I'm a country boy at heart... I love how life is simply wonderful, yet wonderfully simple. Despite living in the fast lane, I've learned to enjoy the simplicity of what life has to offer. The little things like riding my horse up into the foothills, taking my four-wheeler up on the mountain, exploring mother nature, lightning gazing, falling asleep in the back of my truck star gazing, playing with my nieces, learning more about people's way of life as I travel the world, and how about a nice ole cup of hot apple cider on top of the mountain at sunset overlooking every beautiful thing that bears the fingerprint of the Master Creator?

I love sports! I played High School Football, Basketball, Soccer, and Track. Although I'm not in my prime anymore, I still get out and go for a good run and play a fun hard game of basketball and football whenever I get the chance. I believe in staying healthy by keeping active in extra-curricular activities. My all-time favorites are BYU Football and the Utah Jazz!

My brothers and I get together all the time to go camping, hunting, fishing, and four wheeling. These are some of my other favorite things to do. My brothers are some of my best friends and so we get together quite often. We always have bow/arrow competitions and my brothers hate it when I say this, but I always come out on top! Ha ha!

Another favorite of mine is to spend time with my family especially with my nieces and nephew. My family is my pride and joy and I would be nothing without them. I'm very grateful for my parents and all they've done for me. I would not be who I am today had it not been for their unconditional love. My mother would wake me up every morning at 6:00 am and work with me for countless hours on my speech therapy. There's not a day that goes by that I don't thank my mother for all she's done for me. It reminds me of a quote by Strickland Gillian, "You may have tangible wealth untold, caskets of jewels, and coffins of gold, but richer than I you can never be... I had a mother who read to me."  I'm truly grateful for a dad despite his worldly fame and success; he remains a man of humility. I'll be forever grateful for his example of integrity, love, and inspiration for us all.

Like I mentioned, I do have a hearing loss and I'm not ashamed of it for it has made me who I am. I'm very grateful for the lessons and experiences it has taught me and continues to teach me. I don't look at it as a weakness or an impairment in any way, form, or shape, but as a blessing. With it, I have been enlightened to the great love my Heavenly Father has for me. It has created within me a burning desire to want to help others who share the same challenges I go through. It all started when I was 14 years old. I like every other Boy Scout wanted to become an Eagle Scout. I had to come up with some service project that would help better the community. A friend of mine named Robert lived in the area and we both were very much alike since we both had a hearing loss, but different in the fact that he came from a very poor financial background. I decided right there and then to go raise some money to help my friend with some new top-of-the-line hearing products. I'll never forget the day when Robert got fitted with his brand new hearing aids. He got emotional and for the first time in my life, I saw my very first glimpse of a 'Better Hearing Smile.' From that day forward, I made a decision to continue to help those in need of hearing help. 

This is one of the reasons why I now serve and work as the Public Relations Coordinator for the Starkey Hearing Foundation. We continue to provide more than 20,000 free hearing aids in more than 100 countries worldwide. I strive to live my life by the statement given by Thomas S. Monson, "We build up our income by what we get, but we build up our lives by what we give." By giving of our time, efforts, and even our money we not only build up our own individual lives, but the lives of others.  I now live by my personal motto:  "I may have a hearing loss, but that hearing loss does not have me."

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I currently serve as the Elders Quorum President and as a Temple Worker in the Manti Temple, which I absolutely love. For those who may be interested in some of our beliefs, I invite you to go to our church website: www.mormon.org. This can answer many questions you may have. I try to keep in mind something that Joseph Smith taught me... that if my life has been of no value to others, then it is of no value to me. With Life being God's greatest gift to us, let us give back to God our greatest gift, that of 'Service' and 'Love' to all mankind.