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.
