u/AlmostDrunkSailor

Son is 18 months old and I’ve never had this much fun in my life! Kid just runs around, talks, smiles, laughs, all day and I love to watch him and think about how happy I am.

He said oatmeal out of the blue yesterday when I was making him breakfast and after his sudden realization of a new word, has been saying it ever since! He’s also crumbling up food and as it hits the floor he yells “WOAH!!”

He’s quite possibly the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I love this little guy so much

**rant was the only option for flair but I wouldn’t consider this a rant. Mods, recommend a discussion flair or something similar

Welp our house closed and we are currently waiting to close on our second/forever home.

To everyone here buying your first home, enjoy it. Whether it’s a home that needs work, already finished, or just a stepping stone, you’re going to make so many happy memories in it.

After my wife and son left for the last time, I sat inside of our empty home alone for a while. I thought about the day we first got the keys and officially became home owners, picking out furniture, planning our future, welcoming our son to the world, and everything in between. Every creak in the old floors, the repairs that needed done, the cabinet screw that always came loose, and all of the other little nuances you learn about your house, everything came flooding in while I shed happy tears.

I locked the door for the last time and while I was sad, I felt so proud that we made that house into a home. My wife and I have worked very hard and will look back at this time in our lives with happiness and pride. Now, it’s time to make our new house into the home we know it can be.

Congratulations to everyone here on becoming first time homeowners. May your days be filled with joy, laughter, and pride knowing you’ve accomplished something truly great.

You’re going to read each and every one of them no less than 10,000 times. Our 16 month old can’t get enough of them!

We’re still adding to the collection but so far some favorites are Dinosaur Dance, Snuggle Puppy, Banana Bop, Dinosnores, and The Going To Bed Book. Pro tip, get into your theatrical side with them and they become a blast for everyone!

Alright gonna go try the cha cha cha now

While my title is Sr Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst, these last few years I’ve worked at the intersection of cyber threat intelligence and fraud in the retail space. Truth be told, there’s aspects that I love but overall I’m not really seeing the vision of what my future looks like.

My background is intelligence, military/gov, and I moved into the private sector a few years ago. Basically I’ve carved out a niche where I take an intelligence driven approach to fraud in the retail sector. Understanding the fraud ecosystem from a criminal perspective and using that to drive fraud strategy for retail organizations.

Where I’m stuck is I’m not sure how to progress and what my future looks like. I feel myself wanting more if that makes sense. I’ve been an IC for years and even though I’m respected and viewed as a trusted advisor in the community, I want to be more than a great analyst. I want to run a program or simply have that voice at an org where I’m capable of driving change. I love retail and am fascinated with combining consumer trends and fraud knowledge to anticipate future problem points and plan for them early.

Anyone have any advice or words of wisdom for how I should view the rest of my career?