Since the time I was a little kid I have loved sailboats and being on the water. I always wondered why they called it the boom, then it hit me! If you don’t get that joke you probably don’t have a clew. (twofer!)
Seriously though, I am very fortunate to have had many great sailing adventures and be part of an amazing sailing community.
Fun boat fact – The pool on the Titanic is still full of water.
In the middle is Steven. He loves animals even more than I do. He is really good with anything mechanical and a hard worker. As of December 2024 he has 3 jobs, works 60-70 hours a week and somehow still found time to land himself a wonderful girlfriend named Izzy. Plus he has great hair when he brushes it. He is doing better than I am and that is what we all want for our kids, right?
I was a solo dad for years and in spite of all my failings, he grew up to be a good man. In large part because of all the good people that helped me raise him. Shout out to Andrew, CardinalShimone, Christy, Michelle, and Rae. They gave me a lot of advice and guidance when I wasn't the best dad, kept me from making a lot of mistakes.
On the far right is Reuben. That boy is a real DJ and about to head off to college. He is smarter than Steven and I combined. At age 17 he is also amazingly more emotionally intelligent than I will ever be. He loves music and is a real DJ (you can find his music on all the streaming services). Reuben is the one who introduced me to Childish Gambino (a modern day Phil Collins). Reuben is also working on bringing me over to the dark side but I will never serve Darth Kanye.
I love them and I am eternally fortunate that they will still do stupid shit like this card with me.
My greatest love is traveling. I have been all over the world (49 states and 16 countries). I love adventure travel. I want to be in a strange place, talking to the locals and exploring with no set itinerary. If you are familiar with the GlobeTrekker tv show, that is my style (I know Zay Harding!)
People often ask me what my favorite adventure was. It is really hard for me to pick one trip or place.
Having to unpack when I come home is really hard. There is a lot of emotional baggage.
I grew up extremely poor and I know I am fortunate to have the life l do. I try to show my gratitude by helping others. I would love to find people that want to join me in volunteering so here are your choices.
I love animals including my granddog ZuperZoey and a cat named Queen Olive that tolerates us. I also love to travel so I get my animal time through volunteering.
Save The Animals Foundation - They are a little crazy and I love them for it.
League For Animal Welfare - they have fun events for pets all over and make it easy to volunteer
Angel's Paws - this is a service that helps people with pets who need their final nap. I am honored to serve as pawbearer when called upon.
People Working Cooperatively - they let me help humans and give me an excuse to play with my power tools (join my Repair Affair team).
The Hope House - friends and I serve meals here once a month. I teach classes at the women's shelter on a weekly basis. You can help us out by purchasing something from our Amazon Wishlist - just click here
If you check out my MeetUp group we have volunteer events all the time. If you want to come volunteer with me, let me know!
All my adventures are NOT what make my life truly amazing.
Life is amazeballs because of the family I have chosen and the people who choose me. I feel like I should list them (I love lists).
Blaize - likely the most emotionally intelligent person I know. Plus she adopts kids and turns them into good men. Highly recommended human.
Dr Sonya - a hugely good person. We were both working on our shit at the same time and supported each other a lot.
Ginny - a great therapist at TonicFor.life. If she is in your corner, your emotional intelligence is multiplied by a factor of 8.
Justin - we have been friends since high school. We fight, stop talking and then act like nothing happened. He is my brother from another mother.
KenDoll - Ken was basically a stranger and I sent him my first gratitude message. His reply blew me away and we have been friends every since.
Mom - My mom raised four HELLION boys by herself. She is crazy and its our fault but I love her regardless.
Pickleball Pete - we have known each other for almost a decade. Even after all the stupid shit I have done, he still lets me call him my friend. Pete is not a big talker but when I was going through my shit he called me almost every day to check on my and never complained about listening to me whine.
Rae - I have known her for more than a decade and she has had a myriad of nicknames. We drift apart and always find our way back into each others lives. Most of all, she is the reason I became a wedding officiant and her Princess Bride Wedding is still my favorite
CardinalShimone- I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for CardinalShimone.
I am immensely thankful my friends put up with a lot of my shenanigans. I haven't always been a good person. The biggest reason I am 86.154% good now is because of the love and support they have given me.
I showed this page to ten of them, hoping to make them laugh.
Sadly, no pun in ten did.
I am honored because more than one-hundred couples have trusted me to stand with them on their big day. I hope when I am old and senile the memories I have are all the moments they shared with me.
I am also thankful to all the good people I have met around the world. I know the world is a scary place for many but if we open ourselves up and let strangers in, more good things happen than bad. Ask me about the bread slicer in South Africa and the woman that is the reason I still have fingers. Or the crazy viking captain that took me on my first real sailing trip.
I shared my first gratitude message with a guy I hardly knew on April 4, 2024 and it changed my life. Now I share a message like that almost every day with some special people. Try telling a stranger three things that you are grateful for and ask them to share the same. I bet a donation to one of my charities that something good will happen.
When it comes to making friends, I share a Mr. Roger’s style of philosophy. Everyone is welcome to tie their boat alongside mine, even the pontoon boats.
I once asked a friend of mine who is a Bhante, why people buy pontoon boats. He replied “birth“.
(If you get that one we are going to a pizzeria and telling them “Make me one with everything”)
Remember that thing people used to call “manners”? They were a social protocol that dictated our behavior in a civil society. They guided our interactions and encouraged us to treat each other with respect. Basically good manners are treating people with kindness and consideration.
Side note, when I was in France I realized why everyone is so rude. They have no merci.
I find that people treat each other so much better when we can hear each others’ voices. People write things online that they would never say if they had to look someone in the eye while saying it. Much of the shenanigans people pull online, we would never do in public.
Pro Tip for from a man who has married more than a hundred couples. When I ask my couples to tell me their love story, not a single one has started with “He sent me a dick pic.” or “I loved her filtered photos”.
I like authentic interactions. By “authentic” I mean offline, without an internet connection. If you would like to be my friend, basically you have to to be an authentic person that can interact and communicate without an internet connection.
Start by sending me a text message at 513-99-HAPPY. Include your name, and tell me about your favorite Muppet. If you want bonus points, include a pic because friends know what each other look like.