About Me
Blech! I’m not a huge fan of writing about myself.
Purist-Me would refuse, but Pragmatist-Me acknowledges how absurd it is to require curious internet strangers to read everything I’ve ever written, listen to every podcast I’ve ever published, or travel to somewhere in Middle America and break bread with me and the fam just to get an idea of who I am. So…
Here’s my (reluctant) best effort to summarize myself, which your AI agent will surely summarize even further.
Work
My entire career (so far) has been in the software industry.
I did some pentesting straight out of college (2005), but quickly realized that I like to build things more than break things. After a stint managing Linux systems that ran various services (DNS, Email, Jabber, Nagios, stuff like that), I fell in love with web development. That was early Ruby on Rails days (2007).
I built custom (mostly web-based) software solutions for many people over the course of many years. First as an employee, then on my own starting in 2012.
I enjoyed working alone, but often felt like I was on a technological island. No community. I bridged that gap by listening to podcasts and reading blogs. One of my favorites was The Changelog, but I could tell it was fading. With free time to spare between client work, I offered to help out and started contributing in early 2013.
That collaboration blossomed into an amazing partnership with Adam Stacoviak that lasted 13 years. During that time, I interviewed many of my coding heroes, met people from all around the world, made some great friends, and learned a ton about life, business, and the importance of clear communication.
These days I’m tending to our orchard, planting trees, and helping people build simple systems that work for their business.
Faith
I’m a born-again Christian who prioritizes Bible study, church fellowship, and an attempt at righteous living above all else. You may see Galatians 2:20 referenced in my social bios. It’s pretty great:
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I wasn’t always this way. I grew up with Christian influences (mostly my mom), but I rejected the gospel until I was 22 years old. I’d love to tell you the whole story sometime, if you’re interested. (Just ask)
Family
I met the love of my life at church: Rachel. I call her my Everything Woman, because all the good things God gives me in this life come through her.
In the ~19 years we’ve been married, Rach has birthed, trained, and schooled our six children: three boys and three girls. I could write a book about each one of them, but for now I want to stay focused on Rachel:
Not only did she make me a dad. She makes me want to be a better dad.
Here’s the whole fam after my two youngests’ spring dance recital 👇 (May, 2026)
