G’day. You’ve drifted in here for one reason or another, and I thank you.
I grew up in a small, Mennonite-based town in northwestern Ohio. Bluffton’s the name. Throughout my younger years I was a crazy child, but there was a period where I lost my way. Not being one of the cool kids, you know how it goes. For so long I was one to lay down for everyone, for everything. But one thing remained constant- my will to escape. I was always an artistic, slightly different individual. However I’m so well known as the typical guy who only wants to have fun. Some of you have no idea and some of you know me extremely well, but to know exactly why I am who I am, the following will explain it all!
Myrtle Beach Days
While I’ve been fortunate to travel so many interesting and beautiful places, there is one out-right tourist town on the coast that my heart will forever belong to. Being that kid who took humility in front of his classmates, it had an impact on me in more ways than one. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t know who I was back in high school. Few of us really do, but most at least have a clue of where they are going. I did not.
While I’ve been fortunate to travel so many interesting and beautiful places, there is one out-right tourist town on the coast that my heart will forever belong to. Being that kid who took humility in front of his classmates, it had an impact on me in more ways than one. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t know who I was back in high school. Few of us really do, but most at least have a clue of where they are going. I did not.
I began vacationing in Myrtle Beach with my grandma, aunt and cousin back in, what, 2001? In just two years, I found myself. I knew what and who I was. I’m a beach boy; a lover of the sea. We would always stay about 8-9 nights over those first three to four summers that we traveled there. In those first few trips I made so many friends. Every summer when the ocean and I looked at each other, I became someone else. Many of these friends I still talk to today, many of them were more than friends. When you only have a week to enjoy someone new, you spend that week living like there’s no tomorrow. You have 7-8 days to experience as much as you can, before it’s over. I cannot explain how much I fell in love with that concept. Yet not once, but twice, I gave in to something more. One, a girl who I would say was just as lost as I. Neither of us really had any idea what we were getting into or where we were going, and it broke apart roughly two years later.
The other began as a conversation in a hot tub. I had sworn I would never do the long-distance deal again. Yet a night at beach-front bar and one karaoke song dedicated-to-her later and that was all it took. A makeshift bed in the sand, running up to the room to sneak some pillows and a towel down, and then falling asleep while singing songs and not waking up until her mom found us around 6:30am. Very right for each other, we would be together just a year and eight months. This relationship rounded me out so much. Driving down to North Carolina every few weeks, driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, visiting parks and driving up to Boone and Blowing Rock. This relationship showed me what I’m really capable of. We’re still friends today and talk rather often.
If not for the eleven consecutive summers at MB I would have never met the crazy amount of incredible people who have become such a massive part of me today, and I would not have found myself. So much of me is invested there, and it is the experiences, the living to the fullest because you only have a week, that has drawn me to the beach. Then you have the ocean, the palm trees, the warm wind. A major goal of mine is to own a decent-sized boat someday. A length slightly longer than 30 feet would do, and my friends could come down and stay the week at my place. We’ll go out on the boat for a day or two. Drinking, fishing, playing music and working on the tan. Everything I do is with the intention of having that life in the sun someday. And you’re all welcome to join.
College Life
Senior year of high school I knew I loved art and history. In the graduation program, which I designed, I was listed as “Undecided.” Shortly later I was accepted to the School of Advertising Art in Dayton, Ohio, just based on a portfolio that I had brought with 3-4 pieces in it. But it was rather expensive, and the requirements to be successful seemed overwhelming at the time. The main issue though was the money. Same with Pittsburgh, I did not want to be in debt.
So I settled for the Digital Media Technology program at Rhodes State College in Lima, Ohio. Courses were going well until I arrived at networking. Now some people absolutely love it, but the Microsoft Visual Basics course made me absolutely despise anything computer related. I’m thinking, ‘hey. I like to draw. Just give me a pencil and paper and an assignment.’ With digital media, anyone can become an artist. And that is all fine and well for those who don’t have a speck of real artistic talent but I found it to be a setback, as my classmates were better at the whole digital concept than I was.
So in the Fall of 2006 I switched schools and decided to major in Travel & Hospitality Management at the University of Northwestern Ohio. I met many great people there, and learned a great deal about a lot more than just the travel and hospitality industries. I have way too many great memories of my friends and experiences to mention.
Now-a-days
I currently reside in Columbus, Ohio, and am really enjoying it so far. Again, I’ve met a great deal of fun, good people. And look forward to trying new things and a variety of different experiences. You can usually find me wandering downtown, out at the Crew games, working in the German Village, or anywhere my friends are.
I currently reside in Columbus, Ohio, and am really enjoying it so far. Again, I’ve met a great deal of fun, good people. And look forward to trying new things and a variety of different experiences. You can usually find me wandering downtown, out at the Crew games, working in the German Village, or anywhere my friends are.
I’m getting back into reading and writing. I have become very opinionated in my political and personal views, but for the most part I leave it out of everyday life. So many people are driven by their hate for other things. I could never live that way. I find that all life is beautiful. In an ideal world we would have peace, humans would have the utmost respect for other creatures, all people would be wonderfully educated, people would learn to live a life without religious oversight, and everyone would appreciate each other a little more. Imagine.
I absolutely love my life and how I live it. Love all the people and places that are attached to it. I got a lot of love.
And that’s as the story goes, although we are all works in progress. I do this writing for me; for me and for the fact that I feel as if my voice was meant to be heard, my thoughts to be shared. Thanks for stopping in, I hope you check back often.
