Hello to the open world out there!  It seems like most of the people I know have a blog already.  As usual I am jumping on the bandwagon late.  I can't imagine what I could possibly say that will mean anything to anyone, but I'm going to try anyway.

I named the blog The Cat and Mouse House because of the obvious connection to the cartoon characters Tom and Jerry.  I, Tom, will most likely be the only one posting, at least to begin with.  I will no doubt include the most lovely JeriAnn in a lot of my posts.  I intend for this blog to be about us and the life we live together.

The first thing to do is introduce the players.  There are just the two of us.  I, Tom, am the one on the left and JeriAnn is the one on the right.  This picture was taken in July 2013.  I was born in 1970 in Golden Valley, Minnesota.  JeriAnn was born in 1972 in Provo, Utah, along with a twin, TeriAnn, who died as an infant. We were married on June 17, 1995, in at the St. George, Utah, Temple.  Although we have a strong desire to be parents we have not been able to do so.  I am the youngest of 6 and have 11 nephews and 15 nieces. JeriAnn is tied for the youngest of 6 in her family and has 5 nephews and 2 nieces that we see regularly and a few others we don't see regularly (I'm not sure how many).

We live in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, which is a suburb of Minneapolis.  In March of 2012 we purchased a home here after renting from my parents for many years.  From 2007-2010 I was on the City Council here. This is the town where I grew up and I think it will be where we grow old together.

I am also a Mormon, the religion I was raised in, which my parents were baptized into in September of 1952.  I served a mission for the Church from July 1989-July 1991 in the state of Virginia.  Serving as a missionary was one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I developed a deeper understanding of the gospel and a stronger faith.  Over the years JeriAnn and I have served in many positions in the church.  I am currently the Building AV Specialist and High Priest Group 2nd Assistant.  JeriAnn is serving as a Librarian and as Bulletin Typist.

I am also involved with Toastmasters, an organization the teaches Leadership and Communication skills.  I have been in Toastmasters since April 1996 and I am currently Vice President Membership at one club and Vice President Public Relations at another.  I am also serving as an Ambassador for the organization, promoting a new educational program that is being rolled out sometime in 2014.

I hope to post interesting bits of our life together and expect to post around once a week if I remember to.