In the slideshow below you’ll see sites we saw on the road to and from through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California as well as the fun stuff we did in San Diego. LaJolla Cove, Laguna Beach, The Zoo and Legoland highlighted our time in SoCal. Driving through Tonto National Forest in Arizona and seeing the Palo Duro Canyon in the panhandle of Texas on the trip back home was unforgettable.

San Diego is a beautiful place, but there’s no place like home.

I will never say anything that couldn’t stand as the last thing I ever say. — Benjamin Zander, Music Director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

I think if everyone kept this idea in the back of our minds, there’d be a lot less talking going on.

Amazingly, his basketball achievements are not the what made him so successful, according to most of the people that knew him. Later in life, he was a motivational speaker and was always “coaching” those around him.

This is my favorite of all the leadership and motivational expressions for which is so commonly known:

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.
— John Wooden, Legendary Basketball Coach

Rest in peace, Coach.

Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.
— C.S. Lewis in The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe

In addition to some basics that go without saying — good pay, location, nice people to work with, etc. — there were some more specific and harder to find aspects that I desired.

1. Smaller is Better

For most of my career, I’ve worked for large corporations. Despite the advantages (or perceived advantages) of working for a big company, I think my personality, perspectives and long-term goals are better suited to a small team.

2. Hats

I think most people like to have some variety in their day-to-day work routines. I’d like to think that I can contribute to the success of a team in more ways that one. Not only do I enjoy designing what a website looks like, I also like to be involved in (and have definite opinions on) how a site is built and how a user should interact with it and even contribute to the goals and strategy of a site. So, wearing multiple hats besides just the design hat really appeals to me.

3. Ownership & Impact

I’ve always thought it would be fun and rewarding to have my own company. However, for numerous reasons, I don’t think I’m cut out for the reality of it. So in lieu of being a CEO, it would be great to work at a place (a small company lends itself better to this) where I can still have a direct impact on the goals, strategy and direction of the company and be responsible for a major portion of the business.

I am thankful that I have found a place that satisfies most, if not all, of the characteristics on my list and more. I’m excited to announce that on May 24th I’ll be joining the super talented team of designers and developers at Ascendio in Irving, Texas. Not familiar with Ascendio? Here’s a bit about them from the website:

Ascendio is an idea development studio. We are an energetic, friendly group with a knack for building long-term relationships with our clients. Our skills are in savvy design, tip-top programming, productive thinking and honest conversations. We believe in careful attention to detail, telling the truth and making the most of life.

This is a small group of smart people doing inspiring work for some really cool clients. I am humbled to be counted as one of them and I’m eager to wear all those different hats. I look forward to working with them, learning new things from them and hopefully sharing what I know to make the company even better.

I started working at Rosetta Stone on the web team in 2006. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about web development and I’ve learned a great deal about myself. The company produces an absolutely top-notch product and I’m sure they will continue to be successful. But for me, it is time to move on.

Some things I will miss about working at Rosetta Stone:

Working from home

This is the big one. For most of my tenure here, I’ve been fortunate enough to work from home every day. Its something for which I will always be thankful. I’ll miss listening in on conversations as my wife homechools the kids. I’ll miss the daily chats and occasional games with my wife over lunch each day. The opportunity to have the kids nearby and watch them grow and learn every day is something I will never forget. For this reason, I think one day we’ll look back on these last 4 years as some of the best years of our lives.

The people

I’ve had the chance to work with some interesting characters and some genuinely nice people. Shared food, shared laughs and even some shared adventures will be etched in my mind forever.

Unfortunately, that’s where the list stops. The rest, as they say, is history.

My last day will be May 19th and then I plan on taking a few relaxing days off before starting up again. I will follow up with a separate post later this week explaining the next step in my career.