Famous last words

Saying goodbye to two amazing years of my life

by Brittany Bradford, opinion editor

 

So this is it. This will be my last article.

To be honest, I’m glad that the last articles are saved to thank all of the people who helped me along the way on this paper. I can’t think of a better way to use my last words in print than to mention all those who taught me so much.

First, to my family, thank you for always reading all my articles and supporting me the whole way through. I know you see my talent, and trust me, I will use it in my life. But it may not be in the way yall expect, but I will use it.  Thank you for believing in me as much as you have.

To the staff of fall ‘06, thank you for scaring me to death during my first class, but then taking me and teaching me layout and what the editors’ staff was all about. Ray, thanks for always making me laugh and for the ‘80’s music. Jacob, hopefully I will be able to use the “rules of engagement” some day.

Jon, no matter how different we were and how much we didn’t agree on, you still made my stomach hurt from laughing, from the Box song to your dinosaur impression. You were a great editor-in-chief, and even when it was really stressful, you always kept your cool. Oh, and Trey says hello.

Box, we missed you so much this semester. You are a really sweet guy, and thank you for protecting us in San Antonio.

Amelia, girl, you know I never meant any of those racial jokes. Thanks for taking it all with a smile, and you are one of the best writers I know. I hope I see your name in the New York Times someday.

Christoper, I will always remember you as the guy who loves Tinkerbelle. Your so hilarious and we always there to give me a big hug when I needed it. I’ll miss you so much.

Laura Norris, you’re an amazing photographer! You have been my girl from Frenship, and you have such a fun personality. I have always admired how responsible, you are but some how you still have time to be a major sweetheart.

Melissa, I know we haven’t had much time to corrupt, I mean, get to know, you. But from what I know, you are a lovely girl who will do great things.

LC  (or Elsie according to Monica Rose), at first I thought you were just a spastic girl who cried over Rascal Flats videos. But I’m really glad we were in the same room at TIPA this year, because I really got to know. You and your hilarious, fun and sweet. Even when you were all snuggled up in the very back of the bus, you were still cracking me up.

Hylann, you know and I know that we used to hate each other. But things have changed so much. You are so wild, and you taught me so much. I can’t believe that I ever hated you, because you are such a sweetie and those were some awesome wild nights we had.

Caroline, you have been a great editor-in-chief and really have kept it together. Sorry we tried to give you strawberries. From now on, every time I hear the Caroline Outkast song, I will think of you.

Alex, I never really understood what the issue was between me and you. For what it’s worth, you really taught  me about myself. You allowed me to see that there are real people out there with different views than mine. I just wish our views wouldn’t have gotten in the way of us having a friendship. I hope you figure out who you are and do awesome things, because you have the potential.

The other Britni, you are such a doll. You are a true Britni, and thanks for dealing with my wildness. You a really special girl, and I love ya for that.

And to the girl who I couldn’t have done any of this without! Miss Hilary, you have been a blast to work with, party with, laugh with, and cry with.  We had so many funny, hilarious and wild moments that there is no way that I could name them all.

You are a very beautiful girl, and I have always been jealous. Always remember that and know that only a very special and strong-hearted man deserves you. You have such a big heart, and thanks for bringing out the best in me. I hope that this isn’t the end of our friendship by any means, and I don’t think that it will be. You will have to get to know weekend Brittany, because together, who knows what we could do. I love you, and I could not have done this without you, and I wouldn’t have wanted to.

To the guy who stayed up all those nights waiting for me to call after Paper Night and who told me I should join the staff, Troy. You know how I feel about you, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. Thank you for going to see me at Homecoming and both of the Miss Caprock pageants, and for having a huge smile on your face for me each time. You are an amazing guy, and you inspired so much of my writing. I'm sure you will have a lot to do with a lot more of it.  I love you, and I always will.

Audra, thank you for always being my best friend. You are the one who gave me the courage to write what I believe, and who never doubted my intentions. I have told you before that you have saved my life on more than one account, and thank you for pushing me to be who I am today. I love you.

And last but not least, to the man who saw the potential in me from the beginning, Charlie. I find if funny that you let us call you by your first name. It just proves how much of a friend you really are to us. I know that you have seen me go from sweetheart quiet girl to my wild “Bambi side” and back again.

In the classes I had with you, you taught me so much about what it meant to be a journalist. You allowed me to take all my articles and make them my own, and it really gave me the chance to express myself. Most of the time, my papers were late because I really wanted to make sure I got the best little blue note at the bottom of my articles that I could. You are very good at what you do, and impressing you meant a lot to me.

Thanks for having fun with us and staying up till 3 a.m. in the morning on Paper Nights with us. If there was ever a time that you didn’t love your job, you are very good at hiding it. Thank you for taking me into your office that day and asking me to be on the staff, because I don’t think I would have done it otherwise, and I would have missed out on so much. You hold a special place in all our hearts, and I know that I will miss you. You are changing students’ lives every day, and I hope you never forget that.

I also want to thank our readers, because without people picking up our paper and reading it, there would not be a reason for us to create it.

Thank you, God, for leading me on this path. I don’t know where my experience here will take me, but I know that in Your will, it will all make sense with time. Thank You for placing angels around me driving home all those late nights, and thank You for giving me the words to write. Without You, I am nothing, but with You, I can do everything.

There is something to be said about a newspaper. It truly is a creation and a work of art in a sense. With the events that affect our lives on one page, the opinions of others on another, and photos that capture moments, a newspaper becomes a masterpiece. I feel so lucky that I had the chance to be just one part of that masterpiece, and to work with the people who make it possible every two weeks.

This has been two years of my life that I will never forget and will take with me always. Isn’t it funny how just one small part of your life can affect the rest forever?

It took the faith others had in me and a hope in myself to do what I did up to this point. But in the end, it was love that got us through it all.

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Cor. 13:13