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About Me

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, and for the most part my childhood was fairly uneventful. Though I was a child of divorce and had to struggle with growing up through that and what it meant. I know I missed out on time with my folks, but I also know that they had to work a lot to provide for us...Hindsight often paints a slightly clearer picture though and looking back I realize just how much I missed out on. There are so many things I never had the chance to learn and so many opportunities missed to become a better man. It has certainly shaped my life and been a defining part of who I am as a husband and a father.

As a kid, I grew up reading books, creating worlds in my head, dreaming big dreams, and tinkering with anything I could get my hands on; which I think in some respects was my way of escaping from the reality of life, and in other respects, it was my way of seeking to learn and do anything and everything that interested me. I suppose that’s where my love of reading came from, and it's probably where my desire to be more than I was came from as well. I wanted to be like the heroes in stories and to live a life of adventure.That being said, I suppose that it shouldn't have surprised me, or anyone that knew me, where my life would go after high school. (I still remember putting on my uncle's Army service uniform coat...)

As my senior year was looming I had to finally decide what it was I should do with my life, happenstance led me to talking with a recruiter… Less than a week after I graduated from high school I left for boot camp to earn the title United States Marine.I graduated from boot camp, went to MCT, then to my MOS school to become a CH-46 mechanic, where I graduated top of my class. Interestingly enough it was in my MOS school that I accepted Christ into my life, which subsequently shaped the rest of my time in the service and beyond. I spent the next two years in Okinawa, Japan (you know, where Mr. Miyagi was from), then came back to the states. After that I deployed with my unit; we port hopped a bit, spent some time in Kuwait, and did some humanitarian assistance in Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr hit in 2007. My last year was spent in Norfolk, VA training reserve Marines.

At that time I never knew how profoundly serving would impact my life. It wasn’t until years after I separated from active duty that I realized how much my life had changed for the better…After I separated from active duty I moved to the Chicago Suburbs, where my girlfriend (now wife) lived. Fast forward a year or so to me buying a house, getting married on January 1st, 2011, and starting classes at an automotive tech school all within a few months. (I ended up graduating top of my class and actually had the chance to give the graduation speech.)A little over a year later I was the proud dad to twin boys and have worked my way up at my current company.

I’ve spent years trying to figure out who I am and where my place is in this world. Herein lies my journey to that end.

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