It's been more fun than you can imagine

I've enjoyed this job so much that I've sometimes been afraid someone would pinch me and wake me up from this wonderful dream.

And now that I've received that wake-up call, I've found it's every bit as difficult to leave this job as I imagined. I'm not planning on leaving the valley, so the prospect of not living, eating and breathing the newspaper every day of the week is still a foreign concept to me.

Even more difficult is the notion of leaving such a hardworking, compassionate group of professionals. I've enjoyed being a part of a dedicated team at the Lake County Leader, including everyone from the newsroom to advertising, and from graphic production to customer service representatives. What wonderful partners they've been in this adventure we call a newspaper.

When you work with folks so closely over such long hours, your lives inevitably intertwine. And pulling out your thread isn't an easy task.

I've particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work with a small group of dedicated journalists who are committed to community journalism. Paul Fugleberg, Linda Sappington, Summer Beeks and Maggie Plummer have been a never-ending source of inspiration for me - you simply won't find a more dedicated, caring and compassionate group of journalists.

They've made my job so very pleasurable and inspired me to continuously improve as a journalist and an editor. I've tried my best to deserve all of the support they've given me, and the trust they've placed in me. Though an editor must be a leader, our newsroom has been more of a collaboration of passionate professionals whose dedication goes far beyond their meager paychecks. This has been a partnership, among fellow professionals at the Leader and with the communities we serve.

These partners of mine in the newsroom are more than good storytellers and good photographers. They are good people, with hearts as big as this great state of Montana and the integrity to match the very best of all we have to offer.

Being able to cover the events and lives of the Mission Valley has been a continuous string of enjoyment for me. I can't adequately explain how truly privileged I feel for the opportunity to paint reflections of our community onto newsprint, with both photographs and words.

And I've enjoyed enabling the partnerships that ultimately make a newspaper successful. There is a mutual need between newspapers, their readers, and the businesses or individuals who advertise in them. Partnerships with readers and businesses drive both the editorial and economic engines of a newspaper in complete synergy.

Readers demand editorial quality and breadth of coverage, while businesses demand readership to justify the expense of their investment in advertising. Providing opportunity for both reader satisfaction and business advertising is the foundation of a successful newspaper. I've taken pride in how our team has built on those core values and nurtured relationships that helped us all succeed.

Thank you, Mission Valley, for opening your doors to me and allowing me to share your lives with your neighbors. I hope I've been able to deserve that trust with stories that reflect the honesty, integrity and professionalism you, as readers, businesses and neighbors, so richly deserve.