I was born on November 11, 1974 in Salt Lake City, Utah. I spent most of my time growing up playing basketball, baseball, and football. When I was not playing sports I was either catching grasshoppers to compete in the Grasshopper Olympics, collecting baseball cards, or jumping down the stairs wearing nothing but a cape and Superman Underoos. Some of the brighter things that I did as a kid included lighting a fire in the backyard, damming an irrigational canal and nearly flooding an entire subdivision, and digging a hole in the backyard for an underground fort.

I attended Hunter High school (class of '93) in West Valley City, UT and it was nothing but good times. During my senoir year I placed fourth in the state in the high jump and still hold Hunter High's record in that event at 6'7. I was also a three-year starter on the Varsity basketball team (that's me reverse dunking - before I got out of shape). My senior year I was selected first-team All-Region and second-team All-State in basketball. I was also able to play on a Utah High School All-Star team that won the BCI National Championship in Phoenix, AZ.

After graudating from Hunter High in 1993 I attended Ricks College in Rexburg, ID for one year. I roomed with four friends from high school (Wade, Ryan, Earl, Craig) and a zany Cancuk named Darren. Since none of us had cars or jobs we spent most of our time playing guitars and penny poker and watching Quantum Leap. We had so much free time we formed a band which called itself Justus (it came to Wade in a dream). After covering our bathroom with egg cartons for better acoustics we recorded run-away hits such as "Hey Frauline", "Way to Go Champ", "Oh What a Day", and "Goin' Out in Style".

I left Ricks after one year to serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was called to the Chile Antofagasta Mission and I absolutely loved my time there. Northern Chile is smack dab in the middle of the driest desert in the world, the Atacama, and it never rained during my mission. Some times I really miss the ocean, the empanadas, the fleas, the maniac taxi drivers, and knocking on doors on burning hot days. My mission was the best thing that had happened in my life.....until I met Andi.

After I returned home from my mission to enjoy the luxuries of carpet, two-ply toilet paper, and clean dogs I enrolled in school at Brigham Young University. Andi and I ended up living in the same apartment complex and attending the same student ward. When I saw her play volleyball, laugh during Happy Gilmore, and express her devotion to Shaquille O'Neal and the L.A. Lakers I knew that nobody this cool would ever come along again in my life. Marrying Andi is the best thing I've ever done.