About Me (for starters)

I enjoy writing to pen pals as a sort of hobby.  If you are reading this, you are probably someone I am writing to.  As you might imagine, I get asked the same questions over and over again about my family and hobbies.  To answer those questions, I have decided to create a "Tom" FAQ of sorts.  So...begin here and if you still have more questions, write me and ask!

Q:   Tell me about your family?
A:   I've been married for 15 years to my wife Syndi.  She and I have 3 children.  They are wonderful!  They are precious gifts.  Each one is unique.  The oldest is Emily.  She is 14 years old and will be in 9th grade this Fall (2010).  She plays the Bassoon, and gets excellent grades in school.  She is responsible and compassionate.  Next is Tommy, who is 10 years old.  He has a high functioning form of Autism.  He is very creative and imaginative.  He loves to joke around.  For more information on Autism, try this link. Our youngest child is Isabelle. She has Rett Syndrome, a genetic disorder. She is 5 years old.  She does not walk and she is mute.  She is a dolly though!  And a real Daddy's Girl, to be sure!  More information about her condition and her challenges can be found here.

I also have 2 younger brothers and 2 younger sisters, but we are not very close. I think this is mostly due to the age gap. I am much much older than they are.


Q: How did you and your wife meet?
A: My wife and I met through a friend of hers. So it was kind of an informal matchmaker kind of thing. I was talking to her friend on the internet and during our conversation she talked about someone she knew who she thought I would really enjoy meeting. She gave me her phone number (without her friend's knowledge, I found-out later) and so I called her. At the time I lived in Utah...and my future wife lived in Wisconsin. We talked on the phone for hours at a time. We wrote letters back and forth. We got to meet once. I flew out to Wisconsin for a few days. Eventually she moved-out to Utah and we eloped! Her parents were very upset, but a few months later all was forgiven when my wife got pregnant. LOL.

Q:  What do you do for a living?
A:   Recently found work in October of 2010. I do web design and programming for a small company. My career has been in IT (Information Technology). I have worked for large and small companies, doing both Windows and Website development for over 15 years. I recently finished 10 months of training in Graphic Design.

Q:  What movies, books and music do you enjoy?
A:  Here is a list! :)


Q: What about art?
A:  Here are some paintings I like.  I am also a graphic design student, and my (humble) portfolio is located online.


Q:  What do you do for a living?
A:  I've been working in the Information Technology industry for over 15 years.  I've been doing Software Development.  I started out writing Windows applications, and about 5 years ago switched over to the Web model and never looked back.  :)  I am currently getting my certification in Visual Communications (a.k.a. "Graphic Design") attending online at the University of Phoenix.


Q:  Do you maintain any blogs besides this one?
A:  Indeed.  Here is a link to them.  :)


Q:  What are your religious beliefs?
A:  I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That is quite a mouthful, so most people refer to us as "Mormons" because of a book of scripture we believe in called The Book of Mormon.  I don't mind sharing my beliefs with you, but my beliefs are not up for debate. And you won't find me debating about the validity of your beliefs, either! If you are interested in learning more about my beliefs, and wish to do so anonymously with no pressure, here is a fantastic place to start your research. And the official site is here.  :)