Mario Kart....Wii.

Last summer I was at a BBQ hosted by one of my old seniors/managers at KPMG. He was off to greener pastures as Controller of a local real estate/investment firm and was hosting a farewell party. There were a lot of new KPMG faces and I remember some of the newer KPMG associates were ranting and raving about the addictive capabilities of Mario Kart Wii.

Fast forward to present day. Cara and I got Mario Kart Wii and it has struggled to find playing time against the likes of Wii Sports, Mario & Sonic Olympic Games, Mario Galaxy and the current fave...Wii Fit (which is always in our Wii!). However, the more Cara and I have Karted it up, the more I find myself drawn to this goofy, cartoony game with the suh-weet little steering wheel. And then I discovered you can connect to the 'Net and play folks from around the world 24/7, race ghosts, take part in tournaments, even find friends and play them head to head in Vs. or Battle modes. Throw this on top of all the cool race tracks I've been unlocking as I play through the game and you can color me addicted. Such an awesome game. If you don't have it, get it. And send me your 12 digit license number when you do, so we can "Wii it up" in the not too distant future.

Holiday Letter 2008

For those of you that didn't receive the holiday letter I put together this year (kind of last minute), I wanted to post it on my blog. I hope you enjoy it:

Happy Holidays from Knoxville!!

As 2008 draws to a close, I reflect on what has been a very exciting, eventful, and joy-filled year for me. I am blessed to have wonderful friends and a supportive, loving family with which to share the wonderful experiences that life offers. I rang in 2008 with close friends in Las Vegas and I will bid 2008 farewell and ring in 2009 in Seattle in much the same manner. However, the theme for this year’s New Year’s celebration is certainly love and commitment! I am blessed to have my amazing fiancé Cara (more on that later) to share New Year’s with this year and we will at that time be celebrating the recent marriage of two dear friends (Scott and Hanna) and the engagement of two others (Josh and Lacy)!

Cara and I met last year at Battle in Seattle, where our Zags played the Tennessee Volunteers in a much anticipated basketball match up; the game was exciting for me because I have recently adopted the Vols as my 2nd favorite basketball team as I work towards my Accounting Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Cara and I both attended Gonzaga University (she being one year under me) and though we knew of each other, we had never formally met. Once we did meet (thanks to Kate O. for introducing us!!), neither of us could have predicted how quickly our relationship would grow! We started dating long-distance in March and it did not take long for us to realize we had something truly unique and special on our hands. When Cara visited Knoxville in August of this year, I proposed and much to my excitement, she said “Absolutely!” We quickly settled on a wedding date for next Fall (October 17, 2009) on campus at our alma mater, Gonzaga University, in Spokane, WA. Cara found a great job with Edison Learning in Knoxville in October and made the big move across the country to join me in Eastern Tennessee. The two of us have enjoyed turning our little townhouse into a home with painting, some intense interior decorating, and new carpet installation planned for early 2009! We welcome anyone who may be headed to the SE U.S. to stop in and visit us!!

My graduate studies continue to move along on schedule. I completed my comprehensive exams this summer and attended a Ph.D. student consortium in Lake Tahoe, which provided me with a great opportunity to network and idea-share with some of my fellow students from throughout the United States. This semester, I had my first opportunity to teach and I enjoyed being in the classroom very much. The teaching experience really energized me and I look forward to wrapping up my dissertation and graduating in the Spring of 2010 so I can begin life as a university professor! This summer I will attend the Annual Accounting Academic conference in New York City which will mark the beginning of what is sure to be a long and interesting interview process! Cara and I hope to return West and have our sights set on Oregon, Washington, or perhaps Colorado as our “dream destinations” so that we can be close to our friends and family! I encourage you to follow along with my blog, http://shenooligans.blogspot.com/, as another way to follow the goings on in my life.

Cara and I wish you all health, love, and happiness this holiday season and for the year to come! We hope very much that our paths will cross in the year ahead, but if not, know that we hold a special place for you in our hearts and that we look forward to the next time we are able to sit down and share some good food, drink and/or conversation with you all in person!!

Wishing you a very happy New Year!!

Matt and Cara

1st Blog of 2009

Happy 2009!!

Wow! I can hardly believe we're already 11 days into the New Year! And this is my first blog?!? What a slacker!!

I thought I'd kick off my 2009 blog-series with a brief synopsis of the holiday travels and then give my New Year's resolutions. So, without further ado...

Cara and I had an amazing trip back to the NW! Even with some wintry weather throughout the country (and surprisingly in Western Washington too!), all of our travels via planes, trains and automobiles went without hitch. This being the first holiday season either of us has been engaged, meant we both experienced a "dual-family" Christmas season for the 1st time. So, after taking in a great Gonzaga basketball game for Battle in Seattle (a loss, unfortunately!), we loaded up in the car and headed South for Vancouver/Battle Ground, WA to spend a few days with Cara's parents and the Sarvelas. Our trip was made much more interesting by a surprising blast of winter weather, which caused train and flight cancellations/delays. So, we had Kate O'Farrell join us for the drive and we all made it safe and sound. I had so much fun visiting with Cara's family! We split our time between her parents house in Battle Ground and her sister's house in Vancouver. So, I got lots of great time with her parents, sister and brother-in-law, and of course her adorable nephews and niece! Cara's sister, Megan, wrote a great blog that really shows how welcoming Cara's entire family has been to me. I may not "officially" be part of the extended Gish/Sarvela clan, but I certainly feel like I'm already in the mix!

After enjoying some of the white stuff (snow!) with a little sledding, snowman building and slip-sliding on the backroads of Hockinson, WA, Cara and I ventured north on Christmas Day to spend a few days with my family. We arrived around noon and enjoyed a day full of presents, good food, and lots of games! Cara and I received a Wii Fit for Christmas and our new toy received lots of attention from the whole family! We aso discovered Blokus (an awesome game) and had a rematch of Up and Down the River with my parents (a card game we both enjoy!). That weekend, Cara headed south for a few more days with her family and I travelled East to spend some time with James (my brother) and Ada (his wife) in Ellensburg. I returned to Federal Way for another couple days at home with mom and dad before Cara took the Amtrak up to rejoin me in Seattle for an excellent night spent ringing in the New Year with friends!

We took a red-eye flight back to Knoxville on the night of the 1st. Cara and I were both pleasantly surprised when we were upgraded to 1st class seats on our first leg to Cleveland. AWESOME! We returned to Knoxville and after a day of R&R to recuperate from a busy holiday, we set to work getting ready for a new year/semester of work/school! All-in-all, we decided that this was our best holiday ever! It was so wonderful seeing all of our family and friends! And while it is certainly hard to be across the country from some of those closest to us, we are both blessed to have an amazing amount of love and support from friends and family at all times! And finally, what would any good "1st Blog of 2009" be without some New Year's resolutions? Cara started blogging in themes of "five" with her last two blogs (1 and 2), so I'm gonna give five resolutions in similar spirit:

(1) Exercise more! No this isn't your typical "hit the gym" resolution. I've got a wedding coming up, which means I've got to get myself in shape for the wedding and honeymoon! We'll certainly be headed somewhere sunny and warm (read: beach!), so this is like the "Spring Break" push on steroids!!

(2) Eat better! I have slowly started to adopt this resolution. I do love my sweets and fast foods, but I'm slowly cutting them out of my diet and replacing them with more fruits and veggies! Mom would be proud!

(3) Get organized! I've always had my own organization system that to most could only be called "organized clutter." As we start planning for a wedding, I realize I need to get more organized in several facets; our budget, our bills, our mail, our wedding planning, my schoolwork, and basic home organization in well!

(4) Relax! I've had several aspects of my Ph.D. program that have really been creating a lot of anxiety and stress, leaving me on edge and easily frustrated at times! I need to be able to better "let things go," and realize that being stressed is not good for my health. Also, I think succeding in my 1st resolution will help me achieve this resolution tremendously!

(5) Finally, a few years ago I made a life's "To Do" list. I want to tackle some more of the items on this list. So, shortly I'll elaborate on this in a later blog and share my plans for 2009!

Once again, Happy 2009 to everyone and thanks for reading!!

Love from Matt!