So, we finally did a thing a few weeks back! We’ve looked for an opportunity to do this for a year. In case you are wondering about the meaning of the arrows, check out this article My tattoo has a little extra meaning to it as I wanted an arrow for each of the boys. They are all going to go their own direction and I’m able to tie in the lucky few tattoo into the design.

I’m very fortunate to work for the company that I do. One of the benefits that you get after being with the company for 5 years is a reCharge period of 30 calendar days off fully paid. This is a HUGE benefit and one that I’m very happy they have in place. After 5 years, you realize the toll the job can take on you. I’ll fully admit, at the end of last year my projects were plentiful, my team was growing, and the challenges we were tackling were pretty challenging.

I ran across this video at the beginning of the year and it dramatically changed how I look at my week. I used to have every minute packed and often time I would go from one half hour meeting to the next with no time to prep or really be prepared for what was going to happen in the next 30 minutes. Sometimes even prepping in the last part of one meeting for the next meeting.

After almost a decade of rocking a mac mini for my main home machine, I finally pulled the trigger on an upgrade. I’ve upgraded the mini with a few tweaks over the years such as more ram and a larger SSD to make it a decent machine, but the time had finally come. Last fall, when rumors of a new iMac were floating around, I had some money set aside to pull the trigger when they were finally announced.

Earlier this year, I officially celebrated my 5 year Faceversary at Facebook. Its been a crazy ride and one that I am fortunate to be on. While there has been a lot of negative press about some of the mistakes the company has made over this time period, I’m still proud to call it home. For me, Facebook holds some more than a place where I get a pay check. This is a place where I make connections to people all around the world.