The happy success of Faces of Duvall has prompted me to do a mini story following Cecilia’s inaugural post, and because he was right there, I thought I’d introduce you to one of the many faces of Duvall, and my family – my husband.

“My name is Loke, like joke, but with an L,” is how Loke always introduces himself.

Loke has lived here in Duvall with his lovely wife, two daughters and dog for about seven years, having moved here all the way from Malaysia. We’d lived in the metropolis of Kuala Lumpur before we’d uprooted our lives to follow his dream of living in the US and thanks to Microsoft, his dream came true. Sometimes, I joke that he’s born American the way he loves this country. Three years ago, when Loke was naturalized, I told him that that should be his new birthdate.

However, he’d never imagined living in the country country, having been a city boy all his life. When asked if this was what he’d imagined living in the States looked like eight years ago before we’d moved, he shook his head.

“It’s never like what you see on TV,” Loke said. “I thought we’d live in a place more like Redmond or Bellevue. A little more city.”

What does he love most about the US?

“Freedom. You can do anything you want here, regardless of social class or race. Just hard work and determination,” answered my husband.

Loke is a gun enthusiast, something he’s always loved even as a boy in Malaysia, where gun ownership is illegal. He shoots competitively and loves that he’s able to enjoy this sport freely on the weekends.

“I wish there was a gun range in Duvall,” when asked what the one thing was he’d change about Duvall.

The thing he wouldn’t change?

“The small town-ness,” said Loke. After a short pause, he said, “And I can’t believe I just said that.”

A big change for my city boy.