For the last nine years, I’ve worked in the IT department of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. I’ve been there so long, I just had a boyfriend when I started, and I was in my twenties (barely)! In the time I’ve been there, I got engaged, and married, and had a few kids. I feel like I’ve done a lot of growing up at this job, and my coworkers are the family that have stood beside me the whole way. We lived through Hurricane Katrina and our subsequent displacement. They shared in my shock when I came back to work after my first ultrasound. (And I got to see what it was like from the other side when R came back from the ultrasound where his wife found out she was having identical twins.) The first place the boys had a sleepover was at my boss’s house, so I really do mean it when I say they’re like family.

Which made it hard to tell them I was leaving the nest, for a new job, my dream job. They were happy for me when I told them, which is a testament to what great guys they all are. (I have always been the lone female in the department, and I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy being queen of the castle all these years!)

But I am heading out, into an amazing opportunity, working for a company whose products I have long loved and championed. I’ll be moving to Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, for one. I’ll be working as a Happiness Engineer. Great title, huh? It kind of says it all. I will be working with the users of WordPress.com, helping ensure their blogging experience is a positive one. I’ve been doing this on a part-time basis for the past couple of months, and can’t wait to dive in full-time with all of the other amazing Automatticians.