Matt's Birthday - 2009

Matt's Birthday is on August 29 and I threw him a big birthday party in the park this last year (2009). It was great fun to have so many of our friends and family come to celebrate his birthday with us!

For some reason, I can never seem to remember to take pictures at his birthday parties....until it starts getting too dark. I guess I get too busy mingling with people and talking, and I just forget. I have a few pictures that turned out okay at the park.....but mostly they're all too dark to be able to identify anyone clearly at all. I'll have to do better this year!! :)

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures that did turn out that night in the park.....as well as some that I took of him that day with some of the birthday gifts I got him. I think it's all pretty self explanatory! :)

(These are pictures of some of Matt's closest friends from work. Gig is in the white shirt closest and his wife is in the black tank top standing up. Chad, in the gray shirt, is Matt's boss....and his wife is Jenn in the black shirt and hat. Great people! We sure love them and are grateful to call them friends!!)

(Can you guess what my 'theme' was this year for his birthday!? LOL)

A Little About Matthew...............

Matthew was born in Bountiful, Utah but grew up in Sandy, Utah. He went to Brighton High School and graduated in 1997. When we met, he was VERY involved in the LDS Fraternities up at the University of Utah...............Go Utes!...................and greatly enjoyed the brotherhood and commeraderie of the guys up there. He dated A LOT...............and I'm just lucky he finally chose to marry me!! :)

Matthew has an amazing family that I feel very blessed to be a part of. Unfortunately, I was never able to meet his Dad because he died about 3 weeks after we started dating. We hadn't done the whole 'meeting the family' thing yet since we were so new at dating, so I never actually got to meet Wayne. I met the rest of the family that very day, though!! I don't think it was a coincidence that things happened the way that they did because it allowed me the opportunity to truly be there for Matt during a very tough time. He was very close to his Dad and still has days when he misses him terribly. I was able to go to the Viewing and the Funeral with Matt and be a support to him when he was feeling somewhat 'alone' during that time. Wayne was a very stalwart member of the LDS Church..............he loved and lived his religion!! When he died, he was the Temple Recorder for the Jordan River Temple and had worked for the church for years. As a result, Matt and I were married in the Jordan River Temple because it has so much sentimental value to his family.
Matt's Mom works at Primary Children's Medical Center and pretty much manages and runs the cafeteria up there! She loves her family and remodeling her home (most days)!! :) Matt is the youngest of 5 children. Julie is the oldest, then Suzie, then Brent, then Paul, and last is Matt. Brent is also no longer living. He died in a motorcycle accident in North Carolina a few years ago. I greatly look forward to the day that I finally get to meet both Wayne and Brent!!

Matt loves to ski, camp, travel, football..........Go Utes!.............etc. He loves his nieces and nephews and they love him!! He will be a really great dad someday! He currently works for Sprinkler World in Sandy, UT and LOVES it! He's been there for about 4 years now and manages/runs the Retail side. He's very knowledgeable and is very good at the landscaping/sprinkler business! And, thanks to Sprinkler World/Harward Irrigation, for giving the us opportunity to go on our cruise last year and to Hawaii this year!! Both trips were AWESOME!! We hope to be able to go on the cruise again this next year...................depending on what happens in the 'baby department'!