First off, yes I know it’s been a long time since I’ve written a post.  Somewhere between shopping for a new house (might have one), growing two children (while keeping them healthy, safe, and mostly sane), and working… my blog tends to get sidelined.  But I’m here now, so just be quiet.

I have to say that it’s been a bumpy 18 months since my wife and I decided to move to Utah, and in that time we have gone through many, many challenges.  We have moved once since then, and are planning to move again soon (knock on wood).  I have changed jobs three times, and we have added to our little family with another adorable son.

Sometimes I really miss Denver.  We had a large network of friends there, and I had a pretty active role in the stand-up comedy community there.  It has definitely been an adjustment, especially for my wife who left her family, her friends, and the place she had lived pretty much her whole life.  We have had challenges going through the transition to living in “Zion”, and she has been a Super Soldier through them all.

My family has been very, very helpful to us throughout the transition, and I’m so happy to once again be close to them all.  I couldn’t have asked for a better support network, and it seems like there is always someone there, whether it’s with the kids, a family function, or just to come and hang out.  They are all the lifeline we’ll ever need.

Now, my family has replaced friends, and Father has replaced Comedian in my life.  I don’t have the opportunity to get out and do stand-up here, and the comedy community and sense of camaraderie that I knew in Colorado doesn’t exist here.  But that’s OK.  There are other things in life that are more fulfilling than telling jokes.

I’m now very blessed to have found a great company where my skills and experience are of value, and the people I work with are pretty cool.  After having worked for a couple of companies led by self-proclaimed “visionaries” who seemed very proficient at preventing their own success, it is refreshing to be with a company that works.

What does the future hold?  I’m not sure… all I know is that whatever life throws at us, we’re going to be ready… or as ready as we possibly can.

… like a new one.

When I moved to Utah from Colorado, I went to work for a small start-up company that did web software. There were 5 people working there, including me. After 2 weeks, one of the contract programmers was let go, leaving me and my “manager” on the development side. A month later, the designer was let go, leaving me, the programming manager and the president.

A month later, the programming director was laid off. He was too busy with his other day job to provide any real direction, and so the task of the entire development process was left to me. But, I’d made a commitment to myself, and my family that I was going to make this new career move happen, so I buckled down. I was invested, and I spent weeknights, mornings, and weekends working as hard as I could with what I had been given.

Three months later, after a string of disappointing milestone misses, and with funding being reduced to almost zero, the president and I came to a mutual decision that I would no longer work with the company. He would continue to seek funding elsewhere and try and launch the product independently, and I would find another job. Basically, I got laid off.

At first, I was devastated. I hate leaving something undone, but this product, while finished, was not even launched into production. There was no customers, no revenue, and no marketing strategy to speak of. The president launched the product as a one-man-band, with no resources, while I was left to start all over again.

When I was interviewed by the people who eventually hired me, I was skeptical. It was another small company, only 5 employees (deja vu), and they had recently gone through some turn-over, leaving basically a fresh staff still transitioning into a new company structure. At the time, I was hoping to find a nice cubicle job where I could do my projects and leave the stress and worrying to someone else.

What I found exciting enough to brave all those risks was the promise of two things: A leadership position, and an ability to make good on my original plan of becoming more than just an employee. Sure, I could have taken the cubicle job, but six months from now, would I be satisfied, or left looking for more?

After a month at my new job, I’m glad I am where I am now. Yes, it’s a small company, but it has a customer base, revenue coming in, and a vision for the future. I am challenged on a daily basis, not only as a developer, but as an emerging leader in my area, and looked at as the expert for my company. It is an investment, and I probably spend more time at the office than my 34-weeks-pregnant wife would like, but I am no longer regretting the failures of missed opportunities of the past.

I’m finally looking forward to the future…