Happy 2018

Here we are, New Years Day 2018! That is a whopping 4 years since my last update here… That is due to many factors, some seemingly contradictory. I mean, some of it is laziness, some of it is lack of time, some is the fact that a bunch of my websites got infected with malware and I didn’t really have time to rebuild them until now, and some may be due to lack of interest.  However, lots has happened in that span of time.  I mean, I would hope that lots has happened for most people, but it has been a busy bit of time for me.  The last two years being the most busy and life changing period. I don’t know that this will be a full and complete catchup, maybe just a few highlights. If you follow me anywhere else in the internet, you probably know some of the things that follow…

In May of 2016 I started a temporary position at Tait Towers that would lead to a new full time job. I had been in conversations with folks at Tait for almost a year before that, influenced by the fact that one of our good family friend’s company had recently acquired Tait and he thought I would be a good fit on the team. Suffice it to say, he was right, and so far, it has proven to be one of the most exciting life changes that I have made since marrying Ruth!

I had been at Pioneer Theatre for ten years, and while I enjoyed my time there and got to work with some amazing people, I was getting to the point where it felt like I was just going through the motions. I wasn’t growing or learning, and there was no advancement path for me there. As is the case in theatre and entertainment, you generally have to move out to move up.  It was not the easiest decision to make as Ruth was in line for a fairly significant promotion, but at the end of the day, we decided that the universe was telling us that moving to Pennsylvania was the thing to do.

As I was preparing to make my way east for the temporary/trial summer position at Tait, Ruth’s parent’s were preparing to be re-stationed for the Marines. Originally, they had orders that would take them to Chicago, which would have been a boon for Stephanie’s design career.  On short notice though, those orders were rescinded and they were given the choice of Harrisburg, PA or someplace in the middle of a CA desert. The choice came with 24 hours to decide. So, when Stephanie called Ruth in a panic, Ruth could barely stifle her laughter as she realized that the posting in PA would mean that they would be living within an hour’s drive from Tait, and even though we had not committed to move ourselves yet, we had a pretty good feeling at the time. So, if there ever was a time that the universe was giving us signs, this was a pretty big one.

Now, Tait is generally considered the leader and pioneer of bleeding edge staging and automation technology. They specialize in automation hardware and control systems as well as performer flight. The company grew from building Rock-n-Roll shows, which is still our bread and butter, to building all kinds of custom automation for entertainment as well as permanent install automation systems for theatres and other venues. While this is somewhat of a departure from my real background in lighting, control systems were always my kinda thing, and fitting into the controls department at Tait has provided and amazing opportunity to continue to learn and grow.

The trial period at Tait went very well, I was offered a full time position, and that set into motion our permanent move to PA.  After a few months in a small apartment we purchased a house in a beautiful rural neighborhood in Mt. Gretna/Timber Hills/Palmyra. Despite the fact that we still have much unpacking left to go, this place really feels like home.  We are quite happy to be within an hour drive of the Jones’ and less than a day’s drive to my family in Boston.  Not to mention we are in pretty easy spitting distance of both New York City and Washington D.C.  Overall, a good place to be.

How else did we know that we made the right decision in moving out here? Well, just a few short months ago in September, we welcomed our first child, EJ, to the world. Finally being a job and lifestyle that was slightly more conducive to having children has been a great thing.  She is amazing and beautiful, and one of the biggest, life-changing things there is.  I am sure that both Ruth and I will fill the internet with cute baby photos. We already fill our facebook feeds with them.  So, stay tuned for them.

So here we are, much has happened, and I am sure there will be lots more to report on.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


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