A Look Back - April 2026
It feels like much longer than a month ago, but when March ended, we had just come back from a week in Cancun, a little tanner, and ready for a very busy April full of work, work travel, and a move. We started the month driving to Menifee to celebrate Passover with my family, including all of Elle’s now 5 (soon to be 6) cousins. Each time we do one of these visits its fun to see how much the kids have grown and changed. Elle is so tall now and talking a ton. Although get her around her cousins, she gets super quiet and hangs out with us. She loved when we read the Passover cedar and sat with us throughout the abridged version perfectly. We combined the excitement of Passover with an Easter egg hunt that we did in my parents’ backyard.
The next day was Easter. After cooking a delicious brunch and watching church online, we let Elle and Frasier go for her Easter egg hunt. She was far more interested this year than last. But we can’t wait to see how this goes next year. Jenn did such a beautiful job getting the house ready and putting the baskets together. Frasier also loved every second of finding his eggs filled with dog treats.
I left for San Jose the next day for two nights, and came back Wednesday afternoon. A few days later on April 11th (the same day as Jenn’s Dad) Amy and Ryan had their forth child, Hollyn. Amy at this point knows the routine having had three already and I’ll never forget driving up to church that evening and just before we parked Amy calling us with the news of the healthy baby girl (they didn’t know the sex ahead of time). We met Hollyn a week later and she was beautiful. Sleeping in her swing without a care in the world.
After a quick trip to San Francisco for a big PayPal event, I was back home for the next couple of weeks while Jenn traveled. Jenn was gone for nearly a week (April 18 - 24) in London and then for a few days in Denver. Elle, Frasier, and I held down the fort in Newport Coast while Jenn was gone. Between a few busy weeks at work and starting to pack up our house, I was incredibly relieved both times Jenn made it back home. I tried to keep us busy with long walks, excursions out for dinner, and even meeting my parents for their annual pilgrimage to the Marriott in Fashion Island (where they got married 40+ years ago).
The month concluded with us getting ready to move to a new house in Irvine. I should back up a bit. For the first few months of 2026, Jenn and I cast a pretty wide net. We found out the owners of the house we are currently renting from are getting divorced and so wouldn’t be continuing to rent it out. We decided for the short term we’d stay in Orange County and so looked at homes in Irvine, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, and Laguna for a new house. After many weekends of searching we landed on brand new 4 bed, 4 bath home in Irvine. The house is stunning, with a backyard, and room for Elle to have both a bedroom and playroom. For much of the last few weeks of April I slowly moved stuff from our Newport Coast home to the new house, so when we fully move next month its even easier/quicker. We setup a desk and later a monitor in the new house as well to make working out of there easy. By the end of the month there was a few pieces of furniture sprinkled throughout the house and the rest had been nearly packed up in boxes in Newport Coast. Come next month I’ll be writing these monthly updates from a new location, Irvine!
TV WE WATCHED
April was a great month for TV. Without going through all ten shows we watched in April lets go with the highlights. We wrapped up the third season of Shrinking, which was a massive drop-off from the first two seasons. If it didn’ thave such a stacked cast, I think we’d likely have dropped. The show that will need to be dethroned come December was the second season of The Pitt. It is so good, and so much better than anything out there right now. We watched a lot of the first season of Rooster, which is a very solid (maybe middle-of-the-road) half-hour comedy that is also bolstered by a stellar cast.
And finally, I know Jenn will roll her eyes, but I finished the fourth season of The Lincoln Lawyer. It’s not a good TV show, nor is it well-acted, but I find it so compelling and fun to watch that I devoured the last handful of episodes.
BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)
For a month with 5 books, I’m sad to say that only one of them was “top tier.” The easiest way is likely to go in order of how I listened to them in April. I started the month off with Strangers in Time, the first (maybe second) Baldacci book I’ve ever read, and also likely my last. A rudimentary and often a bit cringy WWII novel that was completely forgettable. Next was Young Man in a Hurry by Gavin Newsom, the likely Presidential candidate’s book was fine, but didn’t give me much hope in his chances in 2028 as much of a fan of him as I am. The parts on his childhood, upbringing, and learning disabilities were interesting and well written, but his personal life and even the last 8 years as governor are mostly skipped over.
The standout book of the month was Strangers by Belle Burden. There’s something truly special about a book that draws you into someones life and by the end, you feel like you know them. The book starts with the sudden estrangement from her husband during the start of COVID, and it continues through the next year or so on her journey to figure out what happened and how to start her life over.
King of Ashes is a book that I believe was on President Obama’s reading list last year, and was one I’ve been excited to read. It started strong, but by the end, it felt more procedural than anything. And finally, Yesteryear, a book I could have scored anywhere between 2-4 stars depending on the day/chapter. A story of a “trad wife” (learned what that was) who goes back in time to a time with more traditional family dynamics. Does this book have an absolute ton to say about 2026? Yes. Does it do it compellingly and engagingly? Yes again. But is it a good book? I have no idea, I’m still conflicted.
MOVIES WE WATCHED
Very sad to only see two movies on the “watched” bucket this month. We forgo our weekend movie night this month in favor of sleep. The two movies I watched were on my own when Jenn or I was traveling. Hamnet is a movie I’ve been desperate to watch for a while. I love both Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, and although I could never get into the book (I tried), the movie looked great. It was as dark and sad as everyone said, but the acting was superb. The other movie I’ve been meaning to watch for a while was The Life of Chuck, told in three separate stories, which was a complete bummer. Not a good movie, and only 1 of the 3 stories was worth watching.
GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING
It was yet another light month of games. The majority of my time was with MLB The Show, where I continue to push through Road to the Show mode. I really wish there were other games I could sink my teeth into, but between the move, work travel, and Elle its been hard to get much time to play games.
2026 GOAL TRACKING
Goal #1: Read 50 Books: I’ve read 17 books and am on track to hit my goal of 50 books this year!!!
Goal #2: 12 Monthly Recaps: 4 for 12!
