I was born in Long Beach, CA but my family moved to the midwest when I was young. I was a typical boy of the times - spending every possible minute playing outside. We played baseball until it was too dark to see and then caught fireflies until our moms made us come in for the night. I walked to school until the 7th grade and generally had a great time. I'm Catholic through and through. I have two brothers, one older and one younger. As the middle child I got to be good at negotiating and going with the flow.