My faith informs all that I do and helps keep my priorities straight. I am first, and foremost, a family man.  When raising our children with my wife,  we were involved in many of their interests and activities:  4H dog events & horse riding lessons, biking & hiking & camping, taking day trips to scenic areas, going on leisurely walks at any number of Puget Sound destinations, coaching soccer, visiting Esperanza on Vancouver Island, British Columbia (http://www.esperanzaministries.com/), visiting our favorite vacation spots in California, and, on a couple of occasions, being part of teams that built houses in Tijuana, Mexico.

I have enjoyed outdoor & athletic activities all of my life.  I grew up body surfing at the beaches and exploring mountain caves in Santa Cruz, California, and have loved living my adult years in the great Pacific Northwest.  Backpacking along the coast or in the mountains, taking day hikes to one of many waterfalls in the Cascades, river rafting, snow skiing, water skiing, beach combing, biking, and, well, you get the idea.  My favorite sport?  Easy – soccer.  My college soccer team was twice runner-up at the NCAA-II national tournament and twice managed to win the Washington State Men’s Soccer  title.  I continued to play soccer for over 30 years on various recreational teams and, when I wasn’t playing soccer, I was either playing tennis, volleyball, racquetball, or (pretending to) golf.

I enjoy cooking, reading historical novels, and watching movies…especially the kind that make me laugh.  But my favorite indoor activity is playing the piano.  I took lessons as a kid and really enjoyed learning how to play contemporary songs and ragtime.  In high school I even earned some tips playing ragtime music at a pizza parlor.  I went on to take some music theory classes in college and  gained enough momentum to begin writing my own lyrics & music.   Sitting down and playing the piano has been my favorite way to express the most important things in my life.

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