Dedications & Thank You's

There are certain people that impact ones life, their presence may be transient or long-term, it may be incredibly impactful at the time or unfelt until years later, but one day we look back and reflect and realize how their touch upon our lives have made us who we are, and got us where we are. We rarely thank them, and they rarely know how they have touched us. As I wrote this, a funny trend was noticed. Those who impact our lives are not those who did anything specific for us, but simply those who believed in us.

This page is a short dedication to those who have helped me along the way. Without getting too sentimental, I simply want to say Thank You. It is an often neglected part of our vocabulary, and one that sorely needs to make a come back. As an aside . . . these are in no particular order.

Aldo Muzzi - Aldo gave me my first job in IT back in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. A very quiet individual with a dry sense of humor, he quite simply believed in me and gave me the chance I needed to prove myself. Because of that first chance, I got where I am today.

Dave Smigiel - Dave hired me for a contract position at General Motors. I was in Canada at the time, and the position was to support the web architects for the Truck division. The main requirement was to know and love Homesite. I had never heard of it. So, I downloaded it, lived and breathed it, and applied for the job. Dave, as did Aldo, gave me a chance. That chance led me to work with one of the greatest teams I will probably ever have the pleasure of working with. The sheer amount I was able to learn is amazing. Hence my experience and knowledge of web design and development.

Chris Jensen - Chris was one of the above mentioned team members I worked with at GM. The ultimate in web guruness (is that a word?). He taught me that anything is possible. For about the first year or so, I would design it, go to Chris and say, is this possible? To which he would reply, yep. After that first year, I quit asking. I just knew, he could do anything. If he didn't already know how, he would figure it out. Along with his knowledge, he taught me. He had the endless patience to explain how everything worked, how it all tied together, and why it worked. Much of what I know now can be directly attributed to Chris.

Robert Edwards - My best friend. What more can I say. Endless support, the swift kick when needed to motivate me, but the one who always said I could do it.

Martha Borst - A brief encounter with a marvelous woman who taught me that I am not as tough as I think I am. I spent four grueling days with Martha in two back to back seminars which are covered in my Seminars page. This woman has a way to make you look deep inside yourself and see who you really are and to show you how to be a better person. I learned a lot from her, and I work hard at keeping what she taught me at the forefront of my mind on a daily basis. It is not easy, but, it is worthwhile.

Janice Wallace - I had the pleasure of working with Janice for a short while and she is one of those people whom you simply admire. Soft-spoken yet firm, she is the epitome of 'lady'. I have always admired her compassion, her dedication and her focus. She has an ability to draw people out and to bring out the best in them. If I could emulate the management style of anyone that I have met, it would be her.

Mom & Dad - of course. Where would one be without them? My mom still comes and stays with me for periods of time to help me out while I slave over the keyboard, taking care of the daily routine and keeping the household functioning, making sure my daughter and I take our vitamins, handles the filing and does my proofreading. She never hesitates to pull up a chair and sit for hours as we pour through thousands of fonts looking for just the right one. She has the patience of a saint! My dad...is proud. That is enough.

My daughter, Adriana - if anyone reading this has children, I am sure you realize how amazing it is what ideas can come from a child's mind. Many a time I have sat staring at a blank screen with 'designers block' with a completely vacuous stare on my face and not a thought in my head, and she will spout something out that is truly a great idea. But, beyond that, she has patience in waiting for mom to finish working until we can do something together, or to tolerate looking over things as I grab her to look at something for a second opinion. The girl truly has a heart of gold and helps me more than she will ever know.