50 Interesting Things About Me

  1. I finished in the top three of six consecutive spelling bees from 1986 to 1991. I achieved third place in 1988, second place in 1989/1990/1991, and I won in 1986 and in 1987. I dated the 1988 champion when we were in twelfth grade.
  2. I consider my hometown to be Omaha, Nebraska even though I went to high school in Georgia. Amazing restaurants (especially for steak), a great zoo, the College World Series, and many Fortune 500 companies are there. It would be a bigger city if not for the terrible weather. I miss Omaha all the time, but not so much in winter.
  3. I love reading inspirational phrases such as Winston Churchill's "if you're going through hell, keep going."
  4. The scariest thing I ever did was the bungee chair Slingshot in Panama City, Florida; it was great, but never again.
  5. I have had a math tutoring business since 1994. My first student was my late sister Ronda.
  6. My wife is named after Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, who like me had the middle name of Aaron. Lisa Marie Presley shares my birthday of February 1st. My wife and Elvis both grew up very close to US Highway 278. Elvis and I both graduated high school near US Highway 78. Lisa and I were unknowingly at Disney World at the same time in June 1994, when O.J. Simpson killed two people. Lisa and I were both born in Douglas County (Georgia for her, Nebraska for me). My wife is 90 days older than me, and my mother was 88 days older than my father. Lisa was born when our only Nebraska-born President (Gerald Ford) was in office. I was born when our only Georgia-born President (Jimmy Carter) was in office.
  7. In high school, I participated in quiz bowl, which is similar to Jeopardy, but instead of three individuals it's two teams of four virgins. I was able to travel quite a bit, and my team was very successful.
  8. In September 2015, I had a college football trivia puzzle published in a magazine.
  9. I am an INFP personality type like Edgar Allan Poe, Vincent Van Gogh, William Shakespeare, Nicolas Cage, Andy Warhol, Marlon Brando, Fred Rogers, Charlie Brown, and Luke Skywalker. I appreciate creative and/or intelligent people.
  10. My biggest fear is being on my death bed and realizing I did not make a difference to anyone.
  11. In eighth grade, I broke my right wrist playing flag football. To this day, I have trouble carrying something hot or cold, but only in my right hand.
  12. I am not much of an international traveler, but I have been to 41 states, DC, and Ontario. I am missing the six New England states, Arizona, New Mexico, and Alaska.
  13. To Kill A Mockingbird is my favorite book because Atticus Finch didn't give up and he fought hard in an ethical way.
  14. My Pandora Music is as diverse as anyone I know: Sinatra, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Mozart, Van Halen, Nelly, Celine Dion.
  15. I am extremely loyal to Nebraska football. I can remember dozens of great teams, dozens of great players, and a hundred great games. We are the best fanbase in college football, selling out every home game since 1962. I finally got to go to a game in 2007.
  16. My favorite city is Chicago, but my favorite vacation was my 2006 honeymoon in Honolulu.
  17. I am proud to be a cancer spouse. Lisa defeated breast cancer in 2011, and studies show a man is six times more likely than a woman to leave a spouse with cancer. I'm proud that our love is stronger than all of our adversity.
  18. I grew eight inches taller from my 15th birthday to my 16th birthday. Learning how to drive was difficult for me.
  19. I participate in four fantasy sports: baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. I have had one team per sport every year since 2011. I have finished in the top 4 out of 12 in all four sports with all of my teams. I have four titles in football, three in basketball, three in hockey, and zero in baseball. I have finished second six times in baseball.
  20. My third cousin is Grammy winner and Tony nominee Andrew Rannells, who is also from Omaha.
  21. I have passed the test for and auditioned for Jeopardy in every odd numbered year since 2001. You're only allowed to audition every 18 months. I still enjoy Team Trivia at sports bars.
  22. I once had a data internship with the Nashville Sounds minor-league baseball team in the summer of 2003. I have collected about fifty foul balls in my life, and most of them were that summer. I gave all those foul balls to kids because I caught a major league foul ball right into my glove in 1991 when I was 14.
  23. I have met the following celebrities: Billy White Shoes Johnson, Patrick Warburton, Dominique Wilkins, Dan Marino, Chip Caray, Skip Caray, Harry Caray, George Brett, Archie Manning, Peyton Manning, Lynn Swann, Kenny Chesney, Jeff Fisher, Steve McNair, Tony Dungy, Erk Russell, Steve Spurrier, President Jimmy Carter, US Senator Bill Nelson, and Dan Reeves. I don't know if that's a normal number to have met or not. I met the Caray family in three separate years; I met the Mannings on the same day.
  24. I have had a data consulting business since 1999.
  25. My quiz bowl coach and I met in 1991, and we are still friends. He has been the biggest mentor of my life, and he is credited with starting quiz bowl in both Georgia and in his home state of Louisiana where he retired.
  26. I can recite all 50 states in alphabetical order, thanks to a song from fifth grade.
  27. I am double-jointed, but only in my left thumb.
  28. As a kid, I was frequently carsick because I unknowingly needed eyeglasses. I once vomited in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska all in one day.
  29. I have hated New Year's Eve my entire life. On New Year's Eve 2012, Lisa discovered that she was pregnant. Born on August 18, 2013, his name is Kevin David Westphal. I still think New Year's Eve is stupid.
  30. Die Hard is my favorite movie because John McClane didn't give up and he fought hard in an ethical way.
  31. My biggest pet peeve is unsolicited advice, but only from people who have no authority over me. I'm not terribly fond of unsolicited advice from anyone.
  32. My sports fandom revolves around nine teams: Nebraska, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Hawks, and St. Louis Blues.
  33. My middle name is Aaron because the first time I kicked my pregnant mother was during Hank Aaron's last game in 1976.
  34. I love indoor games such as chess, blackjack, roulette, hearts, spades, Sudoku, and crossword puzzles.
  35. I delivered pizzas for awhile, which makes for many good stories and many bad stories if you deliver long enough. My worst story involved pouring rain for a fifth floor apartment. The total was $98.84. The customer gave me five $20s and slammed the door. My best story was a graduation party with a bill of $227. The father gave me $300 and told me to keep the change. I also saw people in every state of undress imaginable, which was either awesome or terrible depending on the gender. I once delivered to a cheap motel room where a man and two women were ahem...taking a break. He had the biggest grin on his face when he opened the door. All three of them stood there in all their glory. Good times.
  36. I am absolutely a nerd at heart. I read anything I can get my hands on, especially nonfiction. I love to learn something new, especially if it makes me a better husband, a better father, or a better employee.
  37. In fourth grade, I was the starting center fullback for the best recreational soccer team in Metro Atlanta. We won a tournament of 32 league champions totaling 320 teams. The season before that, I was the starting center fullback when we won the league championship in four overtimes. The parents had to turn their car lights on to finish the game, which was 1-0. I fell asleep on the way home.
  38. My most hated food is pineapple; I eat almost everything else.
  39. I've always loved math, and I missed only one question on the math section of the SAT. In another life, I could have been an actuary even though the exams are very difficult.
  40. Nobody conquers depression, but I have learned how to manage it. Kick negative people out of your life.
  41. Peanut butter was a better invention than the light bulb.
  42. I collect State Capitol buildings, 33 so far.
  43. I was on an Atlanta game show called High-Q in October 1994; my team lost.
  44. In 2002, someone stole my identity and made a driver's license in my name. He rented a moving truck, didn't return it, and I was arrested at my first job out of college. It took two years to resolve this nightmare, and I received a settlement. I had just started dating Lisa, and luckily she didn't think I was some sort of fugitive. You can check your credit free from each of the three credit bureaus every calendar year. I do it every four months by staggering the three of them.
  45. All that's ever on my television is sports, sitcoms, movies, or game shows.
  46. I had a stutter in elementary school, and I slightly still do.
  47. I made a YouTube video for Lisa's 40th birthday.
  48. I was the leading scorer and captain of my quiz bowl team, and we won a national title in 1995. I answered the tiebreaking question in front of 4,000 people in an Orlando ballroom. The answer was the Danube River.
  49. I collect well-known college campuses. I don't pull over at every little school, but I walk around the schools known for academics and/or sports.
  50. My greatest accomplishment is my family. Infidelity is my only relationship deal breaker, and I'm proud that we've endured and overcome just about everything else. I was raised in a below average environment, and I don't want that for Kevin.

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