Iwas born in Moses Lake, Washington on March 22, 1958. I already had a brother, Terry, who was 15 months older. Just over a year later, we moved to Oregon where my sister, Laurie, was born. My dad, Kenneth, was in the Air Force and our family was destined to move around a lot during my childhood.

When I was five years old, our family was stationed in Fontainebleau, France. It was a great place to grow up as a kid. We lived there for three years and then moved to Eugene, Oregon. We arrived midway through my second grade year and stayed through the fourth grade. During those years, my father switched services (from the Air Force to the Army). It was a difficult decision to make. Although it meant a promotion for my dad, it also meant he had to go to Vietnam. He was in Vietnam when I was in the fourth grade and earned a Silver Medal for bravery around Christmas of that year.

We spent the next few years moving from Fort Carson, Colorado, to Salem, Oregon (and another tour of Vietnam for my dad), to Fort Lewis, Washington. In 1973 we moved to Okinawa, Japan. I was lucky enough to attend Kubasaki High School all three years of high school and I graduated in 1976.