Wow, great website and kudos to Scott and the others that have worked so hard putting this together. Thank you for all you have done.
Here's my story. After graduation, I worked for about a year and a half before leaving on an LDS mission to Kobe, Japan. While not "the best two years" of my life by a long shot, they certainly were the most formative and influential. So many of my life's twists and turns, including marriage and career, can find their beginnings in those two years I spent in Japan. It was an eye-opening and rewarding experience.
Upon returning from Japan, I went off to BYU where I got involved in student government and eventually graduated with a BA in International Relations. Single and jobless, I moved back to my parents' basement (at least not a van down by the river) for a few months until accepting a position with the Federal Government in Washington, D.C. where I could also work on getting an MBA from George Washington University ('92). With those plans, I left Utah for good in 1986.
Before leaving Utah, and while still unemployed, the wife of a friend from my mission decided to play matchmaker, lining me up with her Italian Catholic friend from near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Our first date was a week-long ski trip while staying with friends in Denver just before Christmas 1985. After several phone calls, letters, airline flights, and moving to D.C., I married JoAnn Bartolo, the love of my life, one year later in Cleveland, Tennessee.
My job with the government allowed me many opportunities to travel throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. I recommend Khartoum and Islamabad only to the hardiest, while Cairo is very exotic and modern (but don't drink the water). About 10 years ago we opted to make overseas life a permanent fixture by joining the Foreign Service where I am what is called a Foreign Commercial Service Officer (we help U.S. firms export overseas and work with host governments to watch after U.S. commercial interests). Our first posting was the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan for five years, which we loved and long for. We currently live in Paris, France and have one more year here. We were excited to find out that after three years of waiting, the Tour de France will finally come down our street this summer. Living in Japan allowed us to make forays to Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and being in France is a great springboard to the rest of Europe, especially Italy where we've visited JoAnn's extended family (Forza Italia!).
JoAnn and I have four children: Chloe (15), Hannah (13), Noah (10) and Matteo (6), who was born in Tokyo. They are the center of our universe and bring us joy on a daily basis. We are enjoying all the opportunities offered by life here and are active in our small French LDS Ward where JoAnn serves as the Primary President and I as the Ward Clerk. We've become the typical minivan family, shuttling to and from school activities, matches, orthodontist appointments, scouting, etc. Funny how mundane life can become, even in the most exotic of locales. After Paris, we will return to the U.S. for two years (probably Nashville) and after that, who knows. Life is truly an adventure.
