I turned in my resignation yesterday. My husband did the same thing a couple of weeks ago. Farewell parties have been held, apartment lease is over, the cats are trained to go in a pet carrier. Yes, we are leaving beautiful Kansas City, and while it’s sad to say goodbye to good friends, we’re very excited because of new opportunities in Chicago where John has a new job.

For the first time in my life, I really feel like I’m leaving my home-away-from-home behind. It is a bittersweet depart; we go with boxes full of dreams to start a new life in a magnificent city, a place we both love, a place we’re familiar with, a place we have always wanted to go. John’s family is there, so that’s a big plus and probably the main reason why he accepted the offer.

These last 3 years of my life are amongst the best. Not only because I started rebuilding my life next to a wonderful man in a wonderful place, but also because of all the people I’ve met. Each one of you has enriched my life in a very special way. We’ve had our ups and downs in the land of Dorothy because that is human nature, but Kansas City will remain one of my favorite places in the world and I’m sure we’ll be back.

I can’t do the list thing like my husband did; I don’t want to experience the wrath of Meesha (hey! you’re the only one named here!) but I want to thank you all for the good times, the support, the laughs, the beers, the monthly blogger meet-ups, the tweet-ups, the opportunities to do volunteering, the good food, the company, the impromptu lunches, the Battlestar Galactica games, the many bottles of wine you’ve provided, the fun stories, the drama, the intrigue.

But most of all, I want to thank you for opening the doors of your house and your heart to us. For me, you are family, you will always be. I hope to see you in Chitown, so we can continue having fun and John and I can feed you real Colombian feed cooked by the masters.

God bless you all, I will miss you… like the deserts miss the rain. :-)