My wife and I have two wonderful daughters. We are very involved in their activities: gymnastics, basketball, soccer, and piano. We love God and are active in our local church. I have loved cooking, especially baking, since I was about 10 years old. I credit my dad with instilling the love of cooking in me. He was definitely the cook in our family when I was growing up. He's still the best cook I know. It's a good thing he taught me to cook since my wife hates it. I cannot wait to retire from teaching in the spring of 2010 so I can stay home and be a full-time Mr. Mom. I love cooking anything. I especially enjoy cooking large meals with meat and vegetables. I also enjoy doing soups and stews in the winter. But, my first loves in the kitchen are sweets and desserts. I really enjoy cooking for people who appreciate the time and effort it took to create a meal for them. My first "cooking" tradition memory is that my dad always made eggnog on Christmas Eve for us to drink before we opened our gifts. I know that's not "cooking", but I couldn't wait to get that eggnog on Christmas Eve. There were times that I actually wanted to help him make it more than I wanted to open my gifts. Those are memories I'll always cherish. Another memory I have is that my parents always fixed pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in a pressure cooker for lunch after church every single Sunday. If it was Sunday, you could be sure we'd be eating pot roast at about 1:30. There have been many. It's just part of the fun. I try hard to turn the cooking tragedies into cooking triumphs the second go around with a recipe.