Thanks guys! I will double check all the wiring tomorrow when I get a scope, but so far everything still seems OK and the problem repeats even after resetting everything.
I discovered last night that the car was super low on oil.. it took almost 2 quarts before getting back up to normal
and was pretty dirty. I did an oil change, but the problem persists. The low oil makes me think it could be an actual VVT problem like a gallery not getting enough oil pressure or tensioner getting clogged or something like the other threads mentioned. I'm trying to think of ways to verify the VVT before committing to tearing it all apart.