Meet Marc.

Marc is hilarious. Probably the best Charades player out there. He is so full of animation, sounds, and jokes. He is a devoted father to a spunky little boy, and a loving, thoughtful, compassionate husband to a beautiful woman.  He goes out of his way to assure that his family is taken care of and the memories they make together are lasting and wonderful. He has talents in many areas and does all that he can to develop his interests into those talents. He also carries a truly delightful spirit about him, and those who are with him know his beliefs and his testimony. I am so happy to introduce Marc to you!

How has fatherhood changed your perspective on life?
There are a few moments in my life that have forced me to stop and think “So this is what I’m here for…” Becoming a father was probably the most pronounced and obvious example of this. If anyone was ever a shining example of unpreparedness in parenting it was me. I had never held a newborn before, nor had I wished to. Before Cannon was born I remember feeling anxiety that i didn’t have the tools to be a great father. How often do you feed it? Does it drink water? When can it mow my lawn? I remember as soon as I saw Cannon for the first time, I had an overwhelming weight of responsibility rest on my shoulders. I could literally feel it push down on my shoulders. This was brought on by a realization that there was no one else on this planet that could substitute my role and responsibility to this little person. Protection? On me. A warm bed? I guess I’m supposed to provide that. Food? That responsibility is Courtney’s for awhile….but who is going to feed Courtney? I guess that’s me too. Right before the rot of panic consumed my 24 year old brain, I looked at my sweet wife and new son and I had a moment of realization and comfort. I loved them. They owned 100% of my motivation and resolve. I had never had more determination in my life than I did at that moment. I could do this, in fact I can’t think of someone who would be more qualified than I was at that moment. Don’t kid yourself, I had no idea what I was going to do, but I was convinced that because of how I felt I would find a way. 3 and a half years later I still have no idea what I’m doing, Cannon plays way too many video games and I’m sure he sees me as some kind of male chocolate milk servant. But, I love him. Because of that I figure I have all I need to become a great dad someday.

Tell us a little about the father you are and hope to become.
I remember moments growing up when my dad had great impact on me. Telling me stories of his mission or baseball trips, hunting trips, rock concerts and playing catch where among the greatest times we had together. I remember seeing his love and interest in me and my welfare through these things. I would imagine it is every father’s desire to see their kids make good choices in life while maintaining a strong relationship with them. There will undoubtedly come a time in my life as a parent that I finally topple over the edge of interesting and entertaining and plow head first into strange and embarrassing. If I can find some way to navigate through this sad time with a good and somewhat respected relationship with my kids I will count that as a win. I look forward to a time when my kids can stand on their own feet, a smile on their face, in one piece, stable in character and faith in God. Every effort I make as a parent would be pointed to this outcome.

What is one of the first life lessons you remember learning?
My little sister and I were at Grandma’s house. My mom had an errand to run, and Grandma wasn’t home. She was only going to be gone for a short time to visit a house down the street, so she told me she was going to lock us into grandma’s fenced-in backyard. I vaguely remember something being said about “locking the fence” and being “right back.” But to a young boy, about 5, with an attention span the size of…”oh look potato bug!” it was easy for me not to listen. I would say about 10 minuntes passed before I thought we had been abandoned and left to die. I freaked out, so my sister freaked out. We both were crying and screaming for help. I took the hose that had a sprinkler head on the end, and Indiana Jones’ed it right through my grandma’s window in an attempt to survive. I was then too scared to enter a dark house. After an unmeasurable moment of time spent running and screaming, my mom came back to get us. I confessed to the whole thing and realized my reaction was a tad overblown. I didn’t get in trouble. I remember thinking about my reaction and wondering why I chose to freak out. Even being young I realized that I had convinced myself into believing a story, a story of a stranded youth and his little sister left to their own devices in a wooden cage. Since then I have tried to not overthink situations and try to see all perspectives.

Tell us how you developed some of your talents and which ones your favorite to pursue?
I consider myself a jack of all trades and master of none. I think everyone develops talents surrounding their passions. I feel like I’ve always loved art and drawing. I actually remember developing this most in sacrament meetings. Give me a paper and a pencil and I’d be quiet. I’ve always loved telling and hearing stories and drawing was a way for me to express some of those stories. I have to admit one of my first loves in life was classic rock. I remember going into Jr. High with a chip on my shoulder for most music. I just didn’t like a lot of music. As a child of the 80’s, I remember seeing a guy standing outside of his black firebird in a red leather jacket and mullet listening to strange overly echoed computer sounding music. I guess this left a bad taste in my mouth. Then one night driving back from Lagoon changed me forever. I was half asleep in the back of our bronco when I heard “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath playing on the radio. I woke up and asked my dad what we were listening to. He told me he listened to this in high school. I fell deep in love. I couldn’t get enough of those twisting guitar solos by the likes of Jimmy Page and Angus Young. So I started playing guitar. I don’t know much about how music works, but I love it and plan on developing some better guitar abilities as I go.

I would be cheating myself if I didn’t admit to developing two major skills in high school, Baseball and Halo. I was a pitcher in high school, I worked very hard at it and was proud of what I could do. When I wasn’t on the mound I was typically behind a controller playing Halo with friends, or as I liked to call them when playing Halo, “kills.” I would toss a challenge out there to anyone in the sound of my text to try and beat me at “Prisoner” with rockets. You will fail. I think most men have moments of obsession that develop into some level of skill. I’ve obsessed over everything from Yoyos, paintball, archery, fly-fishing, mountain biking and rock-climbing. I’ve enjoyed all of them and imagine I will continue to pick up and drop obsessions overtime that may or may not will develop into some useful skills.

Expression of love is one of your many strong suits, is this something that was instilled in you at a young age? Or is it something you’ve learned as a husband and father?
Courtney has often referred to me as a “sappy cheese.” I really didn’t date a lot growing up. I remember telling a friend I had a hard time dating anyone I couldn’t see myself marrying. I admit it was a pretty ridiculous view, but I really feel it’s because I knew what I wanted. When I found her I surprisingly didn’t have any trouble letting her know. I’ve always thought expressing how I feel to those I love would be a great attribute to have and one I want to work on all my life. I have to give Courtney most credit for this. As I was getting ready to leave on my mission I had a conversation with Courtney about whether or not I was going to say “I love you” in our letters. I explained I would feel dumb telling her that every week while I knew she was going to be dating throngs of different boys. After receiving the silent treatment for an entire day she asked me if I loved her, I of course answered yes. She then asked me why I wouldn’t be man enough then to write it in my letters. From that moment I remember committing myself to always tell her how I feel about her regardless of my pride.

Tell us a bit about your unchanging faith.
This is a good question. I don’t know if it’s unchanging. In fact it’s changed many times and I hope it will continue to do so. Some aspects I think have been around as long as I can remember. I can remember being very young and feeling I have a Heavenly Father who loves me. I would have to admit that the simple feeling of knowing God loves me has been constant through my life, which would be the main aspect of my faith that has been “unchanging.” There have been a few important moments in my life that have progressed this faith and understanding, but when all is stripped away the one aspect I have been given no room to doubt is that God is conscious of me and loves me. As I have grown up and had these “important moments” of discovery I have noticed a similar feeling that is consistent with each experience or answer. It’s at this moment I feel true growth, the process of adding to and not replacing. In a culture such as Utah valley I think some phrases can be overused and lose their luster, but to those who have experienced them they can remain very personal and powerful. For me it is powerful enough to say that I have received an answer, from the very Heavenly father I have always felt I’ve known in a way only he can present an answer. He lives and has provided a plan for us to become as happy as he is. This plan includes guidance through the modern day organization of his authority to help us along the way. I truly believe this organization to be the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope to create a culture in my home to allow for the individual discovery of these truths by those I love and am responsible for caring for.

Do you believe the sentiment “laughter is the best medicine?”
I think there are few things as rewarding as pure laughter. I’ve seen laughter as a good reset button, I can’t think of a faster way to change a mood. I believe attitude is everything and healthy laughter is a sign of a good attitude. So, yes I believe laughter can be a great medicine. But just as any good medicine, too much can probably get you drunk.