Ihave to admit, I'm really going to miss Carlton County. This is my last "Living it Up North" column - and my last week with the Pine Journal.
I've accepted a new job in Duluth, and my wife and I have recently moved to Rice Lake Township, near Duluth. So not only am I switching jobs, I'm switching areas.
When my wife and I first moved up here (how many times have I talked about this? Well, this is the last time! So there!), we had anticipated moving to either Barnum or Moose Lake and becoming country bumpkins. But as I tell everybody, we had to go where the ball bounced - and it bounced toward Duluth. It's not all bad - we live in a semi-rural area in a cozy neighborhood.
Anyway, working in Duluth and living near the Zenith City is just how things worked out and I couldn't be happier.
I feel like I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my "boss" - Wendy Johnson. I put the words "boss" in quotations because Wendy never really acted like my boss. She was always like a fun-loving favorite aunt who I got to hang out with, talk and get "free counseling" from five days a week. She never "bossed" me around, she only helped me improve my writing, my work skills...and myself. She took a big chance on hiring me - I had a lot of experience, but not a lot of newspaper experience. Because of her decision to hire me, I'm now living my dream of taking up permanent residence with my wife in northeastern Minnesota. She's a great woman who truly loves this area and what she does, and not just because she works here. She has so much of my respect and admiration, it's immeasurable.
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And not only do I consider the entire staff here at the Pine Journal my adopted family, but each and every one of them is honestly the most genuine, kind, hardworking and selfless group of people you'll ever meet. They work long hours and really put themselves out there so you, Carlton County, can have one heck of a paper week in and week out. That's a fact.
In all, I can honestly say I've never met more down-to-Earth, genuine group of people in my life than I have while working and living in Cloquet and Mahtowa the past year. Whether it's the Cloquet City Council, area coaches, law enforcement folks of Carlton County - you truly love your community. You don't put up with riff-raff and you take care of your own people. Just like a family.
A family I'll ALWAYS be a member of, no matter where I am.
