My life started in Southern California, but fortunately changed to The Pacific Northwest at the age of one. After graduating from Linfield College in Oregon in 1993, I spent 6 of the next 7 years living and playing in northern Japan. I then traveled the world a bit more before moving back to Washington state in 2001 and working for the 116 game winning Seattle Mariner's that season. I also met my soon to be wife in 2001 and then spent the next 6 years exploring different types of "real world" employment with the last gig, Flexcar, being my favorite. In 2006, my wife and I made a decision to move back to Hokkaido, Japan. The easy access to awesome nature and amazing hot springs, as well as all the fantastic food was just too great. From 2009~2010, we built an Eco-Hybrid home near the largest national park in Japan. We used cedar logs for structural support, straw bales for insulation, radiant floor heating and passive solar design to create our dream home. Life is indeed good!