Editorial: Bring on the new year!

First of all, I’d like to apologize for how sparse this issue might seem. Christmas fell on a really bad day—a Tuesday—for our newspaper this year, the day where I usually sit down and spend most of the day putting the newspaper together on InDesign.

I was back home in Goldendale from Dec. 22 through Christmas, and arrived back in Ritzville very early Wednesday (Dec. 26) morning. So the paper you are reading now was mostly put together on Dec. 20 and 21, believe it or not.

Second, I figured that it might be appropriate for another editorial to reflect personally on 2018 and look ahead a little bit to 2019. I hope everyone enjoyed Christmas and the holidays with their family, and no matter how good or bad 2018 might have been to you, here’s to hoping that 2019 treats you better.

For me, 2018 was a year that saw a lot of milestones and a lot of change in my life. I graduated from Eastern Washington University in June, with a degree in journalism and minors in history and political science.

Admittedly, I miss life as a college student, mostly for how it forced me to have a structured schedule in my life. I had classes to attend on certain days at certain times for 12-week stretches every quarter. I had a job that required me to be in the office at certain times every week for 30 issues. There were constants in my schedule, and it didn’t allow me to veer off course like the “real world” might.

In October, I was hired to be the managing editor of the Ritzville Journal. This is my first job in my related field since graduating from college, and the experience has been incredible thus far. Each week I find myself growing more accustomed to the area, learning new things and meeting more people, forging relationships with members of the community.

I was finally able to move to town at the beginning of December, right before the weather turned on us. I’m thankful for that, and thankful of no longer having a 45-minute commute each way. The extra hour of sleep each day isn’t too bad either, I must say.

As I look ahead to 2019, I’m feeling optimistic. Another chapter of my life continues, and I’m excited to be sharing it with all of you. I’m curious to see what comes next for this community, and I too now share a vested interest in its well-being like the rest of you.

Here’s to good times in 2019. And here’s to rough times as well, to help make the good times feel even sweeter.

What’s next?