Kim shared this memory of our wedding day. “I so remember your wedding. It was beautiful but I have to say the best part was you guys left a little boy who was taking everyone’s champagne glasses with my sister and Ed. Jason had his first experience with alcohol (LOL).
That boy was 2 years old and toasted while singing Michael Jackson all the way home!”
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Crochetiere
June 1st, 1985
After the reception, Vicki and I drove to my parent’s (Pete and Barbara Crochetiere) house so we could change our clothes and leave for our honeymoon. Having been raised under my parent’s rules, I knew ‘girls’ were not allowed in my bedroom and I told Vicki she could change in Tina’s bedroom while I changed in mine. Vicki laughed and said, “We are married now; we can change in the same room together”. You know, she was right! I am going to like this marriage thing.
I booked the honeymoon suite at a San Diego hotel, high up overlooking the harbor. I did not realize the US Navy was so big in San Diego and I was fascinated by all of the naval ships going past our balcony. A couple of times, Vicki asked me what I was doing out on the balcony watching those ships, she told me to “Get back in here with me”. I was really liking this marriage thing!
Sometime later Vicki told to me she had a fear of heights and this is why she never went out on the balcony with me during our honeymoon. I had forgotten all about it, but it weighed heavy on her mind and felt I needed to know the truth.
Not long after we got married, Vicki bought me a home computer. You remember the Commodore 64 computers don’t you? I really got into this home computer thing and very much enjoyed it. So much so that when Vicki told me I was spending too much time on the computer and not enough time with her and Jason, she simply picked up the keyboard and threw it to get my attention. She got my attention and I quickly learned to be more attentive and understanding of my new duties and responsibilities as a husband and father. She was right; I was spending too much time playing computer games and looking for Carmen Diego!
Throughout my teenage years, I lived with my maternal grandparents in the desert. I loved the desert just as my Grandpa Todd did and stayed there until one year after graduating high school. Not being able to find good work in the desert, I moved back to the big city (Los Angeles area) with my parents. At the young age of 20, I got started in a law enforcement career as a Jailer with the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department in 1981. Although I enjoyed my new career, I very much missed the desert.
Shortly before meeting Vicki, she and Jason moved to the desert from the city. When we got married, I commuted back and forth from our desert apartment to work. This was a tiring 2 ½ to 3 hour drive one-way. A couple of weeks after we were married, we found an apartment not far from my work and moved there together.
During the summer, Vicki’s family went on a family campout to McGrath State Beach. I was never the kind of person who wore shorts and Vicki tried to talk me into wearing shorts at least while we were camping at the beach. Being the stubborn person that I was, I refused.
Vicki and her mother went into town and bought me a few pairs of shorts and when she returned, she again tried to talk me into wearing them. I held firm and still said, “No”. Vicki said she would later reward me if I at least wore the shorts for 1-day. She would not tell what this reward was but my curiosity got the best of me and I agreed.
I then took off my blue jean pants and put on those shorts. You know, I had no idea I would be more comfortable and cooler wearing shorts. After all my fuss, I think I was going to like wearing shorts during the hotter months. Later that night while we were in our tent, Vicki was true to her word and rewarded me. Yes, I like being married!
While visiting Vicki’s family one day, her mother mentioned they got a parking ticket on one of their cars and she was not happy about it. I decided to put a phony parking ticket on her car and signed my name. When one of the kids told her they thought her car got another parking ticket she immediately went out to see what for this time. As she realized I put the ticket on the car, she yelled at me and began to chase me. Here I am, a 24-year old man running away from a 40 something mother-in-law, there was no way she was going to catch me. Just when I turned my head to look back to see how far back she was from me, SMACK! I guess she was a lot faster than I thought she would be.
In October, Vicki’s father invited me to go hunting with him along with Vicki’s brothers, Mark and Kevin. We set off for the Sequoia National Forest with rifles in hand and we all went our separate ways in search of Bambi. I was glad to not have found Bambi or any of his relatives. I had a great time alone in the forest just admiring the sheer beauty.
When we returned home, Mark and Kevin told me it was their father’s birthday. I suggested we all get together and give him his birthday spankings but they both just looked at me in fear and said, “No way, he will kill us!” I told them I was not afraid of their father so I jumped him to administer his birthday spankings. Luckily, both Mark and Kevin did not want me to die alone so they jumped in to help out. Much to their surprise, their dad did not get mad about this and thought it was funny. We all had a good time together.
Chapter three
1986, Our 3rd Year Together
One day in January while Vicki was at work, I was home with Jason and we were watching the TV to see the launch of the space shuttle Challenger. Just a few minutes after launch, Jason and I saw the shuttle explode. As I stood there in disbelief, Jason looked at me and asked, “Are they dead”? I could not believe that a 3-year old immediately knew what just happened. I told him I thought they were.
Vicki and I were very much enjoying doing things together as a married couple. We visited with family often and occasionally included them on our adventures. We heard of a new dinner theater called Medieval Times and wanted to go. Vicki and I went for her birthday and our neighbor and friend, Debbie and Vicki’s parents joined us.
Vicki’s dad and mom, Debbie, Vicki and Tom
The theater is housed in a replica 11th-century castle and the show features staged medieval-style tournament games of sword-fighting and jousting. While there, Vicki was knighted and this made her title of Miss Vicki official!
Vicki being knighted
In 1985, I learned of an opening for a Jailer position with the Palm Springs Police Department and applied for it. I tested for this position and a couple of months before our 1st marriage anniversary, I got the job and we moved back to the desert. Vicki told me she was fine with moving back to the desert, that she would go anywhere with me. She asked to take a couple of months off from working before she looked for another job and I agreed.
I was glad to be back in the desert, as I had not lived there on a full time basis for nearly 6-years. I was also glad to be back near my grandparents as they were having some difficulties in life and I was glad to live close by to help them out whenever I could.
Vicki and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary by going to Avalon, CA on Catalina Island. The boat was full of boy scouts, most of which were
