| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My most memorable childhood experience is when I went to work with my dad for the day. It was a cold, damp day and the particular job he was working at was near the beach. He let me help him work for a while and then we took about an hour and went down to the beach. We made a fire and cooked hot dogs over it while listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. I will never forget how good the hot dogs tasted or how much that little amount of time together meant to me. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I identify most with my mother. Her strong will and can-do determination have shaped my outlook not only on life but also its challenges. She never gives up, and continually seeks the good of the entire family. She inspires me to minimize the distractions of daily life and focus instead on the things of worth: relationships with my family. Throughout my own life I have relied on these same traits as challenges have been identified and overcome. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | The primary character trait I admire is ambition. Ambitious individuals are generally goal oriented. Further, I admire someone who is strong willed. Regardless of whether or not I agree with your opinion or goal, the fact that you are striving for that goal regardless of the obstacle is admirable in my eyes. Finally, I admire conviction. The ability to stay true to yourself regardless of the situation is something rare today. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | The funniest thing that ever happened to me was two Christmas seasons ago. I was home for the holidays helping my parents decorate their house. I knew that we were missing several ornaments and I had an inkling that they were in the garage up on some temporary scaffolding. I grabbed a flashlight, climbed up on the scaffolding and called for my wife to come help me because I couldn't see anything. She calmly came into the garage, flipped on the light, and told me the ornaments were right in front of me. I say that this was so funny because it illustrates the point that sometimes smart people can be really dumb. I grabbed a flashlight instead of turning on the garage light! What was that about? |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | If time and money were not an issue I would travel to Europe to tour its cathedrals. The reason for this desire is the history and unique architectural styles behind each. To stand in the presence of a building that spanned hundreds of years of effort would be amazing. While there I would take time to learn each cathedral's history and unique contributions to the era. In addition to touring Europe's cathedrals, I would hop on a plane to New Zealand. Call me a geek but I want to take the path toward Mordor. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | When I have children I would like to pass on to them an awareness of how blessed we are, and how much some others suffer, how important family is, and how much I love them. I would like to pass on to them knowledge of the faith that I have, the love I have for my wife, and an awareness that they are a blessing in my life. I hope to show them, through example, a man who prioritizes correctly and who understands the value of a job but isn't tied to it. Finally, I hope to pass on to them the utter joy I have in being their father. |
