I grew up in Neenah, Wisconsin with my Mom, Dad, and my two brothers.  We are an extremely tight-knit bunch, and I'm lucky to have such a beautiful family.  I spent my first two years in a tiny little blue house that I don't even remember, and I spent the rest of my youth living next to Neenah High School.

My father, Jim, runs a Dairy Queen in downtown Neenah, and has been pouring his heart into that place since his early twenties.  He bought it from my grandfather, Archie.  I really enjoyed working for/with my Dad all through high school and into college, and he's one of the most caring bosses you could meet.  Yeah, I ate a lot of Dairy Queen when I was  younger, that's not what we ate at my house each day.  And no, I never got sick of it.

My Mom currently works as a receptionist for an eye doctor in Neenah named Dr. Wild.  When I was younger, my Mom stayed home and took care of every need her three sons ever had.  She always, I mean always, went way above and beyond the call of duty.  I was born on Mother's Day, so I like to think that my Mom and I have a special connection.  

My older brother, Craig, is  26, and he lives in Alaska.  He's a wildlife biologist who specializes in birds, though he pretty much knows more than I ever could about nature in general.  He has pretty much spent the last few years in Alaska, with a brief interruption of 3 months working at a wildlife refuge in Hawaii.  In the summers, he often works on the Arctic coast.  He's seen grizzly bears, eagles by the dozen, moose, wolves, caribou, humpback whales, and ridiculous northern lights.  Believe it or not, he recently got 30 feet from a polar bear.

My little brother, Brad, is 21, and he is currently on the west side of good ol' Wisconsin studying at UW Stout.  He's majoring in packaging, and he's doing a heck of a job in school right now.  Brad recently picked up the guitar, but I'll forever owe him a debt of gratitude for his interest in the drums. He played for a couple years, and then decided it was time to move on to something else.  I benefited in that Brad sold me his excellent kit.  He's also a good golfer.  Of the three boys, he gets to have the title of "ladies' man."

We have a little bird, Skipper, too.  He is tiny little parakeet who has been with us almost six years.  He's got some kind of tumor on his back, but he refuses to let it dampen his spirits, as he is the happiest little bird ever.  Some of the things he says are, "Hi Skipper", "Craig Mark & Brad", "Skipper go night-night", "Brett Favre", and "What the dilly, yo?"  All right, so he doesn't say that last one, but he does say all the others.

The five of us have spent a great deal of time together at our cabin in northern Wisconsin.  No place is more sacred to me on this planet.  I will forever cherish my childhood memories of my family and that cabin.  It is because of my mother, my grandfather and my great uncle (Leo and Fritz), that I have had access to such a wonderful place my whole life.  Our little spot on the Oconto River is where, thanks to my father, I fell in love with trout fishing.  I've seen some beautiful locations in my life (Alaska, Montana, Ireland), but no sight makes me me feel closer to heaven than the Oconto River.

I also want to send a big thank you out to all my friends who have helped me reach the point I have today.  I'd be lost without all of you.  The list is too darn long--you know who you are.
**I owe a debt of gratitude to Brad, Cristie, Shelley, Nancy, Alisha, Sarah, Ryan, Anna, Brenda, Sara, Travis, and especially Nichole (with an  H) for helping me get through some of my decisions this past year.  I couldn't have made it to Wyoming without your support.  You are all more amazing than I could explain.



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