Mixed bag of a week. Some wins at work, some property headaches, and a big milestone at home.
Happy Birthday Sean
Work Recognition
Had some productive meetings this week and got genuine praise from the team. Not the generic “good job” stuff - actual recognition for knowing the engineering details and how our platform works. Being the person others come to for technical answers feels good.
It’s validation that the work matters. When you’re deep in the weeds on platform architecture, sometimes you wonder if anyone notices. This week, they did.
Sean Turned One
My son Sean hit the one-year mark on January 17th. Wild how fast that first year goes. One year ago we were in full survival mode - sleep deprived, figuring out what every cry meant, wondering if we were doing anything right.
Now he’s walking, getting into everything, and has a personality. The chaos is different but it’s real. Watching him grow is the kind of thing that makes all the other stress feel smaller.
Happy birthday, Sean. 🎂
Property Management Reality Check
Someone shoved rocks into the utility water pipe at my Alton 4-plex. Not just a few - two feet deep of rocks. Had to drive out there Saturday, bought a shop vac for $45, and spent the afternoon clearing it out.
Probably just kids being kids, not realizing what they were doing. But it’s a reminder that property management isn’t passive income. It’s active work with surprise maintenance that eats your weekend.
Added the mileage (17.2 miles round trip) and the shop vac to my expense tracking. At least I can write it off.
The House Decision I Can’t Make
Still going back and forth on building a house. The mortgage would be above what I’m comfortable paying. Not unaffordable - just higher than I like.
I’ve been ping-ponging on this for weeks. The mental energy it’s burning is worse than just making a call. Either commit or let it go. This limbo state isn’t serving anyone.
Need to set a deadline and decide. Probably end of the month. Done is better than perfect, and stalling is definitely not perfect.
Focus This Week
Got one vacant unit at the apartment complex. Priority is getting it rented. Empty units mean lost revenue, and I’m not about that.
Also need to actually close the loop on the house decision. No more “I’ll think about it.” Time to act.
What I’m Learning
Recognition at work reminds me that showing up and knowing your stuff pays off. Not overnight, but consistently.
Property management reminds me that nothing is truly passive.
And watching Sean grow reminds me that time moves whether you’re ready or not. Make the decisions, do the work, and keep moving forward.
Weekly reflections help me process what actually happened vs what I thought would happen. Writing it down makes the patterns clear.