I am currently a single Dad of three children who keep my life exciting. We moved to the State of Missouri in 2005. I have been to many places in the United States and enjoyed living on the West Coast for over 25 years in California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. For now the Ozark mountains are a nice place for me to hang my hat.

I grew up in the state of Minnesota. After high school I dabbled in college for a couple of years and then it was, “Head West Young Man.”

California was my first stop and I fell in love with the beaches and ocean. It is my dream to settle by the sea someday. Just put me in my cargo shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops, with some warm sun, beautiful waves to watch, and I’m a happy camper.

Then I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. Other than the ocean, I’ve always been mesmerized by the majesty of mountains. To me some of the most beautiful mountains are the Wasatch Range of Utah. Utah really does have the “Greatest Snow on Earth.” This is where I bettered my snow skiing skills and have some of my best memories from my early adulthood.

Well, my life started to change. I guess you can say I finally started to grow up and get serious about life. My wife was no longer interested in marriage and our relationship dissolved after four years.

I met my second wife in Portland, Oregon and she had two beautiful children. A son named Donovan, who I called Bubba and a daughter Amanda-Jade. We were married and began life as a blended family. Soon Greg Jr. (JR) came into the world and family life kept us very busy with four little ones. We both had jobs with alternate schedules. So, it was during this time I learned all the parenting skills a husband should share equally with his wife.

November 21, 1993 is a date that stands out that forever changed my life. I went to a Sunday night church service and this is when I truly asked Jesus Christ to come into my life. After the church service we went home and went to sleep. Let me just say, I was awakened to a life changing experience by a touch from God. We all had some wonderful years together in Portland and then we moved about 40 miles outside of the metro area near the base of Mt. Hood. There we created some wonderful memories. We had a cabin by a river, mountains right out our back door, and nothing but beautiful evergreen trees all around.

Unfortunately, in November of 2000 my life and lifestyle changed dramatically when my neck was broken leaving me paralyzed. The doctor’s and specialists reports were not good for any recovery and they wanted to put me in a retirement home to be cared for. This is where I like to say “The Rubber Meets the Road” in whether I really believed in God and His Word. It took running a few extra laps around the mountain of paralysis and during every lap I continued speaking God’s Word pertaining to healing.

For my family this was not the biggest blow in our lives. In May of 2003, my wife and I were given custodial rights, to allow a student from my daughter’s high school to live in our home, and help him get his life in order. After about a month of living in our home, myself and my children were caught by surprise when my wife left our home with this young man to start a relationship. We were all devastated and our lives on the mountain became a soap opera and talk of a small community. (PS - We have forgiven her. Hopefully, she has forgiven me too for some of my quirks?)

In 2005, myself, Jade, Emma, and JR decided to settle in Branson, Missouri. The lakes, rivers, plenty of tress, the rolling hills, and many activities make the Ozarks a wonderful place to live. 

Let me also say that in my younger years I did not always do things the right way. A bit of a rebel with selfish desires. Previously, I was a man who allowed the coarse of life’s hectic schedule keep me from allowing myself to have a full relationship with God. I would only look to Him when I had a problem or to meet one of my demands. The unfortunate events in my life made me take a “Checkup from the Neck-up” and humbled me.

Through it all, I still feel I am truly blessed. It just goes to show that whatever we may have done, or has happened in our lives, God can help us persevere and come out better on the other side.

I hope for those of you who stop by and read may you leave with a little nugget of information to make you ponder.

Most of all know that your visits are received in gladness and I appreciate your comments, Greg