Home Sweet Home

Our new home brings us so much joy! So naturally we wanted to show it off. =) We moved in on March 30th and have been settling in nicely (sans an unfortunate adventure in our crawl space--ugh!). Today I finally felt like everything was looking good enough to take some photos and do a video tour. Happily I present, as Xander likes to say, "my Colorado house!"

And because I'm me, I also took photos. Joel insisted on being in every single one, because he's silly and awesome like that. 

View from the front entry

"Family room"

"Sitting room"

Dining room

Glorious kitchen

It's so silly, but I just love the pantry door

Kitchen

Kids bathroom

Playroom

Playroom

Office

Master bedroom

Taekwondo shrine in the master bedroom =)

Master bath <3

Holley dojang in the garage

Backyard

We have major plans for the backyard. I will probably end up posting progress updates, but we'll see how it goes!

Backyard

We are seriously in love with our new home. The interior is everything that we really wanted, and we are excited to invest time, money, and effort into the backyard to make it equally nice. It is so wonderful to finally feel like we can put down roots. It's time to make our house into our forever home!

2019 New Years Goals

Happy New Year!

Every year we create a poster with our goals for the coming year. This is one of my favorite traditions! The rules for the annual poster are A) the goals must be achievable in one year, and B) they must be quantifiable, as in, they have to be things we can measure and check off. 

First, I like to review how we did on our goals for the previous year. To be perfectly honest, we didn't do so hot this year. 2018 was a year of upheaval for us. At New Year's we didn't know where James would be working post graduation, so a lot was up in the air. As things coalesced, some of our goals changed or fell by the wayside. 

James:
Did marvelously with his Duolingo study this year, he's been making great progress in Spanish. He did read (or listen to an audiobook) every day. He did obtain a post-graduation job. He did not practice the piano every day.

Joel:
Learned to read! Of course it's still a developing skill, but we love to hear him read beginning books to us, it's awesome. He's still working on his roundhouse. =)

Xander:
His goals were ones that we neglected this year.

Valerie:
I did not work on my novel "Allspeaker" this year. (Although I did make some progress on "The Seventh Guardian" fortunately.) I did pretty well with my photography challenge. Duolingo totally fell by the wayside for me. I did finish my poomsae challenge in time for my black belt test in October. Bike riding didn't happen as intended. But I definitely got pregnant!

Family goals:
We successfully moved to Utah, a location which meant we didn't need to find a new martial arts school, haha. We went on one of the two camping trips we'd intended. James and I did attend the temple three times. We are still working through the Book of Mormon together. We're terrible about walking our dog, but at least we've been on a date every week!

And now I present our goals for 2019!

James:
-Daily Spanish study
-Daily reading/audiobook
-Settle finances
-Create and follow personal exercise plan
-Weekly video journal
-Bake 12 new recipes

Valerie:
-Earn 5th Dan
-Finish "The Seventh Guardian" revisions
-Project 52 with Clickin Moms (ie weekly photography project)
-Journal weekly
-Read 5 new books
-Finish Duolingo Spanish tree
-Take a yoga class

Family/Couple goals:
-Successfully move to Colorado
-Family camping trip
-Go star gazing
-Find a new martial arts school
-Trip to Tennessee
-Create a family budget
-Attend the temple (number of times to be determined when we know what part of Colorado we're moving to)
-Weekly "Come Follow Me" family study
-Weekly date night

We also want to add "Plant a tree" if we end up buying a house this year. But we'll have to see!

We decided not to set goals for the children this year. We've decided  to wait until they're old enough to set their own goals. We feel like we shouldn't be forcing our ideas of what their progression should be, but should let them discover their own interests. Of course we'll be working on things together, but it's a little different when we're setting up checkboxes on their behalf. So we'll revisit those in later years.

We are excited about this coming year. We've got some big changes ahead for our family. Hopefully our move will go well; we are looking forward to settling down at last and hopefully not moving again for a while! =) 

We wish you a happy New Year and a great 2019!

New Year Poster 2017

Welcome to our annual New Year's event at the Holley House!

Every year, we create a poster, and upon said document, we enumerate various goals that we hope to accomplish in the forthcoming year. (2016, 2015, 2014, which also lists 2013's goals.) The rules for our poster is that the goals have to be achievable in one year, and that they must be quantifiable--they have to be things that we can measure and check off. Let's review our goals from 2016:

James:

He obtained jobs for both his first and second summer (we're excited to be spending this upcoming summer in Utah!) He read 9 new books this year, so he's increased his goal next year to make up for the one he missed. He successfully changed the oil in both our vehicles, he read the Book of Mormon, and he joined the Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy, which he is thoroughly enjoying.

Valerie:

I did not referee at the state championships this year (it was an overwhelming logistical nightmare, with a breastfeeding baby at the time, so I gave that one up). I read more than 5 new books this year. I successfully posted a photography blog each month this year. I read the Book of Mormon and taught Joel the alphabet. I also won NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNo in the summer, which was awesome.

Family:

We went on two family camping trips this year, as well as our trip to Washington D.C. We totally failed on making handmade blankets. :( We took Joel and Xander to two different zoos. We went on a date every week this year. We did attend the temple three times each, though one of those visits a piece were solo trips.

And now, for our 2017 goals!

Yes, it's blue. It was the only posterboard I could find at the time.

This is our first year including the children on our poster. We did talk to Joel about his goals, as far as he understands, but Xander's is definitely something we've chosen for him. It will be fun to include them more in this process as they get older. Presenting our goals:

James:
-Get a job for after school
-Lose 20 pounds
-Camp NaNoWriMo
-Read 11 new books (at least 3 non-fiction)
-Create a handmade item to donate to charity
-Daily scripture study of at least five minutes (He has committed to tracking this elsewhere.)

Joel:
-Read a book
-Potty train

Xander:
-Learn the alphabet

Valerie:
-Complete "The Seventh Guardian"
-Lose 20lbs
-Complete the 100 Poomsae Challenge
-Read the New Testament
-Win NaNoWriMo
-Complete a 52-week photography challenge
-Read 6 new books

Family:
-Create a budget
-Family camping trip
-Attend the temple 5 times
-Walk Shadow twice weekly
-Go on a date each week
-Practice taekwondo at home 2 hours per week


Obviously we have some repeats. Some of our goals, like attending the temple and going on dates, are so important for us to continue and hold ourselves accountable for. Some of our goals come from things we find ourselves slacking on, like walking our dog and losing weight. And some of our goals are true aspirations that we hope to achieve in the coming year.

For me personally, I'd consider my "big" goal of the year to be finishing my book. It's been a long time coming. If you look through our posters of yester-years, you'll see that it's been a goal of mine for a long time. Between new motherhood and post-partum depression, my progress on the book has been wretched, up until the past six months or so. But I am now ready and committed to finishing "The Seventh Guardian." I've set the goal with Sam, my co-author, to finish the first draft by summer. It's going to take a lot of my time and energy over the next few months, and I am excited for the challenge.

30

Tomorrow is my 30th birthday.

A year ago on my birthday, I remember thinking how weird it was going to be to turn 30. I seriously didn't feel old enough for that yet!

My birthday last year (super pregnant with baby X). This girl was not ready to turn 30.

It's here now, and I can't say that I'm struggling with the idea any more. The last year has been...candidly, it's been rough. Moving away from family and friends, dealing with postpartum depression, adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom of TWO crazy, beautiful boys...it's been a roller coaster ride, for sure.

With this birthday, I wanted to reflect a little. Turning 30 feels like a huge milestone to me. I mean, it's a whole new decade! At the cusp of it, I'd say that my 30s definitely have some appeal. I've finally reached the point where I have to acknowledge that I'm a grown up. (Hahaha, yes it took this long.)

"...one year older and wiser too..."

The last decade has been pretty awesome, all things considered. The biggest highlights? Getting married! Pushing little humans out of my body. Earning my 4th degree black belt. Publishing two kick-butt fantasy novels. Refereeing at Nationals. Graduating college (with honors!) Serving as vice chair of Families Supporting Adoption. Stage managing Henry V on the Adams stage. So many good times with friends and loved ones. Working, playing, traveling, competing, writing, listening. All the memories!

My life has shifted, especially over the course of this past year. I am in mom-mode. Most of my day-to-day activities are centered around Joel and Xander, and the time I get to spend on my personal goals is so much more limited than it used to be. I don't regret that, though it's definitely hard sometimes.


Looking forward, I wonder what the next decade will hold. I am a dreamer of dreams. I want to earn my fifth degree, and open a studio with James. I have books to write! I would love to travel to another continent. I am determined to learn to speak Spanish. I want to get a Master's Degree (that may have to wait another decade, we'll just have to see!) And so much more.

Most importantly, though, I want to be a good mom. Motherhood is challenging, and not always the most rewarding occupation. It's hard not to lose myself in the daily grind of it all. But even after my hardest days, when they're finally in bed, I find myself looking at pictures and videos of their antics, smiling at their beautiful faces. Joel and Xander bring me so much joy. They are worth the heartache and the tears.

I think about their future all the time. I think about what I want their childhood to be. I dream about soccer games and camping trips, little black belts and musicians. I plan how I can make those things happen for them. I love teaching Joel, I love seeing the light bulb go on when he figures out something new. Those little experiences are the absolute highlight of my days right now.

So if my personal goals get delayed...c'est la vie. There is only so much time in the day, and mine is well-spent treasuring these little monsters.

I believe turning 30 is going to feel fabulous!

Camp NaNoWriMo

If you haven't ever heard of it, National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) takes place each November. Aspiring novelists all over the world embark on an epic quest to pen 50,000 words in 30 days. Camp NaNoWriMo is a less formal version that takes place during the summer, this year in July. I am excited to participate!

I have done NaNoWriMo as well as the Camp version many times in the past. (Every year from 2006-2013!) In fact, portions of both my published novels were composed as NaNo projects. I love the motivation and support that NaNoWriMo provides. There's an incredible energy to it.

The past couple of years I have skipped NaNoWriMo, because I had a couple of babies. :P Seriously, though, I never imagined, before having kids, how much it would affect my writing.

A) Raising little boys takes up a lot of time and energy. During my formerly-most productive times of day, I now either have little boys to care for, or I'm exhausted from caring for said kidlets.
B) Post-partum depression seriously affects my creative energy.

I read an article a few months ago by an author who declared that sometimes mom-writers mistake writer's block for what is really PPD. This article was a real turning point for me. Previously, I have felt really guilty and/or frustrated with myself when I have struggled to work on my books. I mean, writing novels is supposed to be fun, right? But while battling depression, doing anything creative feels a lot like pulling teeth.

It's hard because I know a number of people have been waiting for mine and Sam's third book for a long time. I get asked periodically when the trilogy will be completed. It's hard to admit to my readers, whom I want so desperately to please, that I simply haven't written anything in months. That I haven't wanted to write. That I haven't really been able to write.

Happily, the fog of depression is beginning to lift. This happened about a year after Joel was born, so I'm excited to been feeling a bit more like myself only 8 months after Xander's birth. I still struggle some days, but I actually feel like I can commit to Camp NaNoWriMo this time around.

Camp begins on July 1st. My goal is to write 30,000 words. Or more! Since I have already 33k written in Buk Tri ("book three" of our Seventh Empire series), this should put me around one-third complete, if the third book is similar in length to the other two. And hopefully it will get me back into the habit of writing consistently, so that we can get this thing done! Wish me luck!

Holley House tour!

As I have mentioned before, I really enjoy unpacking. I have found that I am fairly unusual in this regard. There is something very satisfying, for me, in organizing and finding the new "homes" for all our belongings. In all of my past moves, I have never taken very long to unpack and get everything set up, and I didn't really expect this move to be very different.

That said, about three days into unpacking, James and I had gotten all the necessities squared away, and there was definitely a "hump" feeling--nothing else needed to be unpacked, and it would have been very, very easy to delay dealing with the rest. It certainly didn't help that the Little Monster sooooo enjoyed putting things back into the boxes as we tried to get everything out. It was at that point that I gave myself a deadline: every box to be unpacked by Saturday. Otherwise, I fully expected that we'd be moving some of the same, unpacked boxes three years from now when James graduates.

We did it! We weren't quite finished by Saturday, because we still had to hang some of the artwork around the house. And then I was just a slacker about taking photos of everything. But, at last, I get to present to you, the Holley House at Stoney Drive.

Exterior at sunset

Front door + little greeters

When you walk in our front door, you can go one of three directions. If you turn to the left, you will enter our comfy living room:

Living room (view from the front door)

TV in the living room, on the interior wall

Mantle (I love actually having a mantle for the first time in my life)

Living room (view from the kitchen)

Upon entering, if you turn to the right, you will enter our cute little sitting room. The previous owner used it as a formal dining room, but I am enjoying my little "formal" area very much. I would say this my second-favorite room in the house.

Sitting room (view from the front entryway)

Sitting room

If you proceed straight in from the front door, you will traverse a little hallway, with stairs to the right, and a half-bath to the left. You will then enter our kitchen!

Kitchen (view from the living room)

That doorway straight ahead leads into our garage. PS: Parking in a narrow one-car garage can be a little scary.

Just outside of the sliding glass door in the kitchen is our little covered porch, which we LOVE. It leads into the backyard.

View of the backyard from the porch

Our backyard

Incidentally, James and I have decided not to build a fence, which was our original plan. (The fence you can see in the pictures is actually our next-door neighbors'. Our yard is not fenced.) However, given the expense involved, and the fact that fences are actually really unpopular in our neighborhood, we reconsidered. Fortunately, Shadow doesn't tend to wander, and he minds well. Our children will be so young while we are here, that I don't really envision them playing outdoors unsupervised, which would be another reason to have one. It's a bit of a pain not being able to let Shadow out unsupervised, but it's working okay so far, so we're going with it for now.

Now, the upstairs!

Stairwell

At the top of our stairs is a small landing. Straight ahead is our laundry closet. To the right is Baby X's room, which shall remain unphotographed until I figure out what I'm doing with it. :P To the left is Joel's room!

Admittedly, we miss the ninja chibis very much. However, Joel still has a strong ninja theme going in his bedroom. It's a good-sized room, too, which is nice. We only decided to separate the boys' rooms because we have the space in this house, and might as well.

Down the hall from the boys' rooms is our guest bedroom. It's a bit full with all the furniture, but it works great as a guestroom.

So...if any of y'all want to come stay...you're invited!!!

If you go back down the hall, you'll pass the second bathroom (already known, in my mind, as the boys' bathroom). It is what I consider to be a standard bathroom.

Boys' bathroom

To be compared with our lovely master bathroom:

View from our bedroom

Dual sinks! This is a favorite feature of James'

MY GLORIOUS TUB

Huge walk-in closet, which you get to through the bathroom, which I find a little odd.

Re: the tub. So, I don't normally take many baths, EXCEPT when pregnant. Especially toward the end, my back just kills me, and hot baths really help. My parents have a jetted tub that I made frequent use of during my pregnancy with Joel. Knowing I would not longer have access to theirs, I was really hoping we could find a house with a nice big tub. (Our house in Orem had a standard tub: see the boys' bathroom for reference.) I am SO HAPPY with our tub! I have already used it a couple of times, and it's wonderful.

And, last but not least, our master bedroom. Easily my favorite room in the house.

View from the hallway

Our bedroom has taken over as our Taekwondo shrine, and it makes me pretty happy:

We got new sword racks so we didn't have to pound a gazillion holes into the wall. With 8 swords apiece on the wall, almost all of our swords are hung. ;)

That's about it! We are thoroughly enjoying our new home. It certainly has little quirks. But overall, it's feeling very comfortable for us. It's nice to feel as though we are settling in. It lets us start really figuring out our new life here in Durham!

Check!