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!
