About Daddy Hawk

Who Is This Daddy Hawk Guy Anyway??

My blog moniker evolved from my early beginnings as “K. Erickson”, eventually changing to “Shepherd K” (an homage to the character Shepherd Book from the TV show Firefly) after encountering a name change by Captain Tightpants at I Aim To Misbehave (a double homage to Firefly) involving petty theft of intellectual property or shameless imitation depending on your point of view before finally landing upon "Daddy Hawk", a nickname bestowed upon me by my lovely wife, The Queen, following the arrival of our first foster child and now adopted daughter, M&M.

I am pretty much the prototypical, middle age, slightly overweight (okay, okay...40 pounds or so, but I worked hard for it), white guy. I’ve had the good fortunate to be married since 2003 to arguably the most wonderful woman in the world known to my little corner of the blogosphere as The Queen. Currently, The Queen and I are parents to a beautiful little girl we adopted after not being blessed with children of our own. The Queen and I are animal lovers and are owned by dogs and cats (though, to be honest, we have a preference for cats).

Like any 12 year old boy stuck in a man's body, I love anything that goes fast, makes a loud noise or does both at the same time. Hence, my love affair with cars, motorcycles, airplanes and guns. I have a longstanding fascination with the results of really good engineering and, oddly enough, snipers. I love to read, and I devour books at a prodigious rate when I have free time on my hands. I enjoy physical activity as much as anyone else. I enjoy hiking when I have somewhere interesting to go. I like to play tennis and racquetball. Golf is enjoyable even though I’m not very good at it. It’s the one perfect shot in 100 that keeps me coming back for more. I play basketball like a gimpy, fat kid chasing an ice cream truck, and I am truly hopeless at volleyball. My real passion though is just about anything involving weapons or sharp pointy things. Darts…check. Archery…got that merit badge. Firearms…have you seen my wish list lately?

I grew up in what used to be a small suburb of Dallas, Texas (I barely recognize it now). Mom was a piano teacher (now chorale director for a small college), and Dad was in sales and service for industrial boilers (now a retired high school teacher). They separated when I was eight and were divorced by the time I was ten. It was not cordial although relations have thawed over time to the point that they can benignly neglect while politely acknowledging each other’s existence.

I have one older sister…the devil (there was a set of twins between us that were stillborn). I suppose we have a normal sibling relationship. We had typical disagreements and arguments as kids but no blood was ever shed that I recall, and I don't remember any major fights. We had somewhat different experiences with our parents' divorce mostly related to the difference in our personalities. We did share an apartment for a year in college without killing each other. That's not nothing. We’ve seen our relationship ebb and flow over the years as adults. I would describe it as we know where to find each other in case of emergency or free food, and M&M thinks Auntie My Sister...The Devil's chest is the BOMB for a cat nap (MS...TD is now also known as Chestie O'Doom...a title she abhors which, of course, endears it to me). We are not strangers, but we don't talk with each other daily either. I can still make her laugh or cry at will. All in all, I'd say that's better than most and not as bad as some as sibling relationships go. She is still mom's favorite though. 

I was raised under the theory that a person can do anything. As a result, I am one of those dysfunctional people who still don't know what they want to be when they grow up. Education was important. It was not a question of whether or not I would go to college. It was merely a matter of deciding what I was going to major in. There was a brief dalliance as an art major (great hobby…horrible career choice). Forays into engineering were beaten into submission by the cold hard reality that Calculus and I don’t get along very well. Business, marketing, finance, and medicine held no interest for me. That left liberal arts. I went for a double major in history and anthropology as I have always enjoyed history ever since my high school AP history teacher’s lecture on Alexander the Gay, and I found anthropology to be an interesting compliment to the study of history.

In hindsight, I don’t recommend pursuing a degree in liberal arts unless you have a burning desire to teach hormone crazed teenagers about To Kill a Mockingbird or Alexander the Gay. I have been fortunate to find a career in the insurance claims industry that indulges some of my interests and utilizing most of the critical thinking skills I learned as a liberal arts undergrad. Until about 2014, I had been fortunate to avoid some of the turbulence that has plagued the insurance industry since the mortgage derivatives investment bubble burst in 2006. The last few years though have been a pretty wild ride though. Your mileage may vary.

Now, I just want to be a better husband and father than I was yesterday. I want to cling to my Bible and my guns. I want to make stuff and tinker in the garage. I want the love and affection of my Queen and any children God sees fit to send our way. Good food, a roof over my head and friends and family to share it with round out my list of desires.

That’s who I am. Who are you?