"Bruder Seppi."As you can imagine, growing up in a strict German household with deep Roman Catholic beliefs was all about discipline, achievement and perfection. That's not as bad as it may sound. In fact, it's something to be really thankful about. Besides, how else would I ever have earned perfect attendance at Holy Family School in Rochester, NY USA? Then there was my first mentor, advocate and playmate, brother Joe (Seppi). Always there, always setting the bar extremely high. He challenged, he guided and played a very important role in the person I have become. Today, he continues to be there whenever needed by any of us. So to you Joe, deepest thanks and appreciation also.

Nancy Jean. It was a chance meeting for Nancy and I - and it was love at first sight. She just happened to be a tenant in a house my realtor, Bill Pickup (yes, his real name that probably better described my intentions that day), encouraged me to tour. Needles to say, I was very impressed and soon became Nancy's landlord. Of course, I knew I had to maintain a strict landlord-tenant relationship with Nancy. Well, that lasted for about 6 months when I finally found it necessary to break the rules and find out more about this incredible and beautiful person. I was struck by her beauty, but even more awestruck by her compassion, commitment and excellence as a young nurse. It didn't take me long to learn how important her role as a nurse was to so many patients each and every day. And that same compassion and commitment has been a key in allowing me to seek and become committed to a career. So to you Nancy, deepest loving thanks to a life-long soul mate.

The Kids! Fast forward 32 years and it's now a family filled with sons and daughters, plus new family members: two very special granddaughters, Morgan Elizabeth and Molly Ryan; a very special son-in-law,Owen, and a very special daughter-in-law, Christina who married Brandon on May 1st (www.christina-brandon.com). Each and everyone one of them has also played a role in the person I am today. It's been a life typical of most families with typical and some not-so-typical challenges. I've been especially rewarded by their comfort in seeking daily advice, help or whatever (yea, some of the lingo rubs off one me too!). It's actually the best part of being a Dad - knowing that they seek your advice and counsel. It's almost like working with each of them each and every day. On that note, that's actually even more of a reality because Brandon and I joined forces at FireWolf. Our recruitment efforts are targeting all of them although I think we may not be able to convince our first daughter who must have inherited Nancy's passion for nursing. But we're still holding out for the others! The point of this is quite simple, the kids have each played a role and loving thanks to them - and my kudos to each of them for their incredible achievements.