I find that I am primarily oriented around and grounded upon Faith, Family, and Service
God is at the center of my life. I believe in God, and in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. I think about them often, study the words of their prophets daily, do what I can to follow them, and strive to be more like them. As a follower of Christ, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I LOVE it. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, I follow Christ and His doctrine and His church, not merely because I find great evidence that they are true, but because through the light of Christ I see everything else much more clearly. The gospel of Jesus Christ expands my vision daily and brings me great joy. Please let me know if you want to hear more!
My family is a huge source of joy and a rock upon which I have been able to stand all of my life. My mom is a source of great wisdom and strength, and my siblings are my friends. We love to go on adventures together, celebrate together, eat together, or just be together. We often talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ because of the joy it brings all of us. We lost our dad to cancer many years ago, but because of the Savior, we will be with him again! 🙂 Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, husbands, wives, and family members who have been sealed together in the temples of the Lord receive the promise that death is not the end of the relationships and that their families are united eternally. We find enduring comfort in that truth!
A third pillar, center, or focus in my life is service to others. Currently I spend a lot of time listening and counseling, often regarding faith. But I enjoy all kinds of service, from disaster clean-up to grocery delivery, and from taking care of children to serving in volunteer community roles. I hope one day to marry someone who feels similarly and to raise our children in the joy of serving others.
I grew up in Overton, Nevada, and attended Moapa Valley High School. Many of my cousins lived in Utah along the Wasatch Front, so we also spent a good deal of time there. I served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and lived in Utah for several years after my mission.
I attended Brigham Young University for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After high school I decided to study computer science, and I continued in that direction till I had earned my bachelor’s degree. Subsequently I worked in information technology and systems administration until deciding to return to school for a degree in civil engineering. I worked as a traffic engineer and then as a full-stack web developer before returning to school at the University of Iowa for a PhD in Organizational Behavior.
I enjoy many, many things and can do most of them moderately well. I play ultimate frisbee frequently, like to cook, try and keep my house in good repair, dabble in music and video broadcasting technology, and play well with children. I keep a budget, fiddle with the piano and ukulele, talk with friends and family, devour good books, and set things in order. I don’t watch much (or any) TV nor see many movies. 🤷♂️ With deliberate action, I find my life is full of people and things that bring me joy. 😊