Departure-Part II

Those of you who know me well (or who have simply been paying attention) know that I haven’t been content at my job for a while. I’ve been here for over six years and have reached the point where I’m no longer challenged or fulfilled by my work.

I mean no offense to the newspaper, but I am looking down the road to my future family – and I don’t think being a crime reporter is conducive to motherhood. Heck, it hasn’t been conducive to being a good spouse — and that’s my fault.

I will look back on my time at the paper and treasure the fond memories and the amazing friendships that were built — not to mention finding my husband! I plan to stay in touch with many of the folks there, and I expect them to do the same! There were stories I wrote that changed my life and impacted this community. Not too many people have the chance to do the things this job allowed me to do.

It’s bittersweet to announce that I’ve accepted a communication position at a private Christian school in Peachtree City. It’s intimidating to embark on a new journey – I’ll be the new kid at school, yikes! – but, I know that it is time for me to fulfill my calling and serve the Lord in a more tangible way.

I'll also be working for the Life Training Institute one day a week handling various tasks pertinent to their operations. I hope to wade into the waters of marketing, fundraising and event planning.

My last day at the paper will be Friday, Sept. 9, and the first day of my new life will be Monday, Sept. 12! I will be working primarily from Peachtree City, but my home and my heart remain in Newnan.

Please pray for Jonathan and me as we begin a new chapter in our lives! Change is daunting for me, but I'm genuinely excited about these new opportunities. Specifically pray that I’ll be able to get out of bed MUCH earlier than I’m used to!

Don’t forget to follow along on this journey with me via the blog!

Change-Part I

I'm a little slow to the punch.

First, let me apologize for not being real and honest on my blog. I've had some major things to say and not the words to say it. I have also been waiting for the right time.

It takes me a while to grapple with what I'm feeling emotionally and to dig down to uncover what's at the root of those emotions.

It may not seem that a writer — someone who has ease with expression — would struggle expressing herself. But, I do.

A few years ago I was in a dead-end relationship, and my relationship with Christ — even more importantly — had grown stagnant. I thought that, just maybe, I was experiencing the best Christianity had to offer, and the best that a potential spouse could offer — but I was wrong on both counts. I was being called to obey God's will. I finally did and now I have a happy marriage to show for it. I attribute it to the sanctifying work of Christ. I needed to move past a major stumbling block. Sanctification is a ROUGH process, but there's no other way to live — or die.

Lately, though, I've found myself in the same position at work. All of these emotions have been welling up inside me — anger, depression, frustration, anxiety, etc. They've been overwhelming at times.

I rationalized it for a while by telling myself that it was just the disappointment of coming down from the greatest year of my life. Nothing could top all of the excitement of 2010 (you know, engagement, showers, home buying, wedding, honeymoon, MARRIAGE!) — well, maybe having children one day — but I've finally realized that's not the culprit here.

I had a revelation recently thanks to a good friend. My friend, Jess, casually asked me how I manage a household with a stressful, demanding, full time job? Her question made me emotional — made me want to cry. I felt like her question struck at the heart of what's been upsetting me.

My first priority is my household. I want things to be clean. I want my husband to be well fed because he works so hard to provide for us. Cooking nutritious meals is the least I can do for the man I love. I want him to come home to a stress-free wife so that our home will be a sanctuary for us both.

My job competes for my attention. It doesn't just compete, it demands that I sacrifice caring for my household and spending time with my husband. Then I get angry, frustrated, depressed, etc. And, there you have it. I have gotten to the root of the problem. It's in this vein that I realized that it's once again time for a change.

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Since the theme has been reminiscing about my job, thought I'd share some pictures (I wish this could be a photo montage set to cheesy music):

(Covering a 9/11 ceremony)

(Annoyed my photog was taking pics of me during a murder trial)

(My job has driven me to drink more than once)

(Interviewing Army dudes home on leave from Afghanistan)

(Do I need an explanation here?)

(Some Halloween fun at the office as 1950s Louis Lane)

(A very chilly Black Hawk helicopter ride)

The Biz

You all are apparently intrigued by my job at the newspaper based on the response I received to a recent FB posting. I guess it does sound glamorous, though I'm more than a little desensitized to it all. The only perks to my job include free food and admission to events.

I will say that, in my six years as a journalist, I've seen and heard some pretty crazy stuff. Things most of you probably wouldn't believe.

As I sit and reminisce about the highlights of my career, two separate cold cases that I reported on immediately come to mind: The Eagle Exhumation and the Vieng Phovixay murder trial (no, definitely not being on Oxygen's "Snapped" for the Michelle Garner Hall trial, though I'm probably going to be teased forever for that!).

WARNING: The following photos are graphic and never before published!

These photos are of a man who was murdered more than 20 years ago and then dumped in a make-shift grave in the middle of the woods less than 2 miles from where I was living when these remains were unearthed. Look closely at the picture and you'll see that the man decomposed face down with his arms over his head. You can also see that his red boxer shorts did not decompose. Authorities found multiple bullets in his grave with the aid of a metal detector.

This man was not murdered in Coweta County, however. He was murdered by his "friend" in Connecticut, and that friend drove the body all the way back to Coweta in order to bury it on family property.

Behold, the aged face of a killer:

This murderer led authorities to the area where he remembered burying his friend's body as part of a plea deal. He helped bring closure to a cold case — to a grieving family — and in return, a few years were knocked off a prison sentence he was going to serve for other crimes committed, including another murder!

In case you want to read more about this story...

But, the story that I'm proudest to have written actually was a story that won me a Georgia Associated Press award. It is the story behind the murder of Vieng Phovixay.

I can't sum it up any better than this.

There were others — the good, the bad and the ugly.

I enjoyed seeing much of Georgia from a Blackhawk helicopter. I hiked through marijuana fields once in high heels for a story and ended up with chigger bites where the sun don't shine. I once reported on a tragedy involving a bride whose 3-year-old daughter was run over and killed outside the chapel during her wedding. And I once met a family who lost two children in a traffic accident and, six months later, lost the father in a motorcycle accident.

I'm haunted by the stories I've heard in court. Stories of girls who were raped and impregnated by their fathers. A boyfriend who helplessly watched his girlfriend — the woman he planned to marry — be shot to death. I've beheld the disgrace of a senior U.S. District Court judge stripped of his Regan appointment after he did blow with an exotic dancer and threatened to shoot up her dealer.

This is a crazy world. My job has opened my eyes to that. I live differently because of my interactions with these people during profound moments in their lives. This job elicits the gamut of emotions. It's no wonder I'm tired!

Okay, when I really think about it, this has been one pretty amazing job!