you say goodbye and i say hello

Actually, I've been saying goodbye. A lot. Too much. My eyes sting. I can't take much more of this. I may even have to use eyedrops. And that will only make me cry more.

It's not that I'm not ready for this change. I am. I *soooooooo* am. But it's hard to leave. It's like shipping off to college again. I'm not really sure what to expect. Will I make new friends? Will my classmates like me? Will I fit in?

Yes, I'm aware I'm being a little dramatic. And I *know* that I'll be just fine, but it's still a bit daunting. First impressions count, but they don't count for everything.

It's a new life and I'm ready for it. But leaving behind the old life -- as much as I was ready to leave it behind -- is tough. Letting go of The Paper was easy. It was a job. But letting go of my colleagues, the (mostly) women who sustained me and nurtured me over the four years of my very first job out of college...well, that's hard.

The Anaheim team was the sorority, but the good kind of sorority. The kind that doesn't backstab and only shares the chisme (gossip en espanol) about non-sorority members. There were no formals, only pizza and wine (no beer -- we're a classy bunch) nights spent ridiculing the pathetic bride wannabes on The Bachelor. It was a special kind of bond.

We gathered tonight for one last round of pesto pizza, veggie pizza, ciders and vino at Gina's Pizza. I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but I did. I'm really going to miss them.

We all said goodbye. But I'm getting ready to say hello to the next adventure in my life. Who knows? Maybe it'll include pizza and ciders and Project Runway...A girl can dream.

Still, I'm going to miss my real Anaheim Angels.