I was born and raised in Texas, and moved to Maryland during my sophomore year of high school. Though spending my adult life on the East Coast, my Texan roots run strong. I was shaped into the person I am today by my family and my Grandmothers: Strong values, determination and sense of self were instilled in me from a young age.
I moved from Texas during my sophomore year in highschool and continued my education at AACC receiving my AA with a business concentration. After both working and going to school full time I left my job as the manager of a video game store and worked for Bank of America for two years. During my time at the bank, I transferred branches from Annapolis to Salisbury. I had registered for classes at Salisbury University and starting pursuing my degree in design. In the winter of 2009 I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and won the Excellence in Graphic Design Award for my graduating class. After two or three months of job hunting, I applied to LivingSocial and interviewed at their office in Washington, DC. This was the first time I met Andy.
The only thing I really remember from my interview with him and our boss was Andy asking me what I thought about the first 3 Episodes of Star Wars. My response was that once they said that midichlorians were the source of the force, I was done. He nodded in agreement and said, "Good answer." Less than I week later I had an offer. Two weeks later I was in the office.
Aside from my day job, I love to draw things and blog and take photos and make buttons and go thrift shopping...I like keeping busy and like to always be making something. I sell buttons that I design and press myself on thepinsamurai.com and I love to cuddle with a kitten.
I've always considered myself a Michigander, but I was actually born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on a stormy Thanksgiving Day in 1978. I've no memory of Indiana, but I do remember moving many, many times while growing up in the mittin before settling in Flushing, MI when I was entering the second grade.
I grew up to be interested in the arts through the natural encouragement of my mother and sister. After high school, I went south to Ann Arbor, and attended the University of Michigan's School of Art and Design as a painting and drawing major. In my second semester of my Freshman year, I switched my major to graphic design while still taking enough fine art classes to keep myself very poor. This allowed me to have my cake and eat it too - comics and illustration, as well as graphic design. Both of which remain essential to talking about myself even now.
After spending my entire life in Michigan, I moved 600 miles south to Northern Virginia's brutal humidity to start a career in design. After moving through several jobs around NoVA and DC, I came to work at LivingSocial as the second designer. When the team grew enough, I remember being shown Becky's portfolio, and I spent longer than usual looking through her portfolio and website, since it was apparent we was very intelligent and talented with a great sense of humor. It was an easy decision to give my recommendation to hire her.
We talked a lot about Star Wars and Jurassic Park and our favorite things and starting photoshopping bug-eyes onto pictures of people and sending them to each other. A few months later we were planning vacations together.
When I asked Becky to marry me, I was not nervous at all (even thought it was a spontaneous decision as I knew I would never be able to top that day and that particular moment – it had unfolded so naturally) – not out of pride or confidence but because I knew I was making a very, very good decision.
Sprinkles came into our lives by her own will. We were visiting Annapolis and I really wanted to go by the SPCA because I can't resist looking at kittens. Things were going great. We were checking out the cats, playing with them a little, and then we turned a corner, looked down, and saw Sprinks. She had this sweet kitten face and gorgeous coloring. I bent down to play with her and she immediately started meowing and wapping at my hands. There was nothing I could do. She put the whammy on me for sure. One week later I left work early to go pick her up and bring her home.
She loves laying down on rectangular shaped things, playing with milk tabs and drinking milk. More specifically she loves demanding milk early in the morning. I've never heard a more vocal cat. Whether is whining for milk or just announcing her presence in the room, this kitten requires all attention. But above all, she is super sweet and just wants her face scratched.
Robin dropped Turks on me like some kind of furry bomb. Living in New York by way of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Turks was destined to be a firehouse cat until he worked his unique in-your-face Turks magic on the Firehouse chief, who was allergic to him. Needing a new home, Robin reached out to me to ask if I could take him in. Initially, I made a lot of excuses and Robin simply sent a picture of him back to me. He moved in with me at the end of that week.
Long and lanky with crazy jumping powers, Turks and I had to get used to each other and he became part of a lot of stories I was telling at work.
He's mellowed with age and loves to curl up with his people, and is always just a few feet away from us. He will harass Sprinkes and chase her around a bit, but I'm pretty sure she starts it sometimes. He loves treats, plastic bags, chin-scratches, being up as high as he can get, and laying on old towels. I am pretty sure he likes Becky best.
