farewell sky

On Sunday we had the privilege of attending this kid's farewell. It was great seeing Sky all dressed up in his new missionary suit, speaking to the ward about why he decided to serve a mission. I was really impressed with the talk he prepared. By the end, it even made me get a little emotional—which was bad news, since I had to get up and sing a musical number right after. By the end of the song—I lost it. It just fell apart... but everyone just told me that it made the meeting even more spiritual. That was nice of them to say.

But really, I told Sky not to make me cry before I got up to sing. And what did he do? He made me cry. That little jerk!

we accidentally left the garment bag that contained our church clothes back in provo—hence, the jeans, cowboy belt, and sister's bridesmaid dress.                     we made it work.

Lots of fam and friends came to show support

I think the whole meeting really solidified that he is ACTUALLY GOING ON A MISSION. It didn't seem real. But wow. He is really going away for TWO YEARS! I am gonna miss him like crazy, but I am so proud of my little brother. The people of the West Indies will be lucky to have him.

Next week Jacob and I will be dropping him off at the MTC.
Still can't believe it.

sweet sedona

We decided to make our 2nd trip down to Mesa interesting by adding a special stop.

We packed some sandwiches, donned our bathing suits, and found "our spot" by the creek.

There we enjoyed the sunshine and the cool green waters of this desert wonderland.

it was a windy day in sedona

eating his sandwich by the creek

a poor attempt at getting a photo of us together, but i still like it

This is a special place for us.

solar eclipse

5.20.12

Somewhere between Kanab and Penguitch, Utah.

Going blind trying to watch this rare event in our universe without proper eyewear.

bye-bye buskin cuffs

Last weekend, we surprised my family by driving down to Mesa to see my little brother play his last show with his band (Buskin Cuffs) before he leaves for his mission. It was a fast and furious trip—we literally drove to Mesa, stayed the night, and drove back to Provo the very next morning. But it was oh so worth it.

I needed to get my last Buskin Cuffs fix for the next two years—and wow, they put on a great show.

It was also Jacob's first time seeing the band play (besides our wedding reception), and he loved it.

sister + brother

Highlights of the show:

+ The new songs were awesome
+ The horn section on "I Knew Your Name"
+ Tj's standup comedy between songs
+ The cover of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You." Amazing.
+ The sexy sax man who stole the show. Seriously. Best sax solo I've ever witnessed.
+ Skyler's dedication of their last song to his girlfriend, Heather. The lil' rocker has a heart.

So glad we didn't miss this. It was a hard decision since we knew that we'd be driving down to Mesa again the next weekend for Sky's farewell. But Jacob ended up making the executive decision with a...

"Well, we only live once, right? Let's do it."

wind beneath my wings

I was stunned when Jacob told me he didn't know the song "Wind Beneath My Wings."

I mean, how is that possible? EVERYBODY knows Wind Beneath My Wings. 

It's basically the magnum opus of all inspirational 80s ballads.

As soon as I hear those synths and oh's in the intro, I am flooded with emotions and memories 

of big-haired pageant girls with rhinestone tiaras and poofy-sleeved dresses in the early 90s.

Okay, I am sensing a bias here. But my family's pageant past aside, 

EVERYONE KNOWS THIS SONG, RIGHT?

Of course, when I discovered Jacob's innocent ignorance of the song, 

I had a mic plugged into his guitar amp and was doing my best to belt it out to him.

It's not as weird as it sounds. 

Forget that I told you about the pageant stuff...

Magic Song: PROUD MARY

I knew I married the right guy when (at my sister's studio's dance recital) he suddenly turned to me and said...

"I just had this fantasy of you up on stage with big hair and one of those gold dresses singing "Proud Mary" all Tina Turner-style. We need to find you a gig."

He said it with a laugh—but little did he know, this is actually one of my DEEPEST SECRET FANTASIES. Because, let's be honest, everything about this song and this video are awesome. How could I NOT recreate this in my mind over and over [Minus Tina—Insert Holli]?

All I need is a fringey-gold-metallic dress, some backup dancers, and a free karaoke night at Fat Cats.

Who's with me?

TOMORROW NIGHT

so stoked.

whateva.

Yes, I did a shameless google search of myself
 

 

and  this is the first image that comes up when you google "holli hale."

awesome.

kool for kimbra

After watching that Goyte video that everyone has been obsessing over—I don't really care for the song or the video—I didn't think I would be that into Kimbra (who is featured in the Goyte song). She just seemed like some poppy-belter-diva.

But after listening to an exclusive preview of her solo album on NPR—I had to stop and think this over again. Okay, so I was impressed. So I hit up youtube and watched her videos. And then I watched more of her videos. And then I watched them again. And AGAIN. And now you could say I am officially OBSESSED with Kimbra. And I mean, like, stupid-obsessed.

SHE. IS. SO. COOL.

One thing I have to say is that her album is really good, but there's some energy that is lost from her live performances. I much prefer these vids of her singing live and rocking out with her tambourine.

"Cameo Lover" might be my fav. I love the Motown feel of the chorus. And holy crap. I swear at about 2:30 she sounds exactly like Michael Jackson, and I looooove it. obviously.

Something about this one reminds me of a Janelle Monae's "Sincerely Jane." Crazy-funky-cool.

And this Nina Simone cover—wow—it just proves how legit she is. This little New Zealand lady has some serious soul. And man, she can WAIL.

I became so obsessed with Kimbra today that I even passed these vids to my little brother who has great music taste.

He validated my insta-fan-mania by affirming (in his teenage boy vernacular) that Kimbra is indeed "sick."

Buskin Cuffs Final Show!!!

Last week, my mom asked me if I would design a poster for my brother's show for her Mother's Day present.

Well, if that's what she really wanted—it was the very very least I could do.

For all you Arizona people out there, YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS! This is gonna be Skyler's very last show before he leaves for his two-year mission in the West Indies, and they are workin hard to make it their very best show yet. If you've heard them before, you know how INCREDIBLE they are. But for this event, you can expect double the awesomeness + some new original songs from the band. It will be EPIC, guaranteed.

My Mom

I could say a lot of things about my mom, but I honestly think that this video pretty much sums up what kind of woman she is...

A lot of people describe their mothers as "angels." Don't get me wrong, my mom has a lot of angelic qualities, but that's not the first word that comes to mind when describing Diane Hale. My mom is the kind of woman who can ride a buck-wild mechanical bull for a full minute—which was about twice as long as any of her children lasted on that thing. (and by the way, it's WAYYY harder than it looks)

This woman is a fighter. She's strong. She's bold.

First of all, she had seven kids. That alone takes a strong woman. And let's be honest, we weren't exactly perfect children. In fact, sometimes we were basically insane. If you knew my two youngest brothers back when they were kids (nicknamed the "twin tornadoes"), you would wonder how she ever maintained any of her sanity. But all I can remember is my mom loving us and putting up with our craziness with a good sense of humor.

But she hasn't just been a good mom to us. She's a good mom to EVERYONE. She's the kind of woman who stands up to the high school baseball coach when he is mistreating one of the players—even when it's not her son that's being wronged. Even when no one else will stand up with her. She's the kind of woman who does everything she can to not only get my little brothers to seminary—but their friends too. Even if it means bribing. Even if it means waiting in the car for fifteen minutes while a teenage boy drags himself out of bed so she can give him a ride to seminary. And doing this almost every morning... for someone who isn't her child. She's the kind of woman who welcomes others into her home—and "welcome" is a huge understatement. I think at one time there were three young men (and their cat) living in our home. These friends of my brother showed up at our house because they needed help and they didn't know where else to go. Of course, my mom let them (and the cat) stay at our house until they got back on their feet again. She will help anybody and everybody. And their cats.

She stands up for what is right. She shows love to all. And let's face it, she's just cool.

I have this memory from when I was about eleven. My mom took me and my best friend out somewhere fun—I don't even remember where— all I remember is my friend looking at me and saying, "You're lucky. Your mom is so cool." I remember the words taking me back a little bit. I guess I had never given it much thought at that age, but I had to agree. "Yeah, my mom is cool. Really cool." And if you want to know many of the reasons that make her cool, see this post.

She shows her faith by the way she lives.

My mom has imparted so much wisdom on me throughout the years; however, I believe she has taught me the most by the way she lives her testimony. Her optimism. Her unfailing endurance. Her constant service and selflessness. The way she sees the good in everyone—even the tatooed/pierced-up (somewhat scary-looking) cashier at Urban Outfitters. Her eternal perspective. The way she values people more than things and loves her family more than herself. The way she is always pushing herself to be better.

Sometimes, I honestly think my mom could've been one of those pioneer women back in the day. Pushin' a handcart. Helping others along the way. Roughing through the good and the bad—and yet, singing a song as she goes. Smiling every step of the way.

Mom, I love you. You are such a strong, inspiring woman; and yet, sometimes I think I am only beginning to understand how much you have done for me and everyone else in your life. As your daughter, I hope I have made you feel loved and appreciated, though I know I could've done more. Thank you for the incredible example you have shown me. I only hope that someday I can be half as wise, courageous, lovely, kind, and amazing as you.

released

We are really gonna miss teaching these kiddos every Sunday.

Being a primary teacher has been the funnest/funniest calling I have ever had in the church.

Every class is an adventure with seven 4-year-olds to watch over,

and the kids just crack me up.

But I must say that I am REALLY excited about my new calling.

and I mean, PUMPED.

If you want a clue: Last night I had the pleasure of attending "Mutual" for the first time in about 6 years.

And I kinda loved it.

goodbye love-mobile

After being married for 8 months, Jacob and I came to the decision that we really don't need two cars. Because my lil' 1995 Lexus gets better gas mileage, we found ourselves using it to get around town while Jacob's poor Nissan Xterra sat in the driveway...for months. It was time to find him a new home.

It was especially bittersweet since this was the car of our dating era. So many good memories. Rexburg. Yellowstone. Bear World. Scenic drives through Sundance. Zions Nat'l. Vegas. Los Angeles. DISNEYLAND. Sedona. The drive down to Arizona to get married. The drive back to Provo to start our life together. This car took us everywhere.

a few breakdowns, but never a break-up.

When we cleaned out the car, we found all our old mixes—most of the tracks hearkening back memories of roadtrips, adventures, and falling in love. We also found the little picture of the Mesa Temple that I mailed to him while we were engaged. He kept it on the dashboard where he could always see it when we were apart those few months. The picture now has a new home in my Lexus.

It was hard saying goodbye, but we know that Xterra will be safe in the hands of Jacob's little brother. And hopefully we'll get a few supervised visitations in the future. *Sigh*

it's a man's man's man's world

I've never really gotten into American Idol or any of the other singing compeition tv shows out there. 

However, I did watch the watch the latest episode of The Voice, and this performance just floored me.

All due respect to James Brown, 

but I think this song was meant to be roared by a little blonde rocker chick.

that awkward moment when...

the bishop calls you up to the pulpit to give a spontaneous impromptu testimony at the end of sacrament meeting.

Of course, this is my worst nightmare. I hate doing anything on the spot without psycho-emotional preparation. It makes my nerves go insane. When I heard the words “Holli Robinson” come out of the bishop’s mouth I thought I would either pass out or run for the door. I looked at Jacob in horror and said “ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?” probably loud enough for all the people around us to hear.

I think he just laughed and said something like, “yep! you better go bear your testimony!” He must’ve been delighted at this, since he is always nudging me to go bear my testimony on fast Sundays.

We were sitting all the way in the back, and so I had to walk all the way up the aisle. Every step thinking what the heck am I gonna say? ahhh. I felt surprisingly calm as I took a seat near the pulpit as another woman was bearing her impromptu testimony, though I made sure to shoot the bishop a disapproving glance of are you serious bishop!? He smiled back.
 

When I got up to the mic, the whole congregation looked fuzzy. I couldn’t focus on anything. The first thing that came out of my mouth was an idiotic laugh and “wow.” Then I mustered some inarticulate testimony and quickly returned to my seat in a state of post-traumatic stress. Not really knowing what I said or what just happened. 

(to give myself a little credit, it was a sincere testimony of the Book of Mormon that I had been wanting to express, though I was so nervous that I don't think it was expressed very well.)

I have to admit that I kinda just wanted to disappear. Of course, Jacob told me I did really well and gave me hugs. I just hope I didn’t embarrass him.

After sacrament, I was convinced that everyone had already forgotten about my little testimony and it wasn’t that big of a deal. Well, if it didn't make much of an impression on the adults in the congregation, it made a HUGE impression on our primary class.  As soon as I walked into the Primary room, Grace and Evan shouted, “HEY I SAW YOU!!! I SAW YOU UP THERE! I SAW YOU!!!”

And in her ever-candid attitude, Grace asked, “Why were you laughing?”

 
Oh the honesty and observance of children. This made me feel bad. Like maybe I treated the opportunity to bear my testimony a little lightly.

“Well, I didn’t even know the bishop was gonna call me up to talk. And when he did, it just made me laugh!” I tried to explain in a way that a 4-year-old could understand.

“That doesn’t sound very funny to me,” said Evan bluntly. 

Grace's blank expression seemed to agree with Evan. 

Four-year-olds are always right.