Me, seven years later

In the younger of the two photos I was in Australia on my first ever-extended trip. I was fresh out of college, starting out on an adventure that would eventually lead to a career that seemed unattainable. I was 5 years into a relationship with Annie who was half a world away still in school. I was in the middle of a road trip from Cairns to Melbourne in a Ford station wagon that I bought for a little over $1,000. The camera sat on a file cabinet in the home of the nephew of legendary Aussie adventurer Alby Mangels.

In the older of the two I was sitting behind our house in our landscape before my wife. I was fresh off writing my first book, starting out on an adventure that would surely change me forever – fatherhood. I was 1 year into a marriage to a patient woman who always waited for me to come home. Annie held the camera and was sure to tell me when I was making a “bad face” or “crazy eyes”.

Goodbye to my 21-year old bio photo. Hello 30.