Not a 'goodbye'; a 'see you later'

Just about everyone I encountered during my pregnancy with Zack told me how much my life and my priorities would change when I became a mother.

I had no idea how true that was until now.

Zachary is seven months old and changing by the day. And after all of the ups and downs -- and all of the being up about Down -- that our family has had these past few months, I stand at a crossroads, a completely different person than I was before Aug. 7, 2010.

My world is my son (and not to forget my husband, too!) now and that means I can't think about only myself and must think about my family and what's best for them.

And that thinking has led me to the decision to leave the Mirror. Friday will be my last day.

I've learned a lot since I began at the newspaper in Sept. 2007 and I've changed as a person -- mostly for the better! -- since then, thanks to the places I've been, the events I've covered and the people I've met in these last three and a half years.

While I will no longer be the Bedford County/Cove/Agriculture reporter at the Mirror, I will continue blogging here about my life as a Mom -- the best job I'll ever have.

So it's not a goodbye, really. It's just a "see you later!"

I'll be updating about our handsome little guy here, so be sure to stop by for stories and photos about introducing baby foods -- oh the mess -- and progressing in therapy -- sitting and crawling and reaching, oh my!

Thank you to everyone who has helped make my time as a Mirror reporter so memorable. And thank you to everyone who's following me in my job as a Mom.