I’ve never been good with goodbyes. I don’t think I ever will be. Whether it is a “see you tomorrow” or “see you next year,” I hate the finality – no matter how brief – of a goodbye.

That is why, as I leave the Daily Press to pursue an opportunity with a newspaper in Fargo, North Dakota, I want to say: Thank you and, until we meet again, it has been a pleasure.

There are so many people to thank, and it would probably be impossible to name them all by name without leaving someone out.

To all of our local schools – Bark River-Harris, Bay College, Carney-Nadeau, Escanaba, Gladstone, Hannahville, Manistique, Mid Peninsula, North Central, Rapid River, Superior Central as well as other Upper Peninsula schools we see throughout the seasons – all of the athletic directors, coaches and students, thank you. You have all been great to work with, and I hope I was able to capture the exciting moments of games, your incredible accomplishments – like breaking 1,000 points in basketball, no-hitters in baseball and softball, college signings, district, regional and state championships and every record broken or incredible feat in between – and help shine a spotlight on you and your achievements.

To all of our readers and fans of the aforementioned schools, thank you. Without you, there wouldn’t be anyone to read our work and support what we do. It was always fun to chat with fans of all of our teams before games, at halftime and after the final buzzer.

To everyone at the Daily Press, and other area papers we frequently work with, thank you. I have learned so much about work and life from all of you and will carry those lessons with me wherever life may take me.

There are two specific people I need to thank, however. Julie Moker and Brian Robinette.

Ms. Moker was my third-grade teacher at Webster Elementary and instilled in me a love for writing and storytelling and helped me memorize the multiplication times tables through 12!

Mr. Robinette was my English teacher in eighth grade and, in addition to igniting my love for the television series the X-Files, kept that storytelling fire alive as we read stories like Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” and wrote our own creative short stories.

I hope every kid has a teacher like one of those two at some point in their schooling to help instill a passion of some kind in them.

Of course, it would be remiss of me to not also mention my family. To my mother Debra (Boudreau) Rose and aunts Lori Rose and Karen (Rose) Wils, who have all written for the Press, I can only hope my stories here and in the future have and will make you proud.

I know I am proud to carry on the family tradition of telling stories.

Since covering my first games in October and November of 2020, I have had the privilege of capturing just some of the many incredible moments and memories made by our local athletes. From the high school gyms to the golf course at Sweetgrass, from the chilled gridirons of fall to the hot asphalt and dust of racetracks in the summer, it has all been a wonderful experience.

I know that there are exciting things waiting for me out west in Fargo but leave the Daily Press with a bittersweet feeling in my heart.

On one hand, I am happy and anxious to take the next step in my career and life.

On the other, I’m sad that I am leaving everyone in the U.P. that I have come to know in my time at the Press and, moreover, my 26 years of living here.

But, my time to take the next step in life has come, and I take it knowing that I am prepared because of all of you and your support. I wouldn’t be here without it.

When I graduated from Northern Michigan University in December of 2019, the last line from a song by the Tragically Hip – one of my favorite bands – came to mind and it does again now.

As the late Gord Downie sang, “I got to go. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

It truly has. Thank you.