Thank you...

It's been almost 4 months since my last post and if it takes all I've got...I'm going to hit "publish post" at the end of this. I don't know how organized the thoughts will be, but they are my thoughts and they've been here.

My last post - "the halfway point" - was so freakin uplifting. It was so optimistic and positive of me. However, in retrospect...I must have been reeling from the elation of having my best friend and the love of my life home for three whole weeks (in addition to getting to see all of our family.) Because that optimism....soon took a nose dive.

The month of August sucked. Bill and I made a mutual decision that he MAY stay longer. He'd stay until August 2011. His deployment would be 18 months total. We've only been married 1 year and 1 month before he left. A mix of emotions transpired - I felt relief that I had comfort and security in searching for a job in Raleigh or DC, but after that "excitement" wore off...I took a personal nose dive. Not his fault. Not the fault of our circumstances, but the fault of ME not reaching out for external strength.

So September happened..and in September, I got the job offer I'd DREAMED of! I always pictured myself in the "corporate communications" department of a large company and well....Progress Energy certainly meets that criteria. I am so grateful for the opportunity and know that it's MY time. MY time to rock it in my career. My time also...to move us back to Raleigh, NC. Closer to family.

However, change is never easy. Opportunity never comes without cost. It breaks my heart to leave Tampa. It pains me to leave the everyday interaction of my amazing friends here.

I'm going to miss the sunshine and blue skies that are constant in Tampa. I'm going to miss eating dinner on a deck outside at anytime during the year. But those are replaceable. What I'm going to miss that isn't replaceable is my friendships with a few very good friends. Friends who know me and Bill and friends who know me in Bill's absence. Friends whom I would've hand picked - no matter the chapter of life I was in. Friends I want to keep forever. Every single one of you - I want a forever friendship. Pinky swear.

So the thank you comes in that I want to write each of you a personal note of what you mean to me as a friend. How you've made the suckier days less sucky. And the lonely weekends less lonely. How you've made the laughter that much funnier and you've made the good times that much more enjoyable. I want to thank each of you for your sincerity and friendship. And although "see you later" may seem cliche...you KNOW I'm serious and you KNOW I'll hold you to it...and do my part :)

I love you Tampa friends. I love Tampa. I love my Tampa job. And I'll love and nurture all of these relationships in NC the same way I would if I was here. I promise.