Where do I start? It's going to be a long story, but if you came to this page, you probably want to know more about me for some strange reason!

Note: If you prefer to learn more about my geekier (or as my wife would say - boring) side, go here.

The beginning.....
God has really blessed me throughout my life, and I sure am several hundred miles from where I started! I grew up in New Iberia, LA as the oldest of five children. I graduated high school in '93 with no idea about what I wanted to do with my life. Mostly from my parents urging, I attended college out of state, going to St. Meinrad College from 1993 to 1995 and Brescia College from 1995-1996. At that point, I was still unsure of what I wanted to do, and I wanted to find an education that didn't entail a small college (which both of these were.) I moved back home and attended the University of Louisiana-Lafayette from 1996-1998, where I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of General Studies.

Turning around and finding God.....
I credit not ULL for my turn-around in finding purpose in my life, but I credit the Newman Center (the Catholic student organization) at ULL. Fr. Hampton Davis, Dan Jurek, Juan-Carlos Pagan, Mark Conque, and others were instrumental in helping me get in touch with God and figure out my role as one of God's children.

Graduation, Cara, and "What am I going to do??"
After I graduated UL-Lafayette in December 1998, I still really didn't have an idea about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. At that point, God had the answer again and dropped Cara Noelle into my life. Cara moved to Louisiana in 1999 to be with me. I had never thought that I would find a life partner that could bring so much into a relationship until I met Cara. She was willing to move to be near me and willing to support and help me figure out what my life-goals should be. I could go on for hours about Cara and how much she means to me....

Graduate School.....
God continued to help to put the puzzle pieces into place. It so happened that I was researching the Internet one day and came upon a Master's degree program at UL-Lafayette in Telecommunications. At Cara's urging, I took the GRE in the fall of '99, passed, and started graduate school in the Spring of 2000. Cara and I married that year while I was in graduate school. Cara worked nights full-time as a nurse in the local hospital while I was a full-time graduate school student.

Chloe Noelle...
Life didn't stop there, though. In January 2001, God blessed Cara and I with a 4lb, 9oz daughter, which we named Chloe. From January until August, Cara and I balanced my school attendance, Cara's job, and watching Chloe while I finished graduate school. Although I finished my coursework in July of 2001 (with a perfect 4.0 average, I might add!), I had to wait until December 2001 to pick up my diploma.

A great blessing in the form of a job.....
While in the next-to-last semester of graduate school, I applied at several booths in the college career fair. State Farm Insurance interviewed me and asked me to start as a Technical Analyst in the Systems department in August 2001. It just so happened that I was able to finish my coursework in July of 2001. (God is great!) God blessed me with a great job, and blessed Cara with the ability to stay home with Chloe.

Claire.....
Life continues to go on, and God's blessings keep pouring in. In August 2002, God brought Claire into our lives. Wow - looking back, I wouldn't be able to tell you any difference between my two kids, but after two years of having two children, I can tell you that God *DOES* make them different. Claire is a 180 turnaround from Chloe!

Finding the right Church....
Cara and I converted over to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod about a year after we moved for my State Farm job. There was a definite pulling from God to find a different church after we moved, and it manifested itself in that we couldn't find a "church home" after more than a year of looking for the right Catholic church community. Cara happened to turn on the televison one day - and there it was. We visited, felt at home with a community that is in love with Christ and His Word and joined shortly thereafter.

Cara goes back to work...
When Claire was about 20 months old, Cara started working again - 2nd shift, part time. We're using her job to help pay for a new minivan. My 2001 Alero was starting to get cramped on long journeys back home, and Cara's 1993 Concorde was getting a little old to go on long trips. We bought a new 2004 Kia Sedona, and love it!

And finally...
Cara and I have a wonderful relationship, and we give credit to God and Christ for making it all possible. Our future plans include me having a long career with my current employer, raising our beautiful daughters Chloe and Claire, and growing old together.