Monday was Jessica’s birthday, and it worked out perfectly — no work for her and no school for the kids. She spent most of the day hanging out with a couple of close friends from work, but the morning started off with something pretty special. Elise woke up early and surprised her with breakfast in bed: two sunny-side-up eggs, toast, and even a cup of coffee. Not bad for an 11-year-old!
After breakfast, Jessica came downstairs to open her presents. Each of the kids made her a card and wrote her a sweet letter, and then it was time for the big surprise — the gift the kids and I had been quietly working on for almost a month. To explain it, I need to rewind a bit.
A few years ago, Jessica mentioned that she really wanted some nice portraits of the kids taken in the Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas. It was Mother’s Day, and my mom was visiting, so we all went together. Jessica has always loved the colorful murals in that area, so we spent a couple hours wandering around, taking pictures with my Sony vlogging camera. What we didn’t realize until the end — and you can probably see where this is going — was that there was no memory card in the camera. None. Jessica had borrowed it recently and forgot to put the card back in. We didn’t notice until it was too late, and every single photo we took was lost. It was heartbreaking, and we never got around to trying again.
Fast forward to this year — since moving to Vegas, I’ve gotten more and more into photography, and over the past few months, I’ve been diving in deep. I picked up a used Nikon DSLR and a few lenses, and when I heard Jessica was planning a long weekend away with her friends in Tucson, I saw my chance.
While she was off hiking and catching up with friends, the kids and I got dressed up and headed back to the Arts District. We timed the shoot for golden hour — that perfect hour before sunset — and I took hundreds of photos with my new camera. Afterwards, I spent a ton of time going through them all, choosing my favorites, and editing. I ended up editing 50 shots, then narrowed it down to my absolute favorites to print. I had one group shot printed on a big 16×20 board and printed a handful of others in different sizes. On the morning of her birthday, I gave her the prints, a letter explaining everything, and a USB drive with all the edited photos.
Her reaction was everything I’d hoped for. She was shocked — in the best way — and couldn’t believe how many amazing shots we got or how we managed to keep it a secret for so long. Normally, one of the kids would’ve cracked, but they held strong and kept the whole thing under wraps. It was such a fun project to do with them, and I’m really proud of how it turned out. The kids are growing up so fast, and I’d love to start doing this kind of thing more often.
Scroll down to see some of my favorite shots from that day. We’ve got the full set saved in high quality, so we can always print more whenever we want.
In other family news, the end of the school year is sneaking up on us — which means our long-awaited trip to Mexico is almost here! Ava’s softball season is wrapping up soon, and with less than two weeks to go, my first run as head coach is just about in the books. We’ve also got Mother’s Day coming up, so there’s a lot happening all at once.
School officially ends on Friday, May 23, and the very next morning we’re hopping on a plane to Puerto Vallarta for a full week of beaches, adventures, and delicious Mexican food. We’ve booked a couple of excursions for the first two days, but after that, we’re keeping things flexible and just going with the flow. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to write about in next month’s update. It’s been a while since we all flew together — the last time was Disney World in May 2021 — so this trip is way overdue. Everyone is seriously excited.
Not long after we get back, Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda will be visiting from Washington for the first time, and we can’t wait to see them. Then the kids’ summer adventure continues with two weeks at Grandma and Grandpa Martin’s house, and more visitors coming to town in July. Summer always seems to fly by, but we’re doing our best to keep it full and fun for the kids since I’ll be working and Jessica will be in school.
That’s all for now — I’ll have a full update from Mexico soon. Hope you enjoy the new photos, and Jessica… we love you so much. Hope your birthday was everything you wanted and more.
After a couple weeks on the road, I’m back home and reflecting on a busy start to spring—work travel to Microsoft HQ, family time in Washington, and a snowy Spring Break in Colorado. Jessica has exciting news about her teaching role, and our summer calendar is already packed with trips, visitors, and more adventures to come!
After two straight weeks of travel, I’m finally back home and settling into my regular routine—and honestly, it feels pretty great. The first leg of my travels took me up to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, for an annual Microsoft Research event called Project Green. It brings together researchers from all over the world to share ideas, collaborate, and learn from each other. Since I had just joined my new team a few weeks earlier, it was the perfect opportunity to meet everyone in person and get a better sense of the work going on across the org.
Being back on the Microsoft campus after several years away definitely stirred up some nostalgia. As I walked between meetings, I found myself remembering the various buildings I used to work in and the people I met along the way. This was actually my first full five-day, in-office work week in five years—no surprise I was completely wiped out by the end of each day! I’ve gotten pretty comfortable working from home, so running around all week for meetings and events was a real shift.
Since I don’t make it up to Western Washington very often, I tried to pack in as much time with friends and family as I could. My cousin Kristy picked me up from the airport and graciously let me crash at her place the first night. The next morning, we met up with her parents—my Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda—for a delicious brunch at a new Mexican spot. It was a great way to kick off the week, and even better, they called later that day to let me know they’re planning a trip down to Vegas in June! We checked our calendars, locked in some dates, and now they’re all set to visit us—and finally see our new house. We’re all really looking forward to it.
On Sunday night, I got to catch up with one of my oldest friends, Michael—my best man from our wedding—and his wife Kirsten. We hung out at their beautiful home in Burien with an amazing view of the Puget Sound, then headed out for dinner. Later in the week, I squeezed in a few more visits with friends and family, though I didn’t get to see everyone I had hoped to. The workdays were packed, but I made the most of the time I had. All in all, it was a great trip, and I’m really grateful for the experience. Jessica and the kids would’ve loved being there too—hopefully next time we can all go together. For now, I’m just happy I had the chance to reconnect with so many people and have such a productive week.
Spring Break in Colorado
Jessica and the kids picked me up from the Vegas airport on Friday night, and—true to form—the Seattle rain must’ve hitched a ride with me, because it was raining in Vegas too (which almost never happens). It felt amazing to sleep in my own bed again… even if it was short-lived. Saturday flew by with a full schedule: laundry, some work for Cappers, a quick house project, and coaching softball practice. Then, bright and early Sunday morning—like 4:30 a.m. early—we hit the road for our Spring Break trip to Colorado.
The drive to Grandma and Grandpa Martin’s house took about 11 hours, which is pretty typical. Traffic was light, weather was clear, and honestly, with adaptive cruise control and lane assist, Jessica’s Odyssey practically drives itself at this point.
Compared to last year, there wasn’t much snow on the ground at first, but as we climbed Ute Pass, it started to thicken up. Once we got settled in, we spent the week doing all kinds of fun stuff around the house: sledding, riding 4-wheelers and snowmobiles, baking cookies and pies, building fires, and playing lots of Yahtzee. The kids had never played before, but they picked it up fast—Elise and Enzo each rolled three Yahtzees in one game, scoring 440 and 441! I’ve been playing that game since I was their age and still haven’t come close to that.
I was working remotely during the week, so I couldn’t join every activity, but I made sure to get out with Jessica for a long walk each day to enjoy the mountain air. One afternoon, everyone drove down to Granby for some outdoor ice skating—I had to miss that one, but it sounded like a blast.
My favorite part of the trip was Friday night. We all went to see a local high school production of Mean Girls in Frisco. I’ve always had a soft spot for theater (I did a few plays growing up), and I was really impressed by the kids’ performances. They did an awesome job.
Saturday was super low-key—we mostly hung around the house while the kids built snowmen in the yard. I cooked dinner most nights during our stay, and that afternoon Jessica and I caught up on the latest Top Chef episode. Since the show’s set in Canada this season, the challenge was to make poutine. I’d never made it before, but I was inspired to give it a try—and it actually turned out pretty great. Definitely adding that one to the rotation.
We hit the road again early Sunday morning, around 6:00 a.m. Fresh snow meant we had to take it slow coming down the mountain, and traffic on I-70 was crawling at first. But once we got past Vail Pass, things opened up. The scenery through Utah was stunning as usual, and by late afternoon we were back home in Henderson—trading snowy roads for sunshine and 80 degrees!
We braced ourselves for a rough Monday, thinking the post-trip reset would be brutal, but surprisingly, everyone bounced back like pros. Enzo had rock climbing on Monday night, Ava and I were back at softball Tuesday, and Elise jumps into figure skating again later this week. Breaks always go by too fast, but we’re super grateful to Grandma and Grandpa for hosting us. It was a great trip, full of memories—and maybe a few new traditions.
Exciting Times for Jessica
Jessica finally got the official news she’s been waiting for—she’s going to be the head teacher in her classroom next school year! It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster getting to this point, and for a while we weren’t sure if everything was going to line up, but thankfully it all worked out. Even though she still has some time left in her master’s program at UNLV (she’ll graduate in December), that won’t stop her from stepping into her new role at the start of the school year.
I couldn’t be prouder of her. She’s been crushing it—still pulling straight A’s—and I’ve never seen her this motivated. It’s so clear she’s found her calling. The kids at her school are lucky to have her, and I know she’s going to bring so much heart and energy to the classroom.
In the short term, she’s gearing up for a little well-earned getaway. This Friday, she’s heading to Tucson for a girls’ weekend with a few friends from Washington. One of them has a timeshare down there, so they’re planning to spend a few days hiking, relaxing, and catching up. It’ll be her second time making the trip, and she’s really looking forward to it.
She’ll be back Monday evening—but with a quick turnaround, since she’ll be heading straight from the road to her in-person class at UNLV. While she’s gone, I’ll be holding down the fort with the kids. We’ve got our first softball game on Saturday morning, and on Sunday I’m planning to take them to a Japanese anime convention. I’m sure we’ll find a few more things to keep us busy too. Should be a fun weekend all around!
Plans for a Busy Summer
Our summer calendar is already starting to fill up, and I have a feeling it’s all going to fly by in the blink of an eye. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we’re kicking things off with a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico—literally the day after school gets out. A few days after we return, Jim and Brenda will be coming down to visit us in Vegas, which we’re really looking forward to.
Then, the same day they fly back to Washington, Jessica will be loading up the car and taking the kids to meet Grandma and Grandpa Martin in Utah for a big RV adventure. They’ll be spending a week exploring National Parks like Arches and Bryce Canyon, followed by another week hanging out in Colorado with the Tom’s grandson, Cole. It’s going to be the longest the kids have ever been away from us, but they’re super excited about the trip. I’m a little bummed I won’t get to spend Father’s Day with them this year, but we’ll make up for it when they get back. While they’re off adventuring, Jessica and I are planning a little weekend getaway of our own—maybe Zion or the Grand Canyon, we haven’t decided yet.
Not long after the kids get back from their grandparent road trip, our good friends the Palmers will be arriving for their annual summer stay. And on Elise’s birthday (July 14), our longtime friend and former neighbor Avery is coming down for her yearly visit. The kids don’t know about that one yet, but they’re going to be so excited—especially Ava, who still considers Avery her best friend.
We haven’t nailed down the details yet, but we usually sneak in a late summer trip to San Diego or somewhere else in Southern California before school starts up again, so I’ll do my best to keep that tradition alive.
All in all, it’s shaping up to be a packed summer, but that’s how we like it. The goal is to keep the kids active and off their screens as much as possible. With Jessica taking summer classes, she won’t be able to do quite as much with them as usual, so we’re trying to make the most of the time we do have together.
That’s about it for now. Below are a few recent family photos. See you next month!
Our girls are growing up fast!Jessica and Enzo at the school’s Lego Family NightEnzo and I making Chinese dumplings at home. He says he wants to be a chef when he grows up, so I’m doing my best to train him early.Carrying Elise into the high school play so she wouldn’t get her shoes all muddyBuilding a snowman at Grandma and Grandpa’s houseNo one loves snow more than Ava
Michael returns to Microsoft and plans a trip to Seattle. Everyone is getting excited for a week in the Colorado snow.
A lot has happened since my last post. Most notably, I’m excited to announce that today is my first day back at Microsoft! After losing my job unexpectedly on Enzo’s birthday, I got back on the job hunt with a vengeance and was able to find several solid opportunities. One of those was a contracting role with Microsoft and that’s the one I chose. Obviously, I have a lot of experience there, so my goal at this point is to do so well in this contracting role that they decide to bring me back on as a full-time employee.
Strangely enough, today would be my dad’s 97th birthday, so I lost my job on my son’s birthday and then started my new one on my dad’s birthday. It was March 2nd, 2015, the 20th anniversary of his passing, when I originally started at Microsoft, and now here we are a full 10 years later and I find myself returning after being gone for almost two years. I will be working on a project in the AI space, which should allow me to make a notable impact, so I’m very excited to get started!
In a couple of weeks, they’re flying me up to Redmond for an in-person event, so I’m doing my best to make plans with a bunch of friends and family while I’m there. I won’t have a car, so I’m mostly relying on people coming to me, but so far it’s looking good. I wish the rest of my family could join me, but that’s not possible at this time. I’ll be heading up to Seattle on the night of Saturday, March 8th, and staying the night with my cousin Kristy. The following morning we will head down to Tacoma to visit Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda, then later that afternoon my good friend Michael Rico will pick me up at Kristy’s house and have me over for dinner at his place. The rest of the week I’ll be at my hotel in Redmond, which is only a mile from the Microsoft campus, before heading home on Friday evening. It will be a quick turnaround because that Sunday morning we will be driving up to Colorado for a week at Amy and Tom’s place. We always love going up there and they will still have plenty of snow for the kids to play in.
The other big thing going on in my world is that we just started the new softball season, and as mentioned in a previous post, I am now the head coach of Ava’s team. I helped out at tryouts a couple of weeks ago and evaluated players, then attended the draft last week. We lost half of our team during the off-season because so many girls moved up to the next level, so this is a bit of a rebuild for us. That said, I’m very happy with the new players we have acquired and am excited for this season.
In other family news, Jessica is continuing to crush it at school. She has started interviewing for positions and might have some good news to share in the near future. I don’t want to say anything quite yet, but it’s looking pretty good. The kids are all doing great and staying busy. Elise is enjoying her weekly figure skating lessons, Ava is happy to be back in another softball season, and Enzo enjoys being part of the school choir. The school year is flying by, as usual, but they’re all getting good grades and living their best lives. They’re all excited for our upcoming trip to Colorado, then we’ve got Puerto Vallarta about two months after that!
Sorry I don’t have any photos to share this month. I’m keeping it short and sweet but wanted to share the news about my new job. I expect to have plenty more updates in next month’s post. Until then!
All about Mr. Enzo’s big 10th birthday! A few other family updates as well.
Today our amazing you man turned a decade old! It’s hard for Jessica and I to believe that our youngest is now in double digits, but we couldn’t be more proud of him, or thankful for everything he brings to our lives. Enzo is smart, funny, caring, and compassionate. He’ll do anything for his friends and family, sticks up for the ones he loves, and is always willing to share. He truly is a great kid in every sense.
Since his birthday fell on a weekday this year, Enzo’s primary birthday celebration was on Sunday with a bunch of his friends at Ninja Kidz. They had a blast bouncing on the trampolines, playing basketball, and eating pizza. Jessica and I did our best to keep up on the trampolines but now her back is sore and my knee keeps feeling like it’s about to give out. Getting old is so fun. Afterward, the kids came back to our house to play outside and enjoy a massive donut from Ronald’s.
On Saturday night, we all went out to dinner with Grandpa Rick and Debbie at a Mexican / Italian fusion restaurant in Las Vegas called Il Toro E La Capra. I’ve pointed it out to Jessica many times since moving here so it was great to finally get to check it out. Dinner was delicious and everyone had a good time. We have a funny picture of Enzo from his first birthday at a Mexican restaurant in Washington where he started crying from having to wear the sombrero. You can see at the end of this video how he makes the same crying face.
Enzo has been keeping busy with a few different activities lately. In December he participated in a 3-week track and field course that met 3 times per week. He got to try every event, figure out which ones he liked the most, and participate in multiple track meets competing in those events. His favorites were the long jump, hurdles, and relay races. He had a lot of fun and our family enjoyed cheering him on during the track meets. More recently, Enzo is back in rock climbing classes at our local rec center every Monday night. He always comes home with a big smile on his face and we’re thinking about signing him up at an actual rock climbing gym if he sticks with it.
Tonight Enzo and I went to his first Vegas Golden Knights game. Not only was it his first NHL game, but it was his first time seeing a top-level professional sporting event in person. He has been to various minor league games before but this was his first time in the big leagues, and he had a blast. Jessica made a sign for him saying it was his first game and his birthday. Consequently, he and his sign made it onto the jumbotron not once, but twice. The people around us were so nice, giving him high fives and wishing him a happy birthday. He must have thanked me a hundred times but it was my pleasure. My thanks goes to him, and to my friend Tiko, who gave us the tickets. He originally invited me to the game with him, but when he remembered it was Enzo’s birthday, he offered both tickets so the two of us could go. Talk about a classy move from a great friend. Even though the Knights lost to the Stars in overtime, it was still a great night that we will never forget.
In other family news, we recently finalized some travel plans for this year. We’ll be spending Spring Break at Grandma and Grandpa Martin’s house in Colorado, just like we did last year. We all love going up there and there’s still plenty of snow in March, so that should be fun. We also just purchased our plane tickets for a week in Puerto Vallarta Mexico this May! We haven’t all been on a plane together since going to Disney World in 2021, and we’ve got a lot to celebrate this year. This Spring, Jessica and I will be celebrating our 15th anniversary, plus Jessica will be finishing up her Master’s program at UNLV, so we thought a nice trip like this was in order.
We thought about staying at a resort outside of town, but after talking it over as a family, everyone’s preference was to stay at a hotel in the city and have a more authentic experience. The plan is to stay in “Zona Romantica”, also known as Old Town, then go on various excursions. The kids get out of school on the Friday before Memorial Day, and we’re flying out the very next morning. We’re all very excited.
There was one bit of bad news that came about today which totally caught me by surprise. The company I’ve been working for over the past two months was purchased, and without notice, my job was gone. I was very upset to hear this because I liked my new job so much. There was zero indication this was coming and I was planning on being there long-term. The fact that it happened on Enzo’s 10th birthday made it even more strange and memorable.
After getting over the shock of this news I immediately started a new job search by posting about my situation on LinkedIn and reaching out to as many recruiters and old co-workers as possible. Unlike my previous experience with this a few months ago, which was right before the holidays and in the middle of a presidential election, things are instantly looking much more promising. I can’t believe how many responses I have received in the past few hours. Searching for a job and going through interview cycles is never fun but hopefully, it won’t be too bad. It’s much easier this time of year and I’m already encouraged by all of the traction I’m getting. It’s certainly humbling though. After working in mega-corporate America for over a decade and never having to think about my employment status, this year has been tough.
On the brighter side, I’m excited to announce that I have accepted the role of head coach of Ava’s softball team. Our previous coach decided to move on and the position was offered to me. I gladly accepted and Ava was thrilled when she got the news. The season doesn’t start for a few more weeks but I’ve got coaches meetings and a draft to prepare for in the near future. We lost about half of our team, so it’s a rebuild, but I’m still very excited for the upcoming season and am already planning out some practices.
Everyone else is doing great, just cruising right along with school and work. We’re all excited about our upcoming trips, and I’m actually glad we made those plans before I got laid off because we probably wouldn’t have made them otherwise, but our family deserves this and everything is going to be fine. More importantly at the moment, we’re all so proud of Enzo and glad to be celebrating him. He’s as good as it gets and I’m lucky to be able to call him my son!
All about our Christmas 2024 activities, including school concerts, neighborhood caroling, and favorite gifts.
Another Christmas season has come and gone even quicker than the last, but like all the others for our family, it was a great one. The pictures below will commemorate this holiday season well, but I’ll do my best to fill in the gaps. It was a relatively quiet season for us; no traveling, no visitors, but still plenty of joy. There were school concerts, lots of decorating, some expected gifts, and even a few surprises.
Every year, Jessica hands out the ornaments for the kids and I to place on the treeThe kids after the tree was finishedJessica and I with the finished tree
Having kids involved in music means no holiday season is complete without a winter concert, or in our case, three of them. The first concert was performed by the school band, which Ava is a proud member of, then the next night was the orchestra performance, hopefully the first of many for Elise, and then things wrapped up on a Friday morning with Enzo and the school choir. This is Ava’s second year in her middle school’s band and she is thriving there. She loves playing her trumpet and the improvement since getting started a little over a year ago has been incredible to watch. Not only did she perform in this year’s winter band concert, but she also got a chance to participate in the school’s first appearance in the Henderson WinterFest Electric Light Parade. This was her first experience performing in a marching band, so our whole family, including Nana, came out to support her. We enjoyed the parade, cheered way too loud when Ava marched by, and even ran into some friends from her softball team. Here’s a video of the school band’s Winter concert.
Elise was beyond excited to perform in her first school orchestra performance for the Winter Concert Series. She started playing violin a few months ago and is loving it. For weeks leading up to the concert, she would go over to her friend’s house, who also plays violin in the school orchestra, to practice their material. Watching her perform made me so proud, and luckily, Nana was able to join us. The following morning, Enzo’s school choir did their holiday performance, and although I wasn’t able to attend due to work meetings, Nana and Jessica were there to cheer him on. Here’s the video of Elise’s first school orchestra performance.
In addition to attending school holiday performances with Nana, we also had a memorable evening with her looking at Christmas lights and decorations. The original plan was to visit a house in Henderson which had been featured in the news for their over-the-top lights and decorations. They open up their house on six nights in December for people to tour, and the price of admission is a food or clothing donation for charity. We drove to the house and then our jaws dropped when we saw the line to get in. It must have been a 90-minute wait and we simply weren’t prepared for that. We decided to call an audible and Jessica got on her text messages thread with several moms in the neighborhood to see if anyone recommended a neighborhood to check out.
As luck would have it, there was a neighborhood about 5 minutes from our own that goes huge with the holiday decorations. One entire street is covered with lights running from house to house, while another has hundreds of holiday inflatables all over their house and yard. We even found a house that created a photo scene in their front yard with an actual sleigh! First, we drove up and down each street taking it all in, then we got out to walk around and take a closer look. Here are a couple of photos from the sleigh house.
The kids hadn’t had a visit with Santa Claus since moving to Nevada in 2021, so we tried to make up for that by scheduling two visits with the old man this year. Here’s a photo of each one.
In addition to doing all the things for our own family, as usual, Jessica did a great deed this holiday season by helping to coordinate a large donation of gifts for a local family in need. This family doesn’t normally celebrate Christmas because they can’t afford to, so Jessica took it upon herself to collect donations and gifts from friends in our neighborhood, then got a group together to deliver them during the first weekend of the holiday break. As you might expect, they were so appreciative, but one could argue that Jessica and her friends who made this happen received the greatest gift of all. It’s truly what the holiday season is all about and I loved the message it sent to our kids.
A couple nights before Christmas, a bunch of our neighbors got together for an evening of Christmas caroling. We originally thought it was just going to be kids doing the singing, but several entire families showed up, and we even had three drummers from the marching band at a local school. I’m not sure how they were related to our group but they were really good and set the tone for the whole evening. It felt like a college football game as we all marched around the neighborhood singing to the people who stepped outside to see what was going on. I think it’s safe to say it was more fun than anyone expected and we now have a new tradition on our hands. We’ll be more prepared next year with a specific setlist. I’m going to learn the material on guitar and bring out an acoustic, plus I think Ava and Elise want to do the same with the trumpet and violin. I’m already looking forward to our big holiday “gig.” Here’s a video I took of our first annual performance.
Christmas morning started early, as usual, but for the first time ever, Jessica and I were up before the kids. They all slept in the same room that night and when I walked in to wake them up, Elise said “I’ve been waiting since 3:00 am.” I’m not sure if I believe that, but either way, they were very excited to come downstairs and open their gifts. Here they are at the top of the stairs before heading down.
We have a tradition where the kids have to find a pickle ornament on our tree, and whoever finds it gets to open the first present. Jessica did a good job of hiding the pickle this year so it took a couple minutes before the gift opening commenced, but then it was on. I won’t go through every present, but some of the highlights included at least one new pair of shoes for each kid, lots of clothes, Enzo got a cool pair of sunglasses and a new iPad since his old one was pretty busted up, Elise got a new bed and vanity for her room, and Ava got lots of anime stuff, plus a new bookshelf for her room where she could display all her anime collectables. Everyone was very happy and I think the smiles on their faces say it all.
Tomorrow, Elise will receive her final present, which is getting her ears pierced. Ava received the same gift last Christmas and Elise really wanted to do the same thing this year, so we’re taking her to the same piercing specialist at a local tattoo shop that Ava went to last year. Tomorrow night we’ll be ringing in the new year with friends at a neighborhood party.
2024 has been another great year for our family and it’s hard to believe that Jessica and the kids are already half-way through the school year. Jessica’s masters program at UNLV is continuing to go very well and I’m loving my new job. Cappers has experienced a lot of growth this year and we’re hoping for that trend to continue in 2025. We’re now less than a month away from Enzo turning 10 years old, which is an exciting milestone for our family that I look forward to writing about. It’s crazy to think that our kids will now all be in double-digits!
That’s all for now. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here’s the rest of my favorite photos from Christmas morning.
Ava wrote the sweetest letters to her siblings for Christmas. Enzo gave her a big hug after reading his.Jessica was a bit jealous that she didn’t get a new pair of Jordan’s considering that each of the kids did.
I can’t believe we officially have a teenager in the house! 13 years ago today, our lives changed for the better in so many ways, and it was all thanks to the arrival of Miss Ava Pellegrini. She is such a sweet kid with an outgoing personality, a huge heart, and a level of commitment that you don’t see in many people. While today is her actual birthday, we have been celebrating with her for the past few days. After all, you only become a teenager once.
We held Ava’s first surprise party on Friday night at a local roller skating rink. Several of her softball teammates and their families joined us and Ava had a blast. She had no idea it was coming and was so surprised when she walked in and saw everyone. The following day, one of her friends came over for a sleepover. Jessica dropped them off at the movie theater to see “Red One”, which was a big deal because she had never gone to a movie without an adult before. Yesterday was her softball team’s end-of-season party at a local bowling alley. We hung out with everyone for a couple of hours and had a nice time.
Last night we all watched Grandpa Rick and Debbie’s wedding ceremony on YouTube. We were sorry not to be able to attend it in person but were thankful to be able to watch it online. It looked like a nice event and we’re very happy for both of them.
Today started with Ava opening some presents before school. She wished she didn’t have to go to school on her birthday, but what she didn’t realize was that Jessica had been planning all along to take the day off and pull her out of school early for a special day. I thought about joining them but decided not to because I get a lot more one-on-one time with Ava than Jessica does, so I wanted them to have this memorable time together.
After pulling her out of school, they stopped home for a minute, and as luck would have it, the custom softball glove that we ordered for her a month ago arrived in the mail. The timing couldn’t have been better! She has always used my 40-year-old Little League glove for softball, which is very sweet, but it was time for her to get something bigger and better. The glove was initially designed by her when I showed her the website, but I think she forgot about it. It’s her color scheme with an Italian flag, and it even has her nickname “Lightweight” embroidered on it, which was given to her by her beloved hitting coach, Bill Madlock.
Tonight, we’re all going out with a family friend to see the new movie “Wicked”, then tomorrow Auntie Dana and Uncle Brad will be arriving from San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with us. I have a special meal planned for us on Wednesday night, then we’re all going to decorate the house and Christmas tree afterward. Thursday will be spent at Devin’s house, which is becoming a Thanksgiving tradition for us, and then on Monday, I’ll be starting my new job as a Senior Software Engineer with Old Republic Title! I’m so thankful to have the job search behind me and don’t have to wait until the new year to land something.
As is the case every year, we have so much to be thankful for. Everyone is happy, healthy, and living their best lives. My brief unemployment stint caused a little bump in the road, but we used that as a teachable moment for the kids. Overall, things couldn’t be better, and we’re all excited for the holiday season. Above all, I hope this was an excellent birthday for Ava and that she never forgets it. She brings more joy to everyone than she realizes and we’re so lucky to be able to call her our daughter.
Happy 13th birthday sweetheart. Here are some recent photos and videos celebrating Miss Ava.
Opening presents on the morning of her birthdayShe loves her new bag from Uncle Jim and Aunt BrendaShe loves all things “Demon Slayer”Ready for school
Here she is opening her new softball glove
Getting ready for her first softball game in the 14U age divisionAfter winning her first Defensive MVP awardAfter winning her first Offensive MVP awardShe won Offensive MVP for the championship games because she got on base during every at-bat
This was her first at-bat of the first championship game
Halloween is always a special day for our family. Not only is it my Mom’s birthday, but it’s all three of our kids’ favorite holiday. If it wasn’t their favorite holiday before moving to Henderson it certainly was after, as our neighborhood goes big on the decorations and trick-or-treating every year. This is an especially big birthday for my Mom, as she begins a new decade, and I can’t even begin to thank her enough for everything she does. Jessica, the kids, and I all feel very lucky to have her as a regular part of our lives and we wish her the happiest of birthdays!
While we won’t get a chance to see her today, we will get to spend the next few days with her at our house, which everyone is looking forward to. She will be coming over to our house tomorrow afternoon and staying until Sunday. I’ve got a nice birthday meal planned for Friday night, consisting of plant-based tenderloins and ribs from Juicy Marbles, baked potatoes, vegetables, and pumpkin pie (Mom’s favorite) for dessert. We don’t have specific plans during the day on Saturday but that evening Ava has another softball game and she is very excited that Nana will be there to watch her play. I know Mom always talks about what a difference it made in her life when we moved from Washington to Nevada, but it definitely goes both ways. Having her nearby has changed our lives for the better and I’m so thankful for all the memories the kids are making with her.
Tonight we’re looking forward to trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with friends. Tiko and Tina are bringing their girls over, and I’m sure we’ll gang up with a bunch of the neighbors. This is arguably the biggest night of the year for the kids and it’s always a blast watching them live their best lives as they run from door to door, then come home to sort through the night’s treasure. As far as costumes go, Elise was a cheetah today at school, but tonight she is dressing up as Gru from the Minions movies. Ava, who is a huge fan of the Japanese anime series Demon Slayer, dressed up as Mitsuri Kanroji, and Enzo has a hilarious blow up costume of a sumo wrestler. Jessica decided to honor her childhood by dressing up as one of her all-time favorite characters, Mary Poppins. I hate to be a stick in the mud, but I don’t have a costume this year. It’s just me and the cats at home all day so there wasn’t much of a reason for me to put together a costume. However, my Los Angeles Dodgers did win the World Series last night, so maybe I’ll replicate last year’s costume by wearing my Dodgers uniform.
Outside of the Halloween and birthday festivities, things are going well. Jessica is continuing to crush it in her masters program at UNLV. She is getting excellent scores on all of her tests, assignments, and group projects, so she’s feeling good about how the year is shaping up. The first quarter of school recently wrapped up for the kids and each one of them had all A’s and B’s, which we were very proud of. Enzo just finished his rock climbing class and is looking forward to signing up again as soon as possible. Elise continues to enjoy her Saturday morning boxing classes and Ava is doing better than ever in softball. She was asked to play third base in one of our recent games because our normal third baseman was going to be away, and ended up getting our team’s defensive player of the game award! I was so proud of her commitment and preparation for the opportunity. We were showing up early to practice and staying late after practice so we could drill grounders at third and the throw across the diamond to first base.
On my end of things, I’m still in the middle of a job search, as the opportunity I mentioned in last month’s post didn’t work out. That was a tough pill to swallow, mainly because I made it all the way to the final interview before they decided to go with someone else. I was feeling a bit down about it for a couple of days but eventually shook it off and started focusing on new opportunities. I was thinking about something we tell the girls all the time in softball, which is to focus on the two things that are in your control: attitude and effort.
On the attitude side, I had to remind myself that I have a skillset and resume that plenty of companies are looking for. It’s just difficult timing because we’re nearing the end of the year, and we’re in the late stages of a presidential election cycle, both of which have an effect on hiring and spending for many businesses. On the effort side, every day is a “work” day for me. I’m constantly applying for jobs, sending out my resume, talking with recruiters, and scheduling interviews. Based on all of this market research, I have a good idea of exactly what skills employers are looking for, so I purchased three different web development / computer science courses on Udemy and spend hours each day going through them.
In addition to all this job search stuff, I’m also staying busy by working on a freelance project, and doing daily work on the Cappers web application. October is a busy sports month because the NHL and NBA seasons get started, then you have college basketball starting in the first week of November. Devin is doing his best to find investors for Cappers, and if that comes through, it will be a dream come true, but in the meantime, I will continue with this headstrong job hunt approach. I’ve got plenty of irons in the fire at this point and I’m hopeful that it won’t be very long before something comes through. I had an interview yesterday and another one today, both of which went very well, so hopefully I’ll be invited for the next round of interviews in the next few days. I honestly feel like the busiest unemployed person in the world.
Earlier this month we were paid a visit by Grandma and Grandpa Martin, who spent a long weekend with us. They took the kids to a show on the strip, came to one of Ava’s softball games, and the 7 of us attended the NASCAR race that was in town that weekend. They also took us out to an outstanding sushi meal at one of our new favorite restaurants. It was a great visit and we hope to see them again soon.
November will be a big month for us, mostly because Ava will be turning 13 years old on the 25th. Jessica and I can’t believe we’re about to be parents of a teenager, but Ava is a great kid and tends to make things pretty easy on us. Additionally, Auntie Dana and Uncle Brad are coming to stay with us for Thanksgiving, so we’re looking forward to spending that long weekend with them. Another holiday season is upon us, which is crazy, but things are good and we all love this time of year.
That’s about it for now. Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday Nana!!!
I never begin a family blog post with an update about myself, but I just need to get my news out of the way this month. Three weeks ago I was laid off from my job in the sports betting industry. This came as a big surprise, especially considering there was no indication leading up to it that something like this might happen. I thought everything was going well, and as much as I would like to explain things in detail, part of my severance agreement was that I keep my mouth shut, so I intend to keep my word. All I can say is that I’m sorry things didn’t work out, I wish them the best, and I have plenty else to focus on.
The good news is that I have already passed two interviews for a role as a senior software engineer with a major company. The third and final interview is this Tuesday, so hopefully, it goes well and things get back to normal for me very soon. In the meantime, I have been working a lot on Cappers, and in all honesty, my daily routine hasn’t changed at all. I still get up at the same time and head downstairs to my office, but I’m getting to spend my days working on something I love. Our subscriber base has been growing consistently since football season began and we’re starting to look for opportunities to raise investments in the company. Devin and I are more bullish than ever about our business and I hope to have more positive news to share about Cappers in the coming months.
One positive life lesson I want to share about getting laid off is related to how I began my search for a new job. A few years ago when we were still living in the Seattle area, I used to receive constant messages from recruiters on LinkedIn about various job opportunities. Most software engineers don’t even bother to respond to these messages but I always made it a point to spend a few seconds sending a polite response. Many of these recruiters would reply back thanking me for at least acknowledging their message and telling me to reach out if I was ever looking for new opportunities. Well, that’s exactly what I did after getting laid off. I started messaging these recruiters letting them know that I was available, and within minutes I started receiving job descriptions. Perhaps they still would have responded to me even if I hadn’t replied to their original message, but the fact that I was polite to them when I didn’t need to be certainly didn’t hurt.
So, that’s all for now on that front. Hopefully, I will have some positive job-related news to share in next month’s post. In the meantime, I’m staying focused on job preparation and adding more features to the Cappers application.
In other family news, Jessica is crushing it at UNLV for her master’s program. She got an A in her first class and passed another exam with flying colors. Her dedication to the work is beyond impressive and it’s clearly leaving a positive impression on our kids. They’re seeing first-hand what hard work and dedication, in the context of school specifically, will result in. No one appreciates what she’s doing more than me, and considering my current situation, I’m doing my best to make it easier on her in any way I can.
School is also going well for each of the kids. Elise is thriving in her first year of middle school and her teachers all love her. She is playing the violin in the school’s orchestra and seems to mention new musical things she is learning each day. Ava’s grades have never been better and she continues to love playing the trumpet in the school’s band. Obviously, their engagement in music brings me a lot of joy and I hope they both stick with it long-term. Enzo has all A’s and B’s in his 4th grade class and recently received advanced level scores in a national math exam. Jessica and I are so proud of each of them in terms of their scholastic progress and extra-curricular involvement.
On the activities side of things, each of the kids has something to keep them busy. Elise is back in a boxing class, which she attends every Saturday morning. There’s no doubt that she is the strongest one of our children, and she always enjoys the classes, so this seems to be a good fit for her. So far, it’s all about physical conditioning and technique, meaning the kids aren’t actually punching each other. I can’t help but wonder if the love of boxing will live on once she starts sparring with other kids, but only time will tell. For now, I’m just glad she is enjoying herself while building strength and self-confidence.
Enzo recently got back into a rock climbing class, which he attends on Monday evenings at the local rec center. He did the same class last year and is loving it so far this year. I hope he sticks with it because it’s building not just strength but problem-solving skills as well. It was a bit more difficult to get him to commit to something because he’s not interested in team sports, but this seems to be a good fit.
Ava has been staying busy with softball, which means I too am busy with softball. She has practices two days per week, plus batting cage sessions on Sunday mornings. The weather is still surprisingly hot here so our Saturday afternoon practices have not been easy, but we’re making progress. Being out there in 105-degree heat while doing drills is not easy for anyone but I frequently tell the girls how proud I am of their dedication and resiliency. Our first game is next weekend and this is our first season in the 14U age division, so it will be a new challenge for us.
This weekend Grandpa Rick and his fiance Debbie are visiting us from Iowa. Rick has a work conference in Las Vegas this week so they came out a couple of days early to visit. Last night we all attended the Triple-A baseball championship at the Las Vegas ballpark. Later today they will be checking into their hotel on the strip but it was nice to get some time with them.
I think it’s fair to say we’re all looking forward to October for our own reasons. The kids love Halloween, especially in this neighborhood, and my Mom has a major birthday coming up that we’re excited to celebrate. We made it through the hottest Summer in Las Vegas history and are now ready for the lovely Fall weather. As a sports fan, this is my favorite time of year, and it’s also the beginning of my “cooking season.” That’s all for now; I’m looking forward to sharing some good news in the next post. Here are a few recent family photos.
Ava and Elise heading out for schoolJessica and Enzo on Sports Day at schoolElise decorating the house for HalloweenFamily movie night with takeout
August has been another great month for our family. Jessica and the kids got back to school a couple of weeks ago, meaning it’s just me and the cats at home on the weekdays. It didn’t take long before everyone was settled back into their schedules, and so far, they’re all doing great. Jessica is now officially a student at UNLV, meaning she works during the day, then comes home and focuses on her schoolwork. She’s very busy but has been taking everything on like a champ. It’s hard to believe that we’re less than a year away from her taking the lead role in the classroom.
Elise has probably had the biggest transition this month, as she is now a middle schooler, but so far it’s been a smooth one. She is making new friends, as expected, and is loving her classes. She joined the orchestra and is now learning to play violin, which makes me proud because we now have another stringed instrumentalist in the house!
Ava is off to a great start in 7th grade. The transition to middle school a year ago was hard for her but this year has been such a positive change. She is sticking with the trumpet in the school band and is excited for another softball season to get started in the coming weeks. Enzo is now our only child left in elementary school but he is enjoying 4th grade, mostly because he landed in a class with all of his best friends. It’s also nice that he gets to ride to and from school with Mom each day.
Work has been busier than ever for me lately, mostly because football season is just getting started. The two biggest sports betting markets in the United States are the NFL and college football, so I have been working for months to prepare Cappers for this season. We only supported NFL betting last year but this year we’re also supporting college football, so there was a lot of preparation required. Business has already started picking up and we’re about to raise our prices for the first time. We’re continuing to get more traffic with our daily videos across social networks, and yesterday was actually our best day ever. Devin and I are optimistic about the future of our company so it will be interesting to see how things go over the next few months.
A Long Weekend In San Diego
Although our Summer break was officially over, we still had one more trip to do before Labor Day, which was to pay Auntie Dana and Uncle Brad a visit in San Diego. It’s been nearly 2.5 years since we were down there, which is far too long, so we were all excited to see them and get some quality time at the beach. While San Diego is lovely all the time, this is the absolute best time of year to go there, especially if going to the beach is on your agenda.
We drove to Dana and Brad’s house on Thursday evening after I finished work. It’s only about 4.5 hours door-to-door, which is nothing for us, so it wasn’t even very late when we arrived. Friday was all about the beach, so after hanging out around their house that morning, we all hopped in the van and headed over to Carlsbad for a day of boogie boarding, body surfing, and walks on the beach. It wasn’t that crowded because of it being a weekday after school had resumed, so we spent the entire afternoon there.
It was the warmest water I’ve ever experienced in San Diego, but I guess that shouldn’t come as a big surprise considering it’s been the hottest Summer ever recorded. The waves were also much bigger than expected so it took a bit for the kids to feel comfortable. Everyone got thrashed a bit in the shore break, myself included, but by the end of the day, Ava was catching waves on the boogie board without assistance! Uncle Brad did a great job teaching each of the kids and a day later Elise and Enzo were also catching their own waves.
Each day was basically the same in the sense that we would have lunch somewhere in San Diego, hang out at the beach, hit the grocery store on the way home, and then relax at the house while I made dinner for everyone. Several epic games of Uno were also played. Jessica and I loved watching the kids in the water. Seeing them fly by on the boogie board with the biggest smile on their faces brought me so much joy, mostly because it reminded me a lot of my own childhood. I always loved playing in the waves on the coast of Washington, and there’s no doubt that this was the trip where our kids solidified their love for the ocean. It certainly wasn’t their first time playing in the ocean but I feel like this was the trip where they really ‘got’ the whole SoCal vibe.
We left San Diego on Sunday already talking about when to return. Our general plan is to try and make it to Colorado and Southern California at least once (but hopefully twice each) per year. I love the fact that we can make that happen without having to put everyone on an airplane. It was a quick trip but we’re so thankful to Dana and Brad for hosting us. I’m also excited that we made plans for them to come and stay with us this year for Thanksgiving!
We don’t have any other trips scheduled for this year, but in another few weeks, the weather will cool down enough that we’ll be in that sweet spot of perfect Las Vegas weather. Combine that with all the sports and new TV shows for the Fall and we’ll be living our best lives at home. We’re looking forward to a nice Labor Day weekend, and with all of our Summer trips behind us, we can now officially settle into our Fall schedules.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, and here are some recent family photos.
Elise on her first day of Middle SchoolAva on her first day of 7th gradeEnzo on his first day of 4th gradeJessica’s first day of the school yearThe girls before school one morningDana and Brad have lots of orange trees on their property and Enzo LOVES making fresh juice with themEnzo playing on the beach in Carlsbad. Notice Ava riding a wave in on the boogie board.Ava strikes a pose on the beachElise and Mom after a walk on the beachEnzo playing on the beach with Auntie Dana looking onAva rides a wave all the way to the shoreElise at the Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Garden – one of Auntie Dana’s favorite spotsAuntie Dana with the kids at the meditation gardenObligatory family photo
Celebrating Elise’s 11th birthday in Phoenix, Arizona! Food, Concerts, Swimming, and more…
Today our sweet Elise turns 11 years old! Although Summer break is winding down, we have been staying quite busy, and as of yesterday, another road trip is in the books. We spent the past few days in Phoenix, Arizona eating delicious foods, hanging out at the pool, and attending a show by one of our favorite bands, AJR! Before I get into the details of our weekend getaway I just want to say how proud Jessica and I are of Elise. She’s growing up fast and will enter middle school in a few short weeks.
Elise has grown up a lot over the past year; she has a great crew of close friends and always seems to be busy with one activity or another. She takes school seriously and enjoys various extracurricular activities like “Girls on the Run,” drama, fundraisers, and more. Like most kids her age, she is nervous about entering middle school, but I’m proud of the way Ava keeps building her up via pep talks. Elise is also our little beauty queen; she loves makeup, skincare, fashion, and painted nails. Although summer break isn’t over yet, she has very much enjoyed her time off this year and is already referring to her birthday weekend in Phoenix as the best present she has ever received. We all love her to the moon and couldn’t be more proud of the young lady she has become!
Phoenix 2024 Road Trip
Our weekend in Phoenix was outstanding and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more Arizona visits in our future. The trip came about because AJR, one of our favorite bands, was playing Friday night in Phoenix and we knew the kids would love to go. We saw AJR last year at SEMA Fest in Las Vegas and, as far as we were concerned, they stole the show. Once we saw they would be playing nearby on Elise’s birthday weekend we knew we had to make it happen. This meant that Elise would have to forego a traditional birthday party, but she was more than willing to make that consolation.
We drove down on Thursday morning, and now that we’re conditioned to doing 11-hour drives to Grandma’s house in Colorado, the 4.5-hour drive to Phoenix felt like a walk in the park. The kids had never been to Arizona before, other than the sliver of it that we pass through when heading to Colorado, so this was a fun new experience for us. Jessica had also never been to Phoenix, and my only experience there came via a work trip years ago when I was at Amazon, so this was my first time getting to actually enjoy it.
We knew upon arriving in Phoenix that our hotel wouldn’t be ready for check-in, so we drove straight to Pizzeria Bianco. Devin told me that he hadn’t been there, but it was once called the best pizza in the country, so we had to check it out. It’s a traditional Italian Neapolitan pizza, which is our favorite, and we all loved our meal. I won’t go so far as to say it’s the best pizza I’ve ever had, but it was delicious, plus the atmosphere was nice and it was the perfect way to start off our trip. Here we are at their next-door lounge having a drink while we waited for a table.
After lunch, we checked in at our hotel, the Hilton Phoenix Resort at the Peak, and spent the rest of the afternoon at their water park. It was so hot outside that their lazy river was warmer than bath water, but we still had a nice time. Later that evening we went back to downtown Phoenix and had a nice sushi dinner at Harumi Sushi and Sake.
We slept in so late on Friday morning that we missed breakfast, but it worked out for the best because our lunch at the Fry Bread House was the highlight meal of the trip. I came across this place while reading an article about the Phoenix dining scene. While I had never had fry bread before, or dined at a Native American restaurant, the reviews sounded amazing, and once I saw it was a James Beard award winner, I knew we had to go. While it wasn’t a fancy place at all, the way they built burritos out of fry bread, rather than a traditional tortilla, was incredible. We all agreed it was our favorite meal in a long time and will definitely be returning next time we make it to Phoenix. Friday afternoon was spent at our hotel’s water park, and then that evening we had a big pasta meal at Babbo’s Italian Eatery before heading to the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns, for the AJR concert. The concert itself was so much fun; the kids knew the words to every song and we were so impressed with the entire production. It was so much more than your traditional live show where the band simply comes out and plays their songs. You could tell a lot of time and effort went into creating this show and we loved every minute of it. Here’s the video I made of my favorite songs from that night, as well as a few photos from before the show.
Driving home on Saturday was smooth sailing the entire way. The desert in Arizona is much prettier than what we have in Nevada, mostly because they get much more rain than we do. We loved looking at all the cacti and various other forms of plant life. It was a quick trip but we all enjoyed Arizona and look forward to going back. While the climate isn’t any different from what we’re used to, it definitely has a different vibe to it. While Vegas is fast-paced and glitzy, Arizona is much more laid-back, and I love how they lean into their old Western heritage. Phoenix, in particular, had an excellent dining scene, and that’s always a draw for Jessica and me. We’re now thinking about visiting other Arizona hot spots like the Grand Canyon, Scottsdale, and Tucson.
With our big weekend behind us, the plan for today is to lay low at home. We might do a little swimming later, and Elise has requested homemade fish tacos for dinner, so I’m looking forward to making them for her. Oh, and one more thing, Ava and Elise are both past the 100 consecutive days mark of daily foreign language lessons on DuoLingo! I’m so proud of their dedication that I decided to get back into it and am now doing daily Spanish lessons. I figured nothing could be more useful around here than Spanish and it’s so similar to Italian that I find it rather easy. The three of us are now regularly encouraging Mom and Enzo to get on board so we can all have some type of foreign language influence in our lives.
That’s about it for now. We have friends coming to visit next weekend, then we will be visiting Auntie Dana and Uncle Brad for a long weekend in San Diego next month. Here are a couple more photos from our trip to Phoenix. Happy 11th birthday Elise, we love you to the moon!
