Joel

10 Things About Joel

1. He’s a big nerd, name something nerdy and he’s probably into it. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Comic book super-heroes, video games... he loves it all.

2. Loves learning about the world around him; he knows more random trivia than the average person. Some have called him the human encyclopedia.

3. His wife’s family has dubbed him the “male Martha Stewart” because he loves to garden, cook, and make things from scratch such as soap, cheese, and yogurt.

4. Plays guitar, and forgot how to play piano. One of his big regrets is quitting piano lessons.

5. As a youth, he participated in basketball, hockey, and swimming – he still loves those sports today.

6. Peacemaker – he has always had a calming demeanor, and has a talent for diffusing conflict.

7. He has always had a great love for animals; he considers their dogs part of the family.

8. His favorite hobby is cooking! He dreams of one day owning a pizza restaurant.

9. Aspires to have a pilot’s license & get certified in scuba diving.
10. Fluent in Spanish, which he learned while serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in southern California.

Joel comes from a large family; he has three older sisters, a younger sister, and a younger brother. He considers his family members to be his best friends, especially his parents. Joel and his father share many common interests and love to spend time together -- a relationship that Joel hopes to emulate with his future children. He also loves to play with his many nieces and nephews; they love it when he chases them pretending to be the “tickle monster.”

Joel is currently working to complete his education at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. He will graduate in 2015 and is excited to be called doctor! Dentistry is a great profession for Joel because it allows him to provide a service for people and a comfortable life for his family. Qualities that make Joel a great dentist will also make him a great father; he is compassionate, tender, understanding, knowledgeable, and a people pleaser.

Top 3 Childhood Memories

1. Family road trips. Every summer Joel’s family would go on long road trips all over the country. His sister’s were very involved in ballet and went to many summer ballet-training camps. Joel’s family went to New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont for ballet. They also visited Utah and Florida for other family trips. Growing up, his parents bought large conversion vans every couple of years so the road trips were a lot of fun. (The vans had a VCR and Nintendo systems!)

2. Swimming - Joel’s family lived on a lake in Michigan until he was 14, at which time they moved to a house in Ohio with a pool. Joel practically lived in the water during the summertime, and in the winter enjoyed skating on the frozen lake in Michigan.

3. Air shows and the Air force museum - Joel’s dad would take the whole family to an Air show almost every year where they would watch the amazing feats of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds demonstration squads. With the air force museum so close to Joel’s grandparent's house, the family would go there almost every time they visited. Joel’s grandpa was a pilot for the Air Force. Going to the museum was the highlight of Joel’s summer every year.