It’s not a goodbye, just a see you later.

I’ve been preparing for this column for nearly four years, and I still don’t think I’m fully ready. 

But this is it. My last edition as a full-time employee of The Sealy News. 1,360 days after my start date, July 31, 2018, and 193 editions later, my chapter in Sealy has come to a close.

I’m proud to announce my work here has afforded me the opportunity to take a sports editor role for a group that manages four community newspapers on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

I always knew this was going to be a temporary spot, I promised Karen Lopez two years of the most learning I could do and ended up almost doubling that and it was because of the support of the community.

Austin County welcomed me and embraced me from the start and it certainly felt like another home to me. I’ve been saying the friendly faces and warm camaraderie are a big reason why I didn’t feel as homesick moving from Massachusetts and I truly mean it when I say I can’t thank y’all enough for all of the support.

As I have written in these spaces before, when leaving the office in the pitch-black after a long day in the office followed by a night of sports, I’ll sometimes wonder if anyone really cares about the work I’m doing. If everyone understands the struggles and comprehends just how much time I spend representing The Sealy News and putting together newspapers.

The overwhelming support – and sadness to see me go – once again disproves my theory.

I never wanted a farewell tour; I didn’t want the lights and the pageantry and the hoopla. I certainly did want to take the time to have some meaningful conversations and express my appreciation to people who helped me achieve the goals I set out to knockdown. I know I was able to do that with a lot of people but I’m sure I missed some more so that’s why I’m saying it’s not a goodbye, it’s just a see you later.

With social media it’s almost hard not to stay in touch and I’ve made so many great friends and connections that I know I’ll forever be seeing those people in my feeds.

And on social media, and in person, I’ve had so many parents and coaches and readers come up to me telling me how excited they are for me to move onward and upward but how sad they are to see me leave this wonderful community.

When I was getting ready to leave, I was struggling with my legacy and what I would be leaving behind here for people t remember me by. I never set ou to be the greatest of all time or win a certain number of awards I just wanted to entrench myself into the community and tell some great stories and make an impact on the people I came across. I’d like to think I did that for the most part.

I just feel so blessed to have found a place that makes it so hard to leave. So honored to have earned recognition for The Sealy News. So fortunate to have met such great people and made such great memories that I will cherish forever.

If I wanted to thank everyone for their impact on me, I would take up all 12 of this week’s pages so I will leave it at a simple “thank y’all,” and encourage people to continue buying copies of The Sealy News and to support your favorite local news organization.

When I arrived at the “old” Sealy News office on Schmidt Road, there was a contingency of strong women and I’m honored to say I’m leaving the office in the same condition. With Karen – who blazed the initial path – as our now executive publisher, Amy Lieb has become our everyday leading lady and established the high expectations we strive for.

Amanda Luksha has taken advertising to new heights and will continue to be the person to talk to for all of your sponsorship needs and I can already tell that Rae Drady, in just her third week on the job here, is going to do great government reporting and community storytelling all over Austin County.

It was never going to be a good time to go, the longer I stayed the more memories I made and people I connected with in the area. I’m blessed to have something I’ll miss so much.

It’s not a goodbye, just a see you later.