Don't try to reconcile the face with the Irish-German name.  Lot's of Sheens in the Limerick area you know... and that "c" in the middle of Fischer, well it doesn't get any more German than that, does it?

Really, I grew up a poor Chinese boy in the panhandle of Florida and bayous of South Louisiana... This time I'm not kidding!

The beautiful white sandy beaches of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida are always a welcome sight when we visit and the bonhomme and beautiful bayou country of Houma, Louisiana holds a special allure for me, as they do for anyone who has ever fished, crabbed, trawled, hunted or simply boated through the waterways and levees of one of the more primitive, beautiful regions in our great country.

After high school and a couple of years welding in the oilfields, I joined the United States Marine Corps, and had a great time traveling with stints in Korea, Japan and throughout the Pacific.  I ended up in San Diego and I'm still here! 

Fun Things I did in the U.S.M.C.

• Competed on the 11th Marines Competition Rifle Team
• Helped build an orphanage in Korea
• Shot down an RC plane with a .50 caliber machine gun during training
• Traveled and ate...a lot!
• Attended the BOOST program, Broadened Opportunity for Officer's Selection and Training
• Attended NAPS, The Naval Academy Prep School
• Made life-long friends

Post Marine Corps - Pre Wife...

After the Marine Corps, I rebelled...  Yep, I did what alot of young men do after years of hard, disciplined service.  I worked hard at being un-disciplined.  From driving big-rigs and tow-trucks to selling pots and pans and even ink pens... I had some fun and worked to pay the bills.  Heck, I was even held up at gunpoint at 2:30 a.m. while working graveyard shift at a convenience store.

Then, I met my wife.

And, things changed...

20 Years and Counting...

Dee and I have been married 20 years now.  We've got two teenagers, Marshal and Quincy and are about as active as life allows.  We've owned three small businesses and have ferried our kids to everything from roller hockey and hula practice to Karate tournaments and Archery competitions.  We travel, we're foodies and, all at the same time, we love to just hang around the house watching movies and reading, especially on the rare cloudy and rainy days we get in Southern California.

Hobbies and Interests

• Martial Arts - 2nd degree Black Belt, Kenpo
• Guitar & Ukelele - Fingerstyle, Blues, Renaissance, quietly, when no one is listening...
• Golf - it's a real love/hate relationship - based on the last shot
• Archery - regular Chinese Robin Hood
• Reading - historical novels for fun, business and leadership for continued education
• Writing - blogging, newsletters, remodel proposals ;)
• Eating - a real foodie with the waist line to prove it!
• Camping - Love the Desert, Mountains and Beaches of SoCal!
• Dirt Bike Riding - goes hand in hand with camping
• Surfing - yeah, more enthusiastic than good at this one

Charities and Organizations

• National Association of the Remodeling Industry
• CalPASC HIC, San Diego
• 2009 NARI Public Relations Chair
• 2010/2011 NARI Vice President
• 2010 Project Harmony Charity Build
• 2011 Project Harmony Charity Build
• 2012 NARI President
• 2012 TERI Charity Build

Defining Moment/Person in my Life

If any of us thinks hard enough we will be able to define that one person, sentence, word or even gaze that we may never forget and that has an impact on us for life. 

For me, it was Marine Corps Sgt. Bill May.  Sgt. May was my supervisor at my first duty station in Iwakuni, Japan.  He was a good Marine and a nice guy.  Every day at the end of the work day, he used to gather all of his young Marines around him and ask one question, "What did you learn today?".  He would explain that even if we only learned ONE new thing per day, that would still add up to thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of new things over a lifetime. 

Well, I have to admit...I don't count the new things I learn everyday - there are just too many.  But, in the time I've lived since knowing Sgt. May, I've tried to live his advice everyday and have repeated it to hundreds of people over the years.  It has been the basis for each day of my life.  Some of the things I learn are good...some are hard lessons that I hope to never have to learn again.  But I learn ... EVERY day!