Wedding Checklist? Check, Check (again), and Check (back later)

Okay, so it's not completely finished, but we checked quite a few things off the "to do" list yesterday afternoon:

• Wedding bands. Cara and I returned to Markman's (the store where I purchased Cara's engagement ring) to price our wedding bands. I had Cara's engagement band designed by the in-house jeweler so we will have him special design her wedding band to exact match and fit and we are waiting on his price estimate and some CAD images! Turning our attention to my band, we started browsing the selection not planning on making any quick decisions (however, I do have to admit we were both leaning to getting all of the rings from Markman's). Well, we ended up making a quick decision afterall selecting this fancy little number (see left inset). The ring (for those wondring) is 14K white gold and Cara and I both think it pairs amazingly with her bridal set. After making a small down payment, we've got this little guy on layaway for the big day! After seeing it on my finger, I am so excited to get further acquainted. It feels and looks awesome...and most importantly...I am thrilled to officially become Cara's husband! Status: CHECK
• After surprising ourselves by getting the rings checked off our "to do" list, Cara and I ventured out to the local Men's Wearhouse to get me fitted for my buddy Quinn's upcoming wedding and to look at tuxedo rentals for our own wedding. Long story short (I'll spare the gory details to avoid bad-mouthing anyone in such a joyous blog!), we barely got my measurements before we couldn't stand the poor service (hopefully just a bad day for the store/associate) any longer and hit the road. In the end, we wrote a scalding email to the Men's Wearhouse customer service department and we're back to square one trying to figure out what we'll be doing for tuxedo rentals. Men's Wearhouse is on thin ice at best right now for our wedding business. Status: CHECK (AGAIN).
• The last wedding update item actually has nothing to do with our Saturday afternoon errands. Cara scheduled us for our Engaged Encounters retreat a few weeks ago and the retreat weekend is fast approaching (March 6th-8th). We have heard great things about the Engaged Encounters retreat from our friends (Scott and Hanna) and we are both looking forward to the experience. I'm sure Cara or I (or both of us!) have a story or two to share about the weekend on our blog(s) after the big weekend! Status: CHECK (BACK LATER)

So there you have it. Another weekend closer to the big day. Another "to do" list item or two checked off the list. Another 236 days and I'll be Cara's hubby! WOOP! WOOP!

For the dogs?

Hey gang. Matt AND Cara here reporting on the exciting "married couple" kind of day we had:

Last night Cara suggested that we head downtown for the annual doggie parade, aptly named "Mardi Growl". "The parade starts at 11am," she said. "Hmmm," I thought. I was planning on shooting hoops with my classmates starting at 10. Taking note of my hesitation, Cara quickly suggested, "you can play basketball for 45 minutes or so and we'll head straight there a little bit late." I thought this sounded fair, so I agreed. As it turns out, my knee was not feeling up to par this morning so I scratched basketball altogether and off to the parade we went.

The dog parade was truly a sight to behold. Led by the grand marshal, Marley (well, the dog's real name isn't really Marley, it's Rudy, but he was one of the 18 dogs who played Marley in the hit movie "Marley and Me"), the dogs were eager to strut their stuff. And when I say dogs, I mean lots of dogs! Last year over 350 dogs turned out for the parade.

We thought we might be a little odd, showing up to a dog parade without a dog. But we happily met our friends, Mike and Jennifer who brought along their two daughters and their golden retriever, Molly. Molly got a lot of attention as she recently became a 3-legged dog due to bone cancer and is still undergoing chemotherapy.
Since it was Mardi Growl, dogs (and sometimes owners) were decked out in costume. The winner for best costume definitely deserved the prize:
We, as Zags, love Bulldogs and they were definitely out today! Here's one that was crammed into a stroller and looking quite cute and pathetic all at the same time.
And introducing the rest of the cast...

The Shagmiester

The Sass-ma-tass

The Prim & Proper Pup
The Pimped Out Ride

A Hot Dog
One HUGE pug (I call him "Pugs Mahone")
AND we couldn't pass up a picture of a cute, decked out boxer pup!

After the dog show, we enjoyed a delicious Southwestern feast at Moe's and then spent the afternoon out and about around Knoxville (which was quite eventful - more on this later!!) Overall, the dog show was a blast and it definitely helped to maintain our excitement for adding a cute little four-legged friend to our family in the not-to-distant future!!

And speaking of Mardi Growl/Gras; Lent starts soon! We're giving up sweets for Lent! What are you giving up?

Teaching for Life, Part II

In an earlier blog, I posted about my first semester in the classroom. I am now well underway into my 2nd semester of teaching and I feel like I'm really starting to come into my own. Yesterday, I was reflecting back on my first semester of teaching the Accounting 200 class. I couldn't help but find it amazing that I had been up in front of a class of 75-100 students three days a week at 8am.* There I was teaching an amazing group of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (ok, this "bright-eyed, bushy-tailed" part is a stretch) students the ins and outs of accounting.

Reflecting back on the memories of my first semester of teaching seemed absolutely surreal to me...and not for the reason I would have expected. You see, there were times during the semester when I couldn't believe that I was standing in front of such a large "audience". I would flash back to my junior year of high school when a shy, quiet, skinny cross-country runner stood in front of his high school to give a "Vote for Matt Hoag as your ASB Treasurer" speech (Side note: I was the only person running, so the speech was a formality). At the time, I preferred very much to operate behind the scenes. It's not that I wasn't social. I'm certainly an extrovert now, so I had to have been back then. I must have been an extrovert in a bit of a shell. Well, long story short. I won in my "campaign" for ASB treasurer (again, no competition, so this should not be a real shocker) and shipped off to Leadership camp. Surrounded by a bunch of loud, energized, hyper "super-leaders" I felt a bit gun-shy at first. But, by the end of the week I was firmly out of my shell and I haven't looked back since. So, I always believed that any surreal feelings about teaching in a University would be along the lines of "I can't believe that shy high schooler really did this teaching thing!!" Instead, I was shocked when the surreal feelings I felt yesterday was more along the lines of "What the heck took me so long?!?"

The college classroom is where I belong. While the first semester was not without some emotional ups and downs, the second semester finds me much more acclimated to the classroom. I love being able to share my passion and excitement for learning and life with my students. I get such a high out of being in front of the class and I really enjoy challenging myself day-in and day-out to be a better teacher/mentor/advisor. This semester I have two sections of a business capstone course, which I lead on Friday afternoons. Yesterday, I covered a morning section for one of the other instructors who had to be out of town so I found myself in the classroom from 10am until just after 5pm (Note: I was supposed to be done at 4:30pm but for the second straight week I found myself staying after to chat with and mentor my students). I was completely exhausted but it was that good kind of exhausted. I am in my element when I'm in the classroom. I can't get enough of it and most importantly I could not be happier that I am well on my way to fulfilling my life's calling; Professor Hoag has a nice ring to it.

I received my evaluation scores from my accounting class a few weeks ago. There were times when I flat-out dreaded getting my scores. I was sure they were going to be low. There were so many things I knew I could have done - should have done - better. I realize now that I was being ridiculously hard on myself. It was my first semester and I have a lot of "growing" to do for sure in improving as a teacher. In the end, the scores were certainly not high. My class did not do particularly well overall, so that really shouldn't be much of a surprise. But, I did score highly in two areas that really stood out to me, "enthusiasm" and "availability of extra help when needed".

I know that I will make lots of improvements in my lectures (both style and content) as I gain experience. But, I pride myself in being approachable and enthusiastic about what I'm doing and I am so happy that this was visible to my students. Teaching is going to be such an incredible life journey for me and I am so happy that the journey is now well underway!

(*depending on the day, my "official" class size was 120 at the start of the semester and 109 at the end)

Voice of an Angel?

Cara and I just returned from church this morning at the Catholic "Center" here on campus. We both love going to church and feel like it's such a good way to start our Sundays together. So, we are trying our best to make it part of our routine (which is tough given that it largely hasn't been for either one of us since our days at Gonzaga). The upcoming Lenten season definitely provides a great opportunity to make weekly mass a regular part of our lives.

One of my favorite things to do at mass is sing. Those that know me well, know I really do like to sing (I find myself undeniably drawn to karaoke bars). So at church I really like to belt out the songs and make my voice heard. Today at church - when we all exchanged the "sign of peace" handshakes with each other - the lady in front of me commented, "you have a really lovely voice." I was flattered and I probably turned a little bit red. But nonetheless, it was a nice compliment. What makes this seemingly inconspicuous compliment truly noteworthy was that it wasn't the first singing compliment I had received at St. John XXIII. In fact, the last time Cara and I attended mass (three weeks ago) the lady in front of us said to me at the end of mass, "I just wanted to let you know that you have a gorgeous voice!"

Different lady. Different description. Same gist. Now, I am rather proud of my voice. I know I don't have any Grammy's waiting for me, but I do enjoy singing and sharing my voice with the world. But, I find it humorous that I've received only one other such compliment on my voice (not including family/friends) at mass in over 20 years of being a mass-goer.

So, has my voice improved considerably with age? Or is it perhaps the close seating quarters at the University church space? Maybe it is the sweet Southern hospitality and personalities thatU make Southern folk more outgoing in doling out praise to strangers? Or, perhaps the acoustics are really just superb in St. John the XXIII?

I'm stumped. What do y'all think?

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!