Midtown Carmel

Starting summer with stories from Midtown plaza.

"We met in February of 2020. We met and we were at a bar listening to a band, and I actually work with my husband's brother. And so, he invited his brother to this concert and we just hit it off. It was a lot of fun. We had some drinks, we had some food, we exchanged numbers, and we had a lot of fun."

What is your favorite thing about each other?

"My favorite thing is how caring and kind--I can start listing off things. Just how compassionate she is."

"My favorite thing about (him) is how genuine he is. He is so honest and true to himself. He couldn't fake it if he tried. You get what you get, and I like how real he is."

"Well, to be honest, I need NHS (National Honor Society) hours but then I found out my NHS hours were already due. So, I'm kind of just out here to just chill, maybe see what's going on downtown. Something I really liked (about NHS) is they give you a lot of opportunities to meet new people, definitely. I got to volunteer with some pretty cool people. I also think that nothing else made me volunteer, so it was also good to volunteer with other people for a good reason and to feel like I'm actually doing something in my community. Definitely meeting new people (is the best part about volunteering). Like the people who either come (or the other volunteers)."

"I would say (I'm most proud of) our son, Jackson. He's very caring. He's sweet. He's athletic. He's very intelligent, looking at him as I'm saying this. Just a lot of things."

"He's very kind to younger kids too."

"(The lessons I've learned) are to be patient and kind. If you're patient to people, you give them a chance to show what good side of them they have and also what they have good to offer. If you're kind, you're giving them a chance to show the good in them. I just love our Carmel community. It's been growing and growing, and we have a very diverse community, and we have a lot of nice people. The more you talk to people and tell them good things are possible, maybe it's going to be, and maybe it's going to be from you guys."

"(The most important people in my life are) the Lord God Almighty, my wife, my children, and my extended family. My wife's the love of my life. I've been married (for) 40 years. I was actually at a firefighter training when I was a recruit. I looked across the parking lot and saw her and fell in love with her right away. She put a bag of Hershey Kisses on my truck, and what she didn't know is I kept the bag of Hershey Kisses. We still have them today. It's 40 years later. I retired from suppression from the fire department, like riding on the trucks, and now I'm in administration. When I retired from suppression, I presented her with that bag of Hershey Kisses at 36.5 years I retired from suppression. The last thing I said at the podium was, 'This is what you gave me 36.5 years ago.' And I gave her the Hershey Kisses. Everybody in the room was crying; it was really emotional. It's neat because that's how much it meant to me; that was the first thing she's ever given to me, and I held onto it all these years. Now, we have them in a case in our china cabinet.

Which person has had the most influence on your life?

"My dad. Just giving me a lot of good direction, and he always told me, 'Always do the right thing and things work out.' That's what I try to live by. He's given me good direction when it comes to business and work and kids."

"I feel most alone in situations where I don't know anyone around me and where I feel inexperienced or, you know, stupid compared to the people around me. It's very isolating."