Getting inked
My very talented colleague Michelle (I mean, just check out her blog, it is the best) took some behind-the-scenes photos of my tattoo experience last week. Pretty cool!
More tattoo pics here.
Home again
Got home from the Grand Meetup Monday night and MAN was it good to see the boys and George. I got so many good hugs. And the boys’ front teeth all seem to have now fully come in, so they looked older and different. Sigh.
The evening I got home I got to meet Gareth’s sister and cousin, who had come over from the UK. They were lovely, and I wish I could have spent more time getting to know them. Well, we’ll just have to make another trip over, that’s all!
One of the hardest things about being away last week was missing Gareth’s service, but I was able to help a bit by making the slideshow for the service and one that played continuously at the pub afterwards. I got lots of positive feedback on it, so that felt nice.
When I was in Park City, I wrote a post for the New Orleans Moms Blog about how much I love my neighborhood, and it was kind of a clumsy word vomit of emotion, but sometimes you just have to.
I hate a post without any photos, so here’s a #tbt for ya. Technically, it was 5 years ago yesterday, but it seems as if my photos from October 22 through the years have been less than scintillating.
Anyway, it’s adorbs. Linus and Emily at the pumpkin patch when I took him to Virginia.
At least you can’t see the poison oak he had which made much of our trip a living hell. Good times, good times.
Automattic Grand Meetup 2015
I’m sitting in the lobby of the Grand Summit Hotel in Park City, Utah, watching my colleagues head out to the shuttles and off to the airport. Most of them I won’t see for another year. Well, you know, see in person. The way Automattic communicates, it doesn’t feel like that at all.
It was a busy week. And a hard one from which to be away from home, what with Gareth’s memorial and all.
Monday, I arrived and we had the welcome reception. It’s probably the most overwhelming part of the whole meetup, especially since we have about 150 more employees than we did last year. (We’re up to nearly 400 and we’re still hiring!)
Tuesday
I worked in person with my teammates. What a concept! We’re allowed to choose to either do a project, take a class, or do our regular job during the GM, and I chose the latter. It was a gorgeous day and so we had a little walking meeting and enjoyed the scenery while strategizing about hiring.
That evening, I gave my flash talk. I was glad to get it over with early in the GM, so I didn’t have to stress about it for the rest of the time. I didn’t mumble or nervously stumble over my words, and I even got a few laughs, so I’ll call that a win!
Later, I attended a workshop on Lightroom given by another Automattician, and learned a bunch of new tricks for processing photos.
Wednesday
I woke up early-ish and took my camera up the hill behind the hotel to take some sunrise photos.
Spent the day working again, and possibly streaking our hair with fun colors. While we worked, obviously. (I interviewed a potential Happiness Engineer with bleach in my hair.)
Thursday
Woke up early for the Automattic 5k. (Not my best time, but heck, I did it.)
More working, and then in the afternoon, I painted a pretty picture.
In the afternoon, we took the company photos and some with our teams. And some goofy ones with friends.
That night, I attended a nighttime photography workshop and tested out what I learned. I wouldn’t say it was a total success, but it was fun and if you don’t look too closely, they look pretty good.
Hit the party suite that night, took some selfies with coworkers.
Friday
I had a pretty quiet morning, watching some fantastic flash talks and visiting with friends. Then around lunchtime, a few of us headed into Salt Lake City to get our tattoos.
Saturday
Had a quiet morning. Went on a tiny hike with Zandy, watched flash talks, and then failed with the rest of my team to escape a room. (But at least I got a few of the clues!)
Went into Park City with some pals where we had a yummy lunch and did a bit of shopping. It was raining, so we didn’t stay for too long. But we saw a bunch of Automatticians doing a bike tour. (Confession: I was supposed to do that bike tour like I did last year, but I was scared to ride on hills in the rain.)
That evening, I had a great dinner where I had some wine. And then I didn’t stop having wine until about 4am. Uh. It was fun. There were lots of pics at the selfie wall that night. And plenty more tomfoolery.
Sunday
I…did not feel well. I managed to make it through the day and then last night was the big closing party. It was awesome. I do wish I’d felt a bit better.
Robyn sang a song!
And the photo booth…so much fun!
Good times.
Until next year!
My painting
My dad would probably hate this
But I got another tattoo today. It’s to honor his memory.
He hated his tattoo. But I like to think he’d like this anyway. Or appreciate it. Or not be too terribly mad at me for getting it.
It’s a spade (that’s what his tattoo was) made of the number 42 (his lucky number.)
The night sky in Park City
I went on a nighttime photography outing last night. I wouldn’t say I did super great at it (so much to learn!) but I had fun and got some cool photos.
Automattic 5K
This morning, I “ran” a 5K with a few of my coworkers. I say “ran” because altitude, man. And hills. Mountains, even. So while my time wasn’t great, I had a great time chatting with my coworker Carolyn, which is exactly what we did for the 5K last year. Tradition!
Park City, Wednesday
Is today Thursday? I have no idea. But here are some photos I took yesterday. Which I’m pretty sure what Wednesday. Hmm.
Yeah. It’s pretty here.
Sunrise in Park City
Park City so far
I should be blogging more about the Grand Meetup so far. Let’s see. Monday I left New Orleans (after breakfast at IHOP with George and the boys)
Fortunately, getting there was uneventful, which is the best you can really hope for.
When I arrived, I found some friends and we went off to the welcome party, which was a tad overwhelming, but great. Went to sleep way too late and woke up way too early yesterday.
But it was a gorgeous day. Mostly spent working, but we had a walking meeting outside.
I also got my Flash Talk done (everyone in the company has to give a 4 minute or less presentation on the topic of their choosing) which was a relief. Last year, I presented a video, so I just had to stand there while it played. This year I actually had to, you know, speak. So that was a bit trickier. But I pulled it off without mumbling too much, I think. (My topic was based on this blog post – it was 10 things I hear as a mom of triplets.)
Anyway, went to bed early last night after a workshop on Lightroom given by a coworker, so I’m excited to go take some more photos (with my actual camera and not my phone) and test out the new tips I learned.
Another post
It’s hard to just…write another post. I hate that the post about Gareth won’t be the first post anymore. (I mean, I know I could make it sticky, but that’s kind of not the point, right?) I hate that all I have to write about now is just every day stuff. As if we’re all not still in shock.
We’re trying to make ourselves useful. Planning a memorial. Trying to take care of his family who is coming in from Wales. I’ll be out of town for the memorial, so I’m just trying to do my part by making the slideshow.
Anyway. Real life.
I took the boys to get flu shots yesterday. We’ve been going to the same CVS Minute Clinic for a few years now, and so they don’t get freaked out, and are cool as cucumbers. It’s almost like a competition to see who can flinch the least.
Oliver and I had our one-on-one dinner last night and he chose Waffle House. And it turns out, we’re regulars there now. When we walked in, the waitress said, “it’s the twins!” but she meant me and Oliver, not Oliver and his brothers. Which was cute. And kids eat free Monday – Thursday, so he’s a cheap date.
Okay. That’s enough real life for now.
Rest in peace, Gareth
We lost a friend this weekend, and I just wanted to share to everyone who didn’t know him what a great person Gareth was. This isn’t going to be eloquent, I just need to get the words out.
We’ve known Gareth for, gosh, I guess at least 11 years? I’m not really sure. I do remember the first conversation I ever had with him. It was about our wedding planning, and he was telling me something about the royal wedding. You know, the Charles and Diana one. I don’t remember what he told me about it, though. Just that we chatted about it.
When George and I were planning our honeymoon to London, he urged us to take a few days and visit the Welsh town he grew up in, Hay-on-Wye. So we did.
Our wedding was just a couple of months after Katrina, and he’d stayed behind for the storm. Anytime our wedding came up in conversation later, he’d always say, “Pammy…that was the best wedding ever. Great party.” So many people needed the celebration, not least of all him.
I searched my blog for a mention of Gareth, and the only one I found was that he came to visit me in the hospital before I had the boys. Because that’s the kind of guy he was, even though I’m sure he’d have rather been anywhere else on earth.
In June, grossing me out with his bloody eye.
At our friend’s wedding in August
In our backyard in 2007.
At the pub prom in 2006.
At prom in 2006
In a friend’s yard in 2007.
On the levee in 2007.
When the neighborhood was raising funds for a friends’ son’s surgery, Gareth showed us all up by donating a huge amount. He had been saving it up for something special, but gave it to the surgery fund instead. He was so generous in that way.
In July, there was a Proms-themed birthday party for friends at the pub. July in New Orleans. The man wore a suit, vest, and tie in the sweltering heat, because that’s what a gentleman wears to the Proms, and to honor his dear friends.
Gareth had two dogs, Owen and Lizzie. They were always with him. They are the sweetest dogs, and the first dogs the boys were not scared of. (Don’t worry, Owen and Lizzie are being well taken care of now.)
Anyway. There are a million stories to be told. A million memories. A million laughs.
Cheers, you crazy Welshman. We’ll miss you so much.
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