..this isn't funny business..

..so i started a little business. nothing terribly exciting but hopefully something that will keep me entertained while matt's at school or doing homework. it's maddashgifts.blogspot.com. basically i shop and put together gifts for other people or put together birthday/celebration parties. i'm actually kind of excited about it. it's simple but fun. and i'll be doing things that i love (outside of my 8-5 job). check it out!..

..summer is on it's way..

..sort of..

..you wouldn't be able to tell by the weather. it's been rainy for a couple weeks now. but i'm starting to get the itch for sunshine, bbq's, and camping. plus in a month we're off to florida for a week! we can't wait..

..in honor of summer being practically here we bought otter pops and strawberries. we had this desert tonight. yum! yum!..

..i'm addicted..

..to ice cream. and right now, farr's fresh..

..it's delicious. if you haven't been, you need to go. they have a wall of self serve ice cream (all kinds of flavors!!) and then a counter full of different toppings, kinds you'd never think of. it's awesome. i was skeptical at first but now i love it. the current favorite flavor is vanilla custard with fruity pebbles. weird, i know, but surprisingl

y delicious. matt enjoyed root beer ice cream. it tasted just like a root beer float. if you're an ice cream fan..try it. you'll love it. but call me first, i'll go with you..

..mmm...delicious!..

..happy birthday mike & matt..

{the birthday boys..mike-15, matt-23}

..every month my family gets together for a sunday dinner and game night. there are some months that we celebrate whatever is happening that month, like mother's day, birthdays, graduations, etc. in may we got together twice. once for mother's day and again to celebrate matt's and my brother, mike's birthdays. mother's day gets it's own special visit to my mother and then the birthdays got their day. it's always fun to get together with the fam. it's always full of inappropriate jokes, great food, and fun games..

{jared taking a phone break during the phase 10 battle}

..grand master king..

..well graduation has finally come!!..

..graduation from the university of utah was a success. i'm officially a master of educational leadership and policy with an emphasis in student affairs. i will now continue to make the same amount of money, work at the same job, but be able to flasharound some fancy credentials and make my students call me 'master marissa' or 'master king'. la di da! my father in law said that not only should i be known as "master king" BUT because i'm a girl i'm known as "grand master king". doesn't have a bad ring to it eh?..

..graduation was a really neat experience. i've sat through quite a few and they are always pretty much the same. someone speaks, someone else speaks, they read your name, you walk across the stage, and then you wait for 2 hours until everyone else gets to do it. honestly, i thought it would be pretty boring (and it really was) but, it was such an incredible experience to walk across the stage in the robes and recognize how hard i've worked to be there. i've loved being in school..a lot more than i thought i did. obviously, its school and its expected to learn a thing or two but i learned more than i could have imagined. not just about education or student affairs practices but about myself, what i believe, how to communicate, what i want to be known for, and so much more. it has been an experience that has changed my perspective on life, people, and the way we all interact..

..and to answer the question about whether or not i'll keep going? great question. i'll let you know when i know. for now i'm going to enjoy my free time. i forgot what it was like not to be busy. who knows how long that will last..

..happy birthday matt..

..my little boy is growing up..

..matt's birthday was pretty low key. life has been a little busy so we didn't do too much. i made an attempt to surprise him with a little family party but things didn't go quite as planned. we had matt's sister and brother-in-law over for pizza and ice cream. it was fun to play games and do something with other people for a change. with everything going on with school and work we've spent what little time we have with each other. not that i don't LOVE spend time with matt but he's been a bit neglected by me lately..

..matt got a gift card to cinemark theaters so he can see THOR next week. he's super excited! he also some new weights and a racquet to start his new racquetball career..

..i can't believe another year has passed. we're aging so fast. time keeps speeding by and it couldn't be better. i love my birthday boy!!..

..and who of course could resist this adorable face?? love him..