately, just not typical summer weather. This being our third summer in San Diego, I now expect the whole May gray / June gloom thing to last through most of July as well, but once it’s gone you’re left with the most perfect weather you can possibly imagine all the way to November, which is definitely one of our favorite things about living here. I’ve recently taken on a new challenge, since I’m not busy enough as it is, to learn to speak Portuguese. My manager Dylan is from Rio so I ask him for new Portuguese words every day. I also started doing Rosetta Stone Portuguese this week and love it! The plan is to get fluent in Portuguese over the next 4 years and then go to the Summer 2016 Olympics in Brazil. We’ve been enjoying this year’s Olympics so much that we’ve crafted a plan to attend the next one. We’re both super excited about the plan and it shouldn’t be too hard to execute since we have 4 years to work things out. In the meantime things couldn’t be any better. Enjoy the latest pics!

Loving her new swing

Bruno doing what he does best

Without question the best part of this birthday is the fact that it’s my first one as a dad. Although today is my actual birthday, we celebrated over the weekend with Amy and Tom up in Los Angeles. Thursday night Jessica and I went out to dinner at De Medici, an Italian restaurant in San Diego’s Gaslamp District that I’ve been wanting to check out for a long time. We had an excellent meal and definitely plan on going back there sometime soon. Friday morning we hit the road and drove up to Beverly Hills. I took a Jiu–Jitsu class at the new Gracie Academy, then met up with the girls and toured around looking at all the beautiful houses. We had lunch on the Sunset Strip then drove over to Santa Monica. It wouldn’t be a trip to L.A. without traffic and we got more than our fair share on our way to Santa Monica. It ended up taking about an hour and fifteen minutes to go just over 10 miles, but it was fun once we got there. Jessica’s friend Erin lives near there so she came out to visit us. We met up with Tom in Santa Monica as well. After walking around the pier we headed over to the Promenade and had a nice dinner.

After dinner Amy and Tom stuck around L.A. while Jessica, Ava and I headed north to our hotel. We were all up early the next morning and arrived at Six Flags right when they opened. We spent about 8 hours riding roller coasters and were exhausted by the end of the day. I still can’t believe how crazy the X2 ride was! Yesterday Amy and Tom flew out early so Jessica, Ava and I took our time leaving the hotel. After breakfast we went to the Hollywood walk of fame and took plenty of pictures of our favorite celebrity stars. We then headed over to the South Bay part of L.A. and drove around Manhattan Beach. We had a nice lunch in Hermosa Beach and then headed home to relax and watch the Olympics.

Today I’m back at work, looking forward to my Jiu–Jitsu class at 11:00 so I can tell all my buddies about the new academy in Beverly Hills. Jessica and Ava are coming to La Jolla after class to meet me for lunch, so that should be fun. This morning I woke Ava up and she gave me the biggest smile. No daddy could ask for a better birthday present. I want to send a big thank you to Amy and Tom for everything they do. They treated us to a very memorable weekend and we appreciate it so much! Enjoy the latest pictures.

Ava’s first trip to the Santa Monica pier

It’s hard to tell, but this is Michael Jackson’s Hollywood star

Jessica and Ava in front of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Ava and I on the Hermosa Beach pier

Today our little Ava turned 8 months old! She spent the day with Mom and Grandma doing photos and hanging around the house. Yesterday Jessica’s cousin Lauren came over with her daughter Malena and the girls played together while Jessica, Amy and Lauren had a nice lunch. Ava must have been exhausted because she fell asleep at 6:45 and didn’t wake up until 7:00 the next morning. Today I had two jiu–jitsu classes in between working a ton to finish our latest project. Lately I’m the first or second one in the office and one of the last to leave, but the project we’re completing is really impressive and I’m glad to be a part of it. After work tomorrow Jessica and I are going out to dinner at De Medici, an Italian restaurant in the Gaslamp District that I’ve always wanted to check out, then the four of us are heading out early on Friday morning and heading to Beverly Hills.

There is a brand new Gracie Academy in Beverly Hills so I’m doing a class there at 11:30, then we’re just going to hang out and bounce around L.A. for the rest of the day. We’re meeting Tom at LAX that evening, going out to eat, then heading to our hotel in north L.A. county after. Saturday morning we’ll be up early and on the shuttle to Six Flags amusement park. Amazingly enough, Jessica and I have never been on a roller coaster together and we both love them. Six Flags has some of the best roller coasters in the world so we’re both super excited! Sunday morning Amy and Tom fly out of town early so Jessica, Ava and I will take our time heading home and probably spend more time in L.A.. We’ve been planning this weekend for over a year so it should be super fun. I’m sure we’ll have lots of pictures very soon but enjoy these for now.

Hanging out in the beach tent.

Playing in the sand for the first time.

Our little 8 month old!

Last night Amy flew into town from Florida to stay with us for the week. This morning Jessica, Amy and Ava went to Target while I had Jiu–Jitsu and now we’re getting ready to go out to lunch. Tomorrow we’re doing a beach day in Encinitas, so that should be fun… and crowded. I’m taking Friday off work next week so we can go up to L.A. for the weekend. Tom will be meeting us in L.A. Friday night for dinner and all of us are going to Six Flags on Saturday. Can’t wait for that! Should be a really good week.

For the last couple months we have been doing basic sign language with Ava and there is no doubt that she is starting to pick it up. She has given Jessica the sign for milk a couple times now and does it again as soon as she sees the bottle. This is so exciting! She’s like a little sponge absorbing everything she can. The fact that she is starting to communicate with us blows my mind. She’s only 7 months old after all. Now that we know she is learning signs we’re doing our best to teach her new ones as often as possible. She’s already such a happy baby but if she can easily tell us what she wants she will be even less likely to get upset. We couldn’t be more proud of her.

I received my second stripe in Gracie Jiu–Jitsu today, which means that I have 40 hours of instruction under my belt (pardon the pun) and can start attending our ‘Reflex Development’ class on Saturday mornings. This is a more advanced class that requires a mouthguard and gloves. My Jiu–Jitsu buddies at work are a bit jealous because they want to come to this class but they have to get to 40 hours first. I’ll definitely be going this Saturday.

The day after tomorrow will be the one year anniversary from our first post on this website. It’s hard to believe how different (and better) our lives are now that we have Ava. At this time last year I was bartending, had just gotten back into web design, and was hoping to find a job in the tech industry. Today I’m a senior production developer at an amazing company, working right by the beach in La Jolla, doing development work for companies like GE, Nike and Mattel, and going to school to finish my bachelor’s degree. It almost doesn’t even seem possible but it all worked out so perfectly. I’ve been extremely fortunate.

Jessica and Ava had lunch with our friend Natasha today at the Olive Garden. She’s doing yoga tonight while Ava and I hang out at home. Between her yoga classes and her Zumba classes she’s keeping busy and having a lot of fun. Natasha is going to Zumba with her tomorrow night and it sounds like Amy is going to try it when she comes out to visit on the 20th. I’m just glad she has some private time to do something she enjoys. Lisa told me she has about 150 more photos of Ava for us so hopefully we’ll have some new pics up here soon.