Our Brief Family History

Diana and I - August 2009

Andrew, 11 - Jordan, 17 - Spencer, 13 - Chase, 7

The Three Amigos
Spencer, Chase and Andrew

Honolulu, Hawaii
I was born here August 1966

at Tripler Army Hospital

both of my parents were in the Marine Corps

I spent some of my childhood in the Phoenix, Arizona area

(Mesa, Chandler, Apache Junction)

I grew up mostly in Henrieville, Utah

Wellington, Kansas

Diana was born here March 1973

at Wellington Hospital

now Sumner Regional Medical Center

Diana spent some of her childhood in Tucson, Arizona

Jordan was born in the Wellington Kansas hospital in December 1992.

Diana was previously married to Jordan's father

I met Diana in October 1994 at my sister Kathy's house in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Kathy thought that we would hit it off and she was right. Our first "official" date was a concert at the Target Center (shown above) in Minneapolis. We saw three acts: David Ball, Toby Keith and Sawyer Brown. It was a lot of fun.

I proposed to Diana on April Fools Day 1995, and we were married on June 1, 1995 in Chicago, Illinois

at the Chicago Illinois LDS Temple

which is in Glenview

Our families stayed at the Fairfield Inn just down the street from the temple

Diana and I spent our honeymoon in Hudson, Wisconsin which sits on the St. Croix River

at the Best Western Hudson House

The room was incredible, but Diana got so sick that night that I really thought she was going to spend some time in the emergency room. She got better and we stayed an extra day

We (Diana, Jordan, and I) continued to live in Minnesota and that is where our family starts

We lived in the St. Paul area (Woodbury and Oakdale)

I was working at the Koch Oil Refinery in Rosemount as a security supervisor

Diana was working at the Mall of America in Bloomington as a Glamour Shots manager

Spencer joined the family in May 1996

He was born in Maplewood, Minnesota at St. Johns Hospital

In November 1996 we moved to Kansas

The day we left Minnesota it was snowing so hard that we had to find a motel just outside of the Twin Cities. The snow (blizzard) continued all the way through Kansas

We moved to Mulvane which is just south of Wichita. Diana grew up in Mulvane and we moved into the house that she grew up in.

Diana started doing home day care and continued for several years

I got a job with Sedgwick County (Wichita) as a Courthouse Security Officer

Andrew joined the family in September 1998

He was born in Wichita, Kansas at Wesley Medical Center

After 5 years at Sedgwick County I decided to go back to school to become a funeral director. I moved to Oklahoma City to attend the University of Central Oklahoma (Edmond) and to start an apprenticeship. I went home every other weekend and Diana and the boys came to Oklahoma on the opposite weekends. Things didn't work out, which was fine because Diana told me that we were expecting again. So, I moved back to Mulvane.

After I moved back to Kansas I got a job with the City of Haysville as the Assistant Municipal Court Clerk

Chase joined the family in August 2002 (on my birthday!)

He was born in Wichita, Kansas at Wesley Medical Center

In 2003 I graduated from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas

In 2001 I had graduated from Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas

Soon after graduating from Friends University I joined the Haysville Police Department and was sent to the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) in Hutchinson. I had to drop about halfway through because of an aneurysm in my right eye. Luckily, I was able to go back to my job as the Assistant Court Clerk.

In May 2004 we moved to Utah

We temporarily lived with Brandon in Hurricane, and Karen in Clearfield before settling down

We settled in Kaysville and West Point just outside of Salt Lake City
Diana continued doing home day care and she was very good at it

I got a job at The University of Utah as a hospital security officer at the University Medical Center and Orthopaedic Center in Salt Lake City until my position was about to be phased out

Luckily, I was able to get a job with the Utah Third District Juvenile Court (Matheson Courthouse) in Salt Lake City as a Deputy Court Clerk and later a Judicial Case Manager

While we were living in Kaysville Diana attended and graduated from Stevens-Henager College in Ogden with a degree in Medical Specialties

Diana worked as a Medical Assistant at Wee-Care Pediatrics/Davis Medical Center in Layton
She stopped doing home day care after a dozen or so years

In July 2009 we moved back to Kansas

The economy in Utah was too hard to deal with

We moved to Olathe which is in the Kansas City metro area.

Most of Diana's family is in Olathe as well

Diana quickly got a job as a Medical Assitant at Preferred Pediatrics in Olathe and Overland Park (located in the Overland Park Regional Medical Center - above)

After a lengthy search I am currently employed with Johnson County (Olathe) Department of Corrections as a Juvenile Corrections Officer

We have settled in pretty well and really enjoy living in Olathe. We miss Utah at times, but this is home now. The boys are doing well. Jordan is a Junior at Olathe South High School and has his own car. Spencer is in the 8th grade at Frontier Trails Junior High School and played football this year. Andrew is in 5th grade at Briarwood Elementary School and participated in Special Chorus, and Chase is in 2nd grade at Briarwood Elementary School and is very popular. I don't know what life has in store for us in the future, but I'm sure it will be an adventure!