I am a grounded, practical dreamer. I am an inherently happy person and a hopeless optimist. I lead a fairly quiet life (quite by choice). I love my job and work hard, but have found a very comfortable balance between my professional life and my personal life. I have a soft spot for children and animals, I prefer to spend time with family and a few close friends, and I spend as much time as possible traveling and outdoors -- hiking, camping, water sports, bicycling, walking or just reading in the park. My definition of success is pretty simple: I hope at the end of my life that I have helped more people than I have hurt.