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!

2018 New Years goals

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. =)

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.

Bring on 2016

We are a little late this year with our traditional New Year's poster. What with our trip to Utah and then getting settled back in afterward, we waited until tonight's FHE to assemble our goals for the year.

Each year, James and I set individual goals, and we set goals for our family. We require our goals to be quantifiable--they have to be things that we can check off. We also try to create a mixture of mental, physical, and spiritual goals.

First, let's review the past year. Unfortunately, I threw out our 2015 poster before remembering to photograph it with the accomplishments checked off. But here's the photo from the beginning of our year:

We were about halfsies on our goals this year. James started law school, earned his 3rd Dan, and read 6 out of his intended 10 new books. As a family, we moved to Durham and went on a family camping trip. James and I went on a date every week, and met our temple attendance goal. As for me, I earned my 4th Dan, read 5 new books (+started a sixth) and learned to make sushi (simple rolls, at least). Plus had a baby!!

This year, I feel like our goals (mine, at least) are a bit more modest, and at the same time, a bit more realistic. I present our 2016 poster:

For James:

• Obtain a 1L job (aka legal internship this summer)
• Obtain a 2L job (for next summer)
• Read 10 new books
• Change oil in car
• Read the Book of Mormon
• Join a legal journal

For Valerie:

• Referee at the NC State Championships
• Read 5 new books
• Create a photography portfolio, utilizing monthly blog posts
• Read the Book of Mormon
• Teach Joel the alphabet
• Win NaNoWriMo (aka write 50,000 words)

For our family:

• Family camping trip
• Washington D.C. trip 
• Donate 4 handmade blankets to a charity
• Take Joel & Xander to the zoo
• Go on a date every week
•  Attend the temple at least thrice

It promises to be an interesting year! Candidly, the main focus of my life right now is my children. Mothering is a full-time job for me, so anything else I get done on the side is a major accomplishment. Still, I look forward to 2016. I can't wait to see what it offers us.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

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!

Black Belt Overnighter

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!

New Year's at The Holley House

Happy New Year from our Holley House!

For the last several years (since...2010, I think?) I have created a New Year's poster filled with goals and aspirations for the year. My roommate of the time was the one who started it, but it's been something I've really enjoyed, so I've created my own posters every year since. The poster-project has a couple of rules:

1. The goals must be achievable within the calendar year.
2. The goals must be measurable. (Nothing vague.)

Last year, James and I created a poster together, and I rather liked how it turned out, though several of our goals fell by the wayside (like every year). We put James's goals on one side, mine on the other, and "family" goals in the middle. You'll see that we also added one "Surprise!" that had been intended for the following year. Behold:

New Year's goals from 2013

James's Goals:
-Earn 2nd Dan (check)
-Receive sport poomsae certification
-Attend non-classical concert (check)

-Nail a 540 ° kick

-Compete at Nationals in sport poomsae (check)

-Get a 4.0 semester (check)

Valerie's Goals:

-Two Prelims (check and check)

-Referee at Nationals (check)

-Learn a Back Walkover

-Rock Concert (half check...does the Piano Guys count?)

-Write "The Seventh Guardian" (sigh...in progress)

-Learn Spanish

Family Goals:

-Get Married! (check)

-Get pregnant (check)

-Caribbean cruise (check)

-Buy a house (check...though not one of the original goals!)

-Go to Broadway (check)

-Compete on Demo Team at Nationals (check)

-Go on a date every week (complete with 52 tick marks...each one: check!)

-Attend the temple at least once a month (check x12)

We feel pretty good about our family goals! As for the individual goals, there are things that were out of our control (James's sport poomsae certification, for instance. We were planning to attend the sport poomsae training at Nationals...which ended up not being provided. Lame sauce.) Some things (like my back walkover) just got neglected. But overall, it was a busy and productive year for us.

As we approached making our poster for 2014, we wanted to select goals that meet the rules (achievablility and measurability), that seem realistic for us, but which will still challenge us physically, mentally, and spiritually. Presenting, the Holley family goals for 2014:

James's Goals:
-Graduate from BYU magna cum laude
-Read 10 new books (complete with 10 tick marks)
-Get down to 175lbs
-Learn how to do a popup
-Teach Baby J at least one ASL sign
-Get at least a 168 on the LSAT

Valerie's Goals
-Referee at Nationals
-B-2 certification
-Write "The Seventh Guardian"
-Return to pre-baby weight
-Compete at USG (Utah Summer Games)
-Learn to do a Back Walkover

Family Goals
-Have a baby (yes, we know it's inevitable at this point)
-Family Camping Trip (we define this as a trip including both Baby J and Shadow)
-Start preparing for Black Belt Testing
-Take Baby J to the Zoo
-Plant a fruit tree
-Go on a date every week (complete with 52 tick marks)
-Go to the temple at least once a month, with the additional goal of at least one of these trips being to the Brigham City Temple.


2014 is going to be a big year for us! Of course, the biggest event is the upcoming birth of our firstborn, for which we could not be more excited. We'll have to see how all our goals balance out with having a baby. Still, we feel that all of these goals are doable in the coming year. And we are excited by the challenge! Bring it on 2014!

Christmas Traditions

I love traditions, and holiday traditions are perhaps the best kind. This is technically mine and James's first Christmas as husband and wife, though last year felt like it, because we were 9 days from our wedding. So far, James and I have meshed and partaken in our families' traditions. I wonder how much will change once we add our children to the mix!

What are the traditions that I hold most dear?

1. The Mechling Family Christmas Party
Every year, my extended family gather for a family party. The Mechling extended family is quite large, and growing larger all the time. We used to gather at my grandparents house, but it's been many years since we could all fit inside. (We still go there for Grandma's birthday, but that's in July, so we just spill out over the lawn.) The routine has remained the same for those same number of years: we have dinner (always with sandwiches provided by Grandma, and usually a large variety of funeral potatoes), then the young children put on a Nativity (we're thinking our Baby J will probably be Baby Jesus next year, unless somebody else has a baby in between), we play "the game" (we each bring an inexpensive, gift-wrapped food item and play some variant of a white elephant game, except the gifts do not get unwrapped until the end), and then Grandma gives out presents to everyone. The party itself is fun, but mostly I enjoy seeing my favorite aunts, uncles and cousins, who I see, on average, twice at year--at the Christmas party, and at Grandma's birthday.

2. Christmas cards
For as long as I can remember, my mother has taped Christmas cards to the inside of the front door at my parents' house. Every Christmas card she received went up on the door. I actually hadn't realized how great of an impression this particular habit had made upon me until this year. Our house is a split-entry, with the front door down a flight of steps from the main part of the house. As I received the first couple of Christmas cards, I was completely torn about where to put them. Tradition told me to tape them to the door--but that was so far away, and I wouldn't get to enjoy them as much! I tried taping them to a wall at the top of the stairs, but they kept falling down. I ended up putting them all on the fridge (I had to reorganize to make room for them!) While I wasn't completely satisfied, it was the best I could do.

3. Christmas Eve with my birth family
I reunited with my birth parents when I was 18 years old, which has become an incredible blessing in my life. That first year after reuniting, my birthdad ("Pops") invited me to spend Christmas Eve with him and his family at his parents' house--my birth-grandparents. I'll admit, it was a little awkward at first, meeting all these people whom I was technically related to, but had no relationship with whatsoever. But Grandma & Grandpa Walles have always been very gracious, and over the years I have become very fond of them. Last year, Christmas Eve was a bit of a sticky point between me and James, because his family also has a celebration on Christmas Eve, which he was sorry to miss. I am so grateful that he agreed to go with me to my birthgrandparents' house, because he totally got sold! He didn't even question, this year, that we would be going there for Christmas Eve. I guess the big thing for me is that this is the one time of year that I can count on seeing my extended-birth-family, and I enjoy maintaining that connection, however limited.

4. Stockings
James and I have not made stockings for ourselves, something I really debated this year. I am determined to institute stockings next year with Baby J. I loved my stocking as a kid. The rule in our house growing up was that my brother Kyle and I could get up as early as we wanted to open our stockings, as long as we didn't open any other presents until Mom and Dad got up. It was brilliant! Kyle and I often got up together around 3 or 4am to open our stockings. We would sit up and play and eat treats, then go back to bed until our parents were ready to get up. These are some of my fondest memories of spending time with my brother.

These are the most important traditions that have been on my mind. I actually feel that my immediate family doesn't have many traditions--something that I hope to change with mine and James's family. I hope to create customs of service, music, and family time with our children in the years to come. I feel that traditions such as these are part of what make Christmas such a special time of year.