Today marks the end of two of the fastest and most amazing years of my life. I have never laughed nor learned as much as I did in my time at Schipul.
When I first started here, I was a Facebook addict and dallied in Twitter, but I knew next to nothing about how the actual Internet worked. At this point in my life I was pretty sure it still lived at Al Gore’s house and was sort of couch sized. I also thought a DNS cloud was that white fluffy thing that rolls over your house before a big storm. But thank goodness… at Schipul, you learn a lot and you learn it quickly.
Less than six months after arriving at Schipul, I not only knew that HTML wasn’t someone’s initials, but I’d decided I wanted to launch the Schipul blog… all by myself. Makes total sense right? Thank goodness I had a manager that believed in me enough to let me try. And thank goodness Schipul hires patient people, because I was by no means an internet expert at this point… I believe I walked back and forth between the IT Director’s desk, the Creative Director’s desk and mine about eleventy-billion times with questions about the Schipul blog before it went live.
I imagine being a fly on the wall during one of these discussion with Rodney (our IT guy) would have been extremely comical…
Maggie: So. I think WebFaction is possessed by the devil. I can’t get the domain to shoot the right way and the nav makes no sense and their help files are WORTHLESS.
Rod: Are you sure you’re pointing the DNS to the right server?
Maggie: I think so. I wrote them a support ticket.
Rod: Yeah. I saw it.
Maggie: Did it make sense?
Rod: (silence)
Maggie: No? Okay. I’m going to rewrite it. Be right back! Also… when I get back, remember to tell me what the heck Akismet is. It sounds like an alien food group. Also we need to talk about what ‘thumbnail†means.
Rod: (puts head on desk)
Now… two years later… I know what Akismet is and could launch a blog with minimal questions. But the amazing amount of knowledge is not the only reason why I’m going to miss Schipul so much though…
I am going to miss the coffee, the LOLcats and the hilarious IMs from Brandi. I don’t know where I’m going to get my funny internet fix from now on. I suppose I should let her know I expect daily emails.
I am going to miss my morning meetings with Katie, my manager and partner in crime. I have learned so much from this gal over the past two years and I could not have asked for a better cheerleader. We Irish girls gotta stick together.
I’m going to miss hug-attacking Ed in the hall and the plasma cars and the cookie parties (for some reason these three things really go together well).
I am going to go through Rodney and Aaron withdrawals and I’m going to miss having Jennifer in the corner office to talk to.
I’m going to miss my silly little cube and my angry mullet bear picture.
I probably will not miss forgetting that I don’t have an ‘inside voice†and accidentally announcing things to the entire office from said cube.
I am most definitely going to miss ‘that’s what she said†jokes with April and Caitlin and I’m going to miss Friday Happy Hours in Katie’s office with all of the Schipul women.
I’m going to miss the excitement in the office when Jenny lays the smack-down on some code and I’m going to miss talking to Iris about what kind of day it’s going to be based on Ed’s morning music selection (techo? It’s going to be a fun one!).
I’m going to miss calling David to announce ‘I just hard coded something and FTPed some stuff!!†(whatever that means—I’m sure he usually just rolls his eyes) and watching Ben’s super amazing videos.
I am for sure going to miss Albert rapping along to his iTunes and Jonti hugs.
I am going to miss pretending that I know what the heck Eloy and Glen are saying when the start speaking programmese and I’m going to miss harassing JMO about SEO on a regular basis. H1 tag what?!
I’m going to miss tiny Foofs and her not so tiny-voice and new music Thursdays.
I am going to lunches with JJ where we solve all of the universe’s problems and I’m going to miss her amazing little family.
I am going to miss sitting with Kerry and learning all about Tendenci and Dreamweaver and I’m going to miss trying to explain to her why all of the sudden the font in my Outlook is size 27 (I blame the demons on this too).
I am going to miss hearing about Brandi and Lyndia‘s wedding plans and Courtney showing up in my cube just to chat. We Tomball girls stick together! I’m going to miss hearing Kim’s baby stories and hugs from Ella when she comes to the office to see Katie.
I’m going to miss the silly stories we share at the beginning of every Monday Morning Meetings and pretending not to tear up when Ed makes us watch some cheesy youtube video about lions. You know… because I HATE cheesy things.
Never in my life have I been surrounded my such a diverse and supportive bunch…
In Schipul I have found my second family. It’s big and it’s weird, but it is certainly lovely. No matter where I end up, I will always be a Schipulite.
Love you all.
Maggie – you have been a huge contributor to our team and will be greatly missed! I am so proud of everything you have learned and accomplished and I have no doubt the future holds great things for you! Rock on! – Ed
Good luck Maggie! Sorry to hear you are leaving, wishing all the best for you.
I'm such a huge fan of Maggie and I know Ed and the crew are hating her leaving. She gives Fayza a run for her money in the Awesomesauce department! Best of luck to you Maggie! Expecting (and hoping) BIG things from you in the future sweetheart!
Are you implying that I was never actually doing work in your cube?! Because I was…I was working on various tasks such as quenching my Sprite thirst, giving every Schipul employee a name in the Monkey book, and receiving lessons on how to write a blog post in record time.
All jokes aside (which means I need a tissue now), I am going to miss you and your obnoxious laugh more than you know. You are the reason I am a Schipulite and I have learned so much from you. It might take me a good month to stop wandering over to your empty cube, but that will only mean you are working on the next chapter in your life and I am extremely proud of you Maggie.
Unfortunately, it looks like I can't even write a comment without rambling on like a 7 year old that is hopped up on Mountain Dew and pop rocks.
In conclusion…
I'm going to miss you lady.
I have a name in the Monkey book? What the hell is the Monkey book?
Maggie… you know how I feel about you. I am going to miss your smiling face, the laughter, the crazy IMs, the good talks. I expect great things from you. I'm proud of you for taking this journey for yourself but oh how I hate you leaving.
And CP – I have Pop Rocks in my coat pocket. And no, that is not a come on. You bring the Mountain Dew.
Much love to you Maggie – you'll do smashingly well wherever your heart lands you and it will be a beautiful thing. Best of luck lady!
Oh Mags – We will definitely miss you. All my best to you. You are one amazing woman. One word of caution: World … watch out! Maggie is headed your way and she is awesome!
You are a true Schipulite. I am proud to have worked with you. Hugs Mags. Go kicks some ass!
Remember when we first met and you thought I HATED you, and it took you a month before you found out that I just hadn't been drinking coffee? Good times.
Also: You leaving is TOTALLY WHACK. I am upset.
But I know you're going to do awesome at whatever it is you do next. Because just about everything you do is awesome.
I'm really going to miss you.
Go get em'!
Don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said.
Best of luck in all that you do!
I'm so confused. And sad. And happy.
Wow, glad I met you @SchipulCon, all the best
Maggie – I will miss hearing your voice and seeing your smile every day! I will probably just yell over the cube wall to the printer anyway. Here's to a 2010 full of adventure!
Lots and lots (and lots) of love!
Maggie – I am at a loss for words and so will borrow some from a very wise woman…
"We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." ~ Marianne Williamson
May your light shine always,
May your wings spread and never fail you,
May you heart guide you and your laughter sustain you.
Bright Blessings,
~ JJ
Maggie- it was great to work with you. You have been a tremendous resource to us at Firestorm. I wish all the best in your new adventure and a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.
Meredith
Hey Mags. Why are you doing this!? Why!? [pause] Feel guilty yet?
You're the perfect mix of smiles, awkward moments, and loud noises. I'm guessing that as long as you continue to exist on the interwebs, we might just survive. Now get outta here, you bother me kid.
I agree with the above post. Personally I cannot understand why you would not want to make an effort in this regard anyway. Only the other day, at work we had exactly the same conversation and came to a similar decision