..::My Parents Rule!::..

Why do my parents rule? Well it is pretty obvious to me. Where should I begin, well lets start with the important stuff my dashing good looks. Looking back at their college pictures it is scary how much we look a like. That being said lets move on to what really matters.

If it were not for my parents support and encouragement I would not have made it this far. Mom put up with my fits when I was struggling with my ABCs. Thanks to their research when we moved from Mundelien I quickly caught up with my peers in school. Copeland the elementary school had teachers that could push me in the right directions. I went from being a grade behind even with redoing 2 nd grade to graduating a semester early with over 8 hours of college credit. If it were not for the move and my parents' support I would have kept falling further behind and may have never graduated from High School.

They were very supportive of my after school activities even the ones they didn't understand right away. They drove me to gymnastics nearly everyday of the week. On the weekend we would have meets. These would take us all over the state. I wonder how many hours we logged in the car over those eight years.

Skateboarding at Turf Skatepark is still one of my fonder memories. Thanks to my parents driving my friends and I got to make many visits to the legendary park. I was lucky enough to get a car at 16. This made for many adventures to Turf, other skateparks, and skate spots that we would have never found with out the red Subaru we dubbed "the poser mobile."

I was trying to go professional as a snowboarder. Mom and Dad would take turns driving up to Madison so that I could ride at Tyrol Basin . Dad's company was one of my first sponsors. They helped pay my way to my first nationals. In '96 I wanted to go to Mt. Hood Oregon . I had an old Nissan Patherfinder with over 100,000 miles. I was ready to drive it out there but they insisted that I take their new van. My friend and I ended up living the first two weeks of the summer out of the van. After that my sponsor's house was open. When it came time to come home I didn't have a driving partner, he got hurt in the first two weeks. I was ready to drive back by myself but Dad flew out and we drove back together. I am still try to top that summer. It may have never happened if I didn't get to take the Van. Three years later I was going to a pro event in Vermont . Again I was going to drive myself but Mom wouldn't have it. We drove out together right after the worst snow storm I can remember. You may remember there were miles of cars deserted on the highway. We left two days after the storm and there was still sections of road that had two or more inches of ice covering the entire road. When you left the ice it was like drive down a curb. There were still cars left on the side of the road. Mom was persistent and we keep going hoping for better roads in Canada north of the great lakes. We made it and it was another great trip.

Most recently my parents where there to help me with the purchase of my first home. They both helped me pick the perfect home and continue to help me make it even better.

Their support and guidance have made me the person I am today. They have taught me to help those when possible. They have also taught me that hard work pays off in the end. All of my successes could not have been possible with out them.