This might hurt a little...

The other night my friend Natalee told me about a girl she knew who moved every year or so due to her work.  This girl made the comment to Natalee that if it didn’t hurt when she moved that she knew she didn’t truly become a part of the community or meet an amazing people.  I completely understood this idea.  

 In the last ten years, I have lived in five different towns in three different states, with my longest “residency” being in Forest City, IA, for three years while I was going to college.  Beyond that I spent 1.5 years in Anchorage, AK; 1.5 years in Clear Lake, IA; 2 years in Mason City, IA; and 1 year in Dubuque, IA.  And now, once again, I have to say goodbye.  And it hurts. 

Recently I had to make some very hard decisions in my life and my career which resulted in stepping away from my job. Because of this, I had to make the decision to move once again, but this time to somewhere all too familiar – my hometown of Royalton, MN – and to gain two new roommates: my parents.  (We will leave more about this for another blog)

Another great ride by the Mississippi

While making these decisions was not easy, what made it even harder was the idea that I would have to leave Dubuque – a city that I have come to love in the last year.  I will admit that it wasn’t a happy harmony when I first moved to Eastern Iowa, but soon I feel into a grove that filled my soul.  I took in countless views of valleys filled with every changing colors and smells.  I enjoyed 30 days straight of biking the rolling road and drinking up views of the Mississippi from behind my handlebars.  And I met some amazing people who have truly changed my life for the better. 

A fun night at Fat Tuesdays

People who I can only hope and pray to stay in touch with and continue to be apart of their lives.  It is because of everything I have expirence – good and bad – that makes this hurt so very hard.  The thought of saying goodbye would bring me to tears and actually doing it only made more run down my face.  This is the reason this hurts so much - a aching heart is the worst pain anyone will ever feel. 

Celebrating Gayle's Birthday!

Dubuque, even though short lived, had a huge impact on my life - this is where I started to change myself.  How I have grown as a person and the changes I have made in my life and how I live it came from living there.  The awareness that I have gained on how important this one life is and to continue to fill it with so many amazing memories and people.  This is turning into another hard goodbye. 

A night out with Eric in Galena

But maybe it doesn’t have to be a FULL goodbye – maybe just a “Hey, I will see you soon.”  Because I know I will be back, maybe not as a resident, but defiantly as a visitor.  A visitor who will truly appreciate a great Bob-on-the-Rocks at Fats on a Saturday night.  A visitor who knows to not play Dubuque Euchere unless you bring your "A" game.  And finally a visitor who gets to see and catch up with the one thing that make Dubuque so very special – my friends here. 

Jodi, Jen and I

 So with that, my dearest Dubuque, thank you for the memories.  Thank you for the struggles.  Thank you for people.  Keep being the amazing town that you are and until we meet again – thanks for the ride.