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Mr. Maas in a nutshell. I was born and raised in Bloomington,
Minnesota(the home of the Mall of America-and yes I've worked there). I am the third of four brothers in a family that
has a variety of European heritages mixed in its ancestry(a mutt, if you will). We don't follow any major traditions
other than celebrating the Christian and American holidays. The rest of my family still resides in Minnesota. I
still consider myself a Minnesotan, dontcha know? I am a huge Vikings, Gophers and Twins fan and used to be the biggest
North Stars fan ever(until Norm Greed, I mean Green, ruthlessly tore them from us and moved them to Dallas, I'm not bitter!).
This year I will become a big Wild fan. It's time to jump on the bandwagon.
Faith is important to me and my family. I hope it shows in my actions, if it doesn't please let me know. I
enjoy playing guitar, playing soccer, joking around, exercising and doing mental puzzles like crosswords and sudoku. I
have run the A1A marathon(26.2 miles) twice and it went well, by went well, I mean I finished. It hasn't killed me yet.
I have run a few shorter races also. I just started drinking coffee recently, not too shabby. I still prefer unsweetened
iced tea, which I have been known to drink by the gallon. No homemade chocolate chip cookie has ever met me and lived
to tell about it, although I'm trying to change that bad habit. My Ipod playlist is mostly hardrock and heavy metal
with a sprinkle of everything else but country. My biggest brush with fame was when I ran into Ray Charles, literally,
in a bathroom at the Cincinnati Airport. Nothing like almost knocking over a blind iconic legend. I've also met
and been photographed with Miley Cyrus, big whoop!
I graduated from Bethel College(now Bethel University)
with a B.A. in Elementary Education. After a year working in a group home for autistic kids, I moved to Los Angeles
to start my teaching career in a diverse environment. I taught three years in the City of Champions(Inglewood, California)
before moving to, of all places, Connecticut(My wife's home state). The things you do for love. I was a substitute
teacher, jeweler, soccer coach and soccer camp administrator during my year in CT. I took a first grade teaching position
in Minnesota the following year. It gave my wife and daughter the chance to get to know my family. After
what seemed like 100 straight days of below zero temperatures, we decided to head south again. After an exciting job
hunt across the nation, we felt that South Florida would be a great fit. We have been here for a little over 15 years
now(minus a short horrible experience near Dallas). And despite hurricanes, the fact we can't afford to live here and
crazy South Florida drivers we have decided its better than scraping ice in the frozen North.
My first five years
teaching in Broward County were spent at Broward Estates Elementary in Fort Lauderdale. It still has a very special
place in my heart. It was a hard decision to leave, but our family grew by one person at the end of my final year at
Broward Estates and I felt I should work closer to home. It's hard to believe that one person is now entering the very same
grade I know teach. Mrs. Pontillo was gracious enough to bring me on board. I am so lucky to be at an excellent
school so close to my home.
And of course, I saved the best for last. I have a beautiful wife,
Kim, and two beautiful daughters, Haley and Devin. Kim is an avid reader, a fitness fanatic, a wonderful mother
and did I mention beautiful. Haley is an excellent student and a professional teenager, which can be challenging. She,
like her mother, is a very talented singer who consistently surprises me. Her favorite quote is, "No, that's not
my dad!". And Devin is pretty much a little girl version of me(Which drives us all crazy and gives my mom great joy).
She's a little comedian, who is always up to something. She loves running around barefoot, video games, and talking
WAY TOO LOUD. She likes to do things her own way. They bring me so much joy and make my life so much richer than
I ever thought it could be. Okay now it's your turn, tell me a little about your family.
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