Ern and Donna met when Donna did a search on the internet looking for a friend and found a reference to the internet radio show that Ern was doing at the time. She contacted Ern and after exchanging emails for a while they got together a few times for concerts. They soon started dating though they lived a couple of hundred miles apart. Donna worked for a restaurant chain which has a location near where Ern lived. In December 2004, Donna arranged to start working near Ern then she and her son Kane moved in with Ern. They do not agree with the state needing to give you permission to be married, so they had a commitment ceremony that they consider as their marriage. Though the state did not recognize that they were married, they considered themselves married and referred to each other as husband and wife since the time of the commitment ceremony. Because of issues with health insurance and other mandates, after several years Ern and Donna were legally married, they still consider the commitment ceremony as their anniversary. They have moved several times until finally settling in what might be their permanent home for a while.

Ern and Donna have 3 children; Kane Donna's son from a previous relationship, Olivia their daughter, and Klark their son. Kane and Ern have thought of themselves as father and son since Ern and Donna started dating.

Ern has worked at a lot of different occupations. He worked preparing food at an Italian restaurant and a Pizza Hut. He did cleaning and maintenance for a Walmart. He did Air Conditioning maintenance, furniture delivery, and he has worked as a pipe-layer. He was working as a customer service representative for a phone company, unfortunately they decided to downsize and Ern was laid-off. He did lawn care. He worked as a maintenance man for a property management company. In 2019 Ern started working for a nationwide air conditioning and ventilation company.

One of Ern's favorite pastimes is making music. He has been involved with 3 or 4 local bands and has made tapes with some of them. He has also made some recordings on his own. Thanks to fanzines and the internet, some of Ern's music has been collected by people in countries all around the world. He also did an internet radio program for a while.

Ern also likes to participate in role-playing games on the internet. He is a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and collects Godzilla movies and memorabilia.

As with so many college graduates, when Donna completed her degree in psychology she was not able to find employment in a psychology related field. Donna worked as a waitress and as a department manager of a grocery store. Donna, with help from Ern, now owns and operates The Square Mug Cafe

Last updated:  Sep 28 2021