11 Minute Abs = Distraction

First off, we will be going private within in the next week so if you haven't already given us your email please do so.

Next, I want to tell you about a funny story that occurred last night. Nicole and I were doing 11 minute abs together and got onto the topic of Nicole's birthday. I had gotten her gifts earlier that day but she didn't know anything about it. This is how the conversation went:

Nicole: Will you promise to tell me one thing and be honest?
Colby: Sure.
Nicole: How many birthday presents did you get me? Was it just one or was it more than that?
Colby: Hmmm. I don't think I can answer that.
Nicole: Why not? You promised to tell me!
Colby: Yeah. I can't tell you that now though.
Nicole: Please? It's really important for me to know!
Colby: Why? What does it matter if I got you one gift or if I got you thre.... Oops.
Nicole: What?
Colby: Nothing, I didn't say anything.
Nicole: Yes you did! What was it?

Well, after deciding that it really didn't matter if I got her one gift or three gifts, I finally told her what she had missed. And we had a pretty good laugh afterward. I couldn't believe that I would be so easy to fool!

Following the Trend

P.S. We're following this smart trend and going private, so comment with your e-mail if you want to view our blog.

Where did the time go?

Has it really been two months since we last posted? Life has been wonderful and busy. I don't think there's any way to fit in everything we've been doing, but we will try to share a few of the highlights.

• I am the primary president in our ward and today was our annual primary program. It was such a neat experience and something that I am also glad is now over. I was a little nervous about it all coming together, but it always does. It was another testimony building experience that this is truly the Lord's work. The primary theme this year is My Eternal Family. I'm so thankful for all of my family. My parents, Mitch, and Halli came out for the weekend and it was so fun for Colb and me to spend some time with them.
  

• Colb is starting to volunteer at the new Riverton hospital in the emergency department. He starts in a couple weeks and is really excited for this experience.
  

• I've been helping with recruiting at work and love it. I went up to Utah State about a month ago for Meet the Firms. About three years ago, I was a student at USU attending my first Meet the Firms and learning about internships. Three years later, I've come full circle and was now doing the recruiting instead of being recruited. We went to the Ryan Shupe concert at BYU for recruiting last night. I really enjoy meeting the students, plus I have to say that it is great to be on the other side! We love Ryan Shupe, and they are so talented.

• In case you didn't know, last week was National Chemistry week (I'm married to a chemist, I now know these things). We spent last Saturday at the city library doing science experiments for children. Colb has been volunteering at this event with the American Chemical Society for three years (and I've even been twice now). Playing with fire, liquid nitrogen, and slime is right up Colb's alley so he loves it and is great with the kids! My personal favorite is shaving cream art.

• One of the great benefits of marrying someone that you went to high school with is that you know the same people and have lots of the same friends. We were excited that one of our high school friends got married a couple weeks ago, so we could catch up with him and a bunch of our high school friends. It was crazy to see everyone (and kids) and talk about school and jobs and realize how grown up we all are.

• It's official! I passed the CPA! I have everything done and am now just finishing up all the paperwork. It feels so good!
  

There's actually a ton more that we've been doing, but I realized this could go on forever if I keep going. We helped tile the clinic, went to the Scarlet Pimpernel, went fishing and four wheeling, worked lots, took an institute class, played with the Duncan's new puppies, and lots more. Our days and evenings are all pretty full, but we are happy and really enjoying this stage of life. Hope everything is going well for all of you!

Colb volunteers at Primary Children's Medical Center every week.
The kids are very entertained as you can see!

1 Year Anniversary!

So, I don't really have any pictures to post at this time. I have been working a big post of the things we have been up to lately and there are some good pictures there. However, the coolest thing happening right now is that we will have been married for a whole entire year tomorrow! I can't believe how fast it has gone by. Since we got married Nicole has finished her last semester of school to get her Master's degree, started working at Ernst & Young and has been there for more than 8 months. I finished my bachelor's and have been working the University of Utah for 2 1/2 months. It is crazy! I wanted to update everyone on this amazing accomplishment and milestone for us. I know that one year is not that long but it is our first anniversary and we are so excited for it! Next, I want to thank Nicole for being such a great wife and friend. I know that I am not the easiest person to live with by far (and I eat cereal for dinner. OK?! I admit it!), but she loves me still the same. She is the best and I couldn't ask for anyone better! I love her so much and she is the greatest and best part of my life! I couldn't live without her! Here is to a great year and many more (plus eternity!) to come!

Nicole Vs. The CPA

So Nicole has been studying furiously for the CPA and takes the third section this coming Friday. She has been listening to lectures and one of the lecturers, Pete Olinto (who, by the way, actually has a few pretty funny videos on YouTube), says that there is an inverse relationship between happiness and passing the CPA. Well, it also has been making me feel bad for her! And thus the sad face at the beginning of the post. I also have things I am working on as well but it does give me a little time to catch up on our blog.

We had a great time the past month with the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, the The Fray concert, and the Swain Family reunion. The Fray and Jack's Mannequin were awesome in concert and we got some great pictures, especially of Nicole's cousin, Dave, who was crowd surfing. I was glad to see Nicole get down in the crowd and toss those crowd surfers around! The temple open house was incredible, I would say my favorite part was the chandelier in the celestial room. For the reunion we went four-wheeling and it was awesome! I finally got some sun on my arms and legs and we all got incredibly dirty. Nicole's uncle Mike took us on this steep cliff, or maybe it was a hill, and we made it down after sliding a little bit. Actually we were sliding and Mike came running back up the hill saying "Use your back breaks!" and I was like "Oh yeah! I have back breaks too!" Anyway, it was kind of funny and we had such a great time being there with her family.

We also went to the MLS All-Stars vs. Everton FC soccer (futbol) game at Rio Tinto Stadium. The MLS All-Stars lost in a great game and an intense shootout at the end! We have had a great summer, except for the CPA part, and we are looking forward to more fun things to come!

4th of July Weekend

Colb and I really enjoyed our long 4th of July weekend. We spent time with both of our families and had a great time. The Hales Family Reunion was this weekend so we were able to see my Hales grandparents and my dad’s four sister’s families. We swam, rock climbed, hiked, played games, did skits, sang, ate lots of food, and visited. It was so fun to see everyone and we lucked out this year at only having four people in the whole family not there which is pretty good once you get up to around 50 people. We spent the rest of the weekend at Duncan’s doing fireworks, playing games, and having fun. I also learned that at the Duncan house 4th of July weekend is also full of helping dogs that got ran over by four-wheelers and had run-ins with porcupines. We are so grateful to have such wonderful families and appreciate the support and love the give us! We hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!

Nicole and Colby at Moonshine Arch

Dad, Halli, Colb, and Nicole on the arch

Hal and I thought it was pretty high!

The Cousins

Dave, Allie, Linsday, Nicole, and Colby

Graduation Weekend

I realized time was passing and I hadn’t posted anything about our graduation weekend. The last weekend in May we drove to Roosevelt for Tim’s (Colb’s brother) graduation from Union High School. Tim was the salutatorian and did a fantastic job speaking. Of course, he even made me tear up a bit. It was really fun because my cousins, Kamille and Veronika, were also graduating. We are so proud of all of them! Tim is getting ready to turn in his mission papers, Kamille starts college at BYU in the fall, and Veronika moved back to Germany. I can’t believe how fast we are all growing up!

Colby, Tim, and Nicole

Nicole, Kamille, Mom, and Mitch

Veronika and Tim

We woke up very early on Saturday and drove back to Salt Lake for Colb’s graduation from Westminster which was that afternoon. Colb graduated from Westminster College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and minors in math, physics, and biology. Of course, he is amazing, extremely intelligent, and I am really proud of him. There was a graduation brunch that morning that we went to with Nelson and Trudy and then we all celebrated afterwards at Little America for dinner.

It was a great weekend full of family and celebration. Good job graduates!

Colby

Colby and Nicole with the Griffin (a.k.a. The Peep)

Colby and Nicole at Westminster

3-11! 3-3-11! 3-11! 3-3-11!

So 311, in my opinion, is one of the best bands ever! Last summer Mark and I went to the 311 concert and since then we have really been wanting to go again. Nicole has also been wanting to go to real concerts (UBIC doesn't count) and so we had contemplated buying 311 tickets but they were 50 bucks! Well, one sunny Saturday morning (which means it must have been in May because I don't think those days exist in June this year) I check my email and what to my surprise, but 311 tickets were on sale for only 10 dollars a piece! We got six of them and so Nicole, Mark, Sarah, and my little bros, Slater and Tim, and I all went to see 311 live!

It had rained all day and I was worried that we were going to get soaked. We didn't care too much about seeing the opening acts so we arrived promptly at 9:00 (the concert started at 7:00) at which time the rain stopped and the clouds departed. We got there just before 311 went on stage so it was perfect timing!

We rocked and jammed until 11:30 or so and then headed home, our ears ringing. We had such an amazing time and 311 is so good live! I really like their music but it is a huge adrenaline rush to hear them and see them play! And to get to enjoy it with my cute and wonderful wife was the best ever!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

April kind of showered down on us and was a very busy month. We took a trip to Roosevelt for Easter weekend and had a blast. It is so hard to get our fill of being home and seeing both families in such a short weekend. We were lucky enough to get two Easters. We colored eggs twice, hunted for eggs twice, and ate tons of good food.

Easter at the Hales

Since we've been older Easter egg hunts at my house have started to change. Instead of just candy, mom and dad put money eggs into the mix. This year I missed the memo but all of the metalic eggs were money eggs. Dad hid over 100 eggs around the backyard and then the four of us (Colb, me, Mitch, and Halli) started to hunt.

Colb and I used a bad strategy this year and me, Colb, and Hal all went to the same side of the yard while Mitch wiped out the eggs on the other side. It gets pretty wild and Mitch and I even wrestled to get a metalic egg out of the bottom of the big black garbage can. (I did win that one with a little bit of dad's help!) Next year with Bri home too we better make a different game plan.

It started to rain on us at the end of the hunt and we went inside and colored eggs. We colored all of the hardboiled eggs and then started coloring raw eggs. Don't worry, we only dropped one!

This is a picture of the Easter egg fruit basket. Colb made a yellow egg that said, "I'm a banana" and that started it. We then made a strawberry, watermelon, even a gourd (not really a fruit), and an apple.

Easter at the Duncans

At the Duncan's, Katie is incredibly creative and we had all kinds of Easter decorating materials. We tie died eggs, painted eggs, tied blown out eggs, glittered eggs, and even beaded eggs. I was also given multiple University of Utah red eggs.

Later we had our Easter egg hunt. We all had an egg with our name on it to find. This time Colb hid all of the eggs so Brynie, Katie, and I decided to hide Colb's egg. I was worried that he would find it while he was hiding the rest of the eggs, but it was the very last egg found in the hunt.

Of course, Slater was the first to find it since it was behind the license plate of the Buick. We finally played the hot or cold game with Colb to help him find his special egg.




Halli and Sissy's Girls Night Out

Everyone was still on Spring Break the Monday after Easter. Mom, dad, Hal, Mitch, and Grandma Shela came out to Salt Lake to go to the Jazz game. Halli, at 6-years-old, wasn't too thrilled about going to the Jazz game and Colb had class so Hal and I stayed home and had Girls Night Out. Halli planned our activities for the night. We made and decorated spring sugar cookies and gave ourselves pedicures.

BYU Graduation

I graduated in December with my Masters of Accountancy, but at BYU there is no December graduation so I officially walked last week. It was fun to get back and see a lot of my friends and have a reason to celebrate. I was so excited to have a hood and then didn't even remember to take any pictures of it.

Colb and I have so much family support. Mom, dad, Nelson, and Trudy all made the drive out and sat through three hours of graduation. I love and appreciate them so much!

Colb recorded a little so you can see graduation without having to sit through all three hours! It was kind of fun to move up in the alphabet and be a "D". We were the very first.

I am so thankful to have attended school at BYU. I was talking Colb (and he even agreed with me) that there is something really neat about being at graduation and being able to really talk about the future I want. The speaker talked about how to have success in life. However, it wasn't just about our future careers, but about family and living gospel-centered lives. I met and interacted with amazing people and professors while I was at BYU and loved the wonderful spirit.

After graduation I was taking back my gown when we passed the statue of the cougar. As tradition goes, I had to get a picture. (The cougar was a lot easier to climb on!)

Master's Degree Brigham Young Unviersity


Bachelor's Degree Utah State University

Test Time

Colb and I finished up the April showers by taking tests. Colb had finals this week and had tons of papers, projects, presentations, and tests to finish up. Even though I graduated and thought I was done taking tests I joined him and took the first section of the CPA on Thursday. It was kind of nice that we were both studying and had stuff to do, but I don't feel like we've really seen each other for a couple weeks.

Outstanding Chemistry Student

Yesterday we went to an awards night at Westminster for Colb. Once again we had wonderful family support as Trudy, Nelson, Katie, and Mom, and Dad came out to attend. The awards ceremony was for graduating seniors. The professors had voted on the outstanding student within each major. Colb received the most outstanding chemistry student award. It was really neat to hear his professor talk about him. His professor said what we all know to be true about Colby. He talked about what a smart young man he was and all of his accomplishments that could be put on a resume. Then he spoke about what impressed him most were the things about Colby that could not be put on a resume. He talked about the way he served others, went the extra mile, and treated people around him. Mom commented how normal it seemed to be there since we've been watching Colb get awards since we met in the 4th grade. I am so proud of him and thankful to be married to such an amazing man! He is wonderful!

Well that catches everyone up on the April showers. We're glad to be through all of that and really looking forward to May flowers!

Mission Reunion

So, my mission reunion was last night as are most mission reunions. It was the 3rd one that I had been to since I got home and already the crowd is getting thin. I really only knew a handful of the kids there. I got to see several of my mission buddies and took a few pictures. I didn't get pictures with everyone that I would have liked to and some of the pictures were dark (gyms aren't great picture taking places!) but I got a good one with Joey Rich:

This picture is kind of dark but I wanted to put it in as well. Pieter and I got a chance to chat and catch up a little and it was good to see him again.

And with my trainer (Leaf Knotts) and his wife. It was great to see them and talk to them again. We had some great times and we have really enjoyed getting to know them better.

And of course I got a pictures with my favorite and final companion! She is the best and I love her to pieces. I really don't know what I would do without her!

If at first you don't succeed...

Colb and I have now been married for over six months. In that entire six months, I think I can count the number of meals that I've prepared on a couple hands (I may also need my feet, but it hasn't been a lot). Not that Colb has ever complained. I think he prefers a bowl of frosted mini-wheats to about anything, but I still want to be that good, cook-meals-for-your-family wife.

I started working at Ernst & Young in January and this has only made matters worse. It is busy season at work and we work and eat out a lot. Now my idea of making dinner for Colb is bringing him home my dinner from the restaurant of the day.

I decided it was time to change this fact and start cooking more. A couple months ago we received a free turkey that has been taking up freezer space so I decided to make turkey for a Sunday dinner. The first week I planned on making turkey didn't work because I didn't realize that big turkeys need a couple days to thaw out. However, the next Sunday we were prepared and had the turkey thawed and ready to go. We woke up early Sunday morning to put the turkey in the oven so it would be ready to go when we got home from church. We did pull the insides out because I had talked to Mom the day before. Everything was going well until I didn't read all of the directions. Instead of the turkey being ready when we got home from church, the turkey was completely done and ready to come out at about 9 am, just as we were headed out the door. We pulled it out and came back to a much cooler turkey than we were previously expecting. I can say that I didn't mess up the BOXED stuffing and Colb made mashed potatoes. As for the gravy...let's just say the gravy was very interesting. All in all the meal wasn't a complete failure. However by the time I am finished cooking at least something is already cold and I'm pretty much unappetized. Also, I've decided the rest of the cooks in the world must use lots of salt and butter or know some pretty good secrets that I'm missing because the food I cook tastes a bit bland.


The scariest part was that I was also asked on that Sunday to take dinner to a family in our ward that had just had a baby. I can make cookies and follow a recipe, but meals/dinners are not my strong suite. After much fretting (and many phone calls with mom), I did take the family a meal (and I don't think it killed them).

I decided part of the solution is practice so I actually made three meals this week...lasagna, a casserole, and chicken chili (ours was actually turkey chili). All turned out fine, but required lots of effort and time. Colb always says he really likes it, but I'm curious to hear what he'll say about these meals in 20 years. I guess in the last six months I've grown to appreciate my mom's (and all the other women in my life) time and patience in cooking so much more than I used to. I saw a quote that said..."If at first you don't succeed, order pizza." I was tempted to go for that, but for our waistlines I think I will keep practicing my cooking skills. In the meantime, I welcome any advice or yummy recipes. Happy Cooking!

Bob That Head With Rascal Flatts!

My little brother Tim went to the Rascal Flatts concert last year and absolutely loved it so this year for Valentine's Day Nicole and I went to the Bob That Head tour with Jessica Simpson and Rascal Flatts. We were so excited the whole week and we had a great time there! Jessica Simpson did well but we both agreed that she needs to stick to her old style of music. Rascal Flatts came out with a bang; lights, fireworks, and cool backdrops. They played a bunch of songs including Life Is A Highway which I recorded a clip of below. I know, I know, I should have recorded more and I should have gotten the chorus but I was too busy rockin' out!

They finished the show and left the stage. Everybody kept yelling and screaming and then on the big screens they showed an animated guitar player. He started playing parts of songs from Guns 'N Roses, Jimi Hendrix, etc. (it was really the Rascal Flatts guitarist backstage) and then they came back out and played Me And My Gang which was awesome! We really had a great time and it was so much fun!

A Big Day

Friday I had a busy, major (cold sore creating) day. It started early as I got ready for a medical school interview at the U. I spent the first part of the day in orientation and interviews for med school. Orientation was great and then we got started into the interviews.

I had two interviews, one with a doctor at the U and another with a fourth year med student. Both interviews went really well and then we had a chance to tour the new medical school building and see a little bit of the campus. We ate lunch with a few second year med students and then the day was over!

Right from my interviews I went to Westminster for the research fair that i was presenting at. Nicole took off some time from work and came to surprise me, which she succeeded in doing! She took a few pictures and I had a great time presenting all of the hard work we put into the project.

Nicole's Training In San Jose

For the last two weeks Nicole and I spent our nights talking on the phone because she was in California for training. She left Sunday the 4th and came back Friday the 16th after two long weeks! There really isn't a whole lot that happened for the two weeks but I am so glad to have her back! She has been really busy with work as it is busy season. We can't wait until spring to get out of this cold weather and have some time together!

New Years Eve!

Nicole and I spent the week after Christmas in Roosevelt and were able to attend our old family ward on Sunday. It was fun to see everyone and to be together there. We took a few pictures and the one above was one of our favorites. Our families spent New Year's Eve together at my house. My family got a Wii and Rock Band for Christmas and we had a blast playing it!

We decided that the four parents just had to try it out. We weren't going to just let them do it normally though. We wanted to them to have the full Rock Band experience so we added the wigs for effect:

Sheryl Crow & Bob Dylan

Maureen "Moe" Tucker

Slash

After seeing the picture below I am really thankful for a couple of things.

1) Nicole has long hair and not short, spiky, black hair.
2) I have short hair and not long, curly, brown hair.
3) I don't do drugs or my eyes would look like that all the time!