Day 263 of 365 "Deep Wells"

Meet Mark Wells from Bend, Oregon.

The one word that best describes Mark's life today is Family.

If Mark could change one thing in the world, he would "Want men to be men and women to be women." The way he would go about making this change is by making his voice heard.

One year from today, Mark would like to be on a budget and down size.

If Mark's life were a movie, it would be about how family vacations have become a tradition and have instilled a sense of belonging for future generations of Wells.  The title of Mark's movie would be called "Deep Wells" and the subtitle would be called "Family Blood Runs Deep."

We met Mark and his family 10 years ago when we moved to Bend.  The Wells and the Makela's were like family during our 8 years of living in Bend.  They came to Laguna Beach for the day and we enjoyed a long paddle up to Crescent Bay.

Mark introduced me to stand up paddle boarding 3 years ago and taught me how to SUP for the first time on the Deschutes River in Bend Oregon.  There was something pretty special about being on a board in a river in the middle of the desert.  It was fun for me to take Mark for a paddle and introduce him to SUP'n in the ocean and experience the beauty of Laguna Beach from this unique perspective.

Mark is a family man and has dedicated his life to loving and serving his wife, children and his first born grandchild.  I appreciate Mark's love for music and the bond he has with our son Joshua over Bob Dylan.  Their conversation somehow always involves Dylan, which by the way, is his son's name "Dylan."

Our day with the Wells Family was a reminder of how lucky we are to have such great friends in our lives like the Wells, even though they are 870 miles from us.  Thank you Mark and family for spending the day with us and allowing us to share your story with our community.