Where are they now? - David Sipes

Hello classmates and forever friends… After graduation I was talked into joining the U.S. Navy by our other fellow classmate and attendee of our reunion Jim Mccammon. So as a good friend and American that I am, I signed on the dotted line and joined the Navy. In July 1988 I entered the U.S. Navy and moved to San Diego California. From San Diego I moved to Tennesse for School and then went back to San Diego where I spent the remaining of my four year obligation. To this day our great brother and classmate Jim Mccammon is still in the U.S. Navy serving as a Weapons Officer, and now I have to salute him, as he has gained more rank than I ever did.

Anyway, as I completed my tour with the U.S. Navy I think, I watched one too many episodes of a show called "Rescue 911" and I became a Paramedic. So… where else would one want to be a Paramedic than the big city of Los Angeles, California! I moved to L.A. in about 1992 and have been in the area ever since, however not in the same occupation.

The story continues with me eventually starting my own ambulance company and running it for about 3 years before I wisened up and got out of the business because I felt I wanted to make some "real money"!!!

After being in the public service field for so long I moved more into technology with the boom of the Internet and have been there ever since. I have worked for a few companies and now own two Internet based businesses and love every minute. I run a very busy lifestyle being a business person and family man but love every minute of it.

Nevertheless, enough about me and onto my wonderful family… I remember during my high school years wondering were my future wife was at the time, however, I never envisioned her being in Russia at that time. Yes, I married a wonderful individual who came to America at age 15, finished high school, and completed her Masters Degree in Psychology. Marina now has her own private practice as a Marriage Family and Child Therapist. We have been married now for almost 10 years and have two children together girl (Abigail - 7) and a boy (Gabriel - 2) and I have a step son (Jeffrey – 17). Jeffrey just graduated from high school and is starting college as I am (***cough***) having my 20th reunion.

Moving on with my story, I eventually purchased a home in Porter Ranch, California, on Salt Lake Place and love to golf and go boating with my family. We also have very active lifestyle with our children as Jeffrey is a successful hockey player for many years and Abigail now an up and coming figure skater. Oh! let's not forget Gabriel who is already trying to become like his big brother and getting on ice skates himself so he can become a hockey player.
Well that is about it for now. I look forward to catching up with you all in a few weeks. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time via email at David@FinityConsulting.com.

Where are they now? - Kirk Williams and Andrea Corbridge (Williams)

The most recent picture that I have of us, with Mt. Shuksan is in the background

Kirk actually graduated from Golden High School, but he took his pictures for our yearbook before he left, bought a yearbook, and was there for signing day. So since we both attended Sky View, I thought I’d post for both of us.

As for me, I always thought that we would end up with at least two kids and I would be a stay at home mom. Boy was I wrong! Our kids are fuzzy… Prancing “Freya” Aphrodite is our 8 year old Shetland sheepdog and “Cleopatra” is our 16 year old cat. We love them dearly. Unfortunately I have recently learned that I’m allergic to cats so Cleopatra will be our last. :-(

After graduating, I met a guy who later went on a mission and then while writing to him I realized that we had almost nothing in common. Kirk and I started going out as friends, which soon turned into more than friends. I moved with his family to California, which I’m told everyone was against, and then two months later Kirk went on his mission to Dallas, TX. I continued to stay at the Williams house and Kirk was sent home about 5-6 months later due to some medical issues. Meanwhile I had hurt my neck in an “on the job” injury and so both of us were injured and unemployed when we married a few months later.

When Kirk’s parent moved to Washington, naturally we followed. (California was way too expensive for two unemployed young people.) We both found jobs soon after we arrived in Bellingham, WA and found our own place. We bought our first house in 1992 and have been there since.

We both started our careers in retail sales selling various things like men's clothing, furniture, appliances, computers, cell phones, sewing machines, and hot tubs. I even took a brief stint as a loan officer for a mortgage broker. I think the only thing I haven’t sold is a vehicle! And NO mine is not for sale! Kirk did sell vehicles for a couple months until the first gulf war killed the business.

Kirk’s real specialty is computers. He started out selling them, and then became an expert in building them. Unfortunately, he has had medical issues and has had to quit having a formal job. It was pretty rough for a while. Some of you are aware that he has had some pretty nasty migraines since he was 8. He was diagnosed with atypical chronic cluster headache our senior year. When we moved to Bellingham, he had a pretty long remission from them. But in June of 93, they came roaring back and stuck around for a year and a half. He had a month and a half remission and then they came back again. During the year and a half, family pretty much dragged him kicking and screaming into applying for Social Security Disability (SSD). His last remission ended about 5 and a half years ago now and frankly I do not know how he deals with so much pain. He would say, “What choice do I have?”

In ‘96, during a remission I believe, Kirk had an idea for a marketing medium for the Internet and we began to build web pages. I picked up a book to learn HTML and that was pretty simple. I hadn’t done any real computer programming since High School so we hired a local company to add the code necessary to complete the database integration work. The company did not deliver the solution as it was specified, so I bought a couple books, learned ASP and T-SQL and we launched the website about 6 months later. The website didn’t really turn out the way we thought it would but it was a good show piece and allowed me to make a full career change.

After the site launched, we were seriously running out of money and up to our eye balls in debt so I went looking for a job. I landed a contract job at Microsoft and worked in a couple different projects. I moved on to free-lancing for a small web design firm and landed a couple other projects big and small.

After completing a three year project, I couldn’t bear the thought of having to look for another project. I joined the staff of a local grocery store chain here in Bellingham, WA. Starting as a .Net developer, I was promoted to Project Manager within four months. Recently I was promoted to Project Management Office (PMO) Director. All developers now report to me. It’s a small team of 2 on-site and 5 off-shore people.

Additionally, I have just been asked and have accepted the appointment of VP Communications for the local PMI (Project Management Institute) chapter. There is a lot of experience behind the local chapter and I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to continue to learn from the people involved in the PMI community.

Kirk has continued to have medical problems and is now a house husband. He continues to build all the computers for our small business and helps friends with their computers. At one time we had eight computers in the house with all the different setups that I needed for testing the applications I would build.

Kirk has also been writing a fantasy novel on and off over the years and has 14 chapters for his first book. Those who have had the privileged to read it, REALLY wants him to finish the book because we really want to know what happens next, me included!

I think that probably the important things in our lives are each other. We have been there for each other in good times and bad. I never would have made the career change nor could I have come as far in my new career without Kirk’s urging me and telling me that “You can do it!” even though I thought that I couldn’t possibly.

Cleopatra and Freya cuddling in Kirk's lap

Where are they now? - Jay Thomson

Currently I am a teacher at Box Elder Middle School. Whoever said that teachers have the summer off did not know one. This week I am taking a class, where I am active in aligning our school courses with the state core curriculum. If that doesn’t sound like excitement, then zzzz… I am a math teacher, the question I get is why math? Some days I ask myself the same question. I really do enjoy teaching, especially when I am helping a student and they have one of those ah ha moments (the light goes on) and they understand the concept.

My wife is Trina Kirby Thomson (class of ’91). Trina and I met at institute choir at USU. I asked her out she turned me down and the rest is history. She said yes the second time six months later, I had to get my fragile nerves back.
Trina will start teaching again this fall, time out to raise four boys. She will be teaching at a charter school in Ogden.

Caleb is my oldest he had his third birthday last February and is 12 years old. And he’s a math teacher yes Caleb was born on the 29th a leap year baby. Caleb loves music, school and sports.

Steven came along second he will be 10 on the 17th of September. Steven is all about sports all the time and he thinks that he can win any competition. I love his competitive spirit.

Isaac was my summer solstice baby, birthday is on this Saturday June 21st and he is going to be turning 7. Isaac loves to torment his brothers and in doing so torments his parents. He teases and teases until someone is crying and running to their mother for comfort or to tell on their sibling.

Garrett is my baby and he will be four in August. He loves to cuddle more with his mom than his dad but I will take my turn when I can, that is when mom is not available. He still likes to be read to so I do more of that during the summer.

We live in Brigham City and have been here seven years. We moved here when Trina was nine months pregnant. We unloaded the truck and a week later Trina unloaded Isaac, I mean he was born.

Places that I have lived since high school. My first move after high school was going on a mission. I served in the Australia Melbourne Mission (pronunciation guide Melbun). I served part of my time on the island state of Tasmania. Loved the mission it was an awesome experience.

When I got married I move to Logan to continue school at USU. Trina graduated before I did, so you know who the smart one is, she started teaching while I finished school (a lot of people go to school for seven, eight years, plus two years for grad school, yes just two years). Note graduate work was done at USU.

Graduating from college meant it was time for another move. Home in Heyburn Idaho first real teaching job was at East Minico Junior High in Rupert. Heyburn is between Rupert and Burley for those of you that care.

From Idaho to Brigham City with no moves planned. I am not moving the piano again that is in the agreement.

My Bachelor’s and Master’s degree were both through Utah State University, a BS in Math Education and Masters of Education through the HPER.

My favorite pastimes are sports more as a spectator now than participating; I have coached basketball at both of the schools that I have taught at and loved it. If I can get in a round of golf these days I feel fortunate.

One of the things that I remember from high school is performing in the Front Porch Majority dinner show to raise money for our California trip. The guys all cut out shapes of cars from cardboard, painted and used them as props for a Beach Boys Medley that we performed.

One teacher that made a major impact on what I do today was Mr. Loveday a math teacher from middle school.