Tuesday, April 11, 2023
An updated timeline....
My Dearest Thommy Pie,
I wrote a timeline about the beginning of our relationship for your birthday 11 years ago. ALOT has happened since then, it's time to update the timeline :)
We left off celebrating your 29th birthday in Paris.
Next, we moved to Seattle together. You bought your first practice. You've bought three more since then.
You surprised me with a trip to Napa where you proposed to me. I said YES!
We were married in Vegas by Elvis, and then had a wedding in Cabo surrounded by family.
We had six years of wedded bliss before we welcomed our baby girl to this world.
We bought a house, had an intense remodel where we both pushed ourselves to do more physical work then we knew we were capable of.
May 5th 2019, Liv was born and our lives have never been the same. I have loved watching you be a father. You are absolutely amazing with Liv. You are the person that lights up her world. You make her feel loved and safe. You make her laugh until she can hardly breathe. You are literally the BEST dad in the world!
We found out we are pregnant with a second baby girl due in October. I can't wait to see you as a father to two girls. I can't wait to see what this next baby is like. One thing I know - she will love you more than anything.
We're heading out in a couple of days to celebrate your 40th at Pebble Beach. You are my absolute favorite person in the world, I honestly love you more everyday. You are the kindest, most thoughtful and loving person. You make me laugh everyday, you make me feel loved everyday. I love our life together and can't wait to have more adventures with you.
I love you more everyday. Happy Birthday!
Love, Cait
Monday, April 10, 2023
Next Sunday, beer is on the boys.
Dr. Thom;
The Sunday morning golf league salutes you and wish you a very happy birthday. However your birthday caused a lot of consternation and controversy in the group, as we discussed appropriate birthday presents for the golfer who has everything. At first we were going to get you a dozen mulligans but someone pointed out you never use mulligans and that would be a waste of money. Then we thought about getting you a foot wedge but then again with your game that would be superfluous. Finally more rational thought prevailed an we unanimously agreed on beer.
Next Sunday, beer is on the boys.
Happy Birthday!
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Happy 40th Birthday!
Happy birthday Thom!
We tried to arrange a national championship Creighton win for you but they flaked on us so this note will have to do. In all seriousness, Thom, your friendship has meant a lot to us over the years. From our days at Creighton hanging in the dorms playing NCAA football to the best man in our wedding to the religious guidance you provide our daughter as her godfather, we are so grateful for the friendship and laughs you have provided over the years. Look at you: A west coast dentist, married to an AMAZING woman, one of the cutest kiddos in the world, a man with friends in every zip code, took a photo with Dana IN Oregon. You deserve all of this and so much more!
We look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the next decade of your life! Hopefully we can sneak in a few trips along the way. Thanks for your friendship over the last 20 years!
Happy 40th Birthday!
Love,
Phil and Angie
Happy Birthday Thom.
I remember meeting you as the cool kids who lived on/in a house boat, with a keen sense of taste (food and wine), and an ability to throw and make a killer party. Much has changed since then. But change is good. You have much to be thankful for - a beautiful wife, a gorgeous daughter, a great business, and a fantastic life. Your kindness and willingness to put yourself out has always struck me. Someone I could call in a bind but have rarely needed to - except for when that chicken wing decided to take out my front tooth. I kind of like my engagement picture being toothless ;-). Looking forward to staying within your orbit and having fun together as families.
Lots of love - Paul and Annie
Happiest birthday Thom!! I have so many fun stories with you and Cait, but one that I am most grateful for is when you ‘took one for the team’ to catch my garter band at me and Jon’s wedding. I think I could hear actual crickets chirping when they made the announcement for all the single men to gather round. 
that tradition needs to be abolished!
Love, Mady
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Thom,
When we met on the dock I had no idea I just met a best friend. It was great to have you as my neighbor. We bonded over getting kicked out of Sandra's concert, late night wine dinners, taking the Markeson yacht over to Westward, NBA basketball, setting off a small arsenal of fireworks on July 4 trips to Vashon, visiting Port Townsend, a New Orleans trip, camping on Lake Kachess, SeaFair boat days, holiday parties and so many other great memories.
What a time we had. Spending time with you I got to see the generous, thoughtful, talented and fun person that you are. It has been wonderful seeing the life that you and Cait have built in Seattle since we met. And it has been a joy to watch you raise Liv and to get to know the rest of your extended family. So, congrats on 40. I'm very proud to count you as a friend and I can't wait to see what your next chapter brings.
Stephen
Dock Drama, Chapter I: A Tale of Thom
Thom entered our lives completely unannounced one night soon after we had bought our houseboat.
Our lives have never been the same.
There was a knock at the door. Weird. It’s like 9 p.m. on a weeknight. Who does that.
We cracked the door to find a well-dressed couple on our porch.
He was fancy boy. Hat. Scarf. Snug slacks. Shoes. Confident. Dandy. Debonaire.
She was sassy, brassy, and blonde. Handbag. Shoes. Dress. She had style—and she knew it. And she knew that you knew she knew it, too.
Together, they were a dock power couple to be reckoned with, living a life of glamour and opulence beyond our wildest imaginations.
In time, we would learn that he was a dentist. Yanking molars for cash. She was a designer to the stars. Fancy cars. Fancy houses. Fancy wine. Crudités.
They were Utahns, we would learn in due time, from the land of tall mountains and jello salads. But they’d fallen in love and gotten out, escaped to the bright lights and soggy bottoms of Seattle. They were Utahns on the run, headed for bigger horizons, and there’s one thing that everyone knows about Utahns on the run: Nobody parties harder.
Tonight, standing on our porch, these two Utahns were toasted from a night on the town.
We welcomed them into our house, and after some pleasantries Thom broke the silence.
“We were wondering who was going to buy this house. We checked it out when it was listed but it’s so weird and small and all chopped up into little rooms like an old lady had lived here for 50 years.”
Katie and I took a moment to process the info dump.
Thom, whom we’d just met 30 seconds earlier, smiling before us, in our new home, had just told us our houseboat was a turd.
That, in a nutshell, is all you need to know about Thom. Fiercely honest and ferociously friendly at the same time. Generous. A lover of people and interaction. Friendly to all. A smiler. A laugher. A golfer and predictor of sports.
Thom speaks straight from his heart, unfiltered, the words spilling from his mouth without having first bypassed through his brain.
It’s a quality that we and, we would guess, all of Thom’s friends adore.
We became immediate friends. Wino Wednesdays. Meats. Meat sweats and hangovers. Dock Drama. The Rainbow Unicorn Incident.
We thought we were only buying a houseboat. Little did we know that we were getting something even more precious, even more priceless. A good friend. Two good friends, and in time three. And all of your friends’ friends, because you are a collector of people who like to have fun.
Happy birthday Thom. We love you. Your best days may be in the past, but you’ve done well.
Paul Tolme and Katie Benson
It is an absolute honor and pleasure to have been friends with Thom for what has become a longer amount of time than we can believe! Over the course of our friendship, we have had the opportunity to get to know Thom both personally and professionally, and it has been an absolute joy to witness his unwavering positivity and influence. He not only inspires us to work hard, but also to be kind to others, cherish our family, and to take time to be grateful for the blessings in our life.
Thom and I have been fortunate to share many of the same interests such as basketball, golf, wine, high quality meat, and light beer - and of course, more golf! In the margins of moments we get to hang out, I've noticed nothing but exceptional character from Thom. He exudes kindness to everyone he meets, is inclusive, warm, easy-going, and takes his responsibilities seriously.
Throughout my life, I have had the privilege of knowing many wonderful people, but I hold Thom in the highest esteem. Ashlyn and I are incredibly proud to call him our friend, and we look forward to many more years of friendship. Here's to wishing Thom a very Happy 40th Birthday!
Love,
Ben and Ashlyn Pawlak
Thom is quite possibly the kindest and warmest man,
A gentle person with fair skin, positively no tan.He greets you with a wide smile and a bottle of wine,
In the kitchen he’ll prepare five courses in which to dine.
Truly, you must sit at his table and feast,
On fine cheeses, olives and savory roast beast.
Fill your stomach to the brim with little remorse,
And perhaps Thom will invite you onto the golf course.
His talents on the green are widely accepted,
Far below par as we all know and expected.
The accolades of this man could go on forever,
But unlike Thom, this author is hardly as clever.
So I’ll wrap up this commentary, and neatly summarize,
Thom is a marvelous human, to no one’s surprise.
Happy birthday friend!
Best,
Matty P
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