1975 - Sold my Larson 18’ ski boat, because it needed lots of motor work. The family and friends liked the smooth ride it provided. Georgia especially loved that boat. The engine needed a major, expensive overhaul or replacement. I should have spent the money fixing it. Instead, I bought a 21’ Century boat, ten times the fix cost and it was a tank instead of a great ski boat and didn't provide a smooth ride. 

There are so many that I have a hard time picking one. 

Each made me stronger in business and as a husband, father, and friend.

1957 - Started Smoking - When I was 13, living in Wood Dale, IL, the summer we moved there I met Ken, and we began hanging out together. He was a smoker and soon I tried it and felt like one of the group. Bad idea, that didn’t work out well. My parents found out a while later and were very upset, even though they both smoked. The group was made up of girls and boys. Kissing and other things were part of our raging teenie bopper hormones. I won’t go into any more details. I was on the wrong road leading to more trouble. I think high school broke me away from that group, but left me with the hood, duck ass haircut, and a less-than-desirable interest in learning.

1978 - Resigning from Sony - During 1976 or so, business kept growing for Sony, my distributors, key accounts, and myself. We were all doing well. At some time in 1977, I received a phone call from my boss, Rahl. He wanted to know if I would like to be transferred to the New York headquarters to work with our marketing  department  on  some  new  product  ideas.  I  was surprised and honored by the idea. I needed time to talk to Georgia and decide if leaving the wonderful lifestyle we had carved out for ourselves in the Seattle area would be worth leaving. The next day I called Rahl and told him that we would like to stay in Seattle if it was okay with him. He understood and agreed. Not a bad idea, but that year I became cocky and decided to leave Sony and start NorPac Marketing, as an independent representative for companies needing that special service. Not good! A year or so later the economy went into the tank and we were forced out of business and into bankruptcy, thanks to our government’s lack of control on the economy.

1979 - We rented our home out and we moved to San Juan Capistrano, CA with Technicolor’s Audio Visual company, as Vice President of Sales on a two year contract. One year later the President got us shut down by the Chairman of Technicolor for being millions in the hole. We moved back to our home in Issaquah.

1980 we began building beautiful houses. We built and sold 27 custom homes, until the interest rates went up and shut us down.

1987 - We sold our home in Issaquah and moved to Ft Myers, FL to be with my family. 

1988 - Disagreed with the VP of sales for a Florida company, and quit, we packed up a U Haul truck and my brother Ernie and I drove back to Seattle, with Georgia and her mom in the car behind us.