andrea lee bishop

It’s been a while since I’ve lived in Austria. In a way it feels like I’m going home. WordCamp Europe is there this weekend. If you are attending, come say “hi”.

I’m looking forward to the change in culture, language, and scenery. Last night, I kissed my kids for bedtime at grandma’s and bawled my eyes out… because that’s what parents do even when they need a break. It’ll be a long month away from them.

I miss the mountains and Salzburg too. That’s up next after WordCamp. Then off to Canada, Colorado, and California. 

I am very excited about this. I will most definitely be switching to a .blog address.

.Blog domain extensions will be available to all websites starting this year.

Source: Coming Soon: New .Blog Domains for Websites

 Mom to the rescue.  

I hired a sitter today so I could have some me-time and get things done. High hopes of gingerbread house decorating, choir practice, and going for a run were all thwarted by my oncoming cold. 

So me-time today involves an extended walk through the park, sitting here, with the run music off, listening to the water cascade down the itty-bittiest of waterfalls. 

  
 

Automattic.com, the people behind WordPress.com and many other awesome things are hiring!

You could be in this photo with us next year:

I work at Automattic and now help the customers of WordPress.com VIP with their sites. I got a notification a little bit ago that reminded me how the journey all started.

I applied to be a “Happiness Engineer“. (I’m a VIP Wrangler now.) It was the first job description I ever saw on the internet where my skill set matched 100% with what they were looking for. I went through a series of text interviews, answered some questions, and must have made some sort of positive impression. I was offered a paid trial where I could do the job and see if they were right for me and if I was right for them.

So today I saw this…

and thought back on my trial and all that I’ve learned since. Good times!

My daughter loves to draw and trace. Sometimes I write out the numbers 1-50, sentences, or her name in highlighter and let her go for it.

If you have a little one, I recommend trying it.

  

 As I stand here waiting for my son’s bus in the pouring rain, I wonder ‘when did he get so big?’ I hope he remembers which stop to get off at. 

I’ve been running a lot lately trying to get ready for my first 5k next month. One of the routes I run sometimes takes me past this very calming creek. It’s very refreshing and re-energizing to have this kind of halfway point.

Today my son is 4. He’s my little man – inquisitive, smart, and caring OMG that boy has the purest heart. He’s taking after mom and growing tall and strong quickly. He often jokes about driving my car, lifting me up, or mowing the lawn and precedes each with “when I’m taller than you, I can…”.

Tomorrow he’ll be 5 – a tall skinny 5 (50″ and 50lbs). Then he will start kindergarten in the fall. Time has flown. I still can’t fathom that I’m having full conversations with this little person who wasn’t here 5 years ago.