About Me

I put a lot of time into this site, so I figured maybe I deserve a little credit. Here it is...some "me" time.

Well for starters, music is my passion in life. Life without music would be like a day without air for me. I believe music is a part of everyone, and it influences everyone and every action made at any time. Song lives within everyone, but I think it's sad that some people have to dig deeper than others to let it out.

I am sixteen years old and will be a Junior at my high school this fall. I am a pretty good student, and love school more than summer vacation, because I don't see my friends a lot during summer. Plus, there is no band until right before school starts. That's gotta be about the worst part of all!!! This school year, I will be taking Band, AP Biology, A Cappella Choir, Computer Applications, AP History, Precalculus/Trigonometry, American Literature, World History II, and Grammar Workshop. I am looking forward to a challenging year, because the next year, my Senior year, I can take things pretty easy.

I mentioned that I like being with my friends. I have some of the greatest friends that a guy could ask for. Stephanie is a person who cares about people; she is sensible and always tries to see the realistic side of things, even if she might not admit it. She is one of the nicest people I know, and a darn good cello player. Wendy is a compassionate person who is always looking out for the underdog. She is into anime and other Japanese art. She also helped me immensely with this site, and i appreciate it. She is definetly one of the most thoughtful people I know, and she is a very good artist. She even has her own website with some of her sketches on it. To go to it, click here. Tammi is a fun-loving girl who is very kind and caring. She is a very amusing person to be with, and she is a good singer. Tasha and Robyn are also fun, and pretty good bowlers. Khrista is always friendly, funny, and a good xylophone player. Amanda is nice, funny, caring, and a great singer and marimbist. She is an all-around great person, and also easy to talk to and a good listener. Erin is fun to be around; she always has something nice to say and is a hard worker. Ehrin is a great guy to be around, and he is also a good mallet player. I have so many friends, and they're all great people. I feel bad because I can't type up a page for each of them, and they all deserve to be on this page, but that would take a lot of time that I don't have right now. All in all though, I guess there aren't enough nice things to say about these people; they're some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

I like to sing, and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to four women, so here is a special thanks to each of them. Ms. Schramm, my grade school music teacher and children's choir instructor, inspired me to get into music. She always stirred my imagination, and taught me to go for my dreams, and never give up. Mrs. Lyons, my other children's choir instructor, taught me that although there are rules and a way to be proper while singing, sometimes you just need to sing to enjoy yourself. Mrs. Olnes, my high school choir instructor for the first two years, taught me how to use my talents for others, and to share the joy of music. Last but not least, I have to thank my vocal instructor, Mrs. Church, who taught me to use my "new voice". She must be doing something right, because in less than a year's time, she took me from being pretty good to being second tenor in the state for South Dakota High Shcool Honors Choir. These four women have influenced me more than they'll ever know, and when I think of them, I don't think of them as my teachers; they're my friends.

I guess now I should say something about my family. They always give me something to say, be it good or bad. they were there for me during some tough times in my life, and they put up with me every day. I may not always say I like them, but here it is in writing: they mean more to me than anyone could ever dream. I don't know what I would do without them. My parents are the coolest in the history of the world, and my brother and sister are ok too. We have our "loud discussions", but we get past them, and they will always be my family, so I guess I got lucky with the hand I got dealt.

I guess I should also thank Dr. Smith for inspiring me to choose my career, and if you need to know more, check out the Dr. Waters page of this site. To go there now, click here. I should also thank Mr. Powell and Mr. Carr, my band directors. They introduced me to the marimba, and now I know that teaching the marimba will be my career. Now I might consider doing some vocal things too.

Last but not least, I figure I better say something about work. I have worked at Hy-Vee for over two years now, and now that we have a brand new store, I am working in the Chinese Express. It is the most fun I've ever had at work. An and Cheng, the two cooks, make each day more fun than the rest. Shune, the manager, doesn't open up much, but I'm sure that inside he's a great guy. I also get to work with some of the greatest co-workers I could hope for. They make me feel good, and even important. I bet I'm pretty lucky to look forward to work each time I go in because it's actually fun. To go to the Hy-Vee website, click here.

I guess that's me at a glance. Now that I have said all this, I guess I realize that I am one of the luckiest guys alive. I will leave you with one final word: never be afraid to show a little compassion and emotion, and always keep your heart open to let the song out.