| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I have always been passionate about football and played at a young age. I was selected to play on a regional all-star team when I was around twelve years old. I played left tackle and defensive end for our squad. We came in second place to a team from Salt Lake City Utah, who had a wide receiver larger than me. We ran a wish bone and flex bone option offense and so did most of the teams we faced in our area. This final opponent ran the spread. It was a close game, but we were unable to keep up with the firepower of the first spread offense we had ever seen. The games were held in a big city. As a country boy from the ranch the city made quite an impression on me. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | Both of my grandfathers are natural comedians. They fill every room with laughter. I have always emulated this quality and it is one all of the men in my family tend to exhibit.
My brother is several years my junior. We grew up in the same room until I left for college. We became roommates again when he joined me at university. Both of us share the competitive nature passed down from our father. Sports, academic accolades, video games, you name it we loved to push each other to see who could come out on top. When I left for college I hung my football MVP plaque above his bed. Three years later he hung his state basketball MVP plaque just above that. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire a strong work ethic. I also believe compassion and empathy are some of the most important traits a person can have. I also love a good sense of humor. I think composure is another important one. Panic and screams never fix a situation, level-thinking heads do. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | When I was growing up on the farm, one of the fun pranks often propagated by ornery young boys is to shock a friend with the electric fence. The simplest way to do this is to grab a friend’s hand then with the opposite hand grab the electric fence. This will give you a small shock and your friend a much larger one as the current grounds at their feet. My cousin from a larger city came for a visit one summer and fell victim to such a prank. As I laughed at my genius of a joke my cousin became infuriated and sought revenge in the same manner. However, his lack of knowledge in the department of electrical current resulted in him grabbing the fence before reaching out to shock me. His determination resulted in him getting shocked several more times as I laughed on my back on the ground. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | Where wouldn't I travel?! I would love to see the world over, but the top of that list is the ancient megalithic monuments that I have always been fascinated with. The sphinx, pyramids, Machu Picchu, Gobekli Tepe, Stonehenge, the Roman Colosseum. I have all of these on my bucket list. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | My sense of humor. The patience I have learned. My compassion for others. The best advice I ever received and the mantra I attempt to live my life by goes something like this, "You can't control your circumstances all of the time. The universe will throw you a curve ball eventually. However you can choose your attitude, you can choose to be happy." I find a great attitude to be infectious and I love to spread that bug. |
