I believe Trooper said it best: " here for a good time, not a long time." I never thought I would live my life according to the words of four grown men with hair longer than mine, but life is a strange beast.
This will be my last column, a goodbye column if you wish.
I will be leaving the Sunshine Coast to find adventure on another sunny coastline, the tropical beaches of Indonesia, and the rustic outback of Australia.
It is with deep regret that I leave Coast Reporter; however, I was presented with an opportunity that one without a husband or kids could not pass up.
It has been my dream, since first witnessing a dead fish in the unforgiving grip of a plastic can holder, that I would help contribute to the environmental protection of this great planet - and there is no other organization that does it better than Greenpeace. I will be spending my time photographing some of their many demonstrations.
I look around this office and see, in most cases, a decade of loyalty, fresh faces and experienced journalists. I really toiled with the conflict should I stay or should I go?
Staying here would and certainly has increased my journalistic ability and community involvement, which is what I want for the future. So if I have it now, why leave?
I suppose there isn't an answer, just the overwhelming vivid imagination of a 25-year-old photojournalist. Seeing the world through the lens has got to be as good as it sounds. While it wasn't easy having to tell our fearless leader that the employee he just spent training for the past three months has decided to move on, family was even more difficult.
"You're going WHERE?" I believe were the exact words my mother used -understandably, of course -followed very closely by, "BY YOURSELF?"
After many hours of trying to convince her that I hadn't lost my mind, she began to see that she couldn't really oppose the idea too much.
You see, my mother moved to Canada from Wales when she was younger than I am, fell in love with a Canadian man, and well, here I am.
However, she did admit, under the influence of vino, that her fears were for more selfish reasons. As noted above, she left Wales and never went back. Fears of having grandkids in a different country might have triggered the opening of the second bottle of wine.
It's hard to tell.
All joking aside, there are people to thank, mainly Ian and Christine. Without their infinite wisdom and knowledge, it's scary to think where I would be.
Thanks to the entire Coast Reporter family for helping me get settled on the Coast, politely correcting my mistakes and generally making me feel welcome.
And regional district directors and Gibsons councillors whom I've had the pleasure of listening to three times a week -my hat goes off to you.
What the future holds for me is up in the air, but one thing is for certain: I look forward to seeing where the Sunshine Coast will be in a few years.
And I will come back - perhaps with 10 Australian-born kids in tow.
