Born in a small Midwest town in 1985, I grew up fixing cars with my dad. Dropped out of high school at 16 to work the assembly line at the local factory. Married my high school sweetheart at 20; we got two kids. Been welding steel beams for 25 years now—pays the bills, hurts the back. Weekends: fishing, grilling burgers, cheering for the Bears. Life’s simple, but it’s mine.