My original plan for this month’s post was to share highlights from our upcoming family trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico—we’re heading out this Saturday, and I’ve been looking forward to documenting the experience. However, after reviewing the calendar more carefully, I realized we won’t be returning until late Friday, May 30. That would leave me with just one day to edit photos and write the post if I want to maintain my uninterrupted monthly blog streak, which stretches all the way back to July 2011. Given how exhausted we’ll likely be after traveling, I decided it would be more practical to postpone the trip recap until next month. Fortunately, I still have some meaningful updates to share now, so this month’s post won’t go to waste.
Let’s start with the big news: Friday, May 16 was a day Jessica and I will likely remember for a long time, as we both received official job offers on the same day. For Jessica, the offer was especially meaningful. It had been a long time coming, and at times the outcome was uncertain. There were a few setbacks along the way, but everything ultimately fell into place, and we were fortunate to be home together when the email arrived. The kids and I couldn’t be prouder of the work she’s put in to reach this milestone. She’s steadily pursuing her Master’s degree in Special Education at UNLV, with plans to finish in December; she’ll be stepping into her own classroom for the upcoming school year. Fittingly, her first day as a full-time teacher falls on my birthday, July 30.
Shortly before Jessica received her offer on Friday, I received one of my own: an offer to join HealthEdge as a Principal Engineer. My first manager at Amazon, many years ago, is now the CTO of HealthEdge, and one of my former teammates from that time is now a VP of Engineering there. I’ve kept in touch with both of them on LinkedIn, and about a month ago, I saw a post from my old manager mentioning they were hiring for several engineering roles.
Although I wasn’t particularly excited about going through another interview process, I decided to pursue the opportunity for a few reasons. I was working as a contractor at Microsoft, which meant limited job security and no paid time off. My contract was only guaranteed through June 30, the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year. While I was confident it would be renewed, and it ultimately was, I had no certainty at the time. When I returned to Microsoft as a contractor in February, my goal was to transition back into a full-time role. However, it quickly became clear that the chances of that happening were low. The influx of AI across the tech industry has significantly increased productivity expectations, but hiring has slowed. Since I’m too far along in my career to continue in short-term contract roles, this opportunity at HealthEdge made a lot of sense. When I found out I was being considered for a Principal-level role, I was genuinely excited, as I had not yet reached that level in my career.
The interview process at HealthEdge went exceptionally well. I had the opportunity to speak with several leaders across the organization, and each conversation reinforced my sense that this role would be a great fit for me at this stage of my career. The timing also feels significant, as HealthEdge was recently acquired by Bain Capital. This marks a major turning point for the company, with ambitious growth plans over the next five years. I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to join at such a pivotal moment. To be honest, the past year has been the most challenging of my professional life. I faced two layoffs and took on various contract roles to stay afloat. It was a humbling experience, especially after spending more than a decade at some of the world’s largest companies, where I may have taken stability for granted. Making it through that period and securing a principal-level position at a multi-billion dollar company feels incredibly rewarding. I’m proud of this milestone and truly excited to begin in June.
Outside of all the exciting job news, the other big recent development is that our latest softball season has come to an end. This was my first season as head coach, and it was a great one. My only complaint is that it ended too soon. Even though I now have more free time, I would trade it in a heartbeat to be back on the field running practices, doing batting cage sessions, and managing games. A coaching friend told me before the season that I would get hooked and fall in love with it, and he was right.
Working with the girls was incredibly rewarding, and the progress we made with this rebuilt team was amazing to watch. Ava made some great new friends and said it was her favorite season yet. I’m already looking forward to coaching again in the fall and have been thinking about ways to stay connected with some of the players, maybe by meeting up for cage work and fielding drills. Baseball was my first sports love growing up, and Ava’s involvement in softball over the past couple of years has only deepened that connection. While my playing days are behind me, I get a tremendous amount of joy from working with the kids and sharing what I know about the game. I’m taking it one season at a time and don’t know what the long-term outlook is for coaching, but I love being out there and I’m glad I stepped into this role.
This is the final week of school for the kids, and then we’re off to Puerto Vallarta early Saturday morning. Up to this point, their only international travel has been road trips to Vancouver, so this will be a big step for them. Although the trip is meant to celebrate 15 years of marriage for Jessica and me, the idea of going without the kids never even crossed our minds. We feel like they’ve reached that perfect age where they can handle a bigger trip and will remember it for years to come. Because of that, I think this will be the first of several major family adventures in the years ahead—one at a time, of course. For now, we’re just excited to get to Mexico and enjoy the culture, beaches, and food. While I don’t have any photos to share in today’s post, I’ll be bringing my camera and plan to take plenty during the trip. Expect next month’s post to be a long one.