| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | Hard to say what my single most memorable childhood experience is. I think it's rather an amalgamation of memories of my siblings and I. From putting on nonsensical plays in our basement to adventuring and exploring the woods near our childhood home. We always supported and took care of each other and there was lots of laughter and love. Sure, we had our squabbles, but to this day I would do anything for my siblings and their presence in my life and influence is immeasurable and incomparable. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | The family member I most closely identify with is my sister. We are very close in age and the middle kids of our family, so we really stuck together a lot and supported each other as kids. Even as adults she's one of my first calls for advice and I'm always there when she needs me. We share a love of culture and reading and history and have always bonded over those things. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Above all I admire individuals who are kind and open with others, even strangers. I think the world needs more of this, a willingness to lend a hand or open our hearts to someone else. I also admire good leadership, not just control and command, but truly understanding those who support you (and who you in turn support), leading by example and knowing the people beneath you raise you up, but you are not 'above' them. Compassion and self-assurance are quintessential traits in my book, as well as folks who listen and think before they speak and act. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | Coming from a big family, my parents had their hands full trying to keep track of us. I remember one particular evening, when our house was on the market, we were going to go out to dinner to one of our favorite spots while the realtor hosted a viewing. I was sitting in my room waiting quietly for the word we were leaving, deeply immersed in one of the books from the Redwall series, when my door opened. I peeked out, expecting to see my brother or sister but there was the realtor and two strange adults and I staring at one another in shock and relative confusion! My family came home shortly after, having arrived at the restaurant to find I wasn't amongst the brood piling out of the van! |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | If time and money were not an issue I don't think I would stop traveling to be honest! I have a passion for other cultures and for seeing all the beauty our world has. Top of my list would be New Zealand though, because of its extremely well taken care of environment, the vast differences in landscapes and of course, what better place to have fun than the adventure capital of the world! Second would be Thailand or the Philippines because of the excellent scuba diving there! And third, if it (hopefully) rebuilds and repairs, Venezuela, because it is where my wife is from, and I would love to be able to join her to go back home and see what an amazing country it is! |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | We aren't planning on having children, but if I did (or to my niece/nephew) I would like to pass on to them any wisdom I have gained, support for their hopes and goals, guidance for their struggles, common sense and my love of reading and exploring life and learning! I am not a super materialistic individual so there aren’t many physical items I have to pass on. But I hope I can share my appreciation for art and music and life's beauty with them. |
