Gray (UR) - The Most Beautiful Baby in the World

The Baby

Me at 2 years old

I wanted to introduce everyone to the most beautiful baby ever. It's me, if you hadn't already figured it out! At least, that is what my mother said. Could she be a little biased, maybe? She did take me for a Gerber baby model interview. However, when she got there it was a residence, the shades were pulled and there were not any signs. Her motherly instinct said something was amiss. So she did not even get us out of the car. My career as a baby model ended before it even began.

The Farm

Berkshire cross pigs raised to sell and eat.

I grew up on a farm in southern Virginia. It was hard work, but we experienced a lot. We had all sorts of animals: some for food, some for work, some for pets and some just for fun. To the left is a picture of some Berkshire cross pigs, that were raised to sell and eat.  In addition to having animals from fowl to equine, we raised a multi-acre garden every year. Ugh, the upkeep was a tremendous and daunting task. When we finished weeding it was time to start all over. This went on for half the year.
After I graduated, I worked for a while, living on my own. Then I decided that I was going nowhere. So I joined the U.S. Navy. I took a contract as an avionic electronics technician, and fixed airplane electronics at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL for five years. After that I did some traveling and even moved to Phoenix, AZ for a year. Now I am in school full time on the G.I. Bill and working on an envitonmental science degree. 

The Fishing

Fishing at sunset
in Sanibel Island, FL

Jack Crevalle (Caranx hippos)
that I caught.

One of my favorite outdoor hobbies is fishing. Here are a few picture of my doing just that in Sanibel Island, FL.

The Marriage

My wife and I just after the ceremony

I recently got married, 12/22/18 to be exact. We became friends while I was in the navy and stayed friends for nine years. Then we decided to give dating a shot and were married soon after. We had a small intimate ceremony with an Irish theme. We decided on that theme because of the type of rings we chose. They are called "Claddagh." If you do not know about them, look it up, its a cool story. Above is a picture of us dressed up on our wedding day right after the ceremony. Her parents couldn't attend in person. So we decided to set up an iPhone and Skype them for the ceremony. Below is a picture of them joining in on the wedding photos. 

Her parents, on Skype, participating in the wedding photos

The Pets

The cats

I also love animals. Here are a few pictures of ones that reside in my home. To the right are my two cats. However, they are more like roommates that we support than pets. "Jet" is the stripped one. He got his name because he is the loudest purring cat on the planet. He was rescued from a hoarder with over 100 cats and he is 17lbs because he has an emmotional eating problem. He does play fetch and will sit on command for a catnip treat. The white one is "Widdle" because of how little she was when we first picked her up. She was smaller in size than a dollar bill. There is a picture of her, at six weeks old and weighing one pound, below. She was the baby of a neighborhood stray.

The day we brought "Widdle" home

Although I do love the cats, they are not my favorite animal. That is given to these guys: 

The ferrets

 Yes, they are ferrets! You guessed it. From left to right there names are: Eenie-meenie, Miney, and Mo. Yes, they are a business. Yes, there are three. They do best in groups. If they are by themselves they will become depressed and not eat. They sleep eighteen hours a day, but when they are awake and out it is full throttle. They give the cats their daily exercise. 

Well, that is me in a brief nutshell. I hope everyone has a great, fulfilling semester and fun in the field. I know I am looking forward to it.

If you fall flat on your face, atleast you fell forward and forward momentum is everything,

Gray Cochran

The End