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Happy 7th Birthday Elise!

Today our sweet Elise turns 7 years old! I remember her birth like it was yesterday and couldn’t be more proud of the young lady she has already grown into. She’s such a great kid with so many amazing qualities; not only are Jessica and I beyond lucky to have her as a daughter, but Ava and Enzo are also extremely lucky to have such a loving and caring sister. Although the circumstances these days throughout the world make it difficult for us to throw a proper birthday celebration, we still wanted it to be a special day for her and show her just how much she is loved.

For a while now Elise and I have had a deal that I would take her shopping on her birthday, but she has been going back and forth on whether she would prefer a longboard or a scooter. She’s been thinking about it a lot because Ava and our good friend Avery love riding their longboards up and down our street, but she always enjoys riding scooters as well. I told her we would go to the store to look at both, and most likely she will find ‘the one’ when she sees it.

I was able to wrap up all my meetings by lunchtime, then the two of us headed out to the sporting goods store to have a look. We looked at the longboards first and there were a few she was interested in, then we took a look at the scooters. After a few seconds she said “Daddy, I’ve made up my mind. I’m getting a longboard.” I loved how serious she was about her decision and was happy to go along. She ended up picking out a really cool Stella longboard with orange wheels and an orange design on the bottom. It was fitting considering orange is her favorite color.

Earlier that morning she opened some of her presents, which included walkie-talkies from Grandma and Grandpa Rudd, an mp3 player from Nana, and a bluetooth speaker with microphones from Grandma and Grandpa Martin. After returning home with her new longboard she had lunch and then got out on the street to break it in, but took a cake and ice cream break in the afternoon. Later on we all went to our regular Tuesday evening Jiu-Jitsu class and she was greeted with a ‘surprise’, which was a pig pile from the other kids in class. In this case the only other kids in class were Ava and Enzo, so it wasn’t bad. I gave her the option of skipping class because it was her birthday but she wanted none of it. She really loves Jiu-Jitsu so it was a fun way to spend her birthday evening.

In addition to everything today, we’ve got some fun stuff to look forward to this weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Martin are on their way up from Colorado in the bus, along with their grandson Cole from Texas, and will be here tomorrow. This weekend we’re having a few friends over to skateboard and ride bikes outside, enjoy some treats, and watch an outdoor movie once it starts getting dark. Then on Sunday or Monday the kids will head out on a road trip with G&G for about a week. They won’t be going too far away but there’s so much to see without leaving Washington so I’m looking forward to hearing about it.

Speaking of road trips, when I wrote my last post I focused on our change of plans around Disney World and how we had decided on doing a 3 week road trip to and from Florida. At that time the Covid-19 situation seemed to be trending in the right direction and Summer felt like the safest time for us to go on our long-awaited vacation. Unfortunately things with Covid have taken a significant turn for the worse and Florida has become arguably the most dangerous place in the world, so even though Disney World has reopened, we have made the tough decision to once again postpone our trip.

I knew there was a decent chance of this happening but it’s still disappointing because we hate to keep letting the kids down. However we have to be smart and can’t allow ourselves to be so dogmatic about the trip that we’re willing to risk our health and safety in order to make this vacation happen. At this point the plan is to reschedule the trip for May 2021, right between Spring Break and Summer. Hopefully by then things will be in a better state and we’ll be able to have the vacation we’ve been hoping for, but at this point nothing will surprise me.

For a while there we had a plan B, which involved a road trip to San Diego, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas, but unfortunately that’s not going to work out either. Just this week California had to shut everything down again due to spikes in Covid outbreaks, and Arizona + Nevada aren’t doing a whole lot better, so there’s no point in us going there either. Again it’s all very disappointing, but there’s nothing we can do besides be smart and keep our family safe.

At this point we’re onto plan C, which will most likely involve a very small road trip somewhere east of the mountains. We’re still working out details but are considering a couple days in Couer d’Alene Idaho so we can take our kids to Silverwood, which is a big theme park and water park. The kids have actually been there before with Grandma and Grandpa but Jessica and I have never been, and we really want to do something fun this Summer. I’m not worried about our ability to keep our distance and stay safe, and only crossing one state line seems most preferable at this point. We haven’t finalized anything yet but that’s what we’re thinking about at the moment. Considering what a strange year it’s been we just want to do something special to remember this Summer by, so hopefully this works out.

In the spirit of doing something special for the family, we also have some exciting news in the sense that we have adopted two purebred Siberian kittens! It’s been about 4 years since Bella passed away and we haven’t had a family pet since then. For a while now we felt like a cat would be the ideal family pet for us, but due to Jessica’s allergy we never thought it would be feasible.

After doing some research we learned that when a person is allergic to cats, it’s based on a protein secreted in their saliva called “Fel d”, which dries on their fur when they clean themselves and causes an allergic reaction for some people who come near them. Luckily not all cats secrete this protein though, and the Siberian breed is known as one of the most hypoallergenic breeds of house cats available. We were able to expose Jessica to them one afternoon and everything was totally fine, so we felt comfortable in moving forward.

We ended up finding a breeder in North Seattle and were able to reserve two sibling kittens who were born on the 4th of July. They need to stay with their mother for the first ten weeks, meaning they won’t be coming to live with us until mid-September. While we wish they could be with us now, after seeing how much work newborn kittens can be we’re happy to wait a couple months before bringing them home. We have never worked with a breeder before and would normally be inclined to rescue an animal from a shelter, but due to the allergy limitation we felt like this was our only option. Getting two was really in the best interest of the cats because everything we’ve read says they do so much better when they’re not alone.

At this point in our lives we definitely feel ready to commit to pets again, and cats just feel like the right fit for us. They’re a low maintenance pet but still show a lot of affection. While all three of the kids were excited, there’s no question Elise was the most excited at the prospect of getting a cat. She has always been obsessed with cats and was over the moon when we broke the news. Considering all the let downs we’ve had this year, it felt so nice for Jessica and I to give them some exciting good news. They certainly deserve it.

In other family news, we recently spent the 4th of July at our house with Kristy, Beto, and Madi. This was literally the first time we had seen any family since January, so it was really nice to get together. We had dinner, then hung out in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors and let off a ton of fireworks. Rumor has it that this was the last year we would be allowed to do our own fireworks, so it was fun to be able to share that with them. Hopefully we can set up another get-together sometime soon.

That’s about all for now, but before I go I just want to again wish Elise a very happy 7th birthday! We love you more than you can imagine and hope you enjoyed your special day. Noi ti amiamo così tanto!

Enzo is now attending Jiu-Jitsu classes with us and loving it!

Summer fun with our good friends Avery and Nathan

Our little furballs on the day of their birth

Someone is ready to open their presents!

Taking a family photo in the driveway on the 4th of July has become a tradition for us

Making Plans

If you’re reading this post around the time it was written, then you surely know these are crazy and often scary times we’re living in. Just as it appeared that we were transitioning out of the Covid-19 quarantine, the biggest racial protest in a generation broke out, sending the entire world into such a frenzy that even the pandemic barely made the evening news. It’s an unprecedented time that none of us will ever forget, so Jessica and I are more focused than ever on staying out of harm’s way and placing our entire focus on that which we can control.

As far as the racial protests go, I think it was long overdue, but I also feel the lockdown from the pandemic, and all the tensions surrounding that experience, helped it reach a boiling point. People were getting fed up on so many different levels that it was easier than normal for things to implode. I agree wholeheartedly with the peaceful protesters and want their message to be heard, which is why I hate seeing their message overshadowed by violence, destruction, and theft. In some ways I feel like we’re in the middle of the perfect human storm, and that we should all be afraid to a certain extent.

Speaking of storms, let us not forget that every year we set new records in Summer and Fall for natural disasters, and it’s not like those things are going to disappear or take a year off just because we’re dealing with all these other problems. The uncontrollable wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods will be here soon enough, and I’m worried about our ability to deal with them based on everything else going on. We seem to be in a bit of a downward spiral, so again I feel it’s more important than ever to do your part and find your own ways to make an impact.

For our family, there’s no question that making an impact starts at home. We have 3 little people that need to be brought up the right way. Simply not being racist is no longer good enough, so last week we started getting books that explain racism and race relations to children. We’ve watched videos on the Civil Rights movement, watched specialized programming explaining these topics to children, and engaged in conversations once thought of as ‘uncomfortable’. Who is it really uncomfortable for though? Certainly not the kids…

Beyond the children, I’m finding dialogs opening up everywhere. Certainly they are at work, but the same can be said for our Jiu-Jitsu school, which just reopened a few days ago. I’m one of the only adults in the school who isn’t involved in law enforcement or the military, and the conversations we’ve had there have been really interesting. One guy is ex Secret Service, two more guys are Seattle PD, there’s Marines, Army & Navy vets, and then you have someone like me from the tech industry. Everyone is super respectful of each other’s opinions, and hearing things from their perspective has been very interesting to me. Overall I feel like dialog via face-to-face communication is so much more powerful and constructive than anything you’re going to get from social media, but it’s difficult when you’re still supposed to be social distancing yourselves due to the pandemic. The resounding theme for me these days is to do my part, on all levels, and I find that everyone I associate myself with is doing the same.

Although the world seems to have recently drifted into unchartered waters, we still don’t see any harm in making plans for the future. Our Disney World trip, which was originally supposed to occur in early April in celebration of our 10 year anniversary, had to be pushed back to late May, then pushed back again. At this point we’re scheduled to go the last week in August, and as long as Disney follows through with their plan to reopen in mid-July, we should be in good shape.

In some ways it may even work out to our advantage because only people with existing reservations will be allowed to go this Summer, and that includes us. This means there’s a good chance that it will be much less busy than normal, but we’ll see. At this point we have learned to expect the unexpected and won’t be surprised if we have to change our plans again, but that’s fine. Every time we reschedule the trip Disney sweetens the deal even more for us, so soon enough they may be paying us to come.

While we’re confident in Disney’s ability to provide a safe environment, our biggest safety concern for the trip centered around air travel. Being in various airports and airplanes means a lot of exposure to people from all around the world, so we started kicking around the idea of extending the trip from one week to three, and turning it into a cross-country roadtrip. I have plenty of unused vacation time, and we don’t have any other school or work schedules to worry about. Plus we have a very comfortable van that is meant for long-distance trips, so we decided to go for it.

The biggest blocker to our roadtrip plans would be getting a refund on our airfare. We purchased the tickets last year through Orbitz, and they were non-refundable. I decided to take on the challenge of getting our money back, and started by calling Orbitz customer service. I went into this whole ordeal with two requirements: accept nothing other than a refund, and treat everyone I speak to professionally and respectfully. I assume getting screamed at is a common occurrence for these customer service representatives, but I’m simply not willing to go there. It doesn’t make me feel better about myself to yell at someone, and I feel like that type of behavior would only be detrimental to my cause.

As expected, no one was very eager to give me my money back, but each time I spoke to someone I would make some type of progress, setting things up for the next step. Again, I feel that being calm and respectful was crucial because eventually someone would level with me and tell me exactly what they could and could not do, as well as help me get one step closer to my ultimate goal of a refund.

After speaking with a couple people from Orbitz, I was led to United Airlines customer service, which is who we were flying with. Eventually this led me to filing a reimbursement claim with them online. I decided to use my work email address so they would know who I was employed by, and I explained the entire circumstances as eloquently as possible.

At the end of my explanation, I said that my employer provided me with legal assistance, and although it would not be my preference to utilize those services, I was prepared to if my refund request was denied. I’m not sure if that ended up being a factor or not, but two days later I had an email confirming our full refund for all five tickets, and the day after that the refund was received. So, it took a fair amount of effort and perseverance, but kudos to United Airlines for doing the right thing.

With that out of the way, we were free to start planning “The Great American Roadtrip”. There are so many places and cities we’re excited to see, and while I’m sure there will be times where Jessica and I are cursing ourselves for making such a crazy decision, I’m equally certain that this will be something we remember forever.

The plan is to take a week getting to Florida so we can see Mount Rushmore, visit family in Cedar Rapids for a couple days, spend a day in Nashville, and see some other attractions in the Southeast before arriving in Orlando. We will then spend a week as planned at Disney World, then take another week to get home. We haven’t finalized our plans regarding which route we will take home, but we know we want to see the Grand Canyon, and spend a couple days visiting family and friends in Las Vegas. It’s going to be an epic trip, and we feel like that timeframe from mid-August through the first week of September is ideal on multiple levels.

So that’s the plan for now. We won’t feel like anything is set in stone until Disney World officially reopens next month, but again there’s nothing wrong with having a plan, and we’re willing to adjust as needed. I feel confident that it’s going to work out, so we just need to be patient and see.

In other family news, Elise recently lost her first tooth, which was exciting. She wanted me to pull it, so I was happy to oblige. She got a little freaked out and started screaming at one point, but to her credit she pulled herself together and we got it done without much discomfort. She was so cute carrying around her “Toothy” pillow the rest of the night, and of course the Tooth Fairy was kind to her.

Ava and Enzo are also both doing really well. All 3 of the kids are thriving under Mom’s home schooling, and their test results are now proving it. Ava has become quite the little skateboarder these days, and Enzo is constantly out there tearing it up on his bike and scooter. Also, Jessica is becoming a master at jigsaw puzzles.

In terms of activity, last month Jessica and I took up jumping rope as our preferred method of cardio exercise. I find it to be a really efficient way to get your heart rate up, and although I’m now able to go to Jiu-Jitsu again, I’m going to continue jumping rope because you get into such a zone when doing it.

It was humbling at first because you can’t get into the right rhythm, and you’re gassed in the first minute or two, but just like anything else if you stick with it you start improving rapidly. These days I go out there and do 600-700 reps without breaking a sweat. Jessica used to be a member of the “Iowa Skippers” and is definitely better at it than I am, but it’s all good. We were joking that we should start a neighborhood rope jumping club because it’s an activity that enforces social distancing – if you get too close to each other you get stung by the rope.

I think all this time at home caused me to start getting a little stir crazy because I recently decided on a whim to shave my beard. Last time I did this was at my Mom’s house for Christmas about 2.5 years ago, and all I remember is Ava crying and refusing to look at me. Due to that traumatic experience, I grew it right back and didn’t really think about shaving again, until now. This time around I decided to have the kids help me shave the beard, and it seemed to help, but they’re still asking me when will it be back.

One thing I’ve been enjoying since then is shaving with a straight edge razor. I’d never done it before, but I definitely understand why people get so into it. It’s much more of an experience than normal shaving, and if you do it right, you can’t possibly get a closer shave. This is because the number one rule when shaving with a straight razor is that you have to stretch the skin super tight. The combination of stretching the skin and shaving against the grain results in the closest shave possible.

Every time I tell someone I’m shaving with a straight razor I get some type of warning about being careful, and it’s true you have to go slow and be careful, but what that really means is taking the time to learn the technique behind it all. It’s not like normal shaving with a safety razor, so I had to watch a few videos on YouTube to understand it. Things like stretching the skin, maintaining a 30 degree blade angle, and using different parts of the blade for different areas of your face are crucial. I think the reason I like it so much is because it is very technical (like most other things I enjoy doing), so I usually just put on some music and take my time with it.

I guess the common theme these days is finding ways to stay engaged and happy when your normal routine no longer exists, and for our family it hasn’t been too much of a problem. We’re finding ways to stay informed, do our part, and make a positive impact however we can while always placing top priority on staying safe. As usual, we have a lot to look forward to, but not just about the big things like vacation. Simply getting together with family or friends for a Saturday afternoon will be such a treat once the time finally comes. I just hope it comes sooner than later.

Even a face-first bicycle crash doesn’t stop this kid from smiling

Elise was a trooper getting her first tooth pulled

Saying goodbye to the beard – for now at least

Happy Mother’s Day, 2020

I’ll start this post by saying I’m especially thankful we have Mother’s Day this month because it gives me something specific to write about. We’ve got a consecutive month streak here on the ol’ family blog dating back to July, 2011, and not even the Covid quarantine is going to stop that. I’m sure I would have found something to write about regardless, but having Mother’s Day this month works out nicely.

We’ve been lucking out with really nice weather lately, so we took advantage of it this weekend and made the most out of this ongoing situation. Friday afternoon we took a family trip into Seattle so Jessica could clean out her locker at El Gaucho. I hadn’t been into the city since our Christmas Eve dinner, and this was our last chance to say goodbye to a place that has been so instrumental in our lives. It was fun seeing the kids run around the building, but a bit sad knowing this would be my last time there, at least in its current form factor. We got to see some old friends and catch up, which was an unexpected surprise. On our way out they gave us a candle holder from the cigar lounge as a souvenir.

Afterwards we decided to walk around the city a bit and see what it was like since the world flipped into this alternate reality. On one hand walking up and down the streets of Belltown was like a trip down memory lane, but it’s a far cry from the Seattle I remember. The best analogy I can make is to the movie Back To The Future II, where Marty comes back to 1985 but it’s a different version of 1985 where Biff Tannen is the most powerful man in America and owns that big hotel & casino. It’s technically the same place, but everything is different, and that’s exactly what Seattle felt like.

As we walked down the streets I was reminded of memories that took place in almost every restaurant and bar we passed, but now all those places are boarded up to try and protect themselves from violence and theft. In an attempt to make things look less dystopian, the boards are mostly covered with painted murals, but it’s still a sad sight.

In making our way out of Belltown and into the market, I realized the ratio of crazy versus non-crazy people was way off. Basically all the crazies are still out and about, but almost all of the non-crazies are sheltering at home, so that added to the strange vibe. As we walked through Pike Place Market I was struck by just how many businesses and vendors weren’t open for business on such a gorgeous Friday afternoon. It should have been packed with people, and instead we stuck out as some kind of weird tourist family, even though nothing could be further from the truth.

Later we made our way down to the waterfront and again it’s just so strange that on such a beautiful afternoon, with the mountains out in all directions and not a cloud in the sky, we could have that entire walkway basically to yourselves. Normally we’d be annoyed by all the tourists and the constant hustle & bustle, but now things have flipped drastically. Hopefully it won’t be this way for much longer, especially considering all the progress our state has made in flattening the curve, but in reality no one really knows what to expect. We’re hearing rumours from various sources that schools won’t be reopening in the Fall, which means most likely athletics won’t resume either. We’re still trying to figure out what the new normal will be, but right now all we can do is roll with it and be thankful for the situation we’re in. I often think about the fact that if we hadn’t moved to San Diego after getting married, I probably would have never left El Gaucho because there wouldn’t have been a good enough reason to, but what would that mean for us now? It’s scary to think about, and definitely puts things in perspective.

Earlier last week I made a trip to my office for the first time in two months. Upon hearing that we will have the option to remain working from home through October (at least), I decided to go grab a few more things from my desk. I was in the building for about 45 minutes and never saw another person the whole time. There was a box on my desk containing my 5 year anniversary crystal, so I proudly set that up next to my monitors, but who knows when I’ll even see it again? Having that entire beautiful building to myself was very strange – kinda like a tech version of the movie Home Alone. I was walking around drinking sparkling water and having a snack bar, just taking it all in because I know it’s unlikely that something like that will happen again.

Yesterday we spent the entire day outside soaking up all this beautiful weather. Jessica and I spent about 6 hours doing yard work while the kids played. Ava has become quite the skateboarder over the past couple months, and Elise is starting to get into it as well. Enzo still loves riding his BMX racing bike, and it makes me happy watching him because he’s so natural on it. We were all exhausted by the end of the day, but it was nice to sit out on our porch and take in all the fruits of our labor.

Today is Mother’s Day, which means you can count on me making breakfast for Jessica. This year she made a point to ask me not to go big with some fancy crab benedict, so I obliged, but did my best with what I could find around the house. Since the beaches have recently reopened, her request was that we get an early start on the day and spend the morning at the beach in Mukilteo. The kids collected seashells, climbed rocks and logs, and we all walked pretty far along the water. It was exactly what Mom wanted, and once again the weather was on our side.

Obviously we’re hoping for normalcy to return, but in the meantime we’re making the best of it. We’re very much looking forward to getting to spend time with family and friends again, and to getting back to the activities we love. I continue to remain thankful that we’re all healthy, and that our quality of life hasn’t really changed throughout this whole ordeal. Watching the news every night is a sobering reminder of how badly this is affecting so many people, and my heart goes out to them (especially when kids are involved), so when you look at it that way we’re in really good shape.

To all the Mom’s in our lives, we love you and hope to see you soon. I’m glad I got to talk to my Mom and Amy today, as well as exchange messages with Lora, Dana, Aunt Brenda, and Kristy. Family visits will take on a new meaning once they’re able to resume. Happy Mother’s Day to all, and especially to the best Mom our kids could ever hope for.

A family porch pic from the evening of Jessica’ birthday

Also from Jessica’s birthday, just before having cake

Mother’s Day morning in Mukilteo (say that 5 times fast)

Elise looking so pretty and colorful for Mother’s Day

I think Ava loves beaches the most in our family

Happy Birthday My Love

If it were up to Jessica, no attention would be paid to her birthday this year. Not because she’s freaking out about getting a year older, but because this quarantined Groundhog’s Day we’re living in prohibits any day from feeling especially, well, special. Fortunately however, it’s not up to her! It’s her birthday dammit, and a big one at that, although I’m not dumb enough to start talking about my wife’s age in public. Obviously we’re both well beyond getting super excited simply because it’s our birthday, but at the same time the family blog has become something we love looking back on as a reminder of where we were and what was happening at certain points in our lives. While I doubt we will ever forget this particular time in the world, I still want to take a moment to chronicle and pay respect.

In another week or so, we will have been ‘sheltering in place’ (meaning staying home) for two months. Although the official order from the governor didn’t come in for another couple weeks, we started staying home once I was ordered to work from home, which was at the beginning of March. It’s been a strange couple of months, and certainly there are many things that we miss from our normal lives, but overall things are going well. First and foremost, we all have our health, and that’s not something to be taken for granted these days.

A few days ago Enzo came down with a 102 degree fever (technically it was 101.9). Obviously Jessica and I were very worried because a fever is the most common first sign of Covid-19. He also threw up a couple times, so we immediately got him on a schedule taking children’s Tylenol, and pumping him up with fluids. Luckily the Tylenol broke the fever quickly and within 24 hours he was about 90% back to normal. Since then he has returned completely to normal, so there’s no more reason for concern, and no one else in our house has shown any signs of sickness. Other than that we’ve all been completely normal and healthy throughout this pandemic.

I think it’s safe to say this whole quarantine thing has been far easier on me than it has on the rest of my family. I’m still working full-time, which keeps me grounded in my routine, and I was already working from home 2 days a week, so switching to 5 days a week was no big deal. I just miss taking my kids to the ice rink and jiu-jitsu, plus I miss going to the gym, but I’ve found plenty of other ways to stay busy. Music has been my sanctuary throughout this experience – I’ve never spent so much time practicing and recording.

For Jessica, not being able to work any more has been difficult on multiple levels. There was a sense of guilt for not being able to contribute in that way, and not working means she misses out on a good portion of her social life. It’s a way for her to get away and interact with adults other than myself. Certainly she has found ways to stay busy at home, mostly due to the role she has taken on with homeschooling the kids, but it’s obviously not the same.

What was originally supposed to be a 2 month closure for El Gaucho has now become about 5. They were already supposed to be moving to a new location this Summer, so recently they made the decision to not reopen the Belltown location at all, and wait until the grand opening of the new location, which will be closer to the market, in September. This means it could easily be 5 months off for Jessica. She’s not happy about it but there’s nothing we can do.

Based on all this, she has fully invested herself into homeschooling the kids, and is doing an incredible job. She really deserves so much respect and credit for this. I’ve heard and read plenty of stories about parents who are more qualified to homeschool their kids, but simply don’t have the motivation to do so, and consequently the kids spend all day playing video games. In our case there is no question that the education our kids are getting today is better than what they were getting at school. It’s more focused and personalized, with far fewer distractions. It’s such an improvement that Ava is requesting not to go back to school and remain homeschooled for the foreseeable future. We haven’t made a final decision on this yet but we’re seriously considering it.

As far as the kids go, their resilience constantly impresses me. Their entire worlds have been flipped upside down, yet you wouldn’t know it when speaking with them. Other than the neighborhood kids, they haven’t seen any of their friends in 2 months, they’re getting less exercise, and doing none of their activities. You’d think this would be a recipe for disaster but they’re actually doing quite well. In terms of exercise, I’ve been doing some home jiu-jitsu classes, but not on a regular enough schedule, so that’s changing. We had a 90 minute class at home on Sunday and the girls loved it, so I promised them we’d start doing classes like this at least twice a week.

Just like our normal jiu-jitsu school, we worked on techniques for a while, then at the end I let them spar, and the sparring got pretty epic. Although Elise is younger and smaller than Ava, she has a natural ferocity and toughness that lends itself to martial arts. She would repeatedly take Ava down to the mat, get on her back, and submit her with a rear naked choke. At one point Ava was calling out for help and Elise screamed “There’s no one here to help you!!”

Jessica and I were both right there the whole time and obviously we would never let either of them get hurt, but the competition is good for them on multiple levels. I was recently talking with the owner of our school and he said he’s hoping to reopen in the next couple weeks, so hopefully that works out because we’re all looking forward to getting back in there on a regular basis.

I’d say easily the biggest highlight for the kids during this quarantine has been Easter. Normally we would go up to the Palmer’s house for a big outdoor egg hunt, followed by a delicious dinner, but that wasn’t an option this year. Instead we had a fun indoor egg hunt, way too much candy, and spent pretty much the entire day playing outside. A bunch of neighborhood kids came out to play catch, ride skateboards, and soak up the sun. The kids all said it was the best quarantine day by far, and it made us feel good to give them a day like this, even if it was a break from the norm.

Regarding the ongoing saga of our Disney World trip, we were originally supposed to go in early April for our 10th anniversary, but we ended up postponing it to the third week of May. Unfortunately it had to be postponed again, but we’re committed to making this happen. It’s something we’re all looking forward to, and by the time it actually does happen I think we’ll appreciate it even more.

At this point we’ll be going to Disney World the final week of August, and each time we call them to reschedule, they sweeten the deal even more. When we rescheduled the first time we ended up getting an extra day (hotel and meal plan) added for free. Then when we rescheduled again they refunded the entire cost of the meal plan! This was a considerable expense, but it was their way of showing appreciation for the customers who stuck with them throughout this whole ordeal. We weren’t expecting it, but it was a nice surprise. It’s a bummer to have to wait even longer for this trip, but it’s going to be freakin’ magical once it finally does happen!

While I would have been happy to make a delicious meal for Jessica tonight, she decided what she really wanted was sushi. I think she took pity on me because I’m on call for work this week, so we’re getting takeout from our favorite place. It feels good to help support local restaurants, especially since this is something we’ve done very little of over the past 2 months.

The bummer trifecta of being stuck home for our anniversary and Jessica’s birthday will soon be complete when Mother’s Day rolls around, but there’s nothing we can do besides remain positive and enjoy the time together. While none of us know what the new normal will be, I think it’s safe to say we all have a newfound appreciation for the smaller things. We look forward to seeing friends and family, getting back to our activities, and being able to leave our house just because we feel like it. Jessica will surely never forget this birthday, but I hope she doesn’t look at it in a negative light. She has jumped at the opportunity to once again show what an awesome mom and wife she is, and we love her so much! Happy Birthday my love.

Ten Years Strong

Ten years ago today was easily one of the best days of our lives, as that was the day Jessica and I were married. In fact, the only individual days that would even compare to that would be the birth of our three children. Although I’m certainly not surprised that we’ve made it this far, it still feels like a great achievement and something to be proud of. We’ve accomplished so much together and have three new lives to show for it.

Our ceremony took place on a boat, which immediately made it a pretty unique wedding. We started off in Lake Union, then crossed through into Lake Washington where we cruised around for a couple hours. It’s a bit of a blur to me but mostly what I think about was all the friends and family who were there with us. Obviously that’s what weddings are all about and I’m still thankful that we got to celebrate with so many people we care about.

Later that evening our reception was held at the Pampas Room at El Gaucho. I was still working at El Gaucho at that time and already had so much history there, so it was a fitting location for us. Strangely, this is now the last year of the Pampas Room, as El Gaucho will be moving to a new location in Seattle this Summer. I know I’ve said it many times before, but I love the fact that even though my time has ended there, Jessica continues to carry the torch at El Gaucho, meaning we are still very much a part of the family.

A month after getting married we moved to San Diego and our adventure really kicked into high gear. I’ll never forget getting the news 9 years ago today, on our first anniversary, that Jessica was pregnant with our first child, which was obviously Ava. We lived in this tiny alleyway house in Pacific Beach. It was far from special but was located only 9 blocks from the ocean and ended up being the perfect place for us to start our family. It was getting this news that caused the wheels to start turning for me, and a few months later I was officially on the path of becoming a web developer. There’s been so many other great things that have happened to us since then, and I love being able to look back through this blog as a reminder of how lucky we are.

As far as where we are today, I feel like I must address the elephant in everyone’s room. Covid-19, which is the disease caused by Coronavirus, has created a global pandemic that will most certainly define this new decade in which it was born. Technically it was discovered in Wuhan, China on New Year’s Eve, but it wasn’t until we had crossed into 2020 that it’s effects started being felt around the world.

I’ve had a unique perspective into all of this because I have a friend named Simon in Central China that I email regularly with at work. He has been telling me about his experience since January, so in some ways I was prepared for what was coming, but truthfully there’s no way to fully prepare for when the hysteria hits. First it was China, then it was Italy, then strangely enough it was right here in Snohomish County, Washington that we started seeing U.S. citizens getting infected. It continued spreading at a rapid pace and soon enough Seattle had become the U.S. epicenter for the pandemic, as well as a ghost town.

Based on all of this, March 2020 was without question the craziest month of my life. The only other time I can think of that even comes close to all of this would be 9/11 and its aftermath. The difference to me, however, between then and now, was that 911 was a unifying experience. We all came together as a country to fight a common, and very visible enemy. Today it’s different because the killer is invisible and anyone can be a carrier. Rather than come together, we have to practice ‘social distancing’ by keeping at least 6 feet away from anyone not from your own household.

While the rest of the country soon followed, we Washingtonians were the first Americans to experience ‘the new normal’. It started in early March when Microsoft directed us to all start working from home until at least March 25 (a date which continues to get extended). Soon after that our school district closed until at least April 24. This wasn’t a surprise to us, or a big deal, because we had already notified the school that we would be homeschooling our kids full-time until things had cleared up. After that El Gaucho (and many other local restaurants) temporarily closed. In their case it was at least a two month closure, and while most employees qualified for unemployment during this closure, Jessica did not due to not enough hours worked so far this year. Soon enough all restaurants were forced to either close, or serve take-out only, in an effort to keep people distanced. At the same time hockey was abruptly cancelled for Ava and Enzo, meaning our end-of-year tournament in Canada would be no more.

We were hopeful that these measures would be enough for people to get the point and stay home unless absolutely necessary, but too many people are dumb and choose their freedom, or just want to go to the beach on a rare sunny day, so the governer had no choice but to take more extreme measures by instituting a state-wide shelter in place order. This meant only ‘essential’ businesses were allowed to operate, and technically you could be charged with a misdemeanor for being out and about with no purpose. While the police have made it clear that they do not want to enforce this on anyone, they will if they have to. The speed at which this new dystopian reality has set in almost makes your head spin. As I write this, numbers of infections continue to rise domestically (and globally) by the tens of thousands, and people are dying. We have two close friends who tested positive for Covid-19, but thank goodness they both recovered. From what I understand it’s brutal – intense fever and coughing, hallucinations from the fever. “The room was changing colors” was how one friend described it. The crazy thing is, they’re the lucky ones because they at least lived through it. Draconian times indeed.

While this is certainly an unprecedented level of madness that we’re all experiencing, I’ve decided that what works best for me is to stay optimistic and keep a positive outlook. My Mom has been telling me my entire life, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, so that’s what I’m trying to do. Not being able to go to the gym, Jiu Jitsu, or play hockey definitely sucks, but we’re doing our best to stay active at home via daily exercise routines, neighborhood walks, and beautiful hikes in the woods. Jessica getting temporarily laid off from work also sucks, and does have a financial impact on our family, but the reality is that our expenses have never been lower because there’s nothing to do. Losing a significant amount of our retirement savings in the stock market is difficult to swallow, but I take solace in the fact that I’m a long-term investor who won’t be cashing out for at least 20 more years. Historically every market recession has eventually bounced back stronger than before, so I’m not changing a thing. If this really is the big one and the ship sinks permanently, then I guess we’re all going down together, but there’s obviously nothing I can do about that. I choose to focus on what’s actually in my control, and most importantly, not panic.

We were supposed to be leaving for Disney World tomorrow, but unfortunately that had to be postponed. For now we have rebooked our trip to May 18 – I just hope we’re able to go then. One thing that worked out to our advantage is that it’s so much cheaper to go then than now (because it’s supposed to be Spring Break now), that we got an entire extra day added to our trip (hotel plus meals) for free. This means we will now have a rest day in the middle of the trip. Instead of doing 4 parks in 4 days, we will do 2 park days, have a rest day, then do 2 more park days before coming home. The kids had a hard time hearing that the trip was postponed, but we promised them it would still happen.

In the spirit of staying positive, there have been some nice changes to our daily routine that I’m really enjoying. First of all, we’re getting so much more time together as a family. Certainly there are times when we all need a break, but overall it’s great to be getting so much more family quality time. Since we’re eating all meals at home, I’ve been cooking a ton, and enjoying eating so many meals together as a family. We bought an InstaPot a few weeks ago and have already gotten our money’s worth out of it – I love that thing. I also haven’t had to set an alarm in weeks. I sleep as late as I want every morning, which is usually no later than 7:30, then just head downstairs to get started with work.

It’s been important to me that I not get lazy and allow myself to atrophy, either mentally or physically, just because my favorite activities are all cancelled, so I’ve created a daily workout routine at home that I enjoy very much. Jessica has been doing yoga at home and going for a run in the neighborhood as well. In the spirit of continual learning, Jessica has been taking a free course with Yale University and watching TED talks, while I’ve been taking daily courses on LinkedIn Learning. Most of my courses have been technical, but I recently found out at work that I will be managing our college interns this summer, so I have transitioned to taking some management courses. Just yesterday I finished a course on critical thinking.

As far as creative hobbies go, Jessica has been doing a bunch of jigsaw puzzles, and I’ve been playing even more guitar than normal. I recently finished recording a new song called ‘Seaside Glide’, which is now available on SoundCloud. Additionally, our garage, pantry, office, and closets have never been cleaner or more organized. I guess what I’m getting at is that even though there are all these new restrictions in place, there is still so much to invest yourself in. Above all else, we certainly don’t take our health for granted. Strangely enough this has been the healthiest cold and flu season ever for us. Last year I started getting serious about taking daily vitamins and supplements, then Jessica and the kids soon followed. Other than a little cold in January for Elise and Enzo, we’ve all been in perfect shape throughout all of this. I’d like to think that regular exercise, combined with all the vitamins and supplements, play a major part in this, but regardless I don’t take it for granted. Times like this really help you keep your priorities in check.

Although our original celebration plans for our anniversary had to be postponed, it’s still important to me that we have a nice day together. I took today off work and look forward to making a special meal this evening. We’re even going to dress up for dinner, even though it will be at home. The menu (for Jessica and I) includes sashimi Ahi tuna with cherry tomatoes, avocado, orange slices, and a rice wine soy vinaigrette, El Gaucho Caesar salad (something I haven’t made in years), then seafood fried rice featuring shrimp, crab, and seared scallops for our entree. I’m taking the easy road for dessert and just getting Ben & Jerry’s for everyone.

Not only am I looking forward to cooking, but I’m also looking forward to simply going to Central Market. We don’t get outings like this very often these days, and that’s not going to change until at least sometime in May, but that’s okay. For now my entire focus is taking care of my family, staying positive, and enjoying each day together. It’s crazy to think that decade number two for us begins today, but considering how amazing the first one was, I’m beyond excited to see what this next one will bring. We have so much to be thankful for, and no external force will ever get in the way of that.

Ava having fun with scratch & sniff stickers

Enzo with one of his awesome castle creations

Playing hotel at home. This is the front desk of Domino Hotel.

Ten years ago today. I love you Jessica!

Anniversaries

For some reason unbeknownst to me, this day, March second, has been a pivotal day in my life on many fronts. I’ve written about it in previous blog posts, and here we are again. Today marks my fifth anniversary at Microsoft, which is something I’m proud of because it’s tough to stick it out at any big tech company on the same team for that long. Additionally, it was 21 years ago today that I started working at El Gaucho, which was my previous career before getting into software engineering. Then above all else, it was 25 years ago today that my dad passed away. I don’t say that out of sadness, but out of love and respect. While I still think of him every day, today is a day to think a little more and pay that much more respect to someone who continues to be an important figure in my life. Years ago this was a sad day for me, but not anymore; now it’s a special day that always causes me to take pause and reflect.

As far as the work stuff goes, I always think of my time at El Gaucho in the same way you hear people talk about their college glory days. In my case it was about as much time as one would spend getting their doctorate, but I always loved it. I’m still close friends with many people I met during that era, and it makes me happy that Jessica is still there. Although we would always be part of the family, I’m glad to continue to be as close to it as we are. I started there as an 18 year old kid with no idea what I was doing, and ended up building a career for myself, while learning a lot of important life lessons along the way. Most importantly, I met my wife during that time and it was a factor in us transitioning to where we are now.

Regarding Microsoft, I continue to be very proud to work there, and can’t believe how much I’ve learned since I started. The work I do today is a far cry from the work I did five years ago, but it continues to be challenging and rewarding. The company has grown significantly during this time, mostly because of Azure, and having an inside look at all of that has been an amazing experience. The tech industry is very competitive and I regularly receive offers to interview with other companies, but I’m thankful for my role at Microsoft and continue to plan on being there for the long-term.

This morning I received an email from Microsoft congratulating me on five years and telling me I could pick a prize. The options were a five-year crystal tower with my name engraved on it, a small cash prize, or I could donate the cash prize to a charity of my choice. I decided to go with the crystal because you see them around on people’s desks looking like a badge of honor. You’re eligible for a new one every five years so it’s cool to be starting my collection now.

While these work anniversaries are great, it’s the one about my dad that I have the hardest time believing. It definitely puts 25 years into perspective because it might as well be a lifetime considering how long ago the whole thing feels. I guess in some ways it was a lifetime. Obviously I wish he could have been around to meet my wife and kids, but I know nothing would make him happier or more appreciative than knowing that he is still very much a part of our lives. The kids definitely know who Grandpa Elmer is because we talk about him regularly. I frequently find myself telling them the same things he used to tell me, and always make sure to attribute him when doing so. Being an older dad, he had a lot of wisdom that he shared with me, and it’s important to me that I regurgitate all that stuff to my own kids.

Again, I don’t want to make this a sad thing because it’s really not. No one lives forever, but it’s the sign of a great person and a great life lived when even all these years later people still regularly talk and think about you. It’s not just me either; my cousin Kenny always tells me he still thinks of ‘Uncle Elmer’ every single day. If you’ve seen the Disney movie ‘Coco’, then you’re probably familiar with ‘Dia de los muertos’ (Day of the dead), and the whole concept of keeping a person’s spirit alive after they’re gone. It was that concept, and the corresponding Mexican artwork, that I settled on when deciding to get my tattoo sleeve in San Diego for my 30th birthday. It was partially about remembering those who are no longer with us, but also a reminder not to take the ones we haven’t lost for granted.

So today, as we mark a quarter century since his passing, I just want to pay respect to a man I continue to idolize. His words and lessons stick with me, and his spirit is very much a part of our family. The children today who bear his last name love him and speak of him regularly. They’ve visited his grave, but more importantly, they’re learning the same life lessons from me that I got from him. Nothing would make him happier.

To end things on a more upbeat note, I want to talk about our upcoming wedding anniversary. On April 3rd Jessica and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage, and we decided about a year ago that the way we’d like to carry out that celebration was by taking the kids across country to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida! With the kids all between the ages of 5 and 8, we felt like the timing was perfect, so we recently finally broke the news to them. We had considered keeping it a surprise all the way up until the day we were leaving, but ultimately decided to give them about 6 weeks notice. That way we could watch videos of the parks on YouTube and make some plans together as a family.

I have to give Jessica a ton of credit for all the work she has put into planning this vacation for us. It’s practically a part-time job trying to get everything scheduled, but at this point we’re good to go. We decided to go all out because chances are we won’t be going back there again as a family. I’m sure we’ll do Disneyland at some point, but Disney World will probably be a one-time thing. Based on that, we’re staying at one of the Disney hotels, and we got a ‘Cars’ themed suite to stay in. We got the photo package, the meal plan, and plenty of other add-ons. We’ve never done a family vacation like this before and it will be something none of us will ever forget.

We’ll be arriving in Florida on Sunday, April 5th, then doing a park per day starting on Monday. The first day will be Animal Kingdom, the second day is Hollywood Studios, the third day is Magic Kingdom, and the fourth day is Epcot Center, then we’ll be flying home on Friday. We’ll be arriving early each day and having a full morning at the park, then most likely coming back to the hotel in the afternoon for a little rest before heading back to the park for the evening festivities. I’m sure it will be exhausting and crowded, but I have no doubt we’re going to have a great time. I put a video of the kids reacting to the news about our trip on YouTube, which you can see below.

We’re only about a month away now so it will be here before we know it. We’ve still got one final trip to Canada coming up later this month for Ava’s final tournament of the season, and we’re excited to have Grandpa Rick joining us. I may try to write a quick post about that when we get home, but either way you can expect a long post in April after we return from Florida. Bon voyage!

Dad and I on Lora’s wedding day – 9/12/1992

Dad and his mom, whom we all called Gigi

My all-time favorite picture of him from Hawaii – 10/18/1994

Disney World reveal to the kids

Back on the mat

Last Tuesday we took the kids to their first Jiu-Jitsu class at a relatively new school in downtown Snohomish called Bulwark Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Although Enzo didn’t really enjoy it and decided it wasn’t for him (at least for now), Elise and Ava very much did enjoy it and were excited to go back. We ended up attending another class on Thursday and once again the girls loved it, so based on that we decided to sign them up for regular classes. Additionally, based on how much they were enjoying it, and the fact that the school could use some help in the kids class, I decided to sign up as well. It’s been 5 years since I last did a Jiu-Jitsu class, and in some ways it bums me out that I quit after making so much progress, but I’m really excited to be back into it now, especially since this is an activity that I can enjoy not only on my own, but with my kids as well. Regarding the 5 year break that I took, it was during that time that hockey made a grand entrance into our lives and I honestly couldn’t imagine what our lives would be like without it at this point, so I’m perfectly happy with how everything has turned out.

I was a little bit surprised that Enzo didn’t take to it, but I think he may still be a little too young. He was paired up with an older boy who was pretty experienced, and although the boy did his best to teach Enzo, he just didn’t like being taken down to the mat, sat on, held down, etc. He told me he would rather stick with hockey and bike racing for now, and I thought that was totally fine. His next hockey class starts in about two weeks and he’s excited for that. Then when the class ends, bike racing season will begin, so I think he’s in good shape as far as activities go. Since we still have nice Jiu-Jitsu mats at home, I’m planning on working with the girls and teaching them many of the things I learned when I first started, and Enzo definitely wants to join us for that. I’m sure after a while he will become more interested and may end up wanting to join the class at some point in the future.

In all honesty, the one I was most concerned about in terms of enjoying it was Elise. We have been wanting to find a good physical activity for her to get into and so far she’s loving it. I knew Ava would love it because it’s right in her wheelhouse – this type of physical activity comes naturally to her, but the fact that Elise also loved it made me so happy. We ended up getting both of them a gi (Ava chose a white one while Elise wanted a pink one), then went back for our third and fourth classes this week. I’ve been helping out with the kids classes and sticking around for the adult classes afterwards.

I was feeling quite sore after the first class, but it was great training and rolling with people again. Overall I feel like I’m coming back at it with a new mindset. When I first started Jiu-Jitsu back in San Diego, I was in a bit of a hurry to move up. I went to every class possible so that I could test for my blue belt as soon as possible. While I did receive the highest score (at that time) on my blue belt test in our school’s history, I wasn’t doing myself many favors when I ended up at other schools in Seattle. The program I went through in San Diego was based entirely on self defense (it was called Gracie Combatives), but when I got to the schools in Seattle I was training with people who compete in tournaments, and as a blue belt I was a target for them. Consequently people worked me over a lot, and I nearly got my arm broken, so it put a sour taste in my mouth which eventually caused me to quit. This time around I’m in no hurry and am happy to be starting over as a white belt. Even though I have some experience and legitimately earned my blue belt, at this point I’d rather be a good white belt than a weak blue belt.

Overall I’m just glad to have this activity that we can share and enjoy together. Jiu-Jitsu is very much like playing human chess, so it’s just as good for the mind as it is for the body. Each of us will benefit from it in our own way, and I’m excited to share what I do know with the kids at home. Related to that, I’m thankful to have such a supporting wife who was so encouraging not only to the kids, but to me as well, in terms of taking on yet another activity. For now the girls and I will continue going to classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and when scheduling conflicts arise (most likely next hockey season) we’ll just figure out a way to make it work.

Speaking of hockey, we were just up in Canada earlier this month for another tournament. This one was called Wickfest and it’s run by Hayley Wickenheiser, a Canadian Olympian and recent Hockey Hall Of Fame inductee. It’s a huge tournament featuring girls hockey only, and this was their tenth consecutive year holding it. They normally run it in Alberta, but for the past few years they have also held it in Vancouver, and our Washington Wild 8U team was the only team from our whole organization to make it in!

As always the tournaments are so much fun for everyone, players and families alike. It’s a great bonding experience for everyone, and so much fun to watch the kids take on new competition. Our team won the first 3 games convincingly, then went up against a very tough team in game 4 and we lost pretty badly. Every team we faced was Canadian, so it’s great for the girls to face international competition like that. Ava has proved herself to be the main defensive specialist on the team and plays a very physical brand of hockey. As I like to put it, she’s the closest thing to an enforcer you’re going to see in 8U girls hockey, and I mean that as a complement. She’s big, fast, and intimidating out there. While she generally prefers staying back and stopping the other team in their tracks, she still managed to get her first tournament goal in the third game. It was a beautiful shot and I was so excited that I turned to a mom next to me (whose daughter played for the other team) and said “That’s my daughter!”. She was like, “woohoo”.

I had made a deal with Ava before that game that if she scored a goal she could push me into the swimming pool afterwards. We had already been swimming once that day and I wasn’t exactly hoping to go again, but I had to follow through with my promise. Obviously she got a big kick out of it, and I’m all about giving fun motivation like that. I know you have to be careful with how you incentivize kids, but something like pushing me in the pool or dumping a glass of ice water over my head is funny and memorable, so I’m fine with it.

Not only was I proud of Ava, but Jessica and I were both so proud of Elise and Enzo for how they conducted themselves throughout the weekend. It’s not easy to go and support their sister the whole time, but they’re so good and always find a way to have fun with the other kids. Their good attitudes and maturity when the spotlight wasn’t on them was really impressive, and honestly Ava could benefit from learning a bit of that. She’s going to have to as they get further into activities of their own. Overall it was a great weekend, and I even found time to take Enzo to The Hockey Shop in Surrey, where we fitted him for his very own red hockey helmet. He’s been wearing Ava’s old helmet so far (which I covered with black and red tape because he didn’t want to wear a pink helmet), but since he wants to stick with hockey I promised him we’d get something he liked. The selection in Canada is so much better than what we have around us, so he got to pick out a bright red helmet and white facemask that fit him perfectly. I love how he’s only 5 years old and already wears an adult size small helmet!

There’s only about a month left in Ava’s hockey season, and we’ll be capping it off with one more trip to Canada near the end of March. Grandpa Rick will be coming out from Iowa to join us, so that should be a great time. Also our friends the Palmer’s will be coming up for a day trip to cheer Ava on. It’s been a great year, and I’ve really enjoyed helping out as an assistant coach, but we’re ready for a little break after this. In addition to Jiu-Jitsu, Ava is looking forward to the bike racing season this Spring/Summer. A lot of people have their kids specialize in one sport these days, but it’s not good for their bodies and leads to injuries that wouldn’t happen if they were more well rounded athletically. Between hockey, martial arts, and bike racing, we feel good about the mixture of activities for our kids, and love seeing them enjoying themselves year around.

In addition to all this activity, the girls have been making so much progress with mom at home on reading tutoring. It’s been nearly two months now and the improvement is really impressive. I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record on this topic, but I’m so impressed with how Jessica has taken this on. Her dedication is the sole reason why it’s working out so well. Ava and Elise are both moving up through levels at a nice pace, and more importantly, they’re enjoying it. We still have a way to go to get caught up to where we want to be, but based on this new trajectory I have no concerns.

Jessica has not only been busy with tutoring, but has also been working a lot more over the past couple weeks due to Valentine’s Day. It’s always busy this time of year after a very slow January, so she has been taking advantage of that as much as possible. Lately it seems like one of us is always working, but that allows for a lot of good solo time with the kids, and before long we’ll be on our first big family vacation.

Before I go I want to take a moment to pay my respects to a close family friend who is no longer with us. Paul Harper has been a good friend of my mom, Uncle Jim, Aunt Brenda, and other family members for longer than I’ve been alive. I’ve known him my entire life and although I didn’t know him like they did, I always loved and respected him. When I was a little kid I thought he was the coolest guy simply because he drove such a cool Porsche. I remember going to his 40th birthday party when I was a bit older, but it was when I started really getting into music in my teenage years that my appreciation for him reached a new level. Not only was Paul an accomplished jazz pianist, but he ran his own recording studio and worked with many of my heroes from the Seattle music scene. I had the chance to visit with him recently while holding a birthday party at the house. Jim invited him to join us because he lived close to me, and I’m so glad he ended up coming. It ended up being the last time I would see him, but he was the exact same guy I had looked up to as a kid. Full of life and laughter. Hearing that he had passed away from liver cancer was very sad and shocking, but I’m thankful to have known him, and will certainly never forget him. He touched the lives of multiple family members in a very positive way and for that we will always be thankful.

Here’s a few recent photos to ensure you go out with a smile.

Is Elise happy or sad here? I’m not totally sure.

Enzo enjoying a rare sunny Winter day in the PNW

Elise loves her new pink gi – and Jiu-Jitsu!

This pose has nothing to do with Jiu-Jitsu but it cracks me up. Classic Ava.

One of my better shots of Ava from Wickfest

A fellow dad with a lot more photography experience than me took these 2 shots of Ava in the tournament

The girls wearing their Valentine’s Day outfits

Happy 5th Birthday Enzo!

Today our amazing little boy turns 5 years old! I know I say something similar to this on each of the kids birthdays, and I hate to sound like a broken record, but I just cannot believe he’s already 5! I also can’t believe our youngest child is now 5. I know it’s super cliche, and I say it every time, but time is flying at a relentless pace and the older I get the faster it seems to go. Overall he’s doing great with all of his activities and school, while also enjoying his final year at home before entering school full time as a Kindergartner in the Fall. He loves monster trucks, racecars, video games, bike racing, listening to music, dancing, and getting out on the ice to play hockey.

To everyone who got him a present or wished him a happy birthday, thank you all so much. Some of the highlights this year included various cars and monster trucks, a red leather jacket, and his very own Nintendo Switch! We got our first Nintendo Switch about a month ago for Christmas and we all love it, but it’s probably safe to say that Enzo loves it the most, so it felt appropriate for him to have his own.

Although today is Enzo’s actual birthday, we primarily celebrated on Sunday by going to an Everett Silvertips hockey game, which they won 4-1 over the Spokane Chiefs. We were joined by Kristy, Beto, and Madi, plus our good friends the Palmers and the Browns. They were supposed to announce Enzo’s name during the second period, and I had my phone out filming when they started calling out the birthdays, but for some reason Enzo got skipped. Obviously he didn’t know the difference but we were a bit bummed and confused. Either way it was still a really fun evening, then afterwards we went out for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Much like his first birthday, after dinner they brought out the sombrero and sang to him before enjoying a bowl of fried ice cream.

It was a very hockey-filled weekend which began with Ava’s practice on Friday night. Then on Saturday morning Enzo had his final class from his first Hockey 1 session that he began a couple months ago. He made great progress during this time and after the final class I told him he certainly didn’t have to stick with hockey, but he could if he wanted to. His response was “Daddy, I want to keep playing hockey until I’m good.” So, on that note, we’ll be signing up for another session in the spring.

Saturday afternoon Ava had practice and a game, which she played very well in, then Saturday night we met up with a few other families for the University of Washington’s hockey game against Oregon. Sunday afternoon Ava had a special practice in preparation for the Wickfest tournament we’ll be attending this weekend, then Sunday evening was the Silvertips game. So yeah, lots of hockey this weekend!

In addition to Sunday’s birthday celebration, we were joined this evening for dinner at home with Auntie Dana. She wasn’t able to make it to the game but wanted to see Enzo, so it worked out perfectly. I figured it would make sense for us to have Cioppino (our dad’s specialty) for dinner, and luckily my favorite grocery store Central Market sells a really good Cioppino base, which makes it quick and easy to prepare. We’ve been getting to see Dana a lot more frequently over the past couple months and that’s been really nice, so we appreciate her coming over.

As briefly mentioned already, we’ll be up in the Vancouver area this weekend for the Wickfest tournament, which is an all-female hockey tournament put on by Canadian Olympian and recent Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser. It’s a very popular tournament and is so tough to get into that our 8U team was the only team from the entire Washington Wild organization to actually get in! We’ll be attending the “Let’s Glow Girls” opening party on Thursday night, which will be filled with food, music, neon lights, and lots of glow sticks. In addition to playing 4 games throughout the weekend, there will be all kinds of events going on for the kids to participate in, plus we always enjoy hanging out at the hotel and going swimming with the team.

In addition to all this hockey with Ava and Enzo, Elise has recently joined a Lego club at school and is enjoying that. She’s looking forward to trying a Jiu Jitsu class soon, as are the other two, after we get back from Canada, and I also just found a kids cooking school in Bothell called Frog Legs that we’re interested in checking out. She went really out of her way to make Enzo the sweetest birthday card, Pikachu ears, and gift basket (full of his own toys that she found around the house), then was the first one downstairs this morning wishing him a happy birthday. Overall she’s doing great and looking forward to a weekend in Canada. I have to give Elise credit because she’s so good at going with the flow and having fun with whatever we’re doing, but at the same time I want to make sure she gets to go and do things that specifically cater to her interests. So far she’s loving the legos, so hopefully we can ‘build’ from that… (get it – build??)

Earlier this month we made our annual trip to see the monster trucks at Monster Jam in Tacoma. Our next door neighbor Jim came along with us and everyone had a good time. It’s just loud mindless entertainment but I enjoy this new tradition we’ve made and look forward to doing it again next year. Then the very next day we received about 7 or 8 inches of snow, which was enough to cause the kids to miss 3 consecutive days of school. They basically spent all day everyday outside sledding, building a snowman (whom they call Bob every year), and dumping snow down each other’s backs. It didn’t take long to warm up and all get rained away, but they enjoyed it while it lasted.

I hate to mention a somber topic in this post, but I have to admit I’ve been pretty shook up over the past couple days due to the death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in that helicopter crash. I always looked up to Kobe and his death has been really bothering me. The fact that they and other families were going to their daughter’s basketball game hits close to home. I can’t help but make a connection with Ava and I regularly going to hockey practices/games together. Obviously we’re not traveling by helicopter, but anything can happen, and their deaths were a sad reminder that you can’t take anything for granted. It was all over the TV during our dinner on Sunday night, so we used it to have a good family conversation about life, love, and appreciating every day we have together because you never know what may happen next.

Considering how fast the kids are growing, I’ve recently taken up another creative hobby – photography. It’s not something that I’ll ever dive as deeply into as I have with guitar, but it’s another form of creative expression, and I love capturing all these special moments with our family and friends. I’ve been watching videos on YouTube to learn the basics and look forward to getting lots of shots this weekend in Canada.

The other big thing going on in my world has been based around transitioning into a new role on my team at work as the lead engineer working on experimentation, analytics, and personalization of the azure.com site. It’s the same team I’ve always been on (hard to believe my 5 year anniversary is only about a month away) but I’m now working with a relatively new group within the team to gather data and deliver more personalized experiences for our users. It’s a huge opportunity for me and should become a turning point in my career, so I’m very excited.

Jessica has been staying very busy tutoring the girls and things are going so well. They’ve been at it for about 6 weeks now and the progress speaks for itself. Ava and Elise are both on the cusp of finishing level 2 of the Barton system and it’s so cool to see them getting excited about reading! Not surprisingly their teachers at school are noticing a difference as well. Overall I just have to give Jessica so much credit and respect for taking this on. Her dedication has been amazing and we’re already starting to see it pay off. She’s a natural teacher too, so we have already decided to have Enzo go through the course when the time comes. Who knows, tutoring may even be a potential career for Jessica at some point in the future, but she’s not worrying about that for now. It’s all about our kids at this point, and I just can’t thank her enough for all the dedication and effort she continues to put in. The kids will thank her someday as well, but for now seeing them learn, and enjoy it along the way, is all the thanks she needs.

Before I go I just want to once again wish Enzo the happiest of birthdays. I still remember my fifth birthday and I hope he always remembers his. I couldn’t be more lucky to call him my son. Happy birthday buddy – we love you more than you’ll ever know.

Sporting his new red leather jacket. Happy birthday Enzo!

What a decade!

As we get ready to transition from one decade to the next, the main thing on my mind is the fact that, although we have so many great things to look forward to, both long-term and near, nothing will ever compare for our family to the life we’ve experienced over the past ten years. This decade started off with Jessica and I getting married, then a month later we were off on our journey to San Diego. We spent the first two-and-a-half years of our marriage there, Ava was born there, I made my career change there, and got back into school.

A job opportunity at Amazon brought us back to Seattle in December 2012, and soon after Elise was born in July of 2013. June of 2014 was huge for us in the sense that we bought our house and I received my bachelor’s degree, then about 7 months later, in January of 2015, Enzo was born. Even if we stop right there, the events I’ve just listed could never be matched or replicated, and we’re only half-way through the decade!

The second half of this decade for us has been mostly about hitting our stride as a family – in school, work, and activities. Hockey made an unexpected entrance in our lives, and now takes up a good chunk of it. Jessica has been working at El Gaucho for 7 years as of this month, and as of next school year all 3 of our children will be full-time students. Certainly there have been challenges along the way, but overall Jessica and I feel so lucky to have the family and lives we have. I don’t see how things could have turned out any better.

We’ve got a lot to look forward to, but for now we’re focusing on the near-term, meaning our 10 year anniversary in April. If you’re reading this, chances are you already know how we’re going to be celebrating, but if not, out of respect to the kids I’m not going to say specifically what we’re doing because it’s still a surprise to them. All I’m going to say for now is we have something big planned, and that we wanted to go all out for such a major event in our lives. Much more to come on that in the coming months.

So where does that leave us right now? Well, obviously we just celebrated Christmas a few days ago, and it was our first one at home in several years. We had an excellent family dinner at El Gaucho on Christmas Eve, which included King Crab legs, filet mignon, baked potato, scallops, wicked shrimp, roasted beet salad with burrata, and more. We probably overdid it on the dessert course by ordering sorbet, banana bread pudding, and key lime pie, but that’s okay. It was a special night that we won’t soon forget.

After returning home from dinner that night we put on our pajamas, opened a couple presents, and proceeded to not leave the house or change our clothes for two whole days. The biggest Christmas present this year was a Nintendo Switch, and we literally spent all day on Christmas, as well as the day after, playing Mario Kart and Super Mario Odyssey. It was exactly the type of experience we were hoping for, and everyone loved it. We made plenty of phone calls to family members, ate some nice meals at home, watched every episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+ (thank you Nana), and just enjoyed spending time at home.

Finally on Friday, which was two days after Christmas, we got back into a normal routine and started taking down all of our Christmas decorations, but those two days were pretty epic. That night we had a great time at Kristy and Beto’s house doing a family Christmas with them, Madi, Uncle Jim, and Aunt Brenda. I made a big pasta dish for all to share while Kristy took care of the salad and told us all about their honeymoon in Italy and France. They have a brand new German Shepherd puppy named Maximus who was about to turn 7 weeks old the following day, so everyone enjoyed holding and playing with him. It was a great night with family and reminded me of Christmas as a kid.

Yesterday our good friends the Jodi, Leon, and Miles came over to spend the afternoon with us. The kids played upstairs while the adults hung out downstairs talking, eating, and watching the College Football playoffs. Leon and I have been good friends for nearly 20 years, but our relationship has evolved since both of us had children. Now it goes so much beyond just the two of us, as our families have become the best of friends. Five hours of hanging out with them goes by in no time, and it’s so fun (as well as reassuring) to compare stories about life, and the various difficulties brought on by parenting. We snacked for a while, then for dinner I made filet mignon, roasted garlic risotto, and green beans. They brought pie and cake for dessert, but the biggest hit for the kids was the cotton candy machine.

Overall spending Christmas at our house this year has been really nice and relaxing. We’re making memories at home and avoiding all the holiday travel hustle and bustle. Although we haven’t yet formalized plans for next year, I think we may be in for more of the same, but we’ll see.

Since my last post was for Ava’s birthday, which was right before Thanksgiving, I should probably touch on that holiday as well. We were visited by Grandma and Grandpa Rudd from Iowa, and had a really nice week with them. The kids went swimming at their hotel a couple times, we all went out for lunch and shopping more than once, we made cookies, and Rick helped us decorate our Christmas tree. Thanksgiving day itself was spent at home with Grandma and Grandpa, as well as Uncle Butch and Aunt Carol. Rick took care of the turkey this year and I did all the sides. Overall it was a great meal, and a very relaxing day at home.

The week after Thanksgiving Enzo started his Learn to Play Hockey class, which was something he had been asking for. One of the families we’re friends with at Ava’s hockey has a little boy named Gray, who Enzo has become friends with, and when Enzo found out Gray was going to be in this class, he really wanted to do it with him. It’s through the Seattle Juniors Hockey Association, and their class meets every Saturday morning at 8:00. We found out that older kids are welcome to attend and help out on the ice, so I’ve been bringing Ava along for every class, and both of us are out there assisting. The first two classes went okay, although Enzo was having a hard time with all the gear, getting sweaty, falling down, etc. He would break down in tears and need a breather, which was totally fine, but always wanted to get back out there. He turned a corner on week 3, meaning there were no tears, no issues with being sweaty, and really had a great time. Then yesterday we were there for week 4 and he did great again. By the end of class he was saying “Daddy, I love hockey so much!”

Not only is it great to see him out there having fun, but it gives Jessica and I so much joy to watch Ava helping other little kids on the ice. She gets down on their level and encourages them, showing them the proper way to do something. Although she may not yet realize it, she’s getting so much from teaching them; after all, to teach is to learn. After class last week, a man came up to her and thanked her for helping his daughter so much on the ice. Obviously we were quite proud of her.

Miss Elise has been doing great and is getting more and more into baking these days. Winning that cupcake competition really got things going for her, so she’s super into it now. We’ve started watching the TV show ‘Chopped Junior’ and I can see she’s getting inspired by all these young chefs. She and Mom made cookies decorated as ugly Christmas sweaters for the neighborhood holiday party, and we’ve got plenty of other baked goods on the agenda. As with all the kids, I’m just happy to see them trying different things and finding ways to invest themselves. She, along with Ava and Enzo, are committed to trying out Brazilian Jiu Jitsu next month, and there are actually 3 different schools within about 10 minutes of us, so we’re hoping to do a class at each one and see what they prefer. I really hope it sticks because martial arts would be good for each of them in their own way, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in particular is such an effective and non-violent form of self defense.

December has been a very busy month for Jessica, as it’s their busiest season at El Gaucho, so she has been working a lot of extra shifts. It’s been the exact opposite for me. As we entered December, I checked my vacation balance at work and saw I had 206 hours of unused vacation, plus another 8 unused sick days. You can only carry over 120 vacation hours into the new year, and you lose all your sick days, so I decided to take the final two weeks of the year off. I didn’t mind forfeiting the sick time, but it seemed silly to do that with the vacation time, and my manager was super supportive of me getting this break. All together it adds up to 20 calendar days off, which is the most time off I’ve had since we first moved to San Diego 10 years ago.

I’ve been really enjoying all the time with the kids, and doing my best to accomplish something almost every day. One day it might be Christmas shopping, while another day it was getting their passports, or going grocery shopping. As long as I felt like I accomplished something I had no problem going home and relaxing with my guitar or video games for the rest of the day. It quickly became clear to me that a day at home goes by a lot faster than a day at work, but that’s okay, as I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
One of my goals during the break was to record a new instrumental song featuring the 7-string guitar I bought in Japan, and I’ve done that. I decided to call it ‘B Sting’ because the 7th string on a 7-string guitar is an open B note (assuming it’s in standard tuning), and the opening riff I wrote for the song reminded me of a swarm of bees, so it’s a play on words. I spent more time than ever on this song (at least 20 hours) and am really happy with how it turned out. Recording my own music this year has become my primary musical outlet, and I’m definitely seeing progress with each song. The one I finished before this, which is called ‘Riverslide’, was recently used as the intro music for the Cascadia Hockey Podcast.

Once January comes around things are going to slow down for Jessica and she won’t be working nearly as much, however she is staying very busy at home becoming a reading tutor for Ava and Elise. As we learned a few months ago via extensive testing, Ava is dyslexic, meaning she doesn’t learn to read in conventional ways. It’s much more common than I ever realized (1 in 5 kids is dyslexic), yet the public school system where we live doesn’t have a curriculum meant specifically for dyslexic children. After a lot of research, we purchased a home tutoring system that teaches dyslexic children how to read, and Jessica started working with Ava on it during the holiday break. It’s been almost two weeks now, and we’re already starting to see improvement, which is really encouraging. Although we haven’t had Elise tested for dyslexia, we think she would benefit from the tutoring as well, so she will begin soon. This is not meant to replace their education at elementary school, but simply to add onto it, however it looks like Ava will be going to school a half hour late most mornings to allow time for her tutoring sessions at home with Mom. We’ve already met with the school about this and they are completely on board.

As we have learned, dyslexic minds are fascinating, and there are some very well known people like Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Tom Cruise, and Jim Carrey, who are/were all dyslexic. This is something we’re embracing, and we’re excited to see what comes out of this more specialized form of education. I have to give so much respect and thanks to Jessica for all her hard work and dedication in this area. She dove into this head first and is doing such an amazing job! I hope when the kids get older they realize how hard it is for a parent to take on something like this, and recognize what an amazing mother they have.

I think that’s about all for now. The kids have one more week of break before going back to school, while I go back to work on Thursday. Jessica will have a busy night on New Year’s Eve, but things should settle down for her after that. Obviously the clock never stops ticking for anyone, and the decade we leave behind will never be matched in terms of major life moments, but we’re ready and excited for all the good stuff yet to come. I can’t imagine what we’ll be talking about when the 2020’s come to a close, but I can promise one thing – I’ll still be writing.

Elise wearing my t-shirt from Robot Restaurant in Tokyo

Saying hi to Santa in downtown Snohomish with Grandma and Grandpa Rudd

Visiting the Bellevue Botanical Gardens with Auntie Dana

Elise’s Christmas dress was one for the ages

Getting Enzo to pose for a picture can be tough

Ready for the neighborhood holiday party

Happy 8th Birthday Ava!

Today Miss Ava turns 8 years old! In commemoration of this I wanted to write a quick post about her and her big day. Although today is her actual birthday, it was yesterday that we celebrated, by holding her party at a local roller skating rink. It was a small affair with just a handful of friends from school and hockey, as well as a couple families that we’re really close to. It was an LOL-themed party, meaning we had all kinds of LOL decorations on the table, and Ava was fortunate enough to receive some new LOL gifts from her friends.

We ended up spending 3 hours at the skating rink, but took plenty of breaks to enjoy pizza and pie. I’ve been trying to encourage pie over cake for birthdays (because pie is always better than cake) so I was happy when Ava requested pumpkin pie for her party instead of a birthday cake. We got a huge one from Costco, but got an apple pie as well, just to be safe. As it turned out, every kid requested pumpkin pie, and the entire thing got eaten. Along with the other parents, I was happy to enjoy some apple pie, but was surprised when kids would see me eating it and say “Eww” and give me a thumbs down. Since when was apple pie so gross? Whatever, I enjoyed it.

After coming home from the rink we opened presents, then had a relaxing evening enjoying gifts and watching shows. In addition to the LOL dolls, Ava received a nice leather backpack, and a marble run game (which has been very popular with her siblings as well) from Grandma and Grandpa Rudd. Nana got her a bluetooth karaoke microphone, a pair of binoculars, a bracelet, and some chokers, all of which she picked out online during Nana’s recent visit. She also received some cool art supplies, a nice sweater, and plenty of other things that I can’t think of at the moment.

Earlier this week I took Ava out shopping for a birthday present that I’ve been promising her for about 2 years – a skateboard! We made a rule a long time ago that you had to be 8 in our family before you could have your own skateboard, and Ava has been waiting patiently ever since. Since Mom and I both have longboards, she wanted one as well, and that’s what we got. However, there’s another rule in place when it comes to riding a skateboard – you must have full pads on at all times, otherwise it will be taken away. I’ve had so many injuries riding skateboards over the years, and many of them could have been prevented had I been adequately protected, so I feel like this rule is pretty reasonable.

Since today is her actual birthday and both her and Elise have perfect attendance so far this year at school, we decided to let them miss a day and have a special outing with Mom and Enzo. They’re going to see Frozen 2 at the theater, so this morning they’re watching the first one to get ready. Ava even went to bed with her hair braided, in true Elsa fashion… or is it Anna? We’re not too worried about them missing today at school, especially considering it’s the week of Thanksgiving.

Speaking of turkey day, tomorrow we have Grandma and Grandpa Rudd coming in from Iowa for a 6 day visit. They’re staying at a brand new hotel on the Everett Waterfront, but will be spending plenty of time with us at the house as well. We’re hosting Thanksgiving at our house, but besides our family and G&G, the only other visitors will be Uncle Butch and Aunt Carol. It looks like we’re in for sunny and cold weather, but I’ll take that any day over cloudy and rainy.

Our plan for black Friday is to stay as far away from shopping as possible – in fact all of our Christmas shopping is already done! We may pick up a few more little things here and there, but all the important stuff has already been purchased, so it feels good to be well ahead of the game this year. I think we’re going ice skating on Friday because Enzo will be starting his Learn To Play Hockey class very soon and we want to get him a little more ice time before it begins. He recently asked if he could start playing hockey, and one of his buddies (another little brother of one of Ava’s teammates) is starting in the same class, so we decided to get him enrolled. Ava and I will both be helping out on the ice during his classes, and I think it will be good for her to start teaching smaller kids how to skate, hold a stick, etc.

Recently Elise and I have started doing some new activities together. Based on her success in the school cupcake competition, she wanted to spend more time baking at home. Although I’ve always been into cooking, I know nothing about baking, so I told her we could learn together. Earlier this week we made skillet cornbread, which turned out good, and we’re excited to take on more things soon. I told her I’d like to teach her how to cook as well and she was all about it.

Another thing we started doing as of yesterday was going for a run together. I went to the gym early yesterday morning, then when I got home Elise and I went for a run throughout our neighborhood. We slowed down and walked when we needed to, then kept running side by side. It’s important to me that Elise and I get 1 on 1 time like this because I already get it with Ava via hockey, and expect to get the same thing with Enzo now that he’s getting started. Whenever you separate one of the kids from their siblings, your experience with them is so different than when all 3 of them are together, so I’m really excited to have different new ways to enjoy time with Elise.

After Thanksgiving, we will be home for the rest of the holiday season, which is rare for us. Christmas 2018 was spent in Colorado with Grandma and Grandpa Martin, Christmas 2017 was in Las Vegas with Nana, Uncle Terry, Uncle Bob, and Aunt Sandy, Christmas 2016 was in Iowa with Grandma and Grandpa Rudd, and Christmas 2015 was technically at home, yet we traveled to Iowa a couple weeks later for Jessica’s grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary, so I’m calling that one close enough. We’re excited to be home for the holidays this year (and probably next year too) so we can start making memories of Christmas morning in our own home. This weekend we’ll be getting a nice big tree and look forward to decorating it, along with the house.

That’s basically it for now. We wish all of our family and friends a very happy Thanksgiving and holiday season. Once again, happy 8th birthday Ava! We’re so proud of you and the young lady you’ve become. It’s hard to believe we’ve been parents for 8 years already, but we couldn’t be happier or more thankful for you, Elise and Enzo!