Thad Berkebile

Cora - Tae Kwon Do Testing

Photo of the Month

Welcome! Good to have you here. I wanted a place for friends and family to come to for pictures and information on what I am up to. Look around - there is plenty to see. There are pictures of the kids and other family members. I also have some pictures of my friends and a few macro photos of some flowers. I have made a Facebook page and find it a great way to find old friends and network with new people. Just look for Thad Berkebile (really?) and you should find me.

What kind of name is Thad? Heck, what kind of name is Berkebile? My parents had fun with me and my uncommon names didn't they. I was originally going to be named after my mother's grandfather - Troy Scrivner. I do not remember the reason they decided to change to Thad, but I do know that they wanted a name that was not common. They felt that there were enough Johns, Bobs, and Mikes in the world. To my despair (as a child) they chose Thad as my first name. What about Berkebile? Sheesh just looking at it you can come up with many different ways to pronounce it. We pronounce it as "Bur-kah-bile". Over the years having such different names has provided me with many frustrating moments and many different ways to say them.

I enjoy photography...no - I love it! I started my photography hobby after I returned from Iraq in 1991 and bought my first SLR; a Minolta Maxxum 3000. I bought 2 lenses and a flash to go with it; later came a fancy camera bag and a tripod. I was all set to photograph the world. Many years later I bought a digital camera that was a big upgrade from my previous film camera. I stayed with Minolta and bought a DiMAGE A1. On a trip to California, I dropped my Minolta and had to have it fixed. After it was fixed, it worked for about nine months, and then I bought an upgrade - a Canon Rebel XT. This is best camera I have ever owned. It takes amazing photos and so far has met every need that I have had when it comes to photography. In the photo section, you can see some of my photos. My best subjects are my children. My daughter is a camera hog, so she tends to get captured more.

My fiancée and I have six children between the two of us. It keeps things busy, but we love being involved with them and all that they do. Did I mention they do a lot? Our kids play a lot of different sports: Tae Kwon Do, basketball, baseball, softball, cross country, and Trent and Cora work with a baseball trainer every other week. Emily is in show choir which keeps us very busy after the first of the year and really is a blast to watch. Cora and Trent were also in 4-H this last year. I am unsure if he will join again, but Cora really wants to.

Sandy and I continue to enjoy our wine. We may not love it like some, but we do have a few favorites. The The Oliver Winery is a local winery that makes a soft red that is wonderful! We also love a sparkling white wine from a Michigan winery called Tabor Hill. We can buy it at one of the local liquor stores, but we have to special order it.