Spotlight

Yesterday at work during an IT Team Meeting, Eric was spotlighted!

I was emailed a series of questions to answer about him and I thought I'd share them here so you guys can get to know Eric better too!

1. What is Eric’s favorite holiday?

Any holiday that has a Steam Sale :)

2. Does he have a nick name?
no

3. What is his favorite color?
Green some days, blue other days :)

4. What is his favorite flavor of ice cream?
Baskin & Robins: Pralines & Cream

5. What is his favorite food?
Meal wise? He loves Homemade Mac & Cheese, but you can't go wrong with Pizza & Rootbeer
Not meal wise? He is totally into fruit and smoothies right now!

6. What is his greatest accomplishment?
He has SO MANY! I think he'd say his family, but working for Precoa is a good one too or finishing school... He also got the John Phillips Sousa Award in High School for Drumming (it's awarded to only one student in the whole school every year. When he started drumming, apparently he kinda sucked ... but he worked hard and pushed through. He'd practice till his fingers bled. He's pretty much amazing now!)

7. What is his favorite season?
I think probably summer - he hates driving to work or coming home in the dark.

8. How many siblings does he have?
4 (Jon, Michael, Tyler, & Rachel)

9. What did he study in school?
He got his degree from the Marriot Business School of Management in Organizational Behavior, Human Resources. He was working toward a minor in Information Technology but my pregnancy with Aaron was rough so he dropped the minor to be home more to take care of me. Luckily, he got to still do what he loves!

10. What kinds of bands has he been in?
He has mostly done Jazz/Funk but has done lots of Orchestral bands (He played with the Portland Ensign Orchestra & Choir last minute for a Christmas Concert). He was also on the Portland Trailblazers Drumline and the Drumline for the BYU Marching Band as 5th Base (the biggest one!)

11. What hobbies does he have?
He loves playing with his kids, practicing the drums and playing video games. I'd also say finances (the art of saving money) is another of his favorite pass times.

12. What is his favorite video game?
This one is tricky... His favorite of ALL TIME is Half-Life 2, but the ones he plays most right now are Dota 2, whichever RPG we are in the middle of (we started playing these because when I got pregnant and super sick all I wanted to do was watch movies and he can handle one movie max, so these games play out like a movie for me only when I yell at the screen, the screen responds and he gets to play a game!) at the current time, and anything he can get me to play with him (he gets really excited about this concept) - Surgeon Simulator, Apocalypse Nation, Diablo 3... Brothers, A Tale of 2 Sons is probably the most impactful game he's ever played and he'll recommend it to just about anyone!

13. Does he have a middle name?
His middle name is Richard. It's the name of his Mother's brother who died. Grandpa decreed that the name could never again be used, but Eric's mom felt right about it. For a while, Eric's Grandpa lived with them and every day Eric would look out the window for his Grandpa -- just like Richard used to do. Eric was able to form a strong bond with his Grandpa before he died.

14. Does he have any pet peeves?
hmmm ... People giving up easily drives him batty. **I have since added: bobby-pins encroaching on his territory.

15. How many different places has he lived?
He was born in Indiana (1) and then they moved to Oregon (2). Then came South Dakota (3), Ohio (4), Texas (5), and then back to a different part of Oregon (6)

16. Does he speak any foreign languages?
He has a secret language with Audrey consisting of Trills ... other than that, no.

17. Where is his favorite vacation spot?
hmmmmmmmm I'm going to pretend it's the resort we went to on our Honeymoon (Now Jade Riviera in Mexico) but I don't actually know ;)

18. What is his dream vacation?
This is a good question because I think he really probably has 2 dream vacations. One would be to go to a resort with me again and no kids and the second would be to take the kids to a burned down warehouse after telling them we were heading to Disneyland ... Afterwards he would take them to the real Disneyland (I hope...)

19. Where was he born?
Batesville, Indiana

20. Does he play any sports?
He played Basketball and Football in middle school / high school and lots of Ultimate Frisbee in college.

21. What is his best characteristic?
His tenderness. Really, he has such a huge heart and sometimes he takes on too much because of it, but it's a pretty amazing part of who he is.

22. Is he allergic to anything?
A Dirty House?

23. Is there anything he doesn’t like to eat?
Anything that has been cooked in the microwave. Seriously. I kid you not. He'll wait an hour for something to be done in the oven before he'll put it in the microwave -- he invented warming pizza in the toaster to avoid the microwave. He also won't eat ice cream with hot fudge on top or a warm brownie or cookie in with the ice cream... It all has to be separate. Heaven forbid his ice cream begins to melt!

24. What is his favorite movie?
It once was The Two Towers but I can't be certain what it is now. **I have since learned it is Live, Die, Repeat.

25. What made you fall in love with him?
oh boy... Well, I'll admit, when I first met him the thing that made me want him was that my roommate claimed him. I remember distinctly having the thought, "I could take him from her..." haha! But as I got to know him, I fell in love with his tenderness, his goofiness, and his charm. (He was also in the marching band and working out every morning which definitely didn't deter me o_O)

26. How long have you been married?
Coming up on 5 years!

27. How old are your children?
3.5 and 1.5 and negative 1 month

28. What is Aaron and Audrey’s favorite thing about Eric?
When Eric comes home, it doesn't matter how long his day was - he always has a smile for them. He's eager to play with them and he's so patient (much more than I am!!!)

29. What is his favorite restaurant?
This is going to sound terrible, but I don't actually know. When we go out to eat for a date night, he always picks my favorite because he knows it'll make me happy so most often we go to CheeseCake Factory. I think if I asked him what his favorite is, he'd say CheeseCake Factory simply because he wants me to think that ... that way he can keep on taking me where I want to go and I won't feel guilty. Though, I do know he LOVES sushi!

30. What is his favorite board game?
He is rather in love with Dead of Winter which is a zombie apocalypse game but he also likes Twilight Imperium but it's harder to find people to play that one because it is so intricate!