Born: Saturday, November 5, 1977 in Owatonna, MN
I lived in Owatonna until I was 6 years old, when my family moved to the Twin Cities. We lived in Coon Rapids for less than a year before moving to Anoka. I was in first grade when we moved to Anoka. When I was in the sixth grade, my parents built a new house in Andover, where they have lived ever since. I attended Washington Elementary while living in Anoka, and finished my 6th grade year at Andover Elementary. I then moved on to Fred Moore Junior High in Anoka, where I went for two years before entering High School. After graduating from Anoka High School, I went on to North Dakota State University in Fargo, where I got my Bachelor of Architecture degree in May of 2001. I currently live in St. Cloud, MN and work at Miller Architects & Builders as an intern Architect (my business card says my title is “Project Designer”).
In my youth, I was a Cub Scout for about 2 years before going into the Boy Scouts, also for about two years. I left after my second summer camp trip after feeling that there wasn’t enough time at camp to have fun at camp because too much time was supposed to be spent earning merit badges.
I still like to camp, although I don’t get to do it much. It was something that started as a young child when my dad’s job would take him on the road a lot. He’d pack up the camper and take us all with him in the summer, allowing him to work while still getting to spend time with the family. It was something I took into my short experience in the Boy Scouts, and have tried to keep up on my own when time permits. As a child, we stayed at State Parks in a camper tailor, but as I grew older I tended to enjoy tent camping with few amenities. My favorite camping trip was in the summer of 2000 with three friends in the mountains of Wyoming. It was short and tiring, as I was quite out of shape, but it was beautiful, and overall fun.
I also enjoy biking. I tend to like to stay on paved trails, but also enjoy dirt paths that take you off the road.
The hobby I tend to spend the most time on is my computer. I have always built and maintained my own machines, and enjoy tinkering with them the way some guys like tinkering with their cars or motorcycles. I don’t game much, but enjoy general computer use. I toy around with video editing, music, and the internet, including this blog. I currently run a Windows XP machine (my primary computer) and a second computer that runs Debian Linux. On my Debian machine I run a web server that currently has a personal web page, six blogs (this one, my personal blog, and four themed blogs that get little use), and a Forum (which also gets little use).
I became a born-again Christian about five years ago, while in college. I was listening to a set of audio tapes by Chuck Missler of Koinonia House about Bible Prophecy and how they relate to current events. I had always been fascinated by prophecy, Biblical and non-Biblical. When I listened to the tapes, I realized that the Bible has a track record of being 100% accurate in prophecy (and everything else for that matter). It hit me that Jesus is about to return, as He promised he would, and I wasn’t ready. That’s when I decided to give my life to Him. I’ve tripped more times than I care to remember, but I’ve never looked back.