Hmm, who was it who said this Utah winter thing was going to be so bad? It's mid January, up in the 40s, sun shining, and I went for a run at lunch with shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt on. Maybe it's not as bad as everyone thought? (I know, I know, I just jinxed it - we're now in for the worst, coldest, winter on record, starting tomorrow).
Our furniture was delivered this morning, and apart from a few big items that didn't fit down the stairs into the basement, and also besides the fact that we took up a little more of the basement than our kind hosts expected us to, I think all went generally well. Problem is, we now have to do some serious sorting down there to find boxes of things we need now, need in the next few months, or don't need at all until after we move into our own house this summer. Let the "spring cleaning" begin!
And most importantly, the girls all started at their new schools today. I can't wait to hear how everything went - hopefully they all had great days and made lots of new friends.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Leaving Los Altos
I chose the picture at the top of this blog to signify the journey our family is making through very important, formative years. Yesterday, we took a literal journey away from things and people we love, toward things and people we also love. It was difficult, it was gut wrenching, it was heart breaking, and it was exhilarating, exciting, and renewing. And it was the first time I'd been able to just sit down and concentrate on one thing (driving in this case), without worrying about packing, moving, cleaning, etc. A friend texted me somewhere in the middle of Nevada asking how we were doing. I realized I had been singing The Eagles at the top of my voice for the last half hour (much to the chagrin of Angela and the kids), and it made me smile that I felt happy.
Man, I feel bipolar...
So we made it to Provo. It was dark and raining, and there was a reception party of family waiting for us. Lots of excited kids, a happy Angela to see her family, and one exhausted overwhelmed Dad - it took me a while to want to even get out of the car. It felt so weird that we were "home". We aren't sure we like the sound of that yet, but we're happy and ready to take on lots of new things.
And to our families, who probably wonder why we're acting so weird when we should be super stoked to be moving home close to everyone (we are, don't get me wrong...), please just understand that we left a part of our collective family heart in Los Altos, California. It's just going to take us a while to learn how to function without that piece.
We love you to all our family and friends, past, present, and future.
Man, I feel bipolar...
So we made it to Provo. It was dark and raining, and there was a reception party of family waiting for us. Lots of excited kids, a happy Angela to see her family, and one exhausted overwhelmed Dad - it took me a while to want to even get out of the car. It felt so weird that we were "home". We aren't sure we like the sound of that yet, but we're happy and ready to take on lots of new things.
And to our families, who probably wonder why we're acting so weird when we should be super stoked to be moving home close to everyone (we are, don't get me wrong...), please just understand that we left a part of our collective family heart in Los Altos, California. It's just going to take us a while to learn how to function without that piece.
We love you to all our family and friends, past, present, and future.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Leaving Google
- Good friends and people
- Working for the most recognizable company in the world (I admit it, I liked saying, "I work for Google, you heard of them?")
- The swimming pools
- The food. I always said this was something I wouldn't necessarily miss as much, but now that I'm a couple weeks removed from it, I realize how easy it made it for me to eat healthy (or not, when I chose) - including the microkitchen snacks. It's harder for me now to decide what I'm going to eat, and it's easy to fall into bad habits.
- The beautiful campus - I'll always remember riding the bikes between buildings on sunny days
- The bonuses - $1,000 cash every once in a while, and Christmas gifts (this year was a brand new sweet phone, or a Google TV ... looks like I left a few weeks too early!)
- A publicly traded stock. It wasn't always fun to watch the fluctuations, but it doesn't get much better than when the stock shoots up after a particularly good earnings call.
- Travel. I'm pretty sure my new job isn't going to take me to London or Dublin, or even New York. Those weren't always fun at the time, but it's nice to be able to broaden your geography every once in a while.
- Using all the Google products, including the new and unreleased ones, all the time. I'm relearning Outlook in my new job, and suffering withdrawals from the lack of internal IM.
The good thing is that Google will always be in my memory, and always be on my resume. Could be worse...
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Hello World!
What an amazing month we've had since I wrote last. There has already been so much change in our lives, it's been impossible to keep up on the blog. But I've been feeling an urgency to pick it back up, and to be more consistent with it, so that we can communicate all the great things in our lives with everyone.
So to recap some of the important background developments, you'll remember that I accepted a new job in Provo, UT. This set off the expected crazy string of events, the first of which was a short trip to Utah to look around for housing.
Angela had been spending a lot of time looking online for homes in Provo, Highland, and Alpine, so we were going to focus our search in those cities. But first we had to get there. We were already going to St George for a few days over Thanksgiving with Spencer and Molly's family, so we decided we would head to Provo for a couple days before since we were going to the state anyway. Problem was, there was a huge storm coming in on the weekend we had to travel, but because we only had a very limited window, and we felt it was important enough for us to house hunt, we decided to chance it and drive through the storm. The usual 11-12 hour trip turned into a 15+ hour trip thanks to a 2 hour stop before Tahoe since they close the roads, a major spin out in which it was a complete miracle we didn't plow into one of the many cars around us when we lost control (and that there was a tow truck 30 seconds behind us to pull us out), and multiple storms along the route that left us driving white-knuckled and slow. But we made it, and it could have been MUCH worse, so we were grateful.
The house hunting was fruitful, but not in the way Angela expected. We spent time driving around looking, and in the end she was really frustrated because she wasn't feeling good about things. I had liked an Ivory Homes development in Provo, but didn't talk much about it because there was lots left to see (it was the first stop of the day), and I didn't want to taint Angela's opinion by offering mine. By day's end she was frustrated, overwhelmed, and wishing we weren't moving. But it turns out that the seeds were planted - more to come later...
St George was a blast. Highlights included:
So to recap some of the important background developments, you'll remember that I accepted a new job in Provo, UT. This set off the expected crazy string of events, the first of which was a short trip to Utah to look around for housing.
Angela had been spending a lot of time looking online for homes in Provo, Highland, and Alpine, so we were going to focus our search in those cities. But first we had to get there. We were already going to St George for a few days over Thanksgiving with Spencer and Molly's family, so we decided we would head to Provo for a couple days before since we were going to the state anyway. Problem was, there was a huge storm coming in on the weekend we had to travel, but because we only had a very limited window, and we felt it was important enough for us to house hunt, we decided to chance it and drive through the storm. The usual 11-12 hour trip turned into a 15+ hour trip thanks to a 2 hour stop before Tahoe since they close the roads, a major spin out in which it was a complete miracle we didn't plow into one of the many cars around us when we lost control (and that there was a tow truck 30 seconds behind us to pull us out), and multiple storms along the route that left us driving white-knuckled and slow. But we made it, and it could have been MUCH worse, so we were grateful.
The house hunting was fruitful, but not in the way Angela expected. We spent time driving around looking, and in the end she was really frustrated because she wasn't feeling good about things. I had liked an Ivory Homes development in Provo, but didn't talk much about it because there was lots left to see (it was the first stop of the day), and I didn't want to taint Angela's opinion by offering mine. By day's end she was frustrated, overwhelmed, and wishing we weren't moving. But it turns out that the seeds were planted - more to come later...
St George was a blast. Highlights included:
- swimming and hot-tubbing at the outdoor pool every day despite the very cold temperatures
- awesome red-rock hikes that the kids really loved, and got us all outside and exercising in a fun way
- a fun visit to Grandma Gurr
- taking the families to the movie Tangled (very good and fun)
- taking the adults to the move Unstoppable (yes, my second time, but well worth it)
- good meals, including a great home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner, as well as a visit to the St George Pizza & Pasta Factory, which was a huge hit (and we also saw some old friends there - Craig and Kay Ward)
- motorcycle and scooter rides around the neighborhood with the kids
- and an amazing round of golf with Spencer at the normally inaccessible private Entrada golf course
And after a great trip to St George, we then made it home in time for our annual 7-year tradition of going with all our awesome friends to the Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade. We will REALLY miss that tradition.
I'll stop there for now. Watch for more updates to come...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Unstoppable
Saw the movie Unstoppable last night - great show! I highly recommend it. I was a little drained at the end because of the intensity, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Or maybe it was the after effects of the best prime rib french dip sandwich I've ever had prior to the movie - outstanding!
So as I wind down my current work situation, I have to admit I'm in a fairly nice place. I've already transitioned all my work, and my manager indicated to me that he is happy to have me spend as much time as I need getting ready for my move, etc. So bottom line, I'm not working a lot of hours, and it feels great after many months of stress and tension to have very little work-related worry. I had forgotten how nice it is to start over by taking a new job!
We're trying not to think of the 30-40 degree temperature differential between Los Altos and Provo right now. It has been so amazing the last month in terms of weather - sunny, mid 70s (and even up close to 80 at times), and we know we're headed to colder climes very soon. Should be an interesting winter...
So as I wind down my current work situation, I have to admit I'm in a fairly nice place. I've already transitioned all my work, and my manager indicated to me that he is happy to have me spend as much time as I need getting ready for my move, etc. So bottom line, I'm not working a lot of hours, and it feels great after many months of stress and tension to have very little work-related worry. I had forgotten how nice it is to start over by taking a new job!
We're trying not to think of the 30-40 degree temperature differential between Los Altos and Provo right now. It has been so amazing the last month in terms of weather - sunny, mid 70s (and even up close to 80 at times), and we know we're headed to colder climes very soon. Should be an interesting winter...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Some cool quotes from John Wooden
John Wooden was the legendary coach of the UCLA Bruins during their unmatched championship dynasty in US college basketball. He was also widely respected as a humble, honorable, decent man. A friend shared some of his quotes recently and I thought I'd pass them along.
"The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
“It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.”
"Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character."
"Listen if you want to be heard."
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
“Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.”
"The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."
"A man may make mistakes, but he isn't a failure until he starts blaming someone else."
"Some criticism will be honest, some won't. Some praise you will deserve, some you won't. You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
“If you get yourself too engrossed in things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect the things over which you do have control.”
"A strong leader accepts blame and gives the credit. A weak leader gives blame and accepts the credit."
"The star of every successful team is the team."
"Peaks and valleys belong in the Alps, not in the temperament - the emotions - of a leader."
"Be prepared and be honest."
"Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights."
"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."
"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
"Never mistake activity for achievement."
"The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones."
"Tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember a story."
"Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life."
"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."
"Five years from now, you’re the same person except for the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read."
"Talent is God-given. Be humble.
Fame is man-given. Be grateful.
Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."
"The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
“It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.”
"Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character."
"Listen if you want to be heard."
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
“Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.”
"The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."
"A man may make mistakes, but he isn't a failure until he starts blaming someone else."
"Some criticism will be honest, some won't. Some praise you will deserve, some you won't. You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
“If you get yourself too engrossed in things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect the things over which you do have control.”
"A strong leader accepts blame and gives the credit. A weak leader gives blame and accepts the credit."
"The star of every successful team is the team."
"Peaks and valleys belong in the Alps, not in the temperament - the emotions - of a leader."
"Be prepared and be honest."
"Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights."
"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."
"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
"Never mistake activity for achievement."
"The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones."
"Tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember a story."
"Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life."
"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."
"Five years from now, you’re the same person except for the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read."
"Talent is God-given. Be humble.
Fame is man-given. Be grateful.
Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Stuff Going On
A lot has happened since I last wrote. Lots of good things in fact. Let me see if I can recap in rough chronological order...
We had a family member, Meredith, go through the temple for the first time, and even though Ang and I weren't able to travel to join them, it was awesome to be a part of it remotely. We went to the temple ourselves that same day, and had a great time thinking of our close family bonds, and the blessings we've been given. We're so happy for Dave and Mere!
Micah and Angela took a little day trip down to L.A. for an audition that Micah's agent lined up for her. It was a fun experience for them to drive down together, leaving early in the morning, do the audition for like 10 minutes, and then drive home. I think they were really watched over because Angela had no problem staying awake, which if you know Angela, you'll realize how amazing that is. It turns out Micah didn't get the call back, but she was fine with that, and I know of at least one parent who was secretly relieved that there wasn't going to be a repeat day trip a few days later.
And then there's this little thing called the World Series. I completely get why much of the country loses interest in the WS when their team isn't playing. What I didn't really understand until this year was how amazing it can be for the entire broad community when your local team is actually one of the participants, and then even moreso if they happen to win it. It was AWESOME how literally everyone you saw was somehow sporting Giants gear, talking about the Giants, or hurrying home to watch pregame - yes, I said watch pregame... before a baseball game... Anyway, our whole family was really, really into it, and when the Giants won the Series we celebrated with all our friends.
Halloween was fun, but also a little more low-key this year since it was on Sunday. We enjoyed the ward trunk-or-treat, and were surprised to come home with 2x the amount of candy then we went with. The kids really made a killing by circling the parking lot 10 or 12 times and completely filling their bags. We had a number of Halloween parties throughout the weekend, the most memorable being a lady in our ward who goes completely wacko about Halloween, converting her entire house into a shrine to Halloween, and a very good spook alley - very fun! Of course all the trick or treating was done on Sunday, and we decided to participate with some friends in a reserved manner. We stayed all together as a family instead of letting them run off with their friends, and it was actually very fun. We have good kids and they were pretty respectful of the fact that it was still Sunday. Micah was a 50s poodle girl, Kennan was a Greek goddess, Morgan was a Barbie, and Brig was Commander Cody from Star Wars.
And finally, I got a new job. This was a crazy process. I was originally referred to this software company in Provo called Imagine Learning by a close friend who had worked with the company on a deal. I began the process of interviewing, and it progressed to a visit to Utah a couple weeks ago for some in-person interviews. I think our families started to realize at that point that something might be going on, but we still kept it pretty low profile because we never knew what would happen. When I was interviewing at IL, they told me I was one of four final candidates, and they'd let me know early the next week what their decision was. So I waited. And waited. The next week went by, and with each passing day I convinced myself more and more that I had not made the cut. The funny thing was, if it was someone else, I would've encouraged them to be patient, and that it just takes time, particularly if the company has a lot of real work going on ... however, since it was me, every hour that went by meant I had missed out. At the time I was also interviewing for a new job inside Google, and I had a number of interviews for that throughout the week. On Friday late afternoon I came out of a particularly good interview, feeling pretty good about what the new Google job might offer, and I had decided to go over to the Director's office and announce I was ready to start (he had already unofficially offered me the job). And then my phone rang. It was the CFO of IL; he explained how there were two final candidates - myself and one other - and that we both had our pluses. He said it had taken so long because he and the CEO wanted to make sure they made the right choice, so they had each taken a few days to contemplate on their own. He told me how the other candidate had more experience, and was more familiar with Utah County - at this point I was waiting for him to say they had chosen the other guy. He then went on to say that he and the CEO had both come to the same conclusion independently - that I was their guy and they were going to give me an offer. I was completely surprised, and very excited. It was so fun to call Angela and tell her the good news. So when the offer came in the next week, we went through the evaluation process, and it all seemed good. Ang and I both found ourselves talking and thinking as if we were going to take it, and we both felt really good about it, so it just was a matter of finalizing some further details, and then signing my name. It was surprisingly hard to make it official, but we couldn't think of any reason not to other than the fact that we'd miss our friends in CA. So we did it, and we're going to now go through a huge change for our family. The kids were all very surprised and completely excited when we told them. That initial excitement has worn off a little for Angela and Micah as they've gone through the process of telling their great friends about the pending move. They both still feel good about it and are excited, but when you have life-changing friends, it's hard to say goodbye. It would be impossible to overstate the impact our friends have had on our lives while we've been here. They truly are our family in many ways. We love them and will miss them dearly. The one consolation in this is that nearly all of our friends have strong ties to Utah, and almost all will visit there frequently - we plan on hijacking numerous Utah vacations for selfish reasons.
So there you have it - lots of good stuff. We've been very blessed.
We had a family member, Meredith, go through the temple for the first time, and even though Ang and I weren't able to travel to join them, it was awesome to be a part of it remotely. We went to the temple ourselves that same day, and had a great time thinking of our close family bonds, and the blessings we've been given. We're so happy for Dave and Mere!
Micah and Angela took a little day trip down to L.A. for an audition that Micah's agent lined up for her. It was a fun experience for them to drive down together, leaving early in the morning, do the audition for like 10 minutes, and then drive home. I think they were really watched over because Angela had no problem staying awake, which if you know Angela, you'll realize how amazing that is. It turns out Micah didn't get the call back, but she was fine with that, and I know of at least one parent who was secretly relieved that there wasn't going to be a repeat day trip a few days later.
And then there's this little thing called the World Series. I completely get why much of the country loses interest in the WS when their team isn't playing. What I didn't really understand until this year was how amazing it can be for the entire broad community when your local team is actually one of the participants, and then even moreso if they happen to win it. It was AWESOME how literally everyone you saw was somehow sporting Giants gear, talking about the Giants, or hurrying home to watch pregame - yes, I said watch pregame... before a baseball game... Anyway, our whole family was really, really into it, and when the Giants won the Series we celebrated with all our friends.
Halloween was fun, but also a little more low-key this year since it was on Sunday. We enjoyed the ward trunk-or-treat, and were surprised to come home with 2x the amount of candy then we went with. The kids really made a killing by circling the parking lot 10 or 12 times and completely filling their bags. We had a number of Halloween parties throughout the weekend, the most memorable being a lady in our ward who goes completely wacko about Halloween, converting her entire house into a shrine to Halloween, and a very good spook alley - very fun! Of course all the trick or treating was done on Sunday, and we decided to participate with some friends in a reserved manner. We stayed all together as a family instead of letting them run off with their friends, and it was actually very fun. We have good kids and they were pretty respectful of the fact that it was still Sunday. Micah was a 50s poodle girl, Kennan was a Greek goddess, Morgan was a Barbie, and Brig was Commander Cody from Star Wars.
And finally, I got a new job. This was a crazy process. I was originally referred to this software company in Provo called Imagine Learning by a close friend who had worked with the company on a deal. I began the process of interviewing, and it progressed to a visit to Utah a couple weeks ago for some in-person interviews. I think our families started to realize at that point that something might be going on, but we still kept it pretty low profile because we never knew what would happen. When I was interviewing at IL, they told me I was one of four final candidates, and they'd let me know early the next week what their decision was. So I waited. And waited. The next week went by, and with each passing day I convinced myself more and more that I had not made the cut. The funny thing was, if it was someone else, I would've encouraged them to be patient, and that it just takes time, particularly if the company has a lot of real work going on ... however, since it was me, every hour that went by meant I had missed out. At the time I was also interviewing for a new job inside Google, and I had a number of interviews for that throughout the week. On Friday late afternoon I came out of a particularly good interview, feeling pretty good about what the new Google job might offer, and I had decided to go over to the Director's office and announce I was ready to start (he had already unofficially offered me the job). And then my phone rang. It was the CFO of IL; he explained how there were two final candidates - myself and one other - and that we both had our pluses. He said it had taken so long because he and the CEO wanted to make sure they made the right choice, so they had each taken a few days to contemplate on their own. He told me how the other candidate had more experience, and was more familiar with Utah County - at this point I was waiting for him to say they had chosen the other guy. He then went on to say that he and the CEO had both come to the same conclusion independently - that I was their guy and they were going to give me an offer. I was completely surprised, and very excited. It was so fun to call Angela and tell her the good news. So when the offer came in the next week, we went through the evaluation process, and it all seemed good. Ang and I both found ourselves talking and thinking as if we were going to take it, and we both felt really good about it, so it just was a matter of finalizing some further details, and then signing my name. It was surprisingly hard to make it official, but we couldn't think of any reason not to other than the fact that we'd miss our friends in CA. So we did it, and we're going to now go through a huge change for our family. The kids were all very surprised and completely excited when we told them. That initial excitement has worn off a little for Angela and Micah as they've gone through the process of telling their great friends about the pending move. They both still feel good about it and are excited, but when you have life-changing friends, it's hard to say goodbye. It would be impossible to overstate the impact our friends have had on our lives while we've been here. They truly are our family in many ways. We love them and will miss them dearly. The one consolation in this is that nearly all of our friends have strong ties to Utah, and almost all will visit there frequently - we plan on hijacking numerous Utah vacations for selfish reasons.
So there you have it - lots of good stuff. We've been very blessed.
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