Blog #1: Exploring Blogging!



Me, taken by me. 

Hello world,

My name is Mr. Wes. I go by “Mr. Wes” mostly because I grew up listening to way too much of my favorite Kanye West album Late Registration, way before he went coo-coo. I live in the city of El Cajon in sunny San Diego. I’ve been here my whole life and honestly have never thought about leaving. My life is here – my family, my friends, my amazing wife, and my two beautiful daughters, 18 and 9.


Kanye West: Late Registration CD Cover
Morning Breath, Inc was responsible for the design, with creative direction from Louis Marino.


Both my daughters experienced life very differently. When I had my first daughter, I wasn’t exactly in the best place in life. I had to rebuild myself for my future. I was able to do that with the help of my wife who has always supported me. A few years after putting myself in a good position, we welcomed our youngest. Watching them grow has been one of my favorite things in life.

My kids!


I work for the Federal Government at Naval Medical Center San Diego, or as most of us call it – Balboa Hospital. I love my job, but I’ve always wanted to do more. That’s why I’m attempting to go back to school to earn my associates degree in Culinary Arts. Cooking has always been a “low-key” passion of mine, so we’ll see where this new journey takes me.

 With regards to writing, let me be upfront – I am not a good writer. This blog alone took me three hours. Growing up, I never got good grades in any of my reading or writing classes. This was mostly because I spent more time acting like I didn’t care about school than learning. I’m sure a few of you reading can relate or know someone who was like that. Looking back, I wasted so much time feeling like that instead of using the time to better prepare for my future. Back then I was more focused on hanging out with friends and partying. That’s actually why I’m taking this English 115 class at Southwestern College. Honestly, if I could get my degree without taking English, I 100% would. Writing has always been tough for me because I struggle to get my thoughts on to paper. That’s why I appreciated reading “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott. This blog itself started as a “shitty” first draft. At work, my writing is strictly professional. All facts, and no feelings.

To lean in more about myself, my favorite hobbies are listening to music, eating, and hearing my daughters talk about their day. I try to be as present as possible in their lives because my mom couldn’t. My single mom was always working and I grew up a “latchkey” kid. Stuck at home along until my mom came home. That lifestyle is something I’ve worked hard to avoid with my own kids. That’s part of the reason why I love that my wife is a stay-at-home mom. I want my daughters to always know there’s someone available for the sick days, summer breaks, and everything in between.

Most of my social interactions outside of my family happens at work. I work with a small group and we’re pretty close. I would consider my workmates my best friends. We are always grabbing lunch together, laughing, and being there for each other during deadlines. If I ever do become a culinary master, I think I would miss that the most.

 

 

 

 




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