Where to begin?

The world was a quiet, peaceful place until that late summer night in 1972 when I was born into this world. Before that time, folks usually refrained from using the Lord’s name in vain and typically spent lazy evenings on their porches conversing with one another, singing along with Conway Twitty on the radio, and pondering the latest episode of “Hee Haw”.

Anyhow, I proceeded to bulldoze my way through this world. I have to admit that I was not a particularly graceful child. I suffered brief stints as a dandelion picker in little league, attempted to impersonate John Travolta in dance classes (don’t ask), and spent some time on the gridiron in which I thought my only job was to get the ball regardless of my position. I also gave Cub Scouts a shot, but I never could tie those knots or start a fire with a stick and a rock. I jumped camp for 4-H, where I quickly learned about many great subjects. Nothing will build character like making a pet out of your show steer, only to auction it off to someone that plans to eat it. I put 10 years into the 4-H program. It was a great experience — especially when I got to attend “Corn Camp” at Purdue.

During high school, I managed to squawk out tunes on the alto sax until my Senior year, at which time I quit, joined chorus and debuted as the “Tin Man” in the school production of The Wizard of Oz. I obtained critical acclaim with my teachers, which was helpful when I needed to get out of class. I was not a particularly analytical child, and preferred to spend my time buried in books or goofing around on my grandparent’s farm. My dad would not let me use his Commodore-64, and the teachers would not let me use a calculator, so I stumbled through math. Thankfully I made exceptional grades in my English and arts classes. I surprised everyone when I decided I was actually going to go to college (including myself)! I applied and was accepted to a few schools, and chose to attend Ball State University where I would major in Criminal Justice. I wanted to be a Texas Ranger or a US Marshall.

It’s funny how life pans out, throwing those little curve balls at you from time to time. I almost knocked myself out of college (literally and figuratively). I decided that Criminal Justice wasn’t for me, and after a couple of interim major/minor combinations, I settled on English and Secondary Education. I then spent the next 4 years deciphering Shakespeare, diagramming sentences, and learning how to handle other people’s children. During my time in college, I joined the BSU Equestrian Team and competed against riders from schools across the nation. I finished in the top 10 in my division both years, which earned me two trips to the National Finals. I even managed to get on ESPN once! During this time I also led trail rides in Colorado, trained BSU police horses, and bounced in a bar for a few years.

After college, I taught 7th, 9th, and 11th grade English for two years. That’s all it took to decide that was too much for my blood pressure and decided to look for a different position. The right thing didn’t come along immediately, and I got pulled in to the world of IT work. During my time teaching I had discovered some enjoyment in working with computers and designing web sites. I am proud to say I’ve had a web site since 1995! Since that time, I’ve managed to obtain training and climb my way from being the “computer guy” into my current employment as a Tier 3 technology consultant at a Fortune 200 company.

My wife and I met at BSU in 1994. We married in 1996 and now have two awesome children. My daughter is going to be a ballet dancer, a doctor, or a dentist. My son is planning to be a “football man”, a “baseball man”, or a race car — he can’t decide. I’m all for any career that will allow them to support me when I’m old.

In my “free” time I enjoy riding horses, 4-wheeling, working on my truck, reading, working out, and watching football. I tried taking up golf, but I just can’t afford to lose that many balls. I’ve attempted to learn to play acoustic guitar, and still plan to work on that. 

That’s me in a nutshell… I hope you’ll stay tuned! =)

Mike