'RRRRRROAR' Goes the Lion...


Yes - this is an epic 'wrap up' update that Elj hates, but sometimes, ya just gotta!

Well, I’ve done it. I have finally made the move from PC to Mac, and just like my friend, Matt, said…I have NO IDEA what I waited on! It’s divine! It’s fantastic! It’s a whole new life!


And I know nothing about it.

I have the basics – I can get my email, find my photos, etc. But web design, Garage Band and all that good stuff is still to come. Stay tuned.

More good stuff. As of Friday, 6 June, I have my P
enn State Nittany Lion. What does that mean? It means I went back-and-forth from Monterey to the East Coast (sometimes at Penn State, sometimes at the Army training center near Boston) 11 times. I completed 11 intense weeks and I now have my Advanced Certification in Hospitality Management, as well as my Advanced Certification in Strategic Hospitality Leadership. I am writing this as I’m on the plane home from Boston right now. The good news about this ‘good stuff’ is that the back-and-forthing will be less and less (Praise God!). I will still have a fair amount of travel, but nothing like it’s been the last year or so. I’ll be home a lot more and that makes for a happy Chester and a restful Toma.
I'm working backwards for a moment (cue transition music). Before I went to Boston, I made a surprise cameo in Orlando to celebrate Ricardo's 40th (Ricardo was my longtime roommate during the Disney years). His partner, John "Hoggle" had the surprise party planned...but the
additional surprise was me! Great fun and it was fantastic to spend the evening with some old Disney friends. The highlight (other than the obvious) was spending the evening with Andrea "Bessie" and her pregnant belly. Bessie also lived with Ricardo & I. She is soooo special to me, and I became her paparazzi for the evening.

Bright and early the next morning, before leaving for Boston, I drove half way to Miami (Ft. Pierce) and met Mom & Simmer for breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

Which could have sold me before anything more was said. Man, I can tear up some Cracker Barrel.

Then she threw in a bonus "I'll bring Kayla!"

AAAAHHHHHHHHGGGHHH! I miss that kid. Here's a slideshow of the weekend. Oh! And because I was in a surprising mood, I had a spare 30 minutes before I had to be at the airport, so I made a drop-in at the Johnson's....Traci a dear friend of mine from Disney (who was not at the party the night before).

Off to the airport, up to Boston, and you're brought up to date. Two great girlfriends from Disney live in the area, so I got some love from them, too! Also got an evening with my Camp Towanda friend, Audra (no photo at press time)...

Here's some shots:


Create Your Own

Are you still with me? Keep up, everyone...keep up!

Last step - as a reward to myself for completing my Lion, I treated myself to Kenny Chesney tickets last night.

In the front (also known as the 'sandbar').



I took my girlfriend, Heather. She's my 'concert friend' and just completed her Master's Degree in Graphic Design. Here's a few of my favorites from last night

She's a good Mac tip giver.

Oh! I'm moving! And I have a new cell phone! And a new email address! If you're on my email list, you should have an email in your in-box already with all the updates.

Summer is here, and the sun is out - life's good!



Toma's Favorite Song Today: "The Good Stuff" by Kenny Chesney (duh!)