Happy Halloween from the Holley House!

At the Holley House, we love Halloween.

It started over a month ago with the pumpkins. The original plan had been to wait until it was actually October to make our announcement, but even when that changed to the day of our 12-week checkup, I wasn't willing to change my plan for announcing our imminent arrival via baby pumpkin.

Only a couple of weeks later, Halloween decorations followed, first in the yard, then more appeared indoors.

Originally we had five tombstones...one got lost in the crazy wind storm!

This was followed by the creation of this year's Halloween playlist, to which I have listened incessantly for the last three weeks:

James spent an evening with some of his siblings visiting the Haunted Hospital in Tooele. I hate haunted houses. Last year while we were engaged, James tried in earnest to get me to go to a haunted house with him, and I basically told him that if he made me go, I wouldn't marry him. :P So this year he knew better, and went with several of his brothers. He had a blast!

We have also spent some time watching Halloween movies, starting off with Hocus Pocus (a Halloween must!), the Addams Family Values, and finishing up this weekend with James's first ever viewing of The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

The highlight of our Halloween this year, I'd say, was the party we held last Saturday. We invited a number of our friends, and spent most of Saturday preparing for it. We played Twister, Pin the Tail on the Werewolf, Just Dance, and Rock Band, as well as visiting and devouring snackage. It was a great time!

We also attended our ward Halloween party last night, though we showed up after we got off work, about an hour after the party started. Still, we had the chance to visit with a few people, enjoy some food and treats and the ambiance.

This evening, we are taking off from the studio as soon as we finish teaching, in the hopes that we'll be able to catch at least some of the trick-or-treaters. Having lived in various apartments most of our adult lives, we haven't had many trick-or-treaters, a lack I have felt keenly! Now that we live in a house, we are very hopeful to get some trick-or-treaters! If not, we will have an awful lot of candy left to ourselves....

General Conference moments

A friend of mine posted the other day that she loves October General Conference because it feels like the first holiday of the season, and I couldn't agree more. Part of it is the break from routine (including the regular church routine), part of it is eating yummy food (though I kind of slacked on that part this time around), and part of it is the family time.

Conference this weekend was pretty mellow for James and I. We watched the four main sessions at home. I think James would have watched the priesthood session at home too, now that it's an option, except that his family invited us over for priesthood session/girls night, and we obliged.

But you know, there was something kind of special about watching conference this way, this time. In the past, I have often watched with friends and family, at various locations. But this time, I really treasured watching conference in my home, with my family--all four of us, as we like to say. :)

I found several talks of great meaning to me. I would like to highlight a few.

First, President Uchtdorf's talk yesterday. I have had several friend in recent years decide to leave the Church, for various reasons. On the one hand, it breaks my heart that they make this choice. But on the other hand, I have hated watch them bear judgment and be ostracized because of that choice. So when President Uchtdorf cautioned us that the reasons for leaving the church are many and complex, and that we should not pass judgment, a part of me rejoiced. But then I felt even more strongly when he cautioned all of us concerning our own questions and doubts.

This graphic popped up on Facebook practically before the session was over. I'm not normally one for reposting stuff like this, but I loved the quote so much, I couldn't help myself.

This morning, I really enjoyed President Eyring's talk. To be honest with you, I'm not even sure what he was actually talking about, but I had a really profound moment in the midst of him speaking. He was talking about his parents' marriage at the time, when suddenly, in the moment of clarity, I felt so strongly the truth of eternal marriage. I looked over at James, and I knew that we are going to be together forever. I know that's like, "duh, Valerie, you knew that already" and you're right, I did. It's hard to express realizations like this, so I'll just reiterate that in that moment, it was exceptionally profound.

And of course, I always enjoy listening to President Monson. James and I wept while listening to him talk about his departed wife, and his testimony that they would be together again. What I have always enjoyed most about President Monson is his love for the members and his sense of humor. I cannot get over hearing about people who call him 'Tommy Monson.' I swear it makes me smile every time, because I just can't imagine referring to the Prophet that way. But that is why I love him, this dear Prophet of ours who can make me cry and smile and laugh and make my heart burn with the Spirit all in the same 10 minutes.

It's also poignant to realize that at the next General Conference, we will be preparing for (or maybe already have) a new baby. The talks about family all seemed to be just for me this time around!

God truly cares about me!

I have just had one of the most spiritual moments in my life. As Valerie could tell you, I've been stressing over school work recently, particularly a program assignment for one of my Computer Science classes. I've been struggling with this assignment all week, and it came to a head today, the day the assignment was due.

I started working on this program this morning, and made slow but steady progress throughout the morning. However, around 1:30, I hit a brick wall. I have never been so utterly stymied in anything I've worked on in school, but this one did it. I worked all the way through my 2:00 class and through my leadership class at Taekwondo, fortunate that I have a loving wife to take care of my Leadership responsibilities for today.

The clock kept ticking, and I grew more and more frantic. I had combed my code multiple times, and just couldn't figure out what the matter was. It got to a point where I was *this* close to a nervous breakdown, and I finally turned to the Lord in full. I had uttered some small prayers throughout the day to help me out, and had felt His presence guiding me, but the time for small prayers was over. I gave myself over completely to the Lord, begging him for guidance and direction, admitting that I couldn't do this alone.

I finished my prayer, and waited for an answer. Eventually, I felt I should check a particular section of code I thought I had already combed thoroughly. However, I did look again, and lo and behold, the missing code was staring me in the face! I was able to complete the program for full marks and pass it off on time.

Now, I know that there are some who would read this and say it's merely a coincidence. I assure you, dear readers, that I was certain of that part of my code being acceptable, all the errors pointed to a completely different section of my program, and I almost certainly would not have thought to look at the faulty section. It is my testimony and firm belief this was no coincidence, that God helped me through this struggle, and that He did so because he loves me. It is my prayer that my faith will continue to grow, and that my experience will be an example for others who wonder if God listens and loves us. I know that He does!

James R. Holley

Our little family is growing again!

I have been eager dying to announce to the world that we are expecting. Although, to be honest, I think my mother has been faring even worse than I have. She cannot wait to be a grandma, and I think she's been waiting with baited breath until she could shout it from the rooftops--which she started doing about three minutes after I posted the news on Facebook.

My 12-week appointment was this morning, which was our predetermined "announcement day" so long as everything was well. Baby Holley is growing and has a healthy heartbeat, which was fun to hear. Actually, at my 8-week appointment, the midwife used a handheld ultrasound machine, so we got to see the baby--or rather, the bean-shaped thing with a heartbeat that they told us was our baby. But we weren't complaining!

The baby is due on April 8th, which seems like a lovely time of year to have a baby. I suppose any time of year is nice to have a baby. Or maybe it's just nice to have a baby, regardless of what time of year?

And to answer your question, dear reader, yes I have been sick, though I have tried to keep up my normal routine as much as possible. I have also been reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally tired. Imagine me, who has always been a complete night owl, going to bed at 10:30 every night, because I literally can't function any more. I try to snag naps when I can. The nausea has certainly been the worst part. I haven't actually been throwing up a whole lot (except for that time on our cruise when I lost it on a street corner in Puerto Rico...) but feeling so sick really takes it out of me. But I'm very, very, very hopeful that here moving into the second trimester, that part will fade. Cross your fingers for me!

Anyway, James and I are both incredibly excited. You should see his face light up when he talks about becoming a daddy. It just melts my heart. And I, of course, am overjoyed to become a mommy (at last!) We're excited for what the future has in store for our family!


PS: To our Taekwondo friends--
A few have already expressed concern over whether I will continue teaching after the baby is born. And I'm here to assure you that yes, I intend to continue teaching. That said, I can't plan for the future indefinitely. James and I are committed to Black Belt Testing in January 2015.  I will for sure continue teaching until that time. After that is more of a grey area. I love Taekwondo, and I love teaching at the studio with all my heart. It's a little hard for me to imagine life without it. However, my family will always be my first priority. So for now, I'm leaving our post-Black Belt Testing plans undetermined.

Life of Late

Some of the things that have been occupying the time of the Holley family lately:

-I attended the inaugural Salt Lake Comic Con with my co-author Sam Stubbs, where we occupied a booth for three days promoting our books. It was awesome!

-James is back in school at BYU, enjoying some of his classes (being bored by others). While the transition was difficult (I was soooooooo spoiled having him to myself for two months this summer) its been good because....

-I've started actively writing my third book again. Seeing as how Book Two is being released in November (two years, four months after the release of the first book) I am eager to complete the trilogy in a timely manner.

-James and I are both facing a slight change in our schedules at the studio. This past week, I took on a new class: coaching the school demo team. I'm eager for the new challenge. Starting in a week and a half, James will also be taking on a new class, his first "curriculum" class (he's been teaching Weapons for some time, and working as an assistant instructor in several other classes). Even though I will be there as his assistant, it's exciting, for me at least, to see James really growing into his own as an instructor.

-We've started preparing for Halloween. More on this once we actually start decorating and whatnot--which cannot come soon enough, as far as I'm concerned.

-Oh yeah, it was my birthday a few weeks ago. It was lovely. My birthday was on Sunday, so on Saturday, we went on a double-date with our friends the Pages, on Sunday my mother made birthday dinner, on Monday we went out to dinner and I got my first present from James, a printer, and on Tuesday, I got my second present, a couples massage, which was heaven. I felt very spoiled.

-We have been thoroughly enjoying our Shadow puppy. He is darling. We've had a few mishaps, but pretty minor stuff, considering that he's 6 months old and new to our family. He and I go on walks when James is at school, and he is the most curious creature I think I have ever encountered.

That's the bulk of it. We stay busy teaching and learning at the studio, plus school for James and writing for me. That and enjoying one anothers company. And Shadow's company. :)

Shadow McSneezsters Holley

When we bought our house, James and I decided that we wanted to adopt a dog. We determined that we would wait until after our cruise, so as not to abandon a new pet for a week. And so, Monday after returning from our cruise, we visited the Humane Society of Utah. :)

We wanted to adopt a dog from a shelter. This made it difficult to know exactly what we would end up with. James wanted a big dog. I was nervous about getting a big dog. Especially where we're planning to have children in the near future, I was hesitant to get a dog that could knock over my toddlers. We figured that we would get a "medium" dog. 

When we arrived at the Humane Society, we walked through the Small Dogs room first. There was this little black dog in the first kennel that caught my eye. (Besides him, there was a little terrier, and then the rest of the room was full of chihuahuas. Oy.) But we moved over to the Big Dogs room. We walked a pit bull named Alaska. She was a pretty dog, and VERY enthusiastic. A little too enthusiastic for me, actually. She about knocked me over. James really liked her, but I again expressed my worry about having a big dog while we have small children. We looked around some more, but there were really any "medium" dogs there. They were all big, or small. That's about when I asked James if we could go look at the little black dog again. :)

I fell in love immediately. So immediately that the worker told me we had to spent at least twenty more minutes with him before we'd be allowed to adopt him. I was happy to spend more time with this little pup. Soon enough he was on the way home with us!

We named him Shadow. He's a Dachsund mix (mixed with what, we don't know!) about 6 months old. The Humane Society rescued him from a shelter in L.A. that was going to euthanize him. Can you believe that? A 6-month-old puppy, as sweet as can be. But apparently this shelter, like many others there, has a 3-day turnover. Three days, and if nobody claims the dog, they euthanize. So sad. The Humane Society sends their people down frequently to rescue dogs. And we're so glad they did!

Shadow turned out to be an apt name for our baby, not only because of his coloring. Shadow follows us around everywhere. It is amazing how fast he has bonded! And he is one smart cookie. He's only had one accident (at James' parent's house--he was mortified!) and has been very good about going potty. He is darling with kids--he likes to lick their faces--and hasn't nipped or growled once. He has nipped and growled at other dogs, mostly when they come near me. He's a little possessive of his mommy!

He also figured out how to use the kitty door all by himself. We left him outside when we went to work the day after we adopted him, and it rained while we were gone. I was so worried! But he figured out the kitty door--which we had thought was too small for him. It's pretty funny to watch, he has to contort himself to get through. We'll probably invest in a larger door at some point, but for now, the kitty door works!

Shadow has little quirks, of course. At the moment he has kennel cough. The coughing itself is so sad, his whole little body shakes. The worst part is actually his sneezing--he sneezes constantly and often violently. Ergo his nickname "McSneezsters."

He loves laying on soft things. It's not often that he will simply lay on the floor. He prefers laying in our laps, but he'll settle for anything comfy. His favorite spot has become a rocking chair in our front room. Most afternoons, he claims the chair for a nap. I find it incredibly cute.

Yesterday we went to the Holley's for dinner. Upon arriving, we learned that James's youngest brother Daniel had just gotten a new puppy, a little cocker spaniel he named Birdy. We were worried about how Shadow would get along with the other dogs there. We had the little accident, which might have been the result of Shadow's first interaction with a male dog since we've had him--their Corgi named Pooka. But Shadow did just fine with little Birdy--she followed him around all over the place, barking at him half the time, and he basically ignored her. I actually really enjoyed watching them together.

Birdy & Shadow
Photo courtesy of Shaylee Holley.

At any rate, our little Shadow is a delight. He makes me very happy, and I love his company. He's just a complete sweetheart!

Honeymoon Caribbean Cruise

First of all, red-eye flights suck. At least James got some sleep. In between feeling like my legs were going to fall off and various cricks in my neck, I got maybe an hour of sleep through our entire journey from SLC to Atlanta to Miami. No bueno.

Arriving in Miami was a relief. Arriving at the Port of Miami and seeing our enormous cruise ship was even better.

But then the waiting began. We arrived in Miami at about 9am, and had intended to grab some breakfast at the airport before heading over, but that didn't happen. So as we sat waiting at the docking area, I was getting hungrier and hungrier, crankier and crankier. (Not doing so well going without food these days.) It was about 1:30pm or so before they started boarding (about 2 hours late). Fortunately boarding didn't take too long. After stopping by our stateroom, our first mission was to find the buffet!

Let me make first mention here of the food. If you know me and James, you know that we like to eat. I've always said that one of the reasons I do Taekwondo is so that I can eat whatever I want. :) The food was one of the top things both of us were looking forward to on the cruise. And we were not disappointed!

There's pretty much food whenever you want it. Breakfast options include a breakfast buffet or room service delivered to your stateroom. Lunch is the buffet, which has everything from Chinese to  burgers to Mexican to fish & chips to carved meats, plus a dessert buffet and an endless ice cream machine that's open 24/7. Dinner we had every night in the formal dining room, and frankly, it was one of the highlights of every day.

Day 1, after settling in (and the mandatory awful safety briefing) we went topside to bid farewell to Miami. It was pretty cool, watching the ocean open up in front of us. Of course, we then took a nap in a comfy deck lounge.

That evening, we enjoyed a couple of shows onboard, including a really fun magician/comedian. Ask me sometime about the Grapefruit Guy. Hilarious.

Day 2 was one of my favorites. We visited our first island: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. It was seriously the most paradisaical place I have ever been. When you see a movie with those white sand beaches, palm trees, and turquoise water, they could've been at Half Moon Cay.

Day 3 was a Sea Day, which were definitely not my favorite parts of the cruise. While we found some entertainment aboard (comedy shows, swimming, etc) we also just spent time reading and watching movies in our cabin. The highlight of the day was Elegant Evening, where everyone dressed up for dinner, and they served one of my favorite meals of the trip: Lobster!

Day 4 was our day in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. It was overcast most of the day, though fortunately we did not get rained on. We started out by walking into downtown St. Thomas, did some souvenir shopping at a local bazaar, then had lunch at a Jamaican restaurant. Then it was time to walk back for our excursion.

We boarded a sailboat with about 15 other people, and set sail for a private island called Buck Island, which was about an hour's sail from St. Thomas. There, we snorkeled in the bay with sea turtles. It was so amazing! I wish we could've gotten pictures of the turtles, they were so close to us! We also swam through a coral reef, and the fish were incredible, I loved seeing all the different varieties. But the sea turtles were absolutely the best part.

Day 5 we spent in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There we enjoyed a 2-hour private walking tour of Old San Juan. (It was truly private--the tour was me, James and Victor, our local guide.) It was fantastic. I loved San Juan--the statues, the architecture, the history, the ambiance. After our tour, we had lunch in San Juan and did a little shopping before heading back to the Liberty.

Day 6 we visited Grand Turk Island, of Turks & Caicos. It was another beach day, which we enjoyed. If I'm being honest, though, I much preferred the beach at Half Moon Cay. The beach at Grand Turk, while beautiful to look at, was much rougher, rocky and uneven. We spent a little time in the water, but mostly we hung out on the beach and in town.

Day 7 was a Sea Day. We did a few fun things that day, but the big event came that evening. They had an exhibit of Thomas Kinkade's artwork in the art gallery on board. We both enjoy his artwork, so we went to the exhibit. We were informed that they'd later be having a brief seminar, followed by a raffle for a Kinkade. So we came back that evening for the seminar and entered the raffle. To our surprise and delight, James won the raffle! We were ecstatic to win the Kinkade.

Then at last, we arrived back in Miami. We had one last breakfast aboard before heading off to Miami International Airport. Of course, it took us all day to finally get home, and boy was a relief when we finally pulled up to our Holley house.

We loved our cruise. It was fantastic, a truly unforgettable experience. I'm so glad we were able to have this vacation at this point in our life together!