Q&A: What do you do other than freelance work?

While talking to students in my Game Studies course this week about my freelance work, one student commented on how many projects I had done recently and was curious if I had any free time for things besides my job and freelancing. I said I work hard to keep a balance in my life so I have time for many things. Also, I am not the type to sit still for very long (unless I am reading a book or watching a movie). I prefer to stay busy. So then my students were curious and asked, “What do you do other than freelance work?”. I thought my response to the students might interest you as well and help you get to know me a little bit more. My blog focuses mostly on my freelance work and gaming, with occasional posts about my caregiving also. Through my answer, I hope you get more of a feel of who I am outside of being a freelancer.

My full time work is as Director of Enterprise Infrastructure in Information Technology at Taylor University. I have been at Taylor over nineteen years now, moving up from desktop technician to a director. My teams manage the data center, network, server, CATV, and telecommunications infrastructure along with information security for the University. We are heavily involved with areas throughout the university and get called on for all types of unique projects as assigned. My work keeps me busy with new challenges all the time.

I spend quite a bit of time with my family. My twin daughters are involved in high school band, theater, and honor society, so we have quite a few events throughout the school year. We also find time in our busy schedules to watch a couple shows we enjoy, catch a movie occasionally and play games as a family. As I have mentioned before, I am also caregiver for my wife who has Multiple Sclerosis. This requires me to focus much of my time at home with her, which is why freelancing, teaching online, and many of my hobbies work well with that balance.

My family is involved in many areas of our church, my focus currently is as leader of my Sunday School class. I am planning to return to the Missions Board eventually also. I have passion for global missions, especially the use of technology in missions. I am on the leadership team for ICCM Europe, present workshops at the conference each year, and do coaching and consulting for mission organizations in the areas of leadership, strategic planning, policy development, and security.

Obviously, I teach classes, since this question was asked by one of my students. I am currently teaching Game Studies one evening a week at Taylor University and an online course in E-Commerce for Taylor Online. I really enjoy teaching. I learn so much while preparing for the course and really enjoy spending time with the students.

I also have hobbies that vary in the attention they receive, admittedly they have suffered a bit recently with the increase in freelance projects and some increased caregiving duties. I am a gamer and have a regular gaming group that normally focuses on roleplaying games, but has board game nights as well. I also play board and card games with my family and friends. I really enjoy cooking and canning, seeking out time to focus on these when I am able. Each weekend I try to do the majority of the cooking for the family. When I have time, I like to cook larger, more elaborate meals, bake desserts, and can things from my garden (like jam and pickles). In recent years, I have really gotten into gardening and am ready for the weather to break so I can expand my garden even more this year. I have an herb garden and a vegetable garden, and have been moving into fruits as well with blackberries the past couple of years, planning to add cherries and strawberries this year. When all that slows down, you can often find me sitting and reading, sometimes for pleasure other times for research or personal development.

Well, hopefully that gives you a glimpse into my life outside my freelance work. What keeps you busy other than your freelance work? Feel free to share about your family, involvements, and hobbies so we can get to know each other better.