My proudest accomplishment at EIRMC:  It's a two-way tie, between: 1) helping develop our "I am EIRMC" credo; and 2) coordinating EIRMC's involvement in building a Habitat for Humanity house.  Beyond the personal joy it was to work hard on those projects, both remind me that "you get more than you give."

My proudest accomplishment in life:  Is my marriage to my high school sweetheart, best friend, and love of my life, and raising two smart, funny, self-reliant, exasperating, and respectful children. Together with our cow dog, Sadie, we've managed to create a loving and (mostly) sane life, and that means more to me than anything.  (Poor Sadie.  She has no cows -- only teenagers  - to herd.)

Camping is a must in my life because:  Working at EIRMC and volunteering in the community keeps me running all the time.  I love the pace and would be bored any other way, but regular camping getaways help me beam down, be quiet, and restore some balance.  It’s especially nice when a trek to the woods puts me "out of range" on my cell phone.

My guilty pleasure is:  Reading. (My mom says the reason I wear glasses is that I ruined my eyes as a kid, reading under the covers with a flashlight after bedtime.)  Ten books I would save in a fire, if I could save only ten:  The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; Life of Pi by Yann Martel; I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb; Bel Canto by Ann Patchett; Extreme Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer; Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier; The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall; The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.

Before I die, I'm going to: Write a work of fiction.  I love words, ideas and writing, and feel blessed to have a job here at EIRMC that lets me pursue those passions.  But one of these days, I want to just whip up something wild, creative, and totally untrue!