Hello, dear abandoned blog. I hadn't realized until I pulled up the blog just now that I haven't posted since June. Ooops! But, it's time for our annual New Year's post, so here we are.
Every year we create a poster with our goals for the year. This is one of my favorite traditions. The rules for our 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. Let's review our goals from 2017:
I will take a photo of our checked-off poster when I get back from Utah.
James:
He has not yet obtained a job for after graduation, but is in process. He has been applying, has had some interviews, and will be having more. We're still waiting to hear back from some of his first interviews. It's an involved process! James did not meet his weight loss goal. He did, however, complete Camp NaNoWriMo (twice)--he wrote 22,000 words of a story that he plans to complete after graduation. =P He has nearly finished his book-reading goal, and gave himself a grace period to complete his last book (he has a long flight this coming week with no kids!) He did not create something to donate. He has been very diligent about his daily scripture study.
Kids:
Joel potty trained this year! Yay! We tried early in the year, and it was a struggle, so we put it on hold until this summer. The timing was right at the end of June, and he did it! He night trained at the same time, which was extra awesome. He has not learned to read yet, but is in progress, and we are renewing that goal for this year, and doing the same for Xander's ABCs. Given that Xander is still learning to talk, that one turned out to be a bit ambitious for this past year.
Valerie:
I did indeed complete the first draft of "The Seventh Guardian" over the summer, which was a gigantic triumph. I did not meet my weight loss goal. I have also not completed the 100 Challenge yet, but I gave myself until Black Belt Testing in two weeks, and I'm on track to complete it. I did read the New Testament this year, and I won National Novel Writing Month in November. I completed a 52-week photography challenge, and I did read 6 new books this year. Yay.
Family:
We did not create a budget this year. =P We did go on a camping trip, to Falls Lake in September. James and I attended the temple 5 times this year. We did not walk Shadow twice a week, though we definitely have been walking him more than we had in the past. (We're terrible fur-parents.) We did go on a date every week this year. We did not practice taekwondo 2 hours every week, but we came pretty close.
Presenting our goals for 2018!
When we get back from Utah, we'll make an actual poster and update this. =)
James:
-Meet daily Duolingo goal
-Read 10 minutes daily
-Get a post-grad job
-Practice the piano 1 hour a week
-Secret goal that I (Valerie) am not allowed to know about yet
Valerie:
-Write the first draft of Allspeaker
-2018 Photography Challenge
-Finish Duolingo Spanish course
-New 100 Poomsae Challenge
-Weekly bike ride
Joel:
-Learn to read
-Learn to roundhouse kick
Xander
-Learn the ABCs
-Play a (very short) song on the piano
Family
-Move to: ?
-Find a new martial arts school
-Camping trips x2
-Attend the temple x3
-Read the Book of Mormon (nightly companionship study)
-Walk Shadow at least once a week
-Go on a date each week
We definitely have some repeats. Some, like walking our dog and going on dates, are important for us to maintain, and having them on our poster helps keep them a priority. We've dropped the number of temple attendances this year since we have no idea, as of right now, where we'll be living during the second half of the year and what our proximity will be to a temple.
Despite the uncertainty that our future holds right now, we are excited for whatever 2018 will bring! We hope that you also have a wonderful new year. =)
This is my last week of teaching at Beyond Sports Taekwondo.
We'll be there for color belt testing next week, and the Leadership Retreat the following week. So there will be chances to say our goodbyes before we move on the 8th of July.
But this is my last week of teaching. I have been teaching at BST for nearly 6 years. I took over my first class as a head instructor in August 2009. Two other instructors were getting married and so weren't going to be teaching anymore, and there was one class that Master Sorenson didn't have anyone to teach--so she asked me. I was a first degree black belt, I had just come back from a 3+ year hiatus, and I had only ever assisted other instructors a handful of times. When I think of the trust that she displayed in me, I am so grateful.
Since then, teaching Taekwondo has become an integral part of my life. In addition to my own training, there were several years in the middle where I worked full time at the studio--teaching a lot, plus managing the office. I cut back when James and I started preparing for our family, and cut back a bit more when baby Joel arrived. But my heart has been invested at the studio, more than may be usual for a place of employment.
I have fallen in love again and again with my students. I have trained for them, cheered for them, studied for them, sweated for them, cried for them, prayed for them, and done everything in my power to help them become the best Black Belts--the best people--that they can be.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work at BST. I am so grateful for the people I have worked with, and the students I have trained. Every year at Black Belt Testing, every quarter at Color Belt Testing, every tournament I attend with my students, I see their growth and achievements and I feel grateful all over again for the privilege of working with such amazing individuals.
This is definitely the end of an era, for me. While I know that there will be other studios and other students, the last 6 years have had an immeasurable impact on my life. I love this place, and I will miss my students dearly.
A few weeks ago, a special package arrived at our house with my name on it. This newest arrival to the Holley household brought with it great excitement and anticipation:
My camera is a Canon Rebel SL1 Digital SLR. I currently have just the one 18-55mm lens, though I anticipate eventually getting more, when funds allow and my skill level has increased to the point where it would actually be worth spending said funds.
I have been taking an online class (which I got for half price--win! My sister-in-law ended up paying even less for it. The power of coupons!) and I have been thoroughly engrossed in learning how to use my DSLR. I'm still VERY new at this, but I am loving it.
It makes me a little nervous sharing my photos, which seems silly in a way, seeing as how I post photos I've taken all the time. However, there's something about having a "nice" camera that seems to raise people's expectations. I feel like my photos will be judged on a whole different level than when I was just snapping shots with my phone, despite the fact that this is my first genuine foray into photography. (I don't really count the one photography class I took in school, though I enjoyed it, because that was about 15 years ago!)
Still, this is an exciting new experience for me, and I don't want to keep it to myself. So, without further adieu, I present my earliest works with my Rebel SL1.
(Incidentally...none of the photos have been altered, cropped, or photoshopped in any way.)
One of my rosebushes started to bud last week, and when I walked out and saw the first blooms, I had to capture their fresh beauty.
This afternoon, Shadow was dozing on the couch wrapped up in one of our blankets. I just loved the way his head was poking out. The lighting was particularly nice for capturing his features.
I've had a lot of fun over the past couple of weeks practicing with my camera at taekwondo. This takes a whole different bunch of settings, to capture the high-speed motions of the students kicking and flipping.
Obviously I'm still working on it. But I feel like my ability to capture these moments is rapidly improving. These photos were all captured in the midst of regular classes, which makes it hard to get clear shots at the action without the background clutter. That too I will keep practicing.
Naturally, my favorite subject to photograph is my little Smush. I absolutely treasure these photos.
This has brought me so much joy just in the short couple of weeks I've had my camera. I can't wait to continue learning and experimenting!
As always: all original images and original content on this site are the sole
property of the blog author and may not be used, copied or transmitted
without express consent.
Warning: This is going to be a long post. It's probably waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much information for casual readers. Feel free to skim. This is mostly for me, personally, to record these memories.
At my studio, we begin preparing for Black Belt Testing six months in advance. We have an additional class each week (Black Belt Prep) and spend another hour or so each week preparing our self defense demonstrations. Here was an example of a normal weekly schedule for me during this period:
This 6-month period is spent mainly in reviewing and passing off curriculum. Our black belt test is cumulative, meaning that we are tested on everything we have learned from white belt to black (as opposed to just one rank's worth of curriculum, which is how our color belt tests are set up). And of course, the techniques must be performed at a black belt level. Each student has a card listing all the curriculum they are responsible for passing off. You can tell that by the end of testing, these cards are well-loved! (Or perhaps much-despised...)
I'll admit, there are some parts of the curriculum that are NOT my favorite. I love poomsae, and I love self defense. But we also have a tricks & flips requirement, and I tell you what, learning how to do handstands and roundoffs felt a lot like banging my head against the wall. But I finally got everything passed off. Halle-freaking-lujah.
Black Belt Testing is divided into two "phases" which take place two weeks apart. Phase 1 was on Saturday January 17th, and took about 8 hours to complete. It is closed, meaning only the candidates and the board are present, no parents or any kind of audience. It brings a different kind of intensity and focus.
We were tested on EVERYTHING. Phase 1 included all the curriculum on our card except for board breaking and our self defense demonstrations. The schedule was something like this:
All in all, I felt like I performed well at Phase 1. My kicking felt pretty good, which was a relief. I suffered a groin tear a few months ago, and a lot of my kicks have been pretty sketchy for me up until the last few weeks, when I've finally healed up. Tricks and flips were my weakest performance. I did not pass off my headstand or my handstand, and had to pass them off again the following week. (Not a huge surprise.) Weapons went well, although I got bonked on the head with an escrima stick, which was a little disconcerting.
Poomsae is one of my favorite parts of taekwondo, and I was really looking forward to this performance. I did quite well on my earlier forms, but when I got to my rank form, I started feeling a little dizzy, probably due to a combination of the hit to the head and not sleeping well the night before. (Nerves!) I was sad that my Pyongwon was not super great, as I had been working very hard on it.
I made up for it a bit later with my open form. (Aka freestyle poomsae.) I've been working on this form for over a year now. Is it perfect? No. But it feels pretty awesome to perform. My goal is to start developing some higher level kicks and maybe some (gah) flips and get this form to a point where I could compete with it.
The rest of the day was good. The specialty stuff went well, self defense went well, and I endured the endurance well. :) We have six specific endurance requirements (see below). We were timed/counted at the beginning of our six-month cycle. Then
about halfway through we did it again, and had to beat our initial score. At
Phase 1, we had to beat our scores again. I beat everything except the
banana, which is usually my best one. (I was pretty tired by that
point.) But I beat it in class the week after. My worst one is always the mile run, but I beat my previous time, and I was happy with that. My final scores/times were as follows:
Roundhouse kicks in 1 minute - 142 Leg lifts in 1 minute - 34
Knuckle pushups without stop - 30 Banana - 1:52 Buddha - 1:40
Mile Run - 11:26
On to Phase 2! So, while Phase 1 is an intensive exam, Phase 2 is designed more as a performance, a show. It is open to the public. Our master instructors select the best things that happened at Phase 1 to display again for everyone at Phase 2, and then we are tested on board breaking and our self defense demonstrations.
The schedule yesterday was something like this:
12:00pm - Demo Team rehearsal
1:00pm - Black Belt Candidates rehearsal
2:30pm - Doors Open (candidates are cloistered in the back)
3:00-6:00pm - Phase 2
6:30-8:30pm Awards Banquet
The rehearsals went very well, and we were feeling solid by the time everything was ready to get started. I was nervous, but mostly just excited. I love testing. It has such an incredible energy!
Candidates ready to get started!
The program for Phase 2 was as follows:
Master Sorenson's Welcome
"Beyond Force" Demonstration Team
Introduction of the visiting Master Instructors
Introduction of the Black Belt Candidates
Breakfalls display
Self defense display by the 2nd/3rd/4th degree candidates
Kicking display by the 1st degree candidates
Weapons display by the 2nd/3rd/4th degree candidates
Group Forms
Olympic Sparring specialty performance
Free Sparring
Landon's open form
Impromptu forms by 3rd/4th degree candidates
Self defense team demonstrations
Superhuman (Cameron, Claire, Ashleigh, Anna)
Beyond Fighters (Lexi, Ty, Kiril, Becca)
LandRiJaTon (Landon, Ricardo, James, Peyton)
Good Guys, Inc. (me, James, Mara, Molly)
INTERMISSION
Kicking display
My open form
Board Breaking
So...right after the Demonstration Team, the lights went out. We lost power in about half the building. There was light in one corner of the floor, and we still had the sound system, thank goodness. But it made for an interesting twist!
My dad video taped the event, however, I found out at intermission that our SD card was, bizarrely, completely full. I sent Dad to the store to purchase a new one for us, and he was quick, but we did miss some in the recording, including the last pieces of my self defense demo, the kicking display, and my open form. I'm trying to see if anyone else has recordings of these pieces. At any rate, I've uploaded the videos I have to YouTube, which you can view here.
As I mentioned, a lot of the things performed were repeats from Phase 1, but organized in a presentable fashion. We also had group forms, which are kind of like team poomsae, but we're allowed to change directions, order, and timing, just for fun. I really enjoyed my group form (Shipjin) with James and Mara. James and I also were called upon for impromptu forms, selected for us on the spot. My form was Taebeck, which I'll admit, is not my favorite. I was very proud of James's Keumgang, which was excellent.
Our self defense demo was AWESOME. I love self defense. It makes me feel so...powerful. I loved my self defense group this year. The last time I tested, I was with a group of teenagers. It was fun, because they had a lot of energy and great ideas. But it was nice this time to work with peers, rather than students. Especially my sweet husband, who put up with my punching, kicking, and throwing him all the time. :)
And then there was board breaking. At our studio, we use a grading system developed by our own Master Page for breaking. Candidates are divided by weight class, and each weight class has a designated "average board size" which is the size you should be able to break with an "average" break. Then, each and every technique used for breaking has been assigned a point value based on their difficulty. "Average" breaks are worth .5, and they go up and down from there. Some techniques are allowed a downgrade in board size without penalty, because of the part of the body used (ie a spear hand) or the increased difficulty of the technique. There are also independent variables that increase the value of a given break, such as blindfolding, decreased support (like holding with one hand, with fingertips, self holding, or tossing in the air), successive techniques (ie multiple kicks without setting the foot down in between), and for the 2nd and 3rd degree candidates, impromptu breaking. These points are all calculated to reach the candidate's "potential score", then in addition, there are 2 possible points determined by the judges for Presentation, based on speed, accuracy of technique, flow, intensity, and entertainment value. Penalties are given for multiple attempts, changing techniques, partial breaks (in multi-board techniques) or failing to break at all.
The requirement for 1st Degree candidates is to prepare a routine of 10 breaks. The 2nd Degree candidates are required to plan 5 breaks, and then are presented with 5 impromptu breaks at testing. 3rd Degree candidates (aka my husband) are given 10 impromptu breaks. And 4th Degree candidates such as myself are allowed to prepare 10 breaks, but each technique must be at least a .65 difficulty (which are fairly difficult breaks).
I went to great lengths leading up to testing in order to drop a weight class. I made it by the skin of my teeth (so proud!) I was pretty tickled, because dropping a weight class bumped my potential score up to 10.45, which is the highest potential score we've ever had.
That said, I will tell you straight up, that I was terribly disappointed in my breaking. I had two jump back kicks, one blindfolded on three 12x12's, and one on a freestanding cinderbrick. I have done both of these breaks successfully in the last six months. Jump back kicks are normally my best kick. And that made it all the more frustrating that I was unable to complete either.
I still got the highest presentation score of the test. And I was pleased with the rest of my breaks. It just was such a disappointing note to end on. I do have to complete the breaks before Master Sorenson will submit my Kukkiwon certification, so I'll be attempting them again in the next week or two, hopefully with much greater success.
Anyway, that wrapped up testing. Half an hour or so later, we moved over for the Awards Banquet. This is probably my favorite part of our black belt testings. I know not everyone does such a to-do, but I love it.
We started with thank you speeches. Each candidate is given a few minutes to express gratitude to anyone who has helped them along the journey to Black Belt. I was up first. I only got a little way through before the tears started. I have been so incredibly blessed by the people in my life, who help me and cheer me on. And I'll tell you, there is nothing more rewarding than being called up by my students and receiving their thanks after black belt testing. The notes they write mean so, so much to me, and I hang on to them forever.
Next, Master Sorenson briefly recognized each of the 2nd/3rd/4th degree candidates for their Specialties. At our school, after earning your 1st degree, you get to choose for yourself a Specialty. With special permission, you can do more than one. Specialties are an additional class each week, with curriculum and tournament requirements specific to each one. We get small colored stripes on the side of our belts to signify which specialties we have completed. This testing, I specialized in Sport Poomsae, Demo Team, and Breaking.
Then they presented the prizes for the 100 Challenge, which is an optional part of testing that consists of doing all of your required poomsae 100 times, with an instructor's evaluation after each set of 25. It's immensely time consuming, but it makes a HUGE difference in the quality of the poomsae. The prize for the first-time completion is a medallion; the second time one completes it, a keychain. (No one has completed it more than twice as of yet, as we only instituted it a few years ago.) James and I both completed the 100 Challenge this year, James for the first time, I for the second.
And then it was time for the awards. This is the part that I anticipated the most. Every year at Black Belt Testing, the masters give out swords to the Best Testers, in the categories of specialty performance, board breaking, kicking, poomsae, and self defense demonstration. If called for, they also occasionally will give out a best tester overall (which has only been awarded twice before). Lastly, the most prized award (and the largest sword) is our Martial Arts Spirit Award, which is voted on by the candidates themselves, for the one in the group who has shown the truest spirit of a martial artist, who has been kind, helpful, and inspiring to the others in the group, and who has shown indomitable spirit through the challenges of testing.
The Specialty Performance sword was awarded to Lexi Wallace, for her specialties in Sparring and Demo Team. Lexi has fought at Nationals the last couple of years and worked very, very hard. James might have been a tiny bit disappointed not to win this one, but we were both very happy for Lexi.
Best Board Breaking was already known to be going to Landon Jenkins, who earned the highest score during breaking. He did an awesome job, especially considering half his breaks were impromptu. Well deserved.
Best Kicking went to Rebecca Linford, one of my students, and I was not at all surprised. I had predicted beforehand to James that Becca would win this one. She has stellar technique and intensity. (And she works incredibly hard.) I was thrilled for her.
Best Poomsae was given to my James. I will admit to you that my heart dropped when they announced it. I had my heart set on this award. That said, I was also very glad for James, who has worked incredibly hard on his poomsae and who did remarkably well at testing.
James, Molly, Mara and I won the Best Self Defense Demonstration award. We were delighted! I have won this award every time I have tested. :)
And then Master Sorenson announced that they were giving a Best Tester Overall award, which they presented to me. I was rather surprised, and immensely gratified.
Lastly, the Martial Arts Spirit Award. Ma'am talked at length about how this award is the most special to her, because it truly represents the things that she values most about our discipline. And to my great honor, I was presented with this award as well. I cannot tell you how deeply moved I was. The fact that my fellow candidates had selected me for this particular recognition brought me to tears. I feel emotional right now, just thinking about it again. It means the world to me.
And finally, we had our Rank Advancement Ceremony. The new 1st degrees received their black belts - yay! - along with certificates, a graduation ring, and other paraphernalia. I absolutely love watching their faces when they get that belt--the last belt they'll ever wear (if they don't outgrow it/change their name like I did when I got married/etc). The rest of us actually get our belts taken away at the end of the night, because Master Sorenson just adds a new stripe to our current belt. The 2nd degrees, who already have a ring, are given a tanto and a small gift relating to their specialty. 3rd degrees, who are considered now on their way toward Mastery, are given a set of books suited for instructors. And new Master Instructors receive gifts on a case-by-case basis--in my case, a beautiful Sport Poomsae competition uniform, which I was tickled to receive.
We finished the night with a bow and a group hug. I felt like I was glowing with affection and pride for my group of BLACK BELTS. It was an absolutely incredible day, the culmination of months--years, really--of dedication and perseverance, with so much reward at the end of all.
Another year has come and gone. This weekend, James and I will be celebrating our second anniversary! The time has flown by, it seems. In keeping with our tradition, we mark the New Year with a poster outlining our goals for the coming annum. But first, let us review our accomplishments from 2014:
Apologies for the shadow, this poster lives on the wall next to a bookcase
Our family goals we met 100%. We had a baby--go us! :) We went on a family camping trip (a couple, actually). We started preparations for our Black Belt Testing, which is coming up at the end of January. We took Joel to the zoo. We planted a fruit tree, an apricot which shot up like crazy over the summer. We went on a date every week this year. We visited the temple at least once a month, including a trip up to Brigham City.
Our individual goals were a little more hit-and-miss. James has indeed graduated from BYU (we're still waiting to hear on a few grades, but he's on track for magna cum laude). He has just completed his goal of reading 10 new books this year. Weight loss goals for the both of us didn't quite happen, unfortunately. He didn't learn to do a popup, though it's something he's still working on, and Joel has not yet learned any ASL. However, James met his goal of getting at least a 168 on the LSAT by scoring a 171!
I did referee at Nationals, and earned my B2 referee certification. I have not yet completed The Seventh Guardian (sequel to The Tale of Telsharu and The Scourge of Narak) but it is in progress, at least. Pre-baby weight is close, I'm hoping within the month. I did compete at the Utah Summer Games. I am nowhere close to learning how to do a back walkover, although I did learn how to do a headstand! :)
Which brings us to our goals for 2015:
For James:
Go to Law School
Earn 3rd Dan
Successfully change oil in my car
Read 10 more new books
Prepare for and run a Ragnar
For Valerie:
4th Degree Black Belt
Write The Seventh Guardian
Compete at the State Taekwondo Championships
Read 10 new books [I liked James's goal, so I copied it for myself]
Learn to make sushi
For both of us:
Move to ___________ [We'll fill in the blank once we know where we're going for law school]
Go skiing/snowboarding
Family camping trip
Teach Shadow to sit
Go on 1 date per week
Visit the temple monthly prior to the move, and at least once during the fall semester
We are excited about the coming year. While there promise to be some pretty major alterations to our lives, we look forward to the adventures and challenges ahead. In the meantime, we look forward to enjoying life with our little family!
At our Taekwondo studio, we have a 6-month preparatory period preceding our annual black belt test, which takes place in January. We call it the "testing cycle" and each year we kickoff the cycle with the Black Belt Overnighter.
I've had the opportunity attend the Overnighter many times, both as a coach and as a testing candidate. Though we do generally the same things each time, I thought this year was especially enjoyable! That's partially because I'm a candidate this year (I always find it more fun to be testing, personally!) and partially because I'm testing with James! (James is testing for his 3rd Degree, and I'm testing for 4th.)
We started at 2:00pm last Friday afternoon. After a brief welcome from our master instructor, Master Sorenson, we launched right into our conditioning requirements. For our black belt test, we have six endurance drills that we are required to perform:
1. Roundhouse Kicks in 1 minute. (100 minimum)
2. Knuckle pushups without pause. (10 minimum)
3. Banana [lay flat on the floor, lift feet, shoulder blades and arms ~6 inches off the floor] (60 seconds minimum)
4. Buddha [squat with thighs parallel to the floor] (60 seconds minimum)
5. Leg lifts in 1 minute. [laying on floor, lift straight legs vertical and back] (20 minimum)
6. Mile run (12 minute maximum)
I was anxious about meeting the conditioning requirements. Though the minimum requirements are not overly challenging (we set a base at the Overnighter, and then have to beat our scores about once a month until Black Belt Testing), my overall fitness is still recovering from having a baby three months ago. So, overall, I was fairly pleased with what I achieved at the Overnighter:
Roundhouse Kicks in 1 minute: I got 127 (James got 137)
Knuckle pushups: I got 21 (James got 40)
Banana: I got 1:05, which was the top time of our group (James 1:04)
Buddha: I got :54, so not quite the minimum required. (James got 1:44, the top time)
Leg lifts: I got 28 (James 34)
Mile run: I ran in 11:41 (James 7:25)
This gave us a baseline to work from. I'm excited to see how much I can progress as my body continues to recover, and I work hard over the next six months!
After the conditioning requirements, we did some housekeeping things, then I got to give a presentation on Meditation, to help everyone prepare for our meditation the following day (more on that below). I thought the presentation went well, though it's hard to tell how much the young guys absorbed. (Our youngest candidates this year are 10 years old.)
From there we went to the ropes course! This is always a highlight of the overnighter. We go to CLAS Ropes in Provo and do the high ropes. Not only is it a blast, but it also serves as a metaphor for overcoming fears/challenges, and working as a team.
James climbing to new heights!
Valerie on the zipline
Joel hanging out at the ropes course
This year, I got to do the giant swing, the zipline, and we all finished with an activity called Eskimo Blanket (see the video!)
We left the ropes course at 9pm and headed back the studio. I settled Joel down for the night, then we stayed up playing games for awhile (I continued my personal tradition of teaching everyone to play Blackjack). James and I went to bed around 1am, but some of the kids stayed up until 3 or so.
Master Page woke us all at 5am. We grabbed a "trail breakfast" and headed up Provo Canyon for our traditional sunrise hike to Stewart Falls. I wore Joel on the way up to the falls, which wasn't too bad, except for a couple of rocky bits where my balance was questionable. Once there, we each crossed under the waterfall in a metaphor of becoming a black belt. Then we settled down to meditate. The kids testing for 1st degree meditated for half an hour, 2nd degree for an hour, James for an hour and a half, and I got to meditate for two hours. The first hour or so wasn't super productive for me, because of the baby. (Note to self: leave babies behind for future meditations!) But he fell asleep in my arms, which thankfully allowed me to get into the mode. Once James was done, he came and stole the baby, and hiked down with Joel while I finished.
No, not sleeping. James eases his back during his one-and-a-half hour meditation.
Stewart Falls
Valerie during meditation
After the hike, we headed back to the studio, had brunch, then started working on our self defense demonstrations. James and I are super excited about our SD demo this year, not least because we get to be on a team together (with Mara and Molly!) These demos are one of the best parts of Black Belt Testing, and definitely the part that I have learned the most from, in the past.
And that was it! It was a great kickoff for testing. James and I are totally stoked to be testing together, and look forward to this exciting journey we have before us!
It's been a busy summer so far, and whenever I think it's going to slow down for awhile, more things come along to keep us hopping!
The summer kicked off with Joel's baby blessing on June 1st. We finished our deck project just in time to have our family and friends over after the blessing. It was a beautiful day! The blessing that James gave to our son was perfect. And it was a delight to have so many loved ones join us at our home.
The second week in June, we went camping with my parents and cousin Ben. We went to Payson Lake. My parents have a canoe, and we all enjoyed paddling around the lake (except maybe Shadow). We played games at the campground, and enjoyed being outdoors. Baby J did awesome. We took his pack 'n play, which fit remarkably well in our tent, and his little swing for him to hang out in. It was a blast!
The week after that was perhaps the most stressful of the summer thus far. At our taekwondo studio, we have a daycamp each summer where students can earn their next belt in a week (Belt Jump Camp). It falls the same week as our regular Color Belt Testing, which takes place in the evenings during that week. But this year, these took place the same week as the Utah Summer Games, a tournament down in Cedar City. That meant that in addition to everything else we were doing, we had an additional 6 hours of demo team practice that week. We were at the studio 10+ hours almost every day leading up to the tournament, and then headed straight down to Cedar City for the event--where we were busy the entire time. Poor Joel didn't get to see much of his parents that week, though he made lots of new friends!
Then it was our "week off"--from the studio, at least. James started Summer Term that week, so he didn't really get a break at all. I keep busy too, with meetings with my coauthor and editor about our third book, with cleaning our poor neglected house, and with prep for the following week. That weekend, James ran in the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay with his father, brother Matthew, and the rest of the "Ragnar Ruh Roh" team. James was totally beat by the end of it, but had a great time. He's trying to talk me into doing it with him next year!
James and I took on a big responsibility this year of planning our studio's Leadership Conference. We took our Leadership Team to Bear Lake, where in addition to camping, swimming, and playing, they received 8+ hours of instruction on a variety of leadership and life skills. We had a great time, and learned a lot.
We had a day at home, during which we celebrated Independence Day (James almost set our fence on fire with a stray firework) before I took off to San Jose, California for the USA Taekwondo National Championships, where I worked as a referee for three days. I'll admit, I had a really hard time leaving James & Joel. (And trying to pump while refereeing was nightmarish.) But I also had a great time refereeing. I got to meet new people, see old friends, and see some excellent martial arts.
James did great with the baby while I was gone. Though he does say that he appreciates me more, he kept up very well--he took care of the baby and the dog, watered the plants, did the laundry, bathed the baby, and kept up with his homework. He said it was "excellent father-son bonding time."
And here we are! We have lots more fun things planned for the summer, including some more camping, a family reunion, play tickets, and our Black Belt Overnighter that will launch us into our testing cycle for my 4th and James's 3rd degree Black Belts, which we'll be testing for in January. We're looking forward to having a great time!
I saw this image on Facebook this morning, and it made me happy:
Baby J is due in less than a month, and I have to tell you, I am counting down the days. If I'm honest, I will tell you it's a pretty balanced combination of A) excitement to meet our ninja baby and B) I'm sooooo ready to have my body back.
Don't get me wrong, I've been doing well. Pregnancy has been fairly kind to me. We've had a couple of scary moments here and there (placental abruption? no thank you) but overall things have been going smoothly.
It's interesting to me how people respond when they see me doing some of the things I do. For instance, when I performed with my demonstration team on Saturday, I got an absurd number of comments. Some were "Way to go!" comments, but many of them were more along the lines of, "I can't believe you're still doing that!"
I get similar remarks almost every day at the studio. Moms will come up to me and say, "Wow, I can't believe you're still teaching at this point..." or "I can't believe you're still able to [kick, do forms, etc]."
Of course, there's the opposing side, too. My boss will be the first to tell you that she was teaching aerobics and playing intramural softball nine months pregnant. To her, it's totally normal for me to be doing taekwondo a few weeks out from delivery.
After all that, here's my point: pregnancy is a powerful thing. Sometimes it feels completely debilitating. But for me, personally, when I really stop and consider my condition, I feel totally empowered. An entire new person has formed from nothing inside of me. He kicks and wiggles, and very soon, he will cry and coo and poop and smile and it will only get more exciting from there.
Yes, my body is awkward right now. Yes, I am often uncomfortable. Yes, it can be frustrating not to be able to do so many of the things that I am accustomed to doing. (Touching my toes? Jumping? Rolling over in bed without moaning?)
But I am making a human. A little person whom I am so incredibly excited to meet and introduce to the world. It is with that end in sight that I press through the next few weeks, torturous though they seem at the outset.
Saturday morning we went up to West Jordan for the Friendship Open, where I competed with our demonstration team. James is still out because of his internship (which finishes this week...wow, time flies!) but I was grateful for his morale support! This was our first performance following the latest round of auditions, and it was definitely trial-by-fire for the newbies. Sans a few mishaps, the demo went well, although I was feeling VERY pregnant! James is planning to start back up in April. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get back to the team relatively quickly after Baby J is born. We'll see how it goes!
We left the tournament immediately following the demo team competition, and made our preparations. Saturday afternoon we drove to Colorado so that I could attend a USAT referee seminar there. We arrived in CO around 12:30 and settled in for the night. We had decided to try sleeping out in our car, and it turned out way better than we expected. We had taken the seats out of my car, and piled the back with couch cushions, camping pads, sleeping bags, pillows and blankets. We were very comfortable (which was a concern, considering my prego state).
The referee seminar was great. I attended the CO seminar last year, and enjoyed the experience, so I was glad it worked out for me to go again this year. The seminar was taught by Master Bob McKenna and Master Linda Kimmich, both of whom I had met previously at Nationals, and whom I respect a great deal. I was glad to get updated information, and spend time with some great referees.
We left for home after the seminar. It's an 8-hour trip, and we took turns driving for about two hours at a time. We were only about 50 miles from home, down Spanish Fork canyon, when a couple of deer darted out in front of us. James was asleep at the time. I was able to dodge the first deer, but the second smacked right into us, and then went under the car. It scared the living daylights out of me, and James woke in a panic, not knowing what had happened. I pulled over, my adrenaline going like crazy. Some guys behind us swerved around the deer and stopped; they came back to check on us, then moved the deer out of the road. Once my heart had stopped pounding, we continued on our way, but only for a few more miles before the car gave out. The radiator had clearly been damaged, and was leaking fluid.
We called for roadside assistance. (Thank goodness for cell phones!) It took ages for the insurance company to coordinate. Thankfully we had all those blankets in the car with us! But because we were in such a remote area, the cost of towing was prohibitively expensive. James ended up calling his family. To our extreme relief and gratitude, James's brother Matthew was able and willing to come get us. When he arrived, he was able to tow us a few miles down the canyon to a rest stop (those few miles were pretty terrifying, not going to lie!) and then drove us home. It was about 4:30am by the time we finally made it! James got about an hour of sleep before he had to be up again to get to work in Salt Lake.
This afternoon was spent dealing with the car. James's brothers, bless them!, rented a truck and went back down the canyon for my car. They picked me up and we took it to the auto shop. Fortunately our insurance covers a rental car, so I was picked up at the shop by the rental company. We're still waiting for our insurance appraiser to evaluate the estimate from the auto shop, but we're hopeful that the car is not totaled, and we'll be getting Roxanne back soon. Fortunately, I also had a prenatal appointment this morning, and everything was fine with me and Baby J.
We are grateful that we were not hurt at all, and we are so grateful to James's family for their help and generosity, and we are grateful for insurance, and we are grateful to be home. Ironically, we're headed back to Colorado this weekend for their state championship. You can be assured that we'll be praying for an uneventful trip!!
Black Belt Testing is a huge deal at our studio. (As it is at most martial arts schools, I'm sure.) We hold BBT once a year, in January, and it is a
very cumulative event. Though each of the Black Belt Candidates spend
years training in preparation, the final six months prior to BBT is when
the focus really narrows, and as things ramp up to January, things can get really intense.
We have an extensive curriculum. There are requirements for forms, kicks, kicking combinations, self defense, conditioning, board breaking, leadership, Korean terminology, service hours, a written report, meditation, sparring (or other specialty for higher ranks) and attendance in classes. Each candidate is required to pass off every item of curriculum prior to testing--and in order to pass off, they are held to a certain standard, which while individual to each student, is nonetheless quite high based on our personal assessment of their capabilities.
I've been teaching taekwondo for four and a half years, and each year at
Black Belt Testing, I find myself a little overwhelmed with thoughts
and emotions. This year was particularly sentimental for me.
The spread of candidates varies from year to year. Sometimes we have lots of "black recs" (ie 1st Gup, or Black Belt Recommended, those testing for their 1st degree) whereas sometimes we have a balance between black recs and black belts testing for higher degrees. Sometimes we have lots of adults, sometimes lots of kids, sometimes a balance.
This year we had three candidates for 4th degree and fifteen candidates for 1st degree. It was an interesting dichotomy. There were a fair number of teens and adults. But 10 of the candidates were in my childrens class, the most I've ever had at once. It presented some challenges at times! Trying to pass off curriculum for that many black recs, while still teaching the rest of the color belts in the class, has been a bit of a balancing act for the past six months. But I also feel like I have had more influence over this group of testers than I have ever had before, which has been fun in many ways.
I'll admit that this was a particularly special group, for me personally. Though I have a tender spot for each of my students, in this group of black recs I had several who "grew up" with me. It's the first Black Belt Testing where I've had students test for whom I have been their head instructor during every rank from white belt to black belt. These kids, whom I have taught from their most tender beginnings in martial arts, are particularly precious to me.
It's not just about teaching them to kick and punch, and it never has been, for me. There is so much more to be gained. For me, it's about showing kids that they are capable of anything that they are willing to work for. My goal is to teach each child that I work with confidence, belief in him- or herself, and to inspire a fiery determination within them to achieve their best. My goal is to push them beyond what is comfortable, and to show them my unwavering belief in their ability to do the so-called impossible.
I invest a lot in these kids. Even beyond my time, I put stock in them emotionally. I try to show every kid that I teach that they matter, that I care about them. Over time, it grows. So for this group of boys, whom I have worked with for years, whom I have invested in across every step of their black belt journey, I have a most profound affection. Put simply, I really love these kids.
I have seen them sweat (in many instances, I have been the cause of them doing so). I have seen most of them bruised or bleeding. I have seen several of them cry, whether from pain, or being overwhelmed or frustrated, or from strong emotion.
I have watched them grow. Their martial arts technique has refined and strengthened. I have watched them mature, learn to take responsibility for themselves, and step up to hard things. I have watched each of them face failure, and overcome it to achieve later success. I have watched several of them become leaders, reaching out to help others though there was no requirement to do so. I have watched all of them gain confidence and self assurance. They have grown, each of them, from little boys who were excited to be ninjas, into young men for whom there are no limits.
Last night, as I watched each of "my kids" step up to receive their black belt, I swelled with pride. Seeing their elation at this event, the culmination of all their efforts, was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. I am so happy for them, and to be honest, I can't wait to do it all over again with those who are coming next.
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