Bio 2008
If I had thought the 13 years of school leading up to graduation were crazy times, the last 15 years have only been more surprising and exciting. Unfortunately, I have missed the 5 year and the 10 year reunions and will be missing the 15 year as well. Also, this is the first update biography I have given to just about anyone from our graduating class. So, I apologize if my 15 year update is more than you wanted to read. Significant events over the past 15 years include: 1) Chemical Engineering degree from University of Utah in 1997; 2) Married to classmate and fellow alum, Judy Toquero in 1997; 3) Move to Austin, Texas to start Law school in 1997; 4) Move back to Utah in 2007; 5) LDS Mission to Brasil from 1998-2000; 6) Married Emily Clark in 2001; 7) Birth of first child in 2001; 8) Birth of second child in 2002; 9) Law degree from J. Reuben Clark Law School (aka BYU) in 2003; 10) Moved to Cincinnati, Ohio as in-house counsel for Procter & Gamble in 2003; 11) Moved to Portland, Oregon as Associate Attorney with Kolisch Hartwell (law firm) in 2003; 12) Birth of third child in 2004; 13) Birth of fourth child in 2006; 14) Moved to Salt Lake City, Utah as associate attorney with Snell & Wilmer (law firm) in 2006; 15) Birth of fifth child in 2007; 16) moved to Houston, Texas as in-house counsel with ExxonMobil Corporation in 2007; 17) Preparing for birth of sixth child in 2008. Yes, that's right, 15 years and 17 significant events. I am starting to wonder if I have some form of absurd attention deficit problem where I need some enormous event at least once a year to keep things interesting. I am hoping that 2009 will be peaceful with only run of the mill events - but after 15 years of excitement - it kind of becomes run of the mill.
In a more serious vein, there are a couple of items in the above list that deserve a little more explanation. First, as I suspect many of you know already, our friend and my beloved wife Judy passed away in 1997 from a very bizarre illness that manifested itself in an even more unusual manner. While it was an incredibly difficult time, I learned a great deal from the experience. To put it in summary, the significance of the eternities became abundantly clear to me in very short order, which led to a complete change in priorities in my life. Second, 2006 was a more complex year than suggested by the above summary. My fourth child, Joshua, was diagnosed with anencephaly during the pregnancy (too complex to summarize adequately here). The anencephaly was severe and he did not survive the delivery process. During this time, I was grateful for my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the strength that comes therefrom. My wife, Emily, has also leaned heavily upon and grown her testimony through this experience.
So that the tragedies in my life do not become the only memory of me from this Biography Collection, I will note that I have also had the greatest joys in life and am exceptionally happy with where an apparently tumultuous life has led me. My four kids at home are great. We have been immeasurably blessed with talented children, safety, employment, and health (in all aspects but the two above). I still play soccer about once a week and it still provides the highlights of my life. I try to run a few times a week and am waiting for the right friend to challenge me to a half marathon or longer so that I actually lock in a training routine.
I am currently practicing in-house with ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company in Houston, Texas. We have been here for just over one year and really enjoying it. I continue to focus my practice on patent law and am particularly enjoying learning more about the oil and gas industry. My family is trying to get used to the weather in Houston - Hurricane Ike did not help that effort. Fortunately in the 36 hours before making landfall, Ike changed direction slightly to not pass directly over our house. Nonetheless, living through a hurricane is a new experience that really tests your faithfulness to the teachings of emergency preparedness. Being involved in the recovery efforts has also helped me to see charity of our church members in a manner I never would have suspected.
After graduation I went to the University of Utah for two years and then transferred to Utah State. I graduate with a B.S. in 1997 and got married to Chris Hodson a week later. I went to graduate school at USU and got an M.S. in Community Health and then in 1999 we moved to Chicago. We lived in Chicago for six years while my husband got a PhD in American History at Nortwestern, and I worked for the Arthritis Foundation. We had two kids Isaac (now 7), and Libby (now 4). We loved Chicago and still miss it. In 2005, we moved just outside of Philadelphia for two years while my husband completed a post doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. We really enjoyed all the things we were able to see and do while in the east. A little over a year ago we made a big change and moved back to Utah. My husband is now a professor at BYU. We had a third baby - Luke (1 year), and I am working 
as a part-time instructor at BYU. We are happy to have some stability in our lives after a lot of years of school and moving. 
