I have never been a huge fan of writing personal columns, but I have to step out of my comfort zone a bit this week to announce that my last day as the editor of the Eagle Bulletin will be Aug. 29, as I’ll be moving to Princeton, New Jersey the next day.

I’ve accepted a job at Princeton Alumni Weekly Magazine, where I’ll be the “On the Campus” section news writer, and will be responsible for interviewing students, faculty and administrators about current events happening on Princeton University’s campus.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m incredibly excited to begin this new chapter of my life, to live in a new state and meet new people, but it’s a bittersweet situation. I will miss this community – where I have lived for 15 years – very much, and the people who live here even more.

I’ll miss running into you all at the library or the gym. I’ll miss going into the schools to report on the amazing things that your kids are doing. I’ll miss catching up with you all at community events and hearing the latest about your families and jobs. Some of the politicians may be skeptical about this one, but yes, I’ll even miss covering your meetings and getting to know the people that make each community here unique and great.

It’s true that I grew up here, but over the last couple years, I have come to love and appreciate this community in a way I didn’t think was possible before I got this job.

I have been on the other side of the counter at Sno Top, nearly had the pants scared off of me at DeWitt’s Howling Hayride and even got to walk across “water” at the Fayetteville Library this summer. As the Eagle Bulletin editor, I’ve been able to see and do things I never would have done otherwise – and I know I’ll remember some of those things forever.

And to me, the fact that you all have welcomed me into your communities as not just a reporter, but, in many instances, a friend, tells me that I have succeeded in what I set out to do when I started a year and a half ago – to not just cover what’s going on in the community as an outsider, but to become involved in each community, get to know the residents and to understand what makes each one so special. And I want to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to do that.

By the time most of you read this, I’ll be down to my final days as the editor. If you’d like to contact me, I can be reached at [email protected] and I’ll do my best to respond through my personal email account.

And hey, who knows? Maybe I’ll be back one day to settle down and start a family of my own! At this point, the possibilities are endless.