Going to GuideCx!

The dreaded words, “I got laid off” came from Andrew’s lips once again on Wednesday, January 11. This came as a complete surprise to both of us. We are thankful that Andrew got severance pay for 2.5 months in addition to cobra (insurance) pay. I don’t think there’s ever a “good time” to receive this news, but the day before our niece’s wedding and hosting family felt extra rough. To those who saw me during this time, my apologies for being irritable and extra emotional.

It was a little alarming that Andrew’s employer completely shut off his computer not even 10 minutes after sharing the news of his termination. This was a jerky move. Since he has been through 2 other layoffs, we have those experiences to compare this layoff to. Both other companies, let Andrew use his computer for a month or two while searching for a job. We are grateful that Andrew’s friend has been letting him borrow his computer during his job hunt. Andrew has also been borrowing his green screen as well to put up behind him during interviews which cracks me up.

Someone Andrew worked with who also got laid off called Andrew crying. Other coworkers reached out to Andrew in disbelief. Here is what they said: (And yes, Andrew goes by “Ditto.” Can you tell I’m rolling my eyes?)

                   Text message: “Hey Ditto. I’m so sorry about what happened today and I hope you are doing okay. I really appreciate the time I got to work with you and thanks for all the impact you had on our team. Let me know if I can help with anything and wish you the best for what comes next. Take care.”

                    Email: “Hi Ditto, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to reach out and express my deepest sympathy for the recent layoff. I want you to know that your contributions to the LLC  team were truly appreciated and valued. I know it can be a difficult and challenging time, and I want you to know that you have my support during this transition. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything I can help with. Wishing you all the best.” 

Andrew had recently started teaching his team tips and these trainings were supposed to continue. Many coworkers found them beneficial since Andrew was the most senior on the team and has more experience. It was awkward that Andrew had more experience than his boss which made things tricky.

Many tech companies have done layoffs recently which has made me apprehensive. With so many companies getting rid of employees, how would Andrew ever find a job? Andrew was very organized about his job search and kept track of things on a board. At first, he was pickier about where he would apply. In time, he started to worry more and feel desperate. When I heard Andrew applied to work at TikTok I knew he was panicked. He even had a few interviews with a company in NYC that would require relocation. I applied for a full-time 6th-grade teaching job and I got the job. I had the hardest time deciding if I wanted to take it. I decided to pass on the opportunity after subbing the students for 4 days. 6th graders are mean. Watch out. Instead, teaching piano lessons and substitute teaching are consuming my time.

Andrew’s organization helps us see that he had 19 interviews.  Companies have been in no rush to hire. They have been dragging their feet and waiting a long time to reply between interviews. Some have even gone on hiring freezes mid-interview process. Andrew has grit. Looking for a job has been his full-time job. He has been so dedicated and consistent. He started writing a weekly technical blog. 

We are thrilled to announce that Andrew has accepted a job with GuideCx. Guess what? This company informed Andrew earlier this week that they hired someone else. We were pretty disappointed. We were also completely shocked that they called today offering him the job. What!? Andrew has been saving a box of watermelon sour patch kids to celebrate accepting a job offer. He finally got to open them today! I bet they have never tasted so good.

GuideCx is another startup. Andrew prefers startups. There are about 100 employees. The company headquarters are in Lehi. Employees come into the office 3 days a week and work from home 2 days a week. Andrew will still have the job title of "Quality Assurance Engineer" and gets a raise. Ironically, GuideCx is a competitor to one of the past companies Andrew worked for. GuideCx helps companies with the onboarding process. It helps companies with the handoff between sales and customer support. Better yet... Andrew will start on Monday! Who gets to start that quickly!? Unreal--get the offer Friday and start Monday. Andrew talked to them about insurance coverage and if he had waited to start until April 10 like originally suggested, we would have had to wait another month for insurance. 

We honestly feel like this is an absolute miracle. Andrew traveled earlier this week for an interview and we should be hearing back from that company Monday. Andrew was less excited about it. God waited until the last second to show he has been in control all along. We thought we would have to settle with this other company that was just okay, but instead, Andrew is getting close to his dream job.

Although Andrew getting laid off is not what I wanted for our family, I have seen God’s hand throughout this experience. I think Andrew will like his new job more! His commute will be shorter! Although Andrew has been unemployed for close to 3 months, I have felt peace throughout this time. I always knew it was going to work out. I'm not known for my positivity, but I have felt optimistic and hopeful. We are so grateful for the prayers on our behalf and have truly felt them. Andrew has been teaching a stake emotional resiliency class and these kind strangers have been praying for us too. Thanks for all the love and support! We can't wait to celebrate with burgers tonight!

Birthdays for Dayzz

Whew! We made it through the birthday madness! Hooray, that we get a breather before Isabelle’s birthday in July.

James’ 6th Birthday:

On James’ birthday, he got to fill out a poster all about himself and show his class. He also brought a treat and he picked Oatmeal Cream Pies. He came home wearing a birthday crown. To make sure he was thoroughly spoiled (but not go overboard—balance, right), we went to Chick-fil-A. James also got a haircut from a professional instead of me! What, I paid someone? James got to pick out a new pair of shoes as his present from us. Obviously, he chose light-up shoes. He later went to the arcade with Andrew and Isabelle (while I was teaching). I think his day was pretty great. A stop from his aunt who brought by a gift and a FaceTime with Nana and Papa are worth a mention too. So many people love my boy.

Looking fresh with that haircut and new kicks.

James really wanted to invite friends over for a birthday party. I caved. I would have loved to rent a party room at “Kidstopia” or some other kid playground. How easy. The price tag stopped me though. A Superhero themed birthday party idea was born and it happened today. We are tired. It was a smashing success if I do say so myself. This party would not have been possible without my hands-on, awesome husband. James said the best part of the party was that Eva came. I think he has a little crush.

We found most of our ideas online (so don’t think we could come up with this stuff on our

own), but here’s the party agenda:

-Build your superhero a fortress (with Legos/blocks) while we wait for everyone to arrive.

-Superhero BINGO! 

-Superhero training:

1) Super smart— as a group, the kids took a quiz about superheroes. Most did not know the superheroes' actual names, so we dumbed it down a bit… Like which superhero squirts spiderwebs?

2) Super strength— the kids did push-ups, jumping jacks, and had to lift weights. I should have taken a video of their form during push-ups. Wowza. James could easily lift the 2 heavyweights (10 pounds each). Of course, Izzy went for the heavyweights. That girl has confidence.

3) Super speed— the kids did relay races to see how fast they were. James was not happy when he dropped the egg from the spoon. 

-Superhero graduation. For completing Superhero training, the kids each got a superhero mask and had to think of a new Superhero name. James’ name was “Iron Spidercat.” 

-Decorate superhero masks.

-First task as a new superhero. Chase the villain! Andrew dressed up in a mask and the kids got to run around the backyard squirting him with silly string. This was exciting for them and much to their chagrin, the budget only allowed for 1 silly string per person.

-Presents! James got so spoiled.

-Doughnuts

-Don’t Eat “The Super-Hero” (Pete)

-10 minutes of Spider-Man show. (So much energy!)

-Party favors—thank you Amazon for beating dollar store prices. These included: a keychain, button pin, rubber bracelet, superhero mask, and 5 stickers.

Party Attendees:

Harrison, Walker, Emmie, Maggie, Eva, Calvin, Elijah, Derek. Unfortunately Simon, Esther, Lily, and Jackson weren’t able to attend.

James’ Bio:

James has grown up so much this year. Watching him do this has been such a pleasure. He is an excellent swimmer. At a party recently, he did fine on his own even in the 10 ft section of the pool which made me so proud. He enjoys swimming and is great at it! James requested that we sign him up for soccer again. Yay! He improved so much this past soccer season and I’m antsy to see him play more starting in April. James continues to be the most loving older brother. He is blessed with a tender heart. What kindergartener picks a prize from the prize box at school for his little sister!? I know I’ve done something right because James can sit through an entire chapter book and gets so excited during it. The Boxcar Children series is his current favorite. James is getting good at reading. 

James loves going to school. We recently had a terrible case of stomach flu at our house. James was super ill. He was devastated to miss school even after throwing up so many times. James started speech at school to work on saying his rs and a few other sounds (ironically the “J” sound). James has made huge and noticeable improvements in school since starting ADD medication. A few weeks ago, we had parent-teacher conferences and they were night and day different than last time! James really wants to do the Chinese Immersion program which starts in 1st grade at his school. I signed him up! Here’s to hoping it’s the right decision. He’s definitely got the brains for it. We love James to pieces! If you ever need a fort or Legos built, call James. He’s amazing.

Nathan’s 19th Birthday:

It had been too long since we had the BYU Dittos over. Our kids get so much love and attention when they come over. Andrew decided to make our free Winco turkey. It was Nathan's birthday-March 12th!  We went around the table and said what we love about Nathan. I love that his family does this too! We pulled out the game Rook-O-Lee. I enjoyed getting to know Hailee more (big fan). We were extra tired by the end of the night thanks to daylight savings. 

George’s 1st Birthday:

George's bday is the day before James'. We celebrated early on Saturday, March 11. We were supposed to dress "as our favorite George." Andrew was George Harrison, I was St. George, UT, and James and Isabelle were "Curious George." What a cute idea and an awesome party! We were able to reuse the balloons from George's party for James' party which was so nice.

My 30th birthday: (I’m officially old. Don’t remind me.)

Andrew made breakfast burritos for my birthday breakfast. Yum! Jess and Chris babysat for us that night, February 25, which we appreciated. We went to Texas Roadhouse and used a gift card that Debbie gave me for my bday. I even branched out and got ribs instead of my usual steak. I had to really find room for ice cream. I was ridiculously full. We tried out a new ice cream place called "Brooker's” which has a founding fathers theme. They took this theme very seriously with revolutionary decor, employee attire, and the names of the ice cream flavors all after presidents. We’ll go back and next time I’ll be hungrier. 

I felt emotional after receiving so much love, kind words, and gifts from people. “My people” are the best. My grandma treated me to a special birthday lunch (another day), my sister’s got me a Stanley drink and a sweatsuit, and my 2 closest friends both know me so well that they got me a gift card to the same restaurant—one of my favorites. I am not complaining, but am very grateful!! With the money my parents gave me, I bought Izzy and me matching Easter dresses. I can hardly contain my excitement and want to wear them this instant. She will freak out when she sees them. My ministering sister even took me out to lunch to celebrate. If this is what getting old feels like, I’ll take it.

Andrew’s 34th Birthday:

We went out on a double date on Friday, February 17, so our friends were in town. Andrew chose the "Hu Hot" restaurant to relive the glory days he worked there. I'll admit I didn't love this restaurant the last time I went. I liked the food better this time! Andrew also wanted to see the new "Antman" movie. Everyone else enjoyed the movie. I was there for the popcorn.

On Andrew's actual birthday (the 20th), I brought him chick-fil-a breakfast in bed. He picked creamy ranch chicken, giant rolls (that he has been begging me to make), and lunch lady peanut butter bars for dessert. Don't worry, we had salad too. I decided to be extra nice and watch Star Wars. It wasn't too bad. I still need to watch several Star Wars movies with Andrew. I lost mini golfing when we were dating (over a decade ago) and am going to come through with my promise! I even stayed awake during Star Wars. Andrew could hardly believe it. Andrew got a generous gift card from his mom and money from my parents. He got a new switch game, a board game, and running socks. We have talked about getting him a new desk (as a belated birthday gift) once he secures a job. 

Off to birthday hibernation…