Last updated Sunday, January 28, 2007

Birth and Childhood
I came into the world on October 9, 1978 and people have been upset with my mother and father ever since. I am a native of Colorado and was born and raised in Aurora, the largest suburb of Denver. I was a precocious child and have always been intrigued by new things--especially technology. My interest in computers was fostered by my father, who taught me to use one even before I could read. In 1979, when I was just a year old, he purchased an Apple II+ at an inflation-adjusted cost of over $5000. I'm sure that at the time, it was viewed as short-sighted or unnecessary by many people, but due to its impact on the formation of my education and career, I must insist that the expenditure was one of the most important investments my parents ever made! My hobbies as a kid were many and varied, including volleyball, swimming, tennis, baseball, running, camping and backpacking, computers, the Boy Scouts, getting into trouble with my friends, and of course, chasing girls.

Early Education
My education began in the Aurora Public Schools, but when I was 12, my family moved five miles down the road and seemingly light-years across the universe, into the Cherry Creek School District. I know that some people viewed affiliation with those schools as sort of a status symbol, but I always thought that pretentious. My parents valued my education and knew I wasn't really living up to my potential where we were. They made a lot of sacrifices to get us into better schools, and in retrospect, it's unbelievably clear how important that switch was, both for my personal achievement in school, and for my persisting view of the importance of learning, which keeps me in school even now.

A senior portrait, taken in the summer of 1996.

High School
Although I had played the trombone since 6th grade, I became most interested in band when I arrived at high school in 1993. Most of my high school memories involve the friends I made in the band and the crazy things we did together. Band kids were generally responsible, so it was as good a group to fall into as any. I was section leader for two years and eventually became drum major in my senior year. Aside from band, I also swam, played tennis, and participated in a wide array of clubs and extracurricular activities, which made sure that, despite my short attention span, there was always something exciting to do when my homework was finished. Certainly though, my biggest challenges came from school itself, because I always took difficult classes. My life at the time could have been easily summed up as "Busy;" I guess not much has changed. Before I knew it, high school was over. I graduated from Eaglecrest High School in 1997 with highest academic honors and then it was time for college.

College Prep
At first, I really wanted to go somewhere "prestigious" for college. I had a particular interest in Yale because of an award and scholarship offer they gave me during my junior year, but by my senior year, although I had taken the classes, earned the grades (and about 30 AP credits), and had the test scores, I actually passed up those pursuits entirely. I chose instead to enroll in the Computer Science program of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I chose CU for a variety of reasons: easily, because I was a guaranteed admit; intelligently, because they have a great engineering program; sensibly, because I could afford it; cautiously, because it was close to home; and also in some ways stupidly, because I was chasing a girl (yeah, so we all make mistakes...). Whatever the reasons were, I am confident I made the right decision. After all, what would have become of me under different circumstances? I may have missed out on a chance to join the Skull and Bones, but I am thankful not to be counted among the likes of the Georges Bush as a Yale alumnus. Besides, I've never heard anyone talk about New Haven the way people do about Boulder.

College
It took five years, but in 2002, I graduated from CU-Boulder with two degrees--a Bachelor of Science Computer Science, and a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in English Literature. I studied a lot of advanced English in high school and enjoyed it. Half-way through college, I decided to see if I still had anything going for me there. The English pursuit provided me with a welcomed distraction from the engineering world. Sure, engineers had to take plenty of humanities courses, but they were usually offered specifically for engineering majors. I wanted to see if I could be any good at English in classes filled with students for whom that was their sole pursuit. Plus, at CU, the engineering center (concrete dungeon) is on the opposite end of campus from the liberal arts buildings where people frequently saw the light of day, smiled while walking through campus, and enjoyed the company of other human beings. I don't know if I ever became very good at it, but I completed my English degree, so that must be worth something.

CU Marching Band
When I arrived at college, I immediately became involved with the Golden Buffalo Marching Band. It is the source of some of my greatest challenges in college and the origin of my fondest memories. Being a part of the band made me feel connected to the University, like I was part of her spirit and her legacy, which is hard thing to find on a 30,000 student campus. I played in the band for five years and was a section leader for three. The band and its members taught me a great many lessons I shall not soon forget. My college experiences kindled a love for the City of Boulder that has grown into a steady flame and I have enjoyed living in or near it since 1997. I can say with absolute certainty that I'm proud to be a Buffalo.

Employment
I am lucky to have secured a job in my industry early on. I was a lifeguard and swim instructor in high school, which I really enjoyed, but after graduation, I never had to do it again. I have worked in the computer industry ever since and am now employed as a Software Engineer for the Integrated Systems and Solutions branch of Lockheed Martin Corporation in Gunbarrel, which is just a couple of miles outside of Boulder. I have worked there since 2002 and within IS&S, I work in the DoD Systems line of business in the Satellite Ground Systems division. Did you have a hard time following that? Don't worry, it confuses me, also, but among 140,000 other employees, that's where I fit into the picture at Lockheed Martin. The software I write is for a contract with the U.S. Air Force called SBIRS and the job is basically to build a comprehensive satellite constellation that is used to detect missile launches all around the world, using infrared heat-sensing equipment, so that the U.S. and its allies will have timely and accurate information about incoming threats in the in the event ballistic missile attacks. There's quite a lot more to it, but nothing you'd probably care much about. Since I write software, there isn't much to "see", but you can take a look at the actual satellites if you like. The software I write and maintain resides on a distributed ground system and operates as part of the central link between the satellites and the operators who command them to perform work. The contract has been active since 1996 and I joined the effort in 2002. It is now in its final stages and we intend to complete all of the work and satellite launches within the next few years. What I'll do after that is uncertain--maybe I'll get out of doing Department of Defense work altogether and go back to private industry.

Graduate School
In 2004, I became interested in pursuing a postgraduate degree. I would have preferred to concentrate specifically on software engineering, but the schools around here don't have such a program. Instead, one of my colleagues got me interested in computer engineering, which is basically a hybrid of computer science and electrical engineering. I am half-way done with my Master of Engineering degree and plan to graduate in 2008. Graduation seems so distant, but I'm doing my best to stay focused until then so I can maintain my 4.0 average (which in this program is incredibly difficult). Time and life permitting, I think I would like to continue my study after that. Options that have crossed my mind include an M.S. in Computer Science or Software Engineering (from a different school), an MBA, or becoming certified as a Softare Development Professional. I can't say for certain whether I'll ever be in a position to pursue any of those things, but for now they'll remain on the long list of possibilities.

Recent
These days, the majority of my waking hours are spent in front of a computer. If I'm not working or studying at one, I'm probably doing some other computer-related activity. I have a substantial computer workshop in my basement that Dana says looks like a NASA control center. It's really not that bad, but I like playing down there. I don't have much free time, but when I get some, I enjoy working with my hands or creating things. If I'm not tearing apart computers, I might be doing home-improvement projects or working on my automobiles. Despite my enjoyment of computers and commitment to school, I would like to find more time to do some of these other things. I began work on the downstairs bathroom in July of 2005 and it still isn't done. Then over last winter, I took the entire interior out of my truck to do some wiring, acoustic, and electronics work, but I ran out of time to finish before it got too cold, so it's still parked in the driveway, minus an interior. It's been drivable since July when I fixed it up just enough to take it in for an emissions inspection and to get new tags, but aside from a seatbelt, steering wheel, the driver's seat, and a towel on the floor in place of a mat, the interior is still completely stripped. I hope to have considerably more time this coming spring, but that's only if things slow down a little. I definitely don't want to start out marriage with my own backlog of to-do items, because I know I'm going to need a clean slate when I get my honey-do list from Dana. She really wants that bathroom finished, but thankfully she's gone easy on me lately, because of work and school. :-)

Thank You
Thanks for taking the time to read through this website. The majority of the wedding planning was courtesy of Dana, but this site is my creation, born entirely of my own motivation. I hope you enjoy it. Of course, if you find something is out-of-place, would like more information or substance in a particular area, or just have general site-related gripes, please feel free to drop me a line and I'll see what I can do to make the necessary improvements.