My Scapegoat Is Gone

This is Cheeky. I blame this woman for everything, but lovingly so, and she knows it. Since she's the one who emailed me the job posting that ultimately moved me across the country to start a whole new life, it's all her fault. We first met online, as part of a Utah-based online theatre community and message boards, and probably knew each other for several months before meeting in person. It was a week or two after I'd come home from a study abroad in London, and our theatre community had organized our monthly lunch. I was working at the BYU library at the time, and didn't have a car. Cheeky came to my rescue and arranged to pick me up outside the Wilkinson Center. We hit it off immediately. This was July 2004.

In July 2005, Cheeky moved out to Maryland, found a job, and we kept in touch. She loved living in DC, and it became her mission to convert others to the East Coast.

In July 2006, I followed her out here. It ultimately was the job I moved for, as I probably wouldn't have just up and crossed the country without it. I'm so happy that I did. We probably only got to see each other once or twice a month, but I knew that I had at least one friend on the East Coast when I was missing everyone back home. We even road-tripped together to NYC in December, which is when this picture was taken.

In July 2007, Cheeky will be marrying Magic, the young man in the aforementioned picture. I'm so happy for them, even if it means they'll be living in Texas while he attends law school. She loaded up and left yesterday, and was in Knoxville by the time I called to see how that was going. (Thanks Pezao for helping her! That really meant a lot.)

Cheeky - I love you! Thank you for everything! Hopefully I'll get to come visit you soon - July 2008, do you think?