about me

I grew up in a pretty typical household with one brother and a great mom and dad. We moved to Carl Junction, Missouri during the bicentennial year of 1976 and I finished my public schooling there before going to college in Joplin at what is now Missouri Southern State University. It was during this time that I became fascinated with computers and all that would follow.

While attending college I got a job as a bartender at Garfield’s Restaurant & Pub and the food bug bit me. I was promoted into management in 1987 and moved up the ladder to Area Director, a position that afforded me the luxury of traveling throughout the Midwest and parts of the Northeast and Canada. In 1992, while living in Chicago I discovered the internet and tried to explain to people why my phone line was always busy. Although I was successful I started to miss family and friends and was looking for a way to get closer to home.

I was able to find a great job in Kansas City with Applebee’s International in 1996 which provided me with a metropolitan area that I craved and close proximity to my family in Joplin. I was very happy with my career and my home and started to establish roots. I lost my mother in 2006 and started to feel a shift in priorities and found my passion for the business waning. After a lot of soul-searching and re-evaluation I decided that the long and unpredictable hours of the restaurant business might not be for me anymore.

After taking some much-needed time off to travel and contemplate my next move, I dabbled in sales and a business venture with my stepfather but still wasn’t feeling fulfilled. Strangely enough, while lighting charcoal for the smoker, I stumbled upon a newspaper clipping about IT jobs and had a minor epiphany. I enrolled at Centriq Training in Leawood and completed my .NET/Web Developer training and received my MCTS certification in February of this year. I am now working on websites for a couple of my friends' businesses and looking for a full-time developer position.

I currently reside with my two cats, King Tut and Cleo who aren't a lot of help around the house but do enjoy sleeping a lot. While not learning about programming I like to cook, play disc golf, camp and travel. I am an avid sports fan and can’t wait for the Chiefs or Royals to have a winning season again.