One of our goals at Sugar High Motorsports is to celebrate and strengthen marriages by encouraging couples to work and play together in the automotive world. We want to start highlighting strong marriages that have done just that with a feature we are calling Marriage Monday.
Check back here to see all of our awesome couples! If you’re interested in being featured, please email us.
CHRISTIAN AND PAM HALL
Today’s Marriage Monday couple is Christian and Pam Hall, photographers from Bakersfield, California. They are a couple whose love of racing has become a family passion that has been passed down to their son who is a top ranking race car driver at the young age of 9.
Q: How long have you been married and how did you meet?
A: We’ve been married 10 years as of November 15, 2017. We met through a mutual friend at a get together
Q: Do you have kids and are they involved in the automotive world with you?
A: Yes, one. His name is Hank. He is 9, and actually has 4 different race cars. We are selling one, but currently has 4.
Q: What parts of the automotive world do you participate in together?
A: Well as a family we do everything together. We go camping with our JEEP and sleep in our CVT Tent, we explore the backroads, we race together (mostly Hank these days), and we work and prep all of our race cars together. As a family like to be outdoors, so it doesn’t matter if we’re out camping, fishing, off-roading, or racing, we are together. Our all-time favorite is to just go to the desert, camp, off-road trail rides, and relax.
Q: What is a favorite automotive memory you share?
A: We would have to say that winning the Baja 1000 would be one of the favorites. Pam was unable to race it, but was there and experienced it with our team.
Q: What is a challenge you have faced and overcome together?
A: Learning that life is too short to not to enjoy it now. Learning that in a great marriage, compromising is everything. We are on the same page 95% of the time and the other 5% we have to compromise.
Q: Aside from cars, what other activities do you enjoy doing together?
A: We spend our summers in North Carolina just relaxing on a lake. Like I said above we also love to go camping and just relax.
Q: What is your best piece of marital advice?
A: Pick your battles, and just let it go. When we disagree, we say how we feel, and get over it. We don’t dwell on the past.
Learn more about the Hall’s photography business at www.christianhallphoto.com, their family race team at www.hallmotorsports.us, and their impressive son Hank Hall.
ETHAN AND KRISTIN CLINE
Today’s Marriage Monday couple has a love that started and continues to flourish under the hood. They live in Long Beach, California where Ethan is an automotive instructor at Universal Technical Institute and Kristin is both an automotive journalist and marketer, heading up the Driving Line publication for Nitto Tire.
Q: How long have you been married and how did you meet?
A: We’ve been married 5 years. We met in an alleyway! We met online but had a very loosely arranged first date, where Kristin swung by Ethan’s garage after completing a day of working on her Studebaker. In overalls and dirty, Ethan said it was truly love at first sight when she opened the hood of her car and started talking about its engine.
Q: Do you have kids and are they involved in the automotive world with you?
A: No children, just a dog named Lucy. Lucy loves hanging out in the garage! (just kidding!)
Q: What parts of the automotive world do you participate in together?
A: We’re both hot rodders and enjoy spending time in the garage. It’s great when we can get out on the road and enjoy our work… but we really love tinkering. Any weekend that doesn’t have “plans” to it, you’ll find us in the garage.
Q: What is a favorite automotive memory you share?
A: Most recently, Ethan worked to finish his ’57 Ford in time for the 2016 Lone Star Round Up show in Austin, Texas. The car had sat for 10 years and he spent the year leading up to Lone Star completely restoring the firewall-up +++ of his Ford. The car hadn’t even been on the freeway yet when we left So Cal for Austin for what would be a 3,500 mile test drive. While the adventure definitely wasn’t the most relaxing vacation we could take together, it was a true adventure. We got to explore, work through challenges and most importantly build experiences together. Ethan triumphantly rolled into Lone Star Round Up, and Kristin was proud to sit in the passenger seat for once.
Q: What is a challenge you have faced and overcome together?
A: The wrenching and pursuits we share in automotive have really been a vehicle for growing through challenges in marriage. They’ve helped us to learn to support each other’s pursuits even when they may be frustrating or not exactly what we would’ve chosen/done.
For example the other summer, Kristin had gotten an opportunity to land speed race and we drove her Studebaker out to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Her Studebaker gave us some trouble on the way (and some trouble while we were there), but we paired together and worked through the challenges and supported each other. Kristin losing hope or Ethan getting upset during that trip brought opportunities to communicate better and grow together. In the end, we both got our land speed racing licenses and had an incredible adventure!
Q: Aside from cars, what other activities do you enjoy doing together?
A: Everything and nothing! Automotive world is kind of “life” for us and we love laughing and working together in it. We’re also very independent and value being able to do our own thing — Kristin is an adventurer so may go off on a weekend motorcycle trip alone and Ethan is more of a homebody so gets some R&R holding down the fort. And that works for us, we think times apart can strengthen who we are and we enjoy that when we come back together.
Q: What is your best piece of marital advice?
A: Respect one another. You’ll never always agree or even understand each other, but having a foundation of respect for who we each are as people lays groundwork for enjoying the good times and partnering through the hard.
Check out Kristin’s website GreaseGirl.com; a website aimed at growing more women auto enthusiasts.
RICH KLEIN AND SHELLEY KREHBIEL
Today’s Marriage Monday features a couple whose life screams of adventure and travel. “Big Rich” Klein and Shelley Krehbiel, of WE Rock and Dirt Riot, are well known and loved in the off-road racing community.
Q: How long have you been married and how did you meet?
A: Married 12/22/12 – the day after the end of the world. There’s a story. We got engaged in 2010, but both of us having been married before for over 25 years, we were not in a rush to get married. The Aztec calendar was being discussed at great length about that time, so we just told everyone who asked that we were getting married the day after the end of the world. Either he would get lucky or I would. We both did. Held a “surprise wedding” on the 21st; invited friends and family to an “End of the World as we know it” party – just after midnight, we got married. It was awesome! Celebrating 5 years this December.
We are an eHarmony success story. At the end of 2008, both of us ended up on eHarmony at the same time. Rich’s first wife had passed away. My first marriage had ended in divorce. We were both looking for our happily ever after. He lived in Northern California; I was in Southeast Idaho – not quite 1000 miles away. I was a few years away from retiring from my job (another long story, but essentially, I was leaving my career when my youngest graduated from high school), and I was looking for adventure; the opportunity to travel. He was an event promoter, already traveling – his profile offered a life of camping on beaches with an occasional 4 star hotel (I’m still waiting for that). We were matched 12/20/2008; we finally met 3/7/2009. It was just supposed to be a fling. Dating in your 40’s is very different than dating in your teens/twenties. We’ve been together since.
Q: Do you have kids and are they involved in the automotive world with you?
A: Together, we have 5 children. Our boys are both 33; two daughters that at 30 and we have a 24 year old. We aren’t the Brady Bunch, everyone in the same house probably never would have worked, but with them all grown. It’s good. We also have five grandchildren. Two boys, 8 & 7; a five year old girl and two 2 year old girls. They are awesome!
All the kids have their own lives and careers, only one participates in the industry – Lil’ Rich Klein is also an event promoter – he has Trail Hero in Southern Utah.
Q: What parts of the automotive world do you participate in together?
A: We have made off-road our lifestyle. A little history here: Rich started CalRocs in 2001, it grew up to be WE Rock (World Extreme Rock Crawling) Since 2001, this has been his only career. He would put on 6-10 events a year. When we met, the sport had declined significantly from its’ heyday. The economy was struggling and disposable income for competitors and spectators alike was thin. Rich was committed to the sport, it is his passion, but it was becoming harder and harder to make a living and it looked like he was going to close up shop at the end of 2009. My passion is not automotive based, mine is business based. I love to solve problems and find resources. I watched him struggle and asked if I could help. He turned me down. I asked again and again until he finally let me in. We took everything back to the basics and started building from there. In 2011, we introduced Dirt Riot Endurance Racing as a test. The test was successful, so in 2012 we committed. I left my career, we moved in to an RV (the TajMahauler) and we went on the road. For the last six seasons, we have put on 18-21 events a year of our own plus staffing another half a dozen for other promoters. We incorporated offroad in to our whole life. There is never a time we are away from it. We live full time in our RV and travel full time for our business and life. We’ve been to Japan, Australia and Costa Rica meeting people who love offroading.
We also have a safety campaign called Live With It to encourage the use of helmets and harnesses when going offroad. The other thing we do (it’s new) is we recently bought 4Low Offroad Magazine – it’s a small print magazine that focuses on 4 wheel drive – this is going to be our primary business in years to come, it’s just getting started now.
We also own a boutique hotel in Texas and partner in a food truck in Idaho – life is never dull.
Q: What is a favorite automotive memory you share?
A: Truly, there are so many, but a couple of stories, we tell often. When we first started dating, Rich took me to Baja, it was early June, just before the Score 500 and we went to Mike’s Sky Ranch – an experience unto itself. After staying overnight, we left out the pacific coast side, taking the goat trail that is often the race course, it looks out over a valley with sheer cliffs. More often than not, we were off-camber looking over the passenger side where I was. I sat calmly thinking to myself, “I wonder how long it takes them to find the bodies.” To me, one wrong move and we were going over the side. When he finally straightened out and got us to a flat spot, I asked him if I had passed. He looked at me funny, “This was obviously a test, I just want to know if I passed.” Turns out I did, we wheel everywhere and I am happy in the passenger seat.
Another story: We had been on the road for a couple of years and just finished our National Rampage event in Bridgeport, Texas. One of the things we always do is run the course again to take down all the markings and see how the track looks. Rich asked if I wanted to drive. I’ve NEVER driven offroad, so I said sure, why not. I got in behind the wheel and took off, down the first drop off, around some turns and then through the straightaway. He stopped me. “You realize you don’t have to hit every rock, don’t you?” What? I had no idea I was doing that. Turns out, not only was I hitting every rock, but I was racing the course. He taught me how to pick my line and slow down. I did the whole course.
Q: What is a challenge you have faced and overcome together?
A: Our first challenge was re-building the business. Rich tells everyone I saved WE Rock, I believe it saved me. This lifestyle has introduced me to so many incredible people I never would have known. Each year we seem to tackle a new task, often that brings a level of over-whelm that we may not have seen before. There have been several challenges, most minor, but the one that really resonates with me was my loss of identity. In 2011, I was making some serious life changes. I was leaving a career I had for 26 years, a company I had been in for 23 years; a home I had lived in for over 20 years and the community around it. My youngest was going to college. I wasn’t going to be Shelley at First American, or Haley’s mom, or any of those other roles I had always had. I was active in my community from the theater board to Relay for Life, everything that went on in our community, I was a part of…and now I was leaving. My geographic community was uprooted, as was my family community; I struggled. Rich took that time to help me work through it. I had a ton of ideas, but I didn’t know where to begin. His advice: make your list, spend 20 minutes a day on one item on the list – something will rise to the top. That started my blogging, something I really enjoy. I’ve had several blogs now, still trying to find the one that fits, but at least I started writing. My identity crisis was real, now I at least know who I am. When faced with the challenges, we’ve learned to support each other, not add to the stress. It’s like when we have a mechanical breakdown, I could easily add to the stress he’s feeling to fix it, or I can be quiet and let him work through the solution. We are super resourceful people and can always find an appropriate solution.
Q: Aside from cars, what other activities do you enjoy doing together?
A: It’s sometimes hard to identify what we do outside of offroad, because we’ve made it our lifestyle, it tends to be a 24-7 thing. But each year we take some breaks. Mostly, we travel, I know that doesn’t seem much different, but we try very hard to see sights that aren’t the same. This year we took a week off and took classes at the John C. Campbell Folk School; Rich learned blacksmithing basics and I made glass beads. Our trips out of country always include more of the culture than just offroad. We spent Independence Day in Boston a few years ago and then drove to Nova Scotia. We just want to experience all of it.
Q: What is your best piece of marital advice?
A: #1 Marital advice, and we share it with everyone. Don’t keep score. No matter what you do for your partner, do it willingly and with love – we work hard to find things to do for each other, none of which needs paid back in anyway. If you keep score, that can only lead to animosity.
You can learn more about Rich and Shelley and their lifestyle and businesses at any one of their many websites: www.werocklive.com www.dirtriot.com www.4lowoffroadmag.com www.livewithit.com www.masonsquarehotel.com www.unscriptyourlife.com www.fiftyin365.com www.trippintheamericas.com www.bigrichklein.com and www.shelleykrehbiel.com
KEVIN AND CANDICE AWALT
Today’s Marriage Monday features Kevin and Candice Awalt of Brookfield, Connecticut. The Awalts are owners of Arkham Shine Paint Correction and Auto Detailing Studio where making cars pretty is a family affair.
Q: How long have you been married and how did you meet?
A: We’ve been married for 12 years and 2 months. We met at Kevin’s fraternity Halloween party in college
Q: Do you have kids and are they involved in the automotive world with you?
A: Yes, we have two amazing daughters.
Q: What parts of the automotive world do you participate in together?
A: Skylar is 7 and she loves to help inspect paint and practice with the tools on old goods and other car parts. Ariannah is 3 and loves to help clean floor mats
Q: What is a favorite automotive memory you share?
A: When we were a mobile detailing business when we first started, we would go out on the road and detail cars together.
Q: What is a challenge you have faced and overcome together?
A: We faced a very difficult time right after our second daughter was born and right before Christmasof 2014. Kevin had lost his job right after Candice had quit her full time job to stay home with our children. We needed to do something, so we started our second business with little to no money at all. It was probably the most difficult thing that we as a couple had ever gone through. It set us way back. The only way we have been able to overcome this was by having each other’s back. We trusted each other and pushed each other and we are finally able to put the past behind us and look towards the future. There is only one way to go, and that is UP!
Q: Aside from cars, what other activities do you enjoy doing together?
A: We enjoy hanging out with our friends and play baggo (aka Cornhole). We also encourage our daughter who wants to be an American Ninja Warrior.
Q: What is your best piece of marital advice?
A: Stick by each other in good times and more importantly bad times!
JASON & MARYJANE MCCOOL
Today’s Marriage Monday feature takes a look at a couple who definitely lives up to their name; “McCool.” Jason and MaryJane McCool, who also go by “Lucky” and “Lady Luck,” live in Surprise, Arizona where Jason works as an electrician and MaryJane is a stay at home mommy.
Q: How long have you been married and how did you meet?
A: We’ve been married 9 wonderful years, soon to be 10 in April. We were blindly partnered in a wedding together & decided to get to know each other since we’d be spending the day together. We’ve been together from the first day we finally met in person.
Q: Do you have kids and are they involved in the automotive world with you?
A: Yes, we have five awesome Children of the Corn; two handsome young men and three beautiful young ladies. Their ages are 20, 18, 16, 11 and 9. So far only our 9 year old son shows interest & wants to participate (he’s just like his Daddy), he even has his own little belt, helmet, gloves & safety glasses.
Q: What parts of the automotive world do you participate in together?
A: We attend car shows and rebuild classic autos. Jason’s always been involved with building and customizing autos. Currently together we’re rebuilding his ‘59 Chevy Apache and her ‘62 Buick Special.
Q: What is a favorite automotive memory you share?
A: Besides every time he’s in town and we’re able to get down and dirty in our garage together, it was when we completed the rebuild of his 350 engine together. We completely built it bigger and better.
Q: What is a challenge you have faced and overcome together?
A: Most of our families were not shy to voice they believed we were moving too fast and wouldn’t last, in which they tried to cause issues between us. Our love for each other has been strong from day one; we fully support each another, we’re always honest and unlike most couples we know, we argue maybe once a year (last year’s argument was about pickles, lol). Although we don’t have our family’s support what matters most is that we as a couple and family are happy, united and greatly loved.
Q: Aside from cars, what other activities do you enjoy doing together?
A: We love our family nights whether it’s going out for dinner, going to the movie theater, bowling, mini golf, etc. or staying in to play games & watch movies. As a couple (besides the mushy love stuff) we enjoy every moment we have together especially since he’s rarely in town due to work.
Q: What is your best piece of marital advice?
A: Jason’s: Never give up keep fighting through tough times and make sure she is always happy
MaryJane’s: Honesty is always the best policy.
ALEX BAKER & SHELBY HALL
Alex Baker and Shelby Hall are a couple whose relationship began and continues to thrive in off-road racing. They live in Reno, Nevada where Alex is a fabricator for Samco Fabrication and Shelby is an event coordinator for Rod Hall Drive.
Q: How long have you been married and how did you meet?
A: We’ve been married for 1 year and 9 months. We met in 2010 at the Baja 1000. We were both part of the Hall pit crew. A friendship started, but we didn’t actually become a couple until 2012 when Alex became Shelby’s co-driver/navigator.
Q: What is a favorite automotive memory you share?
A: In 2016, we pre-ran the Baja 1000 together with our friend, Frank DeAngelo. We spent 3 days exploring dirt roads and unique towns throughout the Baja peninsula with a friend who considers Baja his second home. Baja has always held a special place in our hearts, and hearing stories of years past and creating our new memories of our own continued to build our emotional attachment to Baja, racing, and each other.
Q: What is a challenge you have faced and overcome together?
A: I was recently involved with an automotive filming, showcasing beautiful locations to four-wheel. I was so incredibly nervous I would make mistakes, and had little confidence in myself. I wanted to quit. But Alex stayed right by my side, giving me strength and courage through his words and encouragement. Although I was nervous, he reminded me I can do anything I put my mind too. The filming turned out to be so much fun, and a success. We overcame the challenge together, stronger in the end.
Q: Aside from cars, what other activities do you enjoy doing together?
A:. Everything! Everything is better when we are together. Whether we are camping, renovating our house, or hanging out with friends, we want to do it together. We enjoy most outdoor activities, but these days most of our free time is consumed with renovating our home. Always learning something new!
Q: What is your best piece of marital advice?
A: Love yourself. No one can love you until YOU love YOU.
KEVIN & MICHELLE DAVIS
Kevin and Michelle live in Belgrade, Montana and are owners of Detailer’s Helper and The Helper Brands as well as founders of Sugar High Motorsports. Michelle is the driver of Sugar High in the Rebelle Rally.
Q: How long have you been married and how did you meet?
A: We’ve been married for 22 years. We met while in college in Oklahoma. We both modeled part time and had the same agent. Once our agent realized there was some attraction between us he purposely started signing us on to jobs together, especially wedding events. We often joke that we walked down the aisle many times together before we actually got married.
Q: Do you have kids and are they involved in the automotive world with you?
A: We have two daughters; Kenzie, who is 19 and Faith, who is about to turn 18. Although not actively involved in our automotive hobby, the girls have grown up around the car world and attended car shows with us and, most importantly, have learned that Kevin’s top requirement for them dating was that their date didn’t drive a Subaru or a PT Cruiser.
Q: What parts of the automotive world do you participate in together?
A: We are involved in several aspects of the automotive world, including off-roading, hot rods, building, and detailing. We are co-owners for Detailer’s Helper and The Helper Brands; creating light weight tool belts for the detailing industry and various other industries. We have also recently started Sugar High Motorsports which focuses on all the different things we do from hot rods to off-roading.
Q: What is a favorite automotive memory you share?
A: Our favorite memory is the build we did, and continue to do, on Michelle’s 2004 Jeep Wrangler, affectionately named Sugar High. This is a very special build for us because it is Michelle’s first dive into building and mechanics and it has been a way for us to reconnect as a couple.
Q: What is a challenge you have faced and overcome together?
A: A couple of years ago we realized that our kids were about to leave and, after so many years focused on child rearing, we had totally different plans for our future, as well as different hobbies. We didn’t want our marriage to suffer so we knew we had to make deliberate efforts to come together somehow. Kevin had spent 6 years prior building a Shelby Cobra so Michelle decided to try stepping out of her comfort zone and joining Kevin in the shop to have him teach her about building and mechanics. Instead of a hot rod, though, she wanted to build a Jeep and name it Sugar High. One thing led to another and what started as a simple build together turned into us spending hundreds of hours alongside each other. We created a Youtube channel of the build, “Sugar High Jeep Build”, then sponsors came on board and Sugar High found a place in SEMA. Michelle then entered her first all-female off-road navigation rally, the Rebelle Rally, and was later invited to take part in the Chevy Montage build (and all female build in Phoenix). This has opened up a whole new world and love for Michelle and has started a new chapter to our marriage with shared goals and interests and lots of time together in the shop.
Q: Aside from cars, what other activities do you enjoy doing together?
A: We working out together daily, travel a lot, and mostly love just hanging out and laughing together.
Q: What is your best piece of marital advice?
A. No matter what stage of life you’re in, always make your marriage a priority and find a passion that you share and actively pursue together.
MICHAEL & ANDREA SHAFFER
Michael and Andrea live in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michael is an electronics technician and Andrea is a stay-at-home mom and owner of MACC Creations. Andrea is also the navigator of Team Sugar High in the Rebelle Rally.
Q: How long have you been married and how did you meet?
A: We’ve been married for 12 years. We met through mutual friends at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Q: Do you have kids and are they involved in the automotive world with you?
A: We have two boys and a girl; ages 7, 4, and 2. They most definitely are.
Q: What parts of the automotive world do you participate in together?
A: We are off-roaders, overlanders, builders and fabricators.
Q: What is a favorite automotive memory you share?
A: Our best memories together are our overlanding trips to Moab. That has always been our favorite place to go. But every new trip has been amazing.
Q: Aside from cars, what other activities do you enjoy doing together?
A: We like to spend time with our families and do a lot of camping.
Q: What is your best piece of marital advice?
A: Don’t forget to laugh and have fun together.