Sarah's 25th Birthday!

PARTY HERE!!!

Sarah turns the big 25 today. My young wife is going to live it up today...as soon as she gets up from her after school nap!

So, here is what's going on now:

I got the cake making supplies, gifts, and champagne. Sarah got home at 1pm from school today. As you know, professors make people sleepy, so she didn't fight it and took a siesta. While she slept, I was down stairs baking and decorating the cake with Blackberry the cat.

I was inspired by the television chefs to make a cake that people can only dream about. However, I think I may have lost something when I purchased a Yellow cake with fudge swirl Betty Crocker mix at the store today. So, I mixed it up, threw it in the oven and BAM!, it was ready to set for an hour and cool. A good time to get the mail and pet the cats.

Like I said before, I was inspired to make a great cake for her. I wanted a double decker cake. I think I knew how from a story that Sarah told me of her dad making them in a similar way. I took the cake and cut in two, put a layer of frosting in the middle, then applied the top.

(It looks like the cat made it doesn't it?)

I then, trimmed the edges and took to frosting the entire cake with the remaining chocolate fudge frosting.

I added some decorative icing to it, then some candles...

I will post pictures of our celebration later tonight.

Happy Birthday Sarah!

The New Life

Sarah and I have been here, in Nipomo, now for 2 weeks! We have been grumpy roommates as we unpack. I think that the fishing rods should be at the front of the office closet. She thinks that they should be in storage! The cats want all their toys out on the stairs. We want them out, but NOT on the stairs. Below is a picture of our little townhouse. We are in the one on the right side where our cars are parked. We have down and upstairs.

Well, things have mellowed out now. Our place is taking shape, something like a home.

We have mostly unpacked. Sarah has been attending classes for her MBA. We filled a storage unit with the crap we aren't sure why we even have it. One of the couches did not fit in the house, so it also went into storage.

I have been looking for work. It sucks. I have submitted many applications by both the Internet and in person. The person to person contact is so valuable, but is not always possible. The best prospect right now are from staffing agencies. One position is a lab tech and the other is a technician at the local nuclear power plant. I have had trouble staying motivated, but I keep going out and talking to people, which really helps keep me going. I just got done taking a skills assessment test for a professional staffing company. Now that sucked. It was easy in theory, since the subject was Microsoft Word and Excel. I am proficient in these. The test itself, however, was a different story. They used a program that pops up in your browser and mimics Excel or Word. I say mimic because it was full of bugs and every time you hit made an error, like selecting copy instead of cut, you have to start over on that question. Don't get me started.

On the plus side. I have time to contemplate where I can go fishing, surfing, and 4-wheeling.

Wish me luck...

The trip and unpacking

We packed the Uhaul FULL!

Then we loaded the Jeep and hit the road...



The drive was actually smooth, but we sure were tired. Th next day we started to unpack. Below is Sarah working on the kitchen.

The cats settled in and got some rest.

Home

We are now in our new home in Nipomo, CA. We arrived yesterday at 9pm. We have loaded it all into the house and now we have to unpack. Moving sucks! We are fine and everything here is great. We are eating Dominos Pizza tonight and relaxing a bit.

Here we go on our latest adventure...

[pictures to come]

MOVING on Monday to Nipomo,CA

It is here...on Sept. 15, we are moving to Nipomo, CA, south of Pismo Beach on hwy 101. We are all packed up and ready to go.

Sarah and I will be moving to the city of Nipomo,CA.

Moving Again!

The cats, Sarah, and I are moving again!

We are staying within California, but heading south to the San Luis Obispo area.

(click on map to enlarge)

(click on map to enlarge)

Sarah will be going to school and I will go surfing every day. Wait, never mind, my wife told me I can't go surfing in the "Red Triangle." The "red traingle" is an area on the coast of California that great white sharks are common. Since there are seals, sea lions, and other shark food, then that's what we get.

For the lastest wedding pictures go to
http://1tom2go.googlepages.com/picturehome

With this ring I thee wed...

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"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love..."

My brother in law, Mike, told me after the wedding ceremony that he never takes his wedding ring off. He has only taken it off one time. He told me to never take it off.
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"I will forever wear this ring... "

So... Sarah and I are snorkeling in Maui...on our honeymoon.

Sarah and I decide we are done and head in towards the beach.

I feel my ring slide off of my finger as I'm swimming.

I look down to see if I can see it fall. I don't see it fall. I catch a glimpse of something shiny on the sand below. I dive down about 15 feet to the bottom, but I can't see it. I get air and continue diving until I realize it's gone. The current in the water keeps moving the sand around. After a few minutes, I know I will have to tell my new bride, who was smart enough to take her's off before swimming, that I lost my ring.

The Great Blur with some Slow Mo'

I am sitting here looking out into the Pacific Ocean from our room on Maui.

It's our Honeymoon.

It was only two days ago I was standing at Paradise Ridge Winery, waiting to be married.

The groomsmen and I were standing around, waiting for the ceremony to start. We had our tuxes on, standing on a walkway that led up to the main area. We made jokes we hoped the minister didn't hear, threw some rocks at a light, and looked for signs of Helen, the bride's mom, to be seated (which was our cue to go).

When Helen was seated, it all became blurry and surreal. I stood there in front of everyone. I looked down the aisle and up the stairs to where Sarah, my bride, will be coming from.

When the string trio starts playing Here Comes the Bride, everything slowed way down, even slower than Baywatch. She appeared at the top of the stairs in the most incredible dress and beautiful hair. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She slowly walked the stairs on her Dad's arm. Next thing I know, her dad is giving her to me. He didn't play any jokes, he just gave her to me.

Then things started going fast again. Before I knew it I was holding the ring trying to figure out which hand to put it on. A nice kiss and it was all over. We walked out smiling and ascended the stairs.

We were rushed out for pictures. Sarah, was the incredibly beautiful centerpiece to the photos. I can't wait to see the pictures.

Since I am a social kind of person, the next part was he funnest. Sarah and I couldn't believe that almost everyone we invited showed up. Because of this, we had the greatest reception dinner and dancing we ever could have planned (or did). I danced with so many people. I hugged and talked to people I hadn't seen for years. Sarah and I would never have wanted to do it with out all of our family and friends.

The night finally died down some, and left in the limo.

Back here in Maui, everything has been awesome. The flight here was comfortable, since we got a honeymoon upgrade to the seats with more leg room.

When we arrived, we picked up our convertible to cruise the island in.

When we arrived at Napili Kai Beach Resort, we were giving a complimentary honeymoon upgrade, to the nicest room they had. When we look out the window, I only see the ocean and the island Lanai.

So after a 16 hour nap, we officially started our honeymoon with breakfast on the beach.

Going to Maui! See you if we come back!

Our Weddding is near!

15 days until Sarah and I tie the knot!

We have everthing planned and ready for a GREAT evening in Santa Rosa.

I love my Bride-to-Be!

Some nice meals...

I have been trying to eat better lately.

Part of this comes from me liking to cook. I like the simple meals the most. Below are two 30 minute meals that I made.


The first is lobster ravioli's with a chardonnay cream sauce and a side of salad.



The meal below is angel hair pasta with meatballs and a fresh tomato and garlic sauce with salad on the side

Taking Dad on the Rubicon Trail

This last weekend, my Dad and I drove through the Rubicon 4 wheel drive trail. We packed up the Jeep and drove up to the trail in the Sierra Nevada's.



The Rubicon Trail is located in Northern California near Lake Tahoe in the Eldorado National Forest. The beginning of the trail is near Loon Lake and ends on the west side of Lake Tahoe at Tahoma. The trail is 12.9 miles long, and the average driving speed is about 1 miles per hour, so we did it in 2 days with one day for hiking, etc.

Below are pictures of our journey...

Brew Bottled

My homemade brew has been fermenting for just over 2 weeks. It is now ready to bottle. I added a little sugar to get the carbonation. These bottles should be ready to drink in a few weeks...if they don't all explode!

Making Beer

I recently got a beer making kit, called Mr. Beer, to try my hand a making beer. I mixed up the water and corn solds and brought it to boil.

I added the malt and hops and boiled for a bit.

The hot wort solution goes into an cold water bath to quickly cool it.

The wort was poured into the fermintation keg where it will sit for about 2 weeks.

Blackberry the cat likes the smell of the new beer.

Hmmm, this smells yummy...

Oh boy...I feel dizzy...good...but so dizzy...

I think the cats are tired now...


I'll keep you all posted on the rest of the beer making story.

Cat video::

Here is Zoe and Blackberry playing. Just click on "PLAY" below:

Sking at Squaw Valley

Sarah and I went skiing this last weekend at Squaw Valley Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe, California. We had a great time.

Tahoe Feb. 2008

Sarah, myself, and my sister's family went to Tahoe, California for five days. We played in the snow, went skiing at Squaw Valley. We had lots of fun. Enjoy the pictures. If you want to see a larger view, just click twice on the picture window.

I made a website for our wedding. It will be changing often as we get more information.

http://1tom2go.googlepages.com/home

Tom's cooking...Let's order out.

So, it's 2008 and all is well. Two nights ago I had a bunch of leftover ham, so I made a casserole. The casserole turned out great. I was proud. Sarah even ate some.

Well...tonight was not so good.

I tried to make honey seared chicken. This is a great meal that we get at Pei Wei Asian restaurant.

I spent an hour preparing it, and half an hour cooking it. First, I burned the honey sauce. I remade the sauce, then proceeded to make it too thick and then ruin it. I killed dinner!

So, I picked up the phone and ordered take-out for Sarah and I..."2 honey seared crispy chickens please."

Thanks Pei Wei. I promise to never make Chinese food again.

Chrsitmas Eve

It is Christmas Eve and the kitties are ready for Santa to come. So are we!

I visited my Sister Sandy and her family over the weekend. Casandra got a new blanket and Matt got a rock crawler.

We saw Santa Clause at Sea World and even the Orca whale Shamu...

We Saw Penguins and Dolphins...




Mike and Matt made a ginger bread house...



So, now I am sitting at home on Christmas Eve with my girls waiting for Santa to come...

..

Company Christmas Party

Company Christmas Party 2007

Save the Date!

Sarah and I found our location for the wedding!

We visited many wineries in Sonoma and Napa County and found out favorite...

Paradise Ridge Winery

in Santa Rosa, California.



We will be married on 6 pm, Monday,

July 28, 2008

Keep up by visiting our wedding site website: http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=6289279809225398