Early Business Ventures and Hearthaches
I started out in business very young.. At the age of 16 I was trading domain names while going to middle school.
During this year I also experienced my first GREAT love and massive heart ache in the same year, her name was Carlyn 🙂
I was still finding my way through various business ventures everything from the Success Connection Newsletter, to Stone Castle Software, to Up After Dark Computer service, Candy machines (chocolates), to domain registration and selling, to web hosting to eventually a landing on a web design and hosting business
I enjoyed playing soccer and football and I was quarterback for most of my life growing up and two years of Junior High and in High school when the ball got bigger and my hands did not, and I could not control the football as well, my dreams of being the high school quarterback soon and sadly, faded and I turned my focus to business.
ASHLEY
We kids were just learning how to drive and a dear friend of mine in high school was inside a jeep that turned over and her neck broke instantly and she died. This was my first major brush with death at a young age and I remember going to her funeral and seeing her body so lifeless there on the table, crying family members all around.
Ashley and I used to have this silly thing we did as kids flicking each other’s nipples and teasing each other. I remember the smile on her face and our laughter during gym class. I just couldn’t get my head around how fast someone can be in your life and have so much future potential and then gone the next. I made a promise in a prayer I would do my best to make my life count, as a way to honor her.
SWARMED BY POLICE
My friends and I were always getting into some kind of mischief. One night I was asked to drive them to a convenience store, not really knowing what they intended to do, one of my friends came out running with a 24 pack in each hand. As soon as they all jumped in he said go! So I took the truck and started driving .. in a huge circle around where I lived, and came in a back way just in case anyone had gotten my license plates.
As I was pulling into the house, headlights flashed on and soon more headlights.. It was an ambush. Before you knew it we were surrounded by police in front of my house and my poor mom was there to witness it all, talk with the parents of the kids who were called up to pick up their kids. We were all given tickets but too young to seriously prosecute, we had to do some classes and community service.
CARLYN
I met my first major and true love Carlyn when I was 16 years old. It started with some playful eye staring games on the football field and it turned into a deep love. I remember how excited I was to see her every day, especially in the same drama class at school. We went very deep very fast in the first 3 months of our relationship and then got separated when her father needed the family to move up north for a job opportunity. I still drove the long distance to see her any chance I could get and she would come to see me any time she came into town, for a while. Then it felt like we grew apart even though the earliest memories of her would remain in my heart to this day.
