I figured that this news is blog-worthy. So for those of you that didn’t know, Nikki (the beautiful, perfect wife) is pregnant and we found out today that what? It’s a girl! What? Yes! A girl! This is going to be so much fun. Here’s a video that I found pretty cool. Enjoy!
Alright, so as you can guess I really am not a very good blogger. Nikki on the other hand, she’s incredible. She blogs about everything! She is the best at documenting. The cool thing about it is that someday our friends and family and even we will be able to look back at all of our adventures. It will be fan-freaking-tastic.
Alright so Nikki’s been bugging me to blog for a while now about my birthday and what an amazing wife I have. So here it is. Don’t the the title of this entry confuse you. I really do have crabs. Two of them to be exact! Nikki gave them to me for my birthday. That and something else that I’ll get to in a minute. So here is their introduction to the world wide web. Introducing…
Jack the Crab
Sawyer the Crab
Kate the Beta
So I am really struggling to blog as extensivly as my wife does. She’s a pro. But I figured at least once a month would be okay so here is my September update! Woo hoo! oh and for those of you that have gotten lost while trying to find Nikki’s blog it has moved to a new location. It can now be found at http://thehallzblog.blogspot.com/.
September has been a ultra über fun month filled with so many good times. So let’s start at the beginning… At the start of the month.
Lately I’ve started working with one of the most amazing men in the world on a few little film productions. Working with the perfection that is Phil Hudson is amazing. We’ve been working on a few screenplays for a while now and this was the first project that we actually got to almost fully run the development and production. All in all, it was an incredibly fun time. Thanks again to everyone that helped us get it rolling.
For Labor Day, Nikki and I started the celebration by hiking Mount Timpanogos with; freshly home from Iraq, Payden, the amazingly beautiful Colby and his fantastically fun girlfriend Heather. Hiking Timp has been a tradition that Payden and I started oh so many years ago and now that he is home from his mission and then Iraq we can continue to fulfill it. We left around midnight on the 7th and got up to the Saddle around six in the morning. Nikki and I froze for a couple hours at the Saddle waiting for the sunrise while Payden, Colby and Heather headed up to the peak to get the “full effect.” Overall the hiking was amazingly painful and cold but worth it. We had a blast.
After hiking Timp we headed to the Taking Back Sunday and Blink-182 with Payden and Phil. Thanks to State Farm Insurance we got our seats upgraded from the ‘nose-bleeds’ to the fourth row! The concert was amazing! Nikki’s posted the rest of the sweet pictures and even a pretty stellar video on her blog. Check it out!
On 9/9/9 I got The Beatles: Rockband! We have had a blast playing! If you guys didn’t already know I am pretty much obsessed with the Beatles and love everything about them so 9/9/9 was a humongously huge day for me.
Let’s see… some other fun things we did this month…
We had the greatest barbeque with almost all of our best friends from High School. Some people sadly could’nt make it but we know in our hearts they were there in sprit. Everyone was, Brittany and Jay, Sam, Phil, Aubrey and Jason and their beautiful darling boy Boston, Payden, Lacey, and of course Colby and Heather. We love you guys! Had a blast, can’t wait to do it again soon!
On September 10th our great great great friends Brett and Alexis tied the knot. Seeing them married warms my soul. I’m so happy for the two of them. Good on ya guys… good on ya.
The rest of the month was filled with the business of starting school and continuing to work full time. of course Nikki and I found time to golf a few times. She’s getting really good. I’m impressed more and more each time we go. Maybe if she’s good she’ll even get her own clubs soon!
Oh and Nikki and I finished a mean “Finding Nemo” puzzle the other day. But Nikki covers all the things like that.
As for things coming up in October… well… Nikki and I leave this week (October 3rd) for our cruise through the Western Caribbean! We can’t wait! We’re going to have a blast! Really the thing I’m the most excited for is to go to three new countries I’ve never been… the Grand Cayman, Honduras and Belize! I can’t wait.
After the cruise we have Halloween! Which of course mean… the dancing skeleton’s return to Supersonic Car Wash! Hooray! It’s going to be an amazing month.
Alright, so fall is coming! This means school starting next week and loads of fun for everyone. But… it also means one more thing… quality television shows! Now I have to admit. This is really starting to get out of hand. I have so many shows to keep track of this year it really might get to be too much. Also, Nikki, I know you’re reading this, rolling your eyes and thinking “Great, I’m not going to have a husband this fall.” Well babe, you will. I promise this won’t consume me… maybe… Anyway, here we go! Here’s a little big list of all the shows I love and can hardly wait for!
One Tree Hill
Season Premiere on CW: Monday, September 14th 8:00PM
Okay okay, before you go and take my man card let me explain. Yes, as you should have assumed, this one is for my wife, Nikki, who I love more than anything. Now I haven’t seen all of the past seasons of One Tree Hill but I have seen the last two at my wife’s request and they haven’t been all that bad. I have to say that I am definitely willing to watch this show this season and I will. So that’s why it made the list. Also, to clarify this list goes by which shows start the soonest and One Tree Hill starts the soonest. That is the only reason it at the beginning. Okay? So to make sure we understand… this list is not by preference.
The Jay Leno Show
Season Premiere on NBC: Monday, September 14th 10:00PM
I love Jay Leno. I grew up with Jay on television. I just don’t think it would be television if Jay Leno wasn’t on it in some form or fashion. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Conan, and I think Co Co doing a fantastic job with Late Night. But I’m really excited to see what Jay does with his next show.
Fringe
Season Premiere on Fox: Thursday, September 17th 9:00PM
Fringe is another project co-created by one of my personal idols, J.J. Abrams. Oh me oh my, he is good, oh so good. The show deals with the wacky world they call “fringe” science. The different twists and turns this show has are awesome and the acting is pretty good too. My favorite character is of course Doctor Walter Bishop played by John Noble. If you haven’t yet, check this show out! You will especially love it if you’re a fan of The X-Files or The Twilight Zone.
The Office
Season Premiere on NBC: Thursday, September 17th 9:00PM
Now I have to be honest. I have greatly enjoyed many years of The Office. I really have. But… in the last two seasons they have started to lose me. I think that they’re still doing a good job, but not as good as a job as I think they can do! I have faith in The Office and I hope this next season is as great as the first three were.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Season Premiere on FX: Thursday, September 17th 10:00PM
I have fallen in love with “It’s Always Sunny.” I think that this show takes some of the more controversial and simply outrageous topics and spins them in ways I could never have imagined. It’s creators Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day deserve to be worshiped in my mind. Oh and let’s not forget about Mister Danny DeVito. His performance in this show is amazazing.
How I Met Your Mother
Season Premiere on CBS: Monday, September 21st 8:00PM
This is show is legen… wait for it… dary! I have my great friends Alex and Tysin to thank for introducing me to this show. I’ve now seen seasons one and two and I’m trying to catch up on seasons three and four in time for the premiere. I’ve loved this show so far and I’m told that it only gets better. I can’t wait! Suit up!
House
Season Premiere on Fox: Monday, September 21st 8:00PM
House is to the point now where it is just classically great. There is never much story development which I actually like for this kind show. I like being able to just watch an episode of House anywhere in the season and be able to catch up on what is going on while thoroughly enjoying the constant mysteries in each episode. I just wish I understood even a third of the medical lingo they throw around.
The Amazing Race
Season Premiere on CBS: Sunday, September 27th 8:00PM
I want to be on this show! Now I must confess, I haven’t watched the last few seasons as religiously as I would have liked but I think that this is still my favorite reality show out there. That’s all I have to say about that.
Lie to Me
Season Premiere on Fox: Monday, September 28th 9:00PM
I got hooked on Lie to Me last season thanks to Hulu. Without that glorious site I most likely wouldn’t have given it a try. But I am really excited for this next season. The show deals with a company called The Lightman Group started and run by Doctor Cal Lightman played wonderfully by Tim Roth. The Lightman Group investigates and finds the truth in situations by interpreting human micro expressions. Lie to Me has great acting with one of my favorite television concepts ever.
30 Rock
Season Premiere on NBC: Thursday, October 15th 9:30PM
Tina Fey’s marvelous creation: 30 Rock. Now, 30 Rock has gotten quite a many awards, including 22 primetime Emmy Award nominations in 2009 alone. That speaks for itself! If you haven’t seen every 30 Rock episode then you should go out and buy it right now. Practically perfect in every way, you will be laughing out loud every week.
Lost
Season Premiere on ABC: Early 2010
Lost is my absolute favorite show on television. I’m sad that it has to be here toward the bottom of the list but it stupidly doesn’t start until, as ABC says, “early 2010″. Yes I’m sad about it and yes I am sad that this will be its last season but I’m excited to get some answers. My years of devotion will be paid off and I can’t wait. Lost is such an amazing show and I’m sad to see it go but I foresee many great things coming from its creators Damon Lindelof, J.J. Abrams and Jeffrey Lieber.
Parenthood
Season Premiere on NBC: ???
Parenthood was supposed to premiere on September 23rd but got pushed back to sometime “mid-season”. The sole reason I am excited for this show is that two of its executive producers are Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. Now, not only do I love Ron Howard and everything he touches but both of these men were producers of the greatest, and my personal favorite television comedy ever… Arrested Development. I have high hopes for this show and I hope that it brings me more laughs that I can adore for ages to come. I’m eagerly crossing my fingers and my toes for this one.
Whew! What did I tell you! That is quite the list I know! It’s going to be quite the entertaining winter! Enjoy!
Alright, alright. So I have been a major slackalacker as far as the blogging goes. But I’m now back. Yes back with a vengeance! Well sort of, I’m going to be as vengeful as I can. So take note! Oh and… this is going to be quite the blog post so I have to apologize in advance. It’s a long one!
Anyway, so Nikki and I… well… we’re married! I know hard to believe but it’s true! We’re married and couldn’t be happier or more in love. So for those of you that aren’t aware we got engaged on December 18th, 2008 and we were married on May 2nd, 2009. The day was absolutely magical. I really couldn’t have asked for a better, happier, greater day. We woke up around five and got all done up. Headed up to the Salt Lake LDS Temple. The ceremony was incredible. Thanks to my grandfather for marrying us. When it was all done we came outside into a quite literal torrential downpour. It was great. We ran around and snapped some pictures getting absolutely soaked. So that was fun.
After those heartwarming pictures were taken we had a little luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Luckily it wasn’t too far away. Once we got indoors we took some more pictures and headed to the top floor for the foood. It was delicious. Everyone took turns crying and telling stories about Nikki and I and our most embarrassing moments of all time. It was great. I have to admit though that Nikki got roasted a lot worse than I did. My poor wifey. Oh, and then my brother Matthew and my Aunt Yara sang a beautiful song for Nikki and I, thank you so much to them. I also have to say thank you to my parents especially my Mother for setting up the luncheon and making it such a great time for everyone especially Nikki and I. Anywho, that was the luncheon and here are some more pictures.
After that we drove home and sadly did nothing for a couple hours. We cleaned off Nikki’s soaked, mud covered wedding dress and headed to Sun River Gardens to get everything set up for the reception. We got barely got everything set up in time. We couldn’t have done it without Whitney and Ashton’s help. They pretty much managed all of the food for us. So thanks a million to them. Also I have to say thanks a million to Nikki’s Aunt Linda for all of the beautiful flowers for the entire day. You see, Nikki has always wanted black roses for her wedding and Linda pulled it off beautifully. They all turned out amazazing! So after we stood in line for a year and a half we finally had to take a break and cut the cake, do the dances as well as the bouquet and garter toss. All went well and very smooth. Thank you thank you to everyone that helped us in anyway, especially all of Nikki’s bridesmaids. Thanks a million billion. So after all of the formalities we talked to a few more people and called it a night. We left the reception in a pretty sweet Hummer limo. No I know that a bunch of people out there are saying what? A Hummer? I know, I know. It’s not the most classy ride in the world and I have to admit that I was kind of bummed out when I found out that that was what it was. You see… I special ordered a 2009 Lincoln stretch but for some reason the limousine company thought that I would be impressed with the Hummer and I mean it was nice but I still think the Lincoln would have been nicer. I don’t know why but it seems like every time I order a limo it gets changed at the last minute for something that isn’t as good (my fellow fellas know what I mean). But it’s okay. And that’s enough about the limo. Okay okay, so then Nikki and I left the reception in some major style, psh… and after changing headed up to the Grand America Hotel to spend out first night together… psh again! No details for you other than that it was magically magnificent and amazing. Oh and very romantic. Let’s just say rose petals and chocolates a plenty, who’s-its and what’s-its galore. I love my wife Nikki more than anything. So that pretty much covers the wedding day! Here are some more pictures, this time of the reception. I also have to give a little shout out to Sam and Aubrey at Every Little Moment Photography. Thank you so very much! We love the pictures. Here you go…
Now we’re onto the honeymoon. Now Nikki’s dream honeymoon has always been to go to Cancún, Benito Juárez, Q Roo, Mexico. I know! What a perfect destination! It really was. I love Cancún. It’s always been my favorite tropical destination. I’ve been there a few times but it was a blast and a whole new experience to go with Nikki. We created so many great memories that we talk about everyday. If you want a play-by-play of the honeymoon and everything that we did you can check out Nikki’s blog. She kept track of everything that we did everyday we were there.
Nikki’s Blog
Honeymoon:
Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five | Day Six | Day Seven | Day Eight | Day Nine
Thank you wife. I love you. For those of you that have already read Nikki’s posts or if you’re just looking for the quick version here you go…
Day One:
We woke up and ate a delicious breakfast at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. After that we checked out and took Nikki’s first taxi ride to the aeropuerto. We got on the plane and headed directly to Cancún. We landed and everything was so beautiful not to mention so so humid! I love the feeling and it was so great. Mmm… I want to go back. We checked into our hotel the beautiful JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa. It was so gorgeous. We were pretty tired so we just walked around the resort, ordered some room service and went to bed…
Day Two:
We pretty much just kept relaxing at the resort. We liked just taking it easy after the chaos of planning the wedding and finishing finals. So we hung out some more at the hotel. Spent a few hours undoing knots in Nikki’s hair and Went swimming out at the beach. Later that night we went out to a great (super spicy) Thai restaurant called Sasi Thai. We ate outside and watched the sunset. After that we went back to our room and had a great surprise of rose petals everywhere in our room, wink wink. It was quite romantic.
Day Three:
Kept relaxing. Scheduled a trip to a water snorkeling park adventure place called Xel-ha for the next day. Finally got the rest of the knots out of Nikki’s hair. Walked around a bit a got the lay of the land. Went to dinner a little Italian place called La Dulce Vita. Not the same as La Dulce Vita in Provo, Utah but still very good. They even had a pet crocodile or ‘cocodrilo’ that Nikki tried to feed pasta. Don’t worry all you cocodrilo lovers out there, she got yelled at for it.
Day Four:
We woke up pretty early for a change and took a bus to Xel-ha. Nikki learned how to snorkel or ‘esnórquel’. She actually loved it! Here’s a sad story. We had a waterproof camera that we took. We had so many cool pictures of us on it. You all should have seen the ones of Nikki in all of the esnórquel gear. It was hilarious but awesome. And… we lost the camera! I know! How could we! Trust me, we searched and called all of Mexico looking for it but never found it. It was so sad. But then after we got back from Xel-ha (so so burned because we had to use their stupid eco-friendly or ‘ecológica’ sunscreen) we found Lost! Yes that’s right I was able to watch my season finale of Lost right there in Cancún, Benito Juárez, Q Roo, Mexico!
Day Five:
We slept in and ventured even further in the heart of Cancun or ‘Cancún’ to a little breakfast place called Vips. We made friends with the waitresses even though we don’t speak any Spanish or ‘Español’ and figured out the rest of the bus system. We went down to the market or ‘mercado’ and got Nikki bombarded or ‘bombardearon’ by all of the merchants. I told them all that she was the boss and had all the money. Hey! I figured it would be a good learning experience for her! She hated it, doesn’t like having a million hot (in a bad way), sweaty men follow her around. But she did manage to haggle a little and buy a nice hammock for us! Way to go babe! I’m so proud!
Day Six:
Now this was a fun day! We went to Chichen Itza! We took a long bus ride to the ruins and had a great tour guide that taught us a ton! We took a bunch of pictures then went to an authentic lunch that turned out to be really good. After that went to a sink hole where people could go swimming. It was pretty cool to see, I wish that we would have brought our swim suits but we forgot them… sadness was all around us. Oh and it was during the long bus rides that I found out that Mexico is the place to play ‘Slug Bug’ and Nikki is horrible at it when she is tired. Just so you all know.
Day Seven:
We woke up and decided to go do some shopping and see if Nikki’s movie ‘Wolverine’ might be playing. We went over to a nearby mall and walked around for a while. After that we found out that the world was closed because of the Swine Flu (H1N1 for you technicals). So we went to Planet Hollywood. Nikki loved seeing all the movie props and everything. They had some stuff from Empire Records (Nikki’s favorite movie) and she was so excited to see all of that. A couple things that I thought were pretty cool was that they had the Ferrari from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the sunglasses from Blues Brothers.
Day Eight:
Happy Mothers Day! We woke up way to early so that we could go out to the beach and look for shells. Nikki found some really cool ones and they are now proudly displayed in our bathroom. Come over whenever to take a look at the treasures! We called out mothers to wish them a happy day. We also got to talk to my sister Sharolee on her mission in Lithuania! So great to hear from her! Then we ate breakfast again at Vips downtown. I might have taken Nikki on a round about way downtown that would have been a shortcut if it had worked how I had planned it. But no, we got lost and it was all my fault. We were sweating like crazy and so so hot. Nikki was pretty mad at me but then I bought her a flower for Mother’s Day from an old elderly old woman on the street and she started to forgive me. Ha! Yea right! She was so mad for a good hour or two after that.
Day Nine:
We woke up even earlier on this day to go and look for shells. Yep, three in the morning! Nikki is hardcore when it comes to her shell searching. But we found a few more. Then we went back to bed and later on woke up to start packing. We went to Vips one last time and then came back to the resort. Nikki started to feel sick from the Indian food that we ate the night before. Don’t ever eat Mexican Indian food! It’ll getcha! But after that we went back to the airport and headed home!
Overall the wedding and honeymoon was so fantastic! This little (haha, yea right, huge) blog post really doesn’t do it justice. We had so much fun together and we’ll never forget it. We love being married and couldn’t be happier. Thanks again to all of you that celebrated with us and thank you all for your wonderful wedding wishes and gifts. We couldn’t have asked for everything to go better. We love you all. Stay tuned for vicious vengeful or ‘vicioso vengativo’ updates in the future. Thanks for reading if you did!