Happy Birthday Tom!!!

Tom's Favorite Leisure Suit

A Little About Tom:

I was born in Columbus, OH. However, when I was 3 my family moved to Baltimore, MD, and then at 8 they moved to Ellicott City, MD (about 15 minutes away) where they still live today. So, living in MD is all I really remember. I'm the oldest of three boys, and the oldest grandson on both sides of my family. As a baby I would eat just about anything, as long as it was mixed in with my mom's homemade applesauce. Most of my childhood memories involve either scouts, sports or Walt Disney World. I started my scouting career as a tiger cub, worked my way through all the cub scout ranks, and as a boy scout completed the rank of Eagle when I was 13. I've participated in many different sports over the years with soccer, baseball, tennis, basketball, track, and volleyball being some of the highlights. My family went to Walt Disney World for the first time when I was 5, and from then on my brothers and I would refer to it as our "second home". Although I've tinkered with many hobbies over the years, the interest that has stayed with me into adulthood is my love of cars. I've had the opportunity to drive/ride many different types of vehicles thus far, but there are still many that I haven't yet had to opportunity to try (top of that list is probably learning to fly).

I was called to serve in the exotic Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission. I served in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton, and Madison. Our mission also included the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was lucky enough to serve 3 transfers in Houghton, MI (one of the northern most cities in the country) beginning right before Thanksgiving. I saw about 250" of snow, although the total that winter was over 300" (the snow usually starts in October, and will continue as late as May). Although I was called as an English-speaking Elder, I served for 3 transfers with a Hmoob-speaking Elder (pronounced "mong"). I've forgotten nearly all of the Hmoob I had learned (which wasn't very much), but the Hmoob members have a fun tradition of giving their Elders a Hmoob name. I was given the name Elder Koob Meej (pronounced "gong mang"), and I even got a name tag with that name on it. I studied Mechanical Engineering at BYU, but my chosen career field has been Financial Services (which I owe to my favorite mission companion). After starting with a larger company for a few years, a group of us decided to break away and start a new company. I've definitely enjoyed the challenge, and hope to try many different business ventures in the future. My newest adventure has been the wonderful world of Home Improvement. I've certainly learned a lot, the most important being that I never want to be living in the same home that I'm renovating ever again!

Tom at Disney World with his Dad

From Grandpa:

Tom has frequently impressed me with his ability to step back and analyze the un-obvious- the sign of a very healthy analytical questioning mind… As a simple example, he was the only one to ask Andrea, what, over the year no one else thought to ask- “if you had to ride uphill to school both ways, why couldn’t you reverse the pattern and ride downhill both ways J ?”.

In a similar vane, I have been impressed with his ability to take on unfamiliar construction projects and make them come out with impressive results- the skill and patience of a craftsman.

I have been impressed with Tom’s strong sense of family and compassion for their well being- he is the perfect match for our loving and lovable strong-willed daughter… his parents, nor wecouldn’t ask for a more thoughtful son and son-in-law.

And finally, Tom is the family member who understands his father-in-law’s love of a motorcycle on an open back road: The joy of ever changing scenery gracefully gliding by saying- ‘look at me’- ‘notice me’. The plethora of odors and smells- merging and contrasting, the playful ever-changing temperature gradients, the ‘personality’ of the road itself with it’s swaying, undulating centrifugal and centripetal forces at play- some subtle and playful, some bold and overt- all the things that make even a simple trip an adventure to be savored and enjoyed! My family motorcycles-in-his-blood compatriot! I wish we lived nearer and could often ride together…

Happy Birthday Tom- keep your mind challenged and the rubber side down!

Love Phil

Tom's Little League Picture

From Grammy:

Happy Birthday Tom! I loved your comment in one of the blogs about being in the "volunteer club". We are so happy that you volunteered to be part of our family. You have this quiet way of injecting logic and humor when needed. Your ability to think outside the box is admiral.

I appreciate the meticulous way you approach projects and give each one your best effort. The work you have done on your house is impressive, especially since you have taught yourself as you went along. Best of all is the strength of your testimony and your faithful service in the church, having given so much of your time and effort to further the work. And lastly, I don't know anybody else that can make a spoon stick to his nose!! Have a great day.

Sharon

Tom receiving his Eagle Scout

Tom,

Thinking back it's hard to believe that it's been 15 years since we met each other as freshman at BYU - tie dye shirts and all. It's fun to think back to those times when "we" were just beginning. We've had so much fun since then and luckily we've grown, stretched, and learned together from the not so fun times. You're one of a kind and one of the few who really understands and gets me as I am. You mean so much to me and I'm so glad to have you as my best friend and eternal companion. I love you and hope you have a great birthday!

Love, Andy

P.S. Here are some of my favorite photos of you below...

Over 50 inches of snow in 5 days!?! (Blizzard #3)

So now we've had over 80 inches of snow this winter (our average is 18 inches) with 50 inches in the last five days! This last blizzard (#3) was during the week so we didn't get to stay snuggled in at home like over that last couple of storms. Luckily there are major roads most of the way to my hospital so I didn't get stuck there overnight (although the threat was definitely there). Here are more pictures of the latest "Snowmageddon."

The days after Blizzard #2:

During Blizzard #3: 50 mile an hour winds blowing the 20 inches of snow we got all over the place. The snow is half way up the garage doors now.

After Blizzard #3:

Notice the road is still not plowed - since last Friday. We had to park at a neighbors house on the main street and hike back home so I could get to work.

I even spent some time shoveling - notice the pile of snow on the left is taller than I am.

One of the best and worst things about all the snow are the icicles. They are so beautiful to look at but have reeked havoc on our upper gutters.

We've basically kissed all the upper level gutters goodbye - you can see the gutter bending from the weight of all the snow and icicles on the roof.

That's our overhang at the top of the picture and our gutter almost a foot below it.

Here's a close up of the "evil" icicles as Tom calls them.

So minus the ruined gutters and missing our normal parking spot we enjoyed the many days of unexpected time to stay at home, relax, watch movies, and bake. I've never enjoyed the snow that much, but when an unimaginable amount of snow falls it makes it something special, unusual and a lot of fun. Is this what it's like living in Alaska?

Blizzard #2!

We had the second blizzard in about six weeks yesterday. Poor Baltimore is trying to keep up with all the snow. We usually get 18 inches all winter long. Saturday alone we got almost 30 inches and the blizzard back in December we got 21 inches of snow in just over a day. Yesterday's snow is competing for the biggest storm since they started keeping records in the 1870's and this winter will definitely surpass all the area records for the most snow in one season. I'd like all the experts screaming about the dangers of global warming to explain this phenomenon. The ice burgs may be melting in the North Pole, but I'm pretty sure they may start forming around here soon. Following are some pictures for your viewing pleasure to remind you why you live where you do (for those of you in warmer climates) and to make others laugh at our wimpyness (for those of you living in the Great Lakes and North East Regions).

Tom started digging early in the morning in the middle of the storm but it was heavy snow so it was slow going with his lone bright orange shovel. (Like I said we usually only get a couple of inches at a time and have never needed a snow blower)

After several hours Tom made it to the end of the driveway (one shovel width). Look how far away the RAV looks from the end of the driveway! I can promise you never know how long your driveway is until you have to shovel it by hand (Tom has become all too familiar with every inch of our 150 foot long driveway)

Tom has always been our official shoveler in hopes of keeping me quieter about my hatred of the cold and snow. It also helps that he loves all things snow related. He got a once in lifetime offer for me to help him shovel yesterday - whether he was being nice or honest I don't know - but he told me he only had one shovel that would work with the amount of snow we had. So while Tom was busy shoveling I trudged through the snow to take some pictures of our local Antarctica.

Here's our house covered in snow -

our porch is not short yet the steps are completely covered in snow.

Here's the backyard - with all the work that's being done on the kitchen it's hard to remember what's out in the yard right now. I think one of those lumps is the old oven, another a 36 inch old kitchen cabinet, another is an old grill we found hidden in the jungle of our back yard, one of them is definitely the trash can, and the rest is wood from the 110 foot oak tree we had cut down last fall.

Our street is under there somewhere...

Here's the bottom end of our street.

Here's the snow totals in our yard:

Okay so the one above is really the snow pile after Tom finished shoveling the driveway, but still impressive. The real total was just under 30 inches:

A close up of the proof:

Luckily these big storms have been happening on the weekend this year so we've been able to hunker down and enjoy the quiet time and how beautiful the snow makes everything in the dead of winter.

Here's our Winter Wonderland:

After the storm the skies cleared quickly and the sun came out making things even more beautiful.

We're happy to report we're safe and sound and everything seems intact. It's Sunday night now and I was about to report that our street still hasn't been plowed, but a lone little bobcat with a plow on the front just came rambling down our street. Since it's taken this long I think that single pass from the little bobcat is the most we can hope for... hope this finds you all well, happy, and warm!

The Bathrooms are Done!!!

So we had a productive year house project wise in 2009 - but the most exciting was finishing the upstairs bathroom! This is what we started with:

A Plethora of Pink from Floor to CEILING

This is how we made it our own:

Notice Tom's Tiling Job

A Jacuzzi Tub!

And Double Sinks

Top 9 in 2009

9. Seeing our first real movie in 3D at the IMAX - Harry Potter for my birthday. (The 4D movie at the aquarium during the reunion was pretty awesome too.)

8. The Blizzard of 2009 - We got 21 inches of snow in less than 24 hours!

7. Church wise - This was the first year I haven't been at Girl's Camp the entire week in 7 years. I also got to go to the temple with a sister I visit taught a while ago for her first time.

6. Health - We had the pleasure of learning all about health insurance this year. I started the year off with an amazingly itchy rash all over my body that got me two weeks off of work, an inconclusive biopsy, and prednisone to control the itching. Tom had his second bought of kidney stones (the first one was 10 years ago on his mission). We ended up in the ER for a day finding out that Tom has two kidney stones - which he is still waiting to pass.

5. Finally getting an oven back - this was so exciting after not having one for almost a year - it meant we could make those fresh apple pies again!

4. Travel - We love to travel whether it's a day trip or long extended trip - so a lot of the highlights of our year had to do with exploring the area around us.

• I got to go to San Antonio to see Dave graduate from Air Force Basic Training. The best part of the trip for me was seeing a happy, confident and loving Dave. It was also good to see Dave who couldn't get enough sugar and kept making himself sick since he hadn't had any real treats in several months and wouldn't get any for several more. So Dave is still Dave just happier, more determined, and totally athletic!
• Even though we live so close to DC we hardly ever go. But we were determined to make it this year to the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. We've never seen it looking so beautiful! We went to the Jefferson Memorial on the banks of the Potomac River for the first time and got to see DC from a whole new vantage point.
• For our seventh anniversary we went to New York City which is one of our favorite places in the world. We went to the MET for the first time which was awesome. We've never enjoyed museums much but they had such a wide variety of interesting things that we spent most of the day there. We ended the day by wandering around the city and enjoying seeing signs of spring and having Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity.
• In May I went to Charlottesville, VA for a 10 year roommate reunion. I cant' believe where the time has gone but it was so much fun to get together again like no time had passed.
• For my birthday we went to Fort McHenry in Baltimore's Inner Harbor where the Star Spangled Banner was written.
• In the early fall one of my college roommates called me to see if I wanted to go kayaking on the Potomac River in DC. I was so excited! I used to love kayaking in high school and haven't made time to do it since. We had so much fun and it was an amazing way to see DC!
• In the fall a few weeks after our New England trip we made our annual trek to Lancaster, PA. We love going to Lancaster to see the Amish, drive through the country side, and stock up on all our fall supplies like 20 different types of pumpkins and homegrown apples for fresh made apple pie!

3. I know travel was the one above but our fall trip to New England was so amazing that it gets it's own number. We traveled through 11 states in 10 days and loved every minute of it! We saw amazing views for miles with leaves changing colors in hues that are hard to imagine. We finally got to try some favorite foods in the places that they originated - like Maine Lobstah, Boston Cream Pie, Legal Seafood, Ben and Jerry's, Cabot Cheese, and Lobstah Rolls. There were signs of fall all over as we traveled through New England so we really got to enjoy our favorite time of year.

2. House - We finally got a lot done this year and are so excited about the results!

Finishing the Bathrooms was the most exciting. We went from 1.5 old scary baths to 2 full baths - new and beautiful. It's been a long time coming and we got a lot of other projects done in the process of finishing the bathrooms like new plumbing and electrical throughout the house, cutting down the 110 foot dead oak tree in the backyard, and painting the house and repairing the porch. Now our newest project is the kitchen. It's gutted and ready for it's new parts! I cant' wait for that to be done!

1. Family Reunion at our house - this has to be our favorite thing of the year. It was so much fun to have a house full of people! We really missed everyone when they left. We were glad that Matt and Cassandra came early and Shawnie and her family stayed late - it really was nice to have so many people here for so long! It was great to get to see everyone again, catch up and make more new memories together. My favorite memories were trying so hard to meet up with Shawnie in New York City and finally bumping into each other at Serendipity (how serendipitous!) =), and spending time with everyone on Sunday after church.

Worst Product of the Year Award

BYU Cougars Insulated Wine Cooler

Check it out for yourself at: http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/teamshop/ncaa/byu/PRD~574827/BYU%20Cougars%20Insulated%20Wine%20Cooler.jsp#

Blizzard of 2009

We got 21 inches of snow in less than 24 hours! So everyone I know in the Great Lakes and Northeast is laughing at that amount but it's enough to stop Baltimore for a day or two. Luckily we usually only have a couple of light snows each winter, but every 7-8 years we get dumped on. The last time it happened it was my first winter here. I wondered what I had gotten myself into by moving out here. But I have to admit it's fun to have everything stopped for a while so we get to enjoy the quiet and beauty that snow brings to the world in winter.

A few hours into the start of the storm.

Accumulation of a day's worth of snow ... and still coming

This is our driveway that Tom shoveled twice that day - you'd never know.

Good thing he loves the snow!

The Big Dig Out - Day 2

Tom in the snow before the dig out.

I think the amount on the trash can is the most telling of how much we got.

You never pay attention to how long your driveway is until you have to shovel it!

I thought the texture of the snow was so cool in the morning in the front yard.

The wind whipped the snow in to a strange pattern on the porch roof.

Since the weather stayed cool the snow stayed put and we had the first White Christmas in a while.