An Ordinary Everyday Goodbye...

Have I ever mentioned how much I {ahem} *hate* change?

Probably not.
It's not really my best quality :)

I am that person that goes to a favorite restaurant and orders the same thing every. single. time.

Boring to you... comforting to me.

 I am that person that likes to be close to others... I'm a hugger; a sympathetic crier {if you cry, so will I; or I'll just start for both of us}.

And so... goodbyes are hard.
Especially this one.

I knew when I signed up to be a Paper Crafts Go-to Gal that I would be signing the contract once... although there might be a possibility of another term, Brian and I agreed that for me, it would be a two-year gig.

And so I signed the papers.
With joy.
And excitement.

And only a few days later... we got a call.
And 7 days after that, I was no longer the mom of just two little Wittys, but three.
{You can read a bit about that story right here; it happened with joy and excitement, too.}

Ha! A newborn in the house... what a way to start a new gig, right?
It has been exciting. And it has been a joy.

And soon, it'll be time to say good-bye. My two years are coming to an end and, man... I've loved it.

So much so that almost the moment I walked into CHA in January I called Brian and said... "What have I done?!" As evidenced by this picture...


Maren and I... giving in to the tears... knowing it would be our last Go-to Gal pic.

I loved being surrounded by my friends {also know as my editors}, my friends {also known as my fellow Go-to Gals}, my friends {also known as all of my industry friends}, and the living, breathing, creative-beyond-belief industry that we're a part of.

But when I left CHA... and came home to the living, breathing, creative-beyond-belief family that I'm a part of and all of the time, craziness, and time {did I mention time yet?} that 3 children who are all at home all day, every day entails... I was ok again.

I know it's the right decision for me.
For us.

I'll still be here.
Doing this.
Still contributing to Paper Crafts as often as they'll take me :)
Still working with Papertrey Ink, too.

I'll just be me... no Go-to Gal.

And things will probably {hopefully} be a little less crazy around my house.
Although that's always debatable.

For me, this has been the fulfillment of a goal... a dream.
A faraway, never-told-anyone, never-really-thought-it-could-actually-happen, dream.
{Can anyone relate?}

And I'm so thankful to have had it.
But there are other dreams out there for me :)

It doesn't escape me that this happens at a when we've been around so much loss. In the last few weeks, my closest friend lost her sister... then Luke passed away... and even as I write this I'm far away from home, sitting with my family in a hospice center, knowing that my grandmother is not far from the end of her days.

Funny how that has a way of putting everything in perspective, right?

So.
I'm looking forward to having a bit more time on my hands to hang with my kiddos in the pool.
Or at the park.
Or on our bikes.
Or car-tripping.
Or whatever.

So this is the perfect card for today...

Thanks to all of my friends at Paper Crafts... you guys are the best.
BEST.

And the other Go-to Gals... Teri, Betsy, Kim K, Maren, and Kim H {who stepped away in January, but we still think of her as one of us}... what an honor to work alongside all of you.
Thanks for being my friends.
 
And thanks to all of you... who read the magazine and join me here.

Later, friends.