Well I think I have been Meme'd a couple times in the last few days. Gary Bolen was so kind as to tag me last week. But this post is really for Rich Jacobson who got me many months ago. Rich, I didn't forget, it just took me these many months to come up with something worth reporting about myself :)

I don't know how these are officially suppose to work, so I checked a few out and it looks like I'm suppose to give you 5 things you may (or probably don't) want to know about me.

1. I was raised by a single mom with three younger brothers. Most of what I am today and the man I have become can be credited to my mother. She was (and still is) the strongest woman I have ever met. My parents split when I was eight years old and she raised me and my three younger brothers all on her own. She was also the Executive Vice President of a rather large home improvement retail chain on the west coast. Eagle Hardware and Garden (purchased in 2001 by Lowes) was the Nordstrom of hardware stores. I can almost guarantee that any woman who ever went into an Eagle would pick one of them over a Lowes or Home Depot any day of the week. If you liked Eagle Hardware (for those of you in WA, you know you loved it) you can thank my mother. 

Her dedication to our family was unmatched. I can remember one day when I was in junior high when a big sale rep from a company that wanted to sell their products in Eagle wanted to take my mom out for breakfast. She couldn't make it because she always gave us a ride to school in the morning. She told the guy that if he wanted to take her to breakfast (and have any chance of getting his product line in the store) he would have to arrange for a ride for us to school. We went to school that day in a Limo.............haha, complete with donuts and orange juice. I think we crammed 12 kids in that 10 person limo.............

2. I was on the math team, and the basketball team in high school. I'm not vertically challenged, 6'3". If you met me, it wouldn't be a huge surprise that I was on the basketball team. I was chosen to the All-State Basketball team my senior year in the state of Washington for the Single-A classification. Luke Ridnour was my water boy. Haha, he was in the seventh grade my senior year and could have started on our team with no problem. We used to play one on one almost every day after practice. He could never beat me (he was about 5'3" then) but he would never quit. He wanted to play and play and play. In fact, Luke went on a tour with me and a bunch of soon to be high school seniors to Germany. He played with us as a sixth grader on this tour. It may still be the most amazing basketball related thing I have ever seen. Although, a small town kid from Blaine, WA starting in the NBA is pretty amazing too.

All these years later, I think I am more proud of the math team though. My friends will tell you that I never miss an opportunity to bring up the fact I was on the math team. Our team twice took second place at the state math competition. If it wasn't for me, I'm sure they would have taken first. I'm still convinced the only reason they let me participate is in case a tie breaker was decided by a dunk contest. (yep, I used to be able to dunk........on a good day, I still can)

3. I suck at golf. It frustrates me to no end. I will never give it up. I am too skilled to not be good. I have excellent hand eye coordination. Every once in a while, I will hit a shot like Tiger. 170 yard pitching irons are not foreign (unless I am 170 yards away from the pin). Sometimes, I will play the first five holes really well.........and the last 13 even worse. I don't get enough time on the course. I need more free time. I have my clubs in the office with me right now. Almost weekly I tell myself I am going to take my lunches at the driving range down the street. I have yet to do it once.

4. I love to give away ActiveRain points for stuff I think is significant. Sometimes, I will give points to a person if I see that they have written a blog about quitting smoking. I think they should quit smoking. I'll give them 100 points for having the courage to write about it. Sometimes, I will give away points if I reference a movie quote in a comment I make and someone knows what movie it was from. I once gave David G from Zillow 1 point because he made such an interesting seat mate on our flight down to the Inman Conference. Sara from Zillow was jealous..........I gave her 1 point too (maybe it was the other way around......my #5 should be I used to have a good memory, but not anymore). Don't ask for points, I've never once given points to someone that asked for them, I never will. 

I will continue to give points away for things I think are significant. Our members mean so much to me and I get a kick out of giving away points.

5. My family got bigger by one back on June 28th. My son came into the world five weeks early. He is the reason I get up in the morning now. I'd heard it a thousand times before he was born..........."you just can't explain the feeling of having a child"...........I will probably say it a thousand times in the coming months and years. I have the ultra sound photo on my desk and I am looking at it right now. It is the first ultra sound where we got to see his face. The frame says "the first time ever I saw your face........". I still get choked up when I look at it. (I'm choked up right now). I took him to his first Huskies game on Saturday. He slept through the first quarter and when he woke up in the second, all he was concerned about was the pom-pom the lady in front of us had. I can't wait for his first word, his first steps, his first dunk (he can almost dunk now btw..............haha)

I want to teach him everything my mom taught me.

Did I do it right? Ok, now I get to tag three people? I'd like to welcome Spencer Rascoff, the CFO of Zillow (and brand new AR member). I'd love to know a little bit about him. And of course there is always David G from Zillow, I got to know him a little on the plane, but I'll bet some others would like to know more (usually if you even type Zillow into a blog post anywhere, David G is on the spot to set you straight :) ). And let's make it a Zillow party....Sara Bonert, come out and play?