As a very young child, I couldn’t wait to leave Fort Wayne. I had dreams of living in Boston or New York City one day, and/or traveling the world with an ice show or as a flight attendant (a path my mother abandoned in favor of marriage). We existed mainly in the ’05 (well before anyone was calling it that), venturing into downtown every Sunday to attend church at First Wayne Street UMC and driving up and down North/South Anthony to McMillen Park’s rink, where I logged many hours balancing on a knife’s edge on very bumpy ice. While training in Indianapolis at age 12, I was offered the chance to join an innovative, figure skating boarding school and my belongings were moved before the next school year began. Over the years, I’d come back for the big holidays, but that was about it. Whatever connection I would have had to my hometown, beyond my immediate family, quickly dissipated. After my figure skating retirement, I attended Ball State University and, two weeks after graduation, my boyfriend (now husband) Ryan and I packed up what little we owned and moved to Boston with no plan and barely any money. We lived there for 10 years and had an absolute blast while hitting some major milestones and learning some difficult lessons. After a challenging period that was punctuated by the arrival of our first son as well as my father’s lost battle with brain cancer, we decided a move back to the Midwest might be a good idea for a little reset. It took almost three years to find the right opportunity, but we ended up in Fort Wayne, much to my surprise and my mother’s delight.

While trying to figure out what my professional life would look like in the Fort, I sent examples of my work as a ghost writer in Boston to then Editor Connie Haas Zuber at Fort Wayne Monthly, now Fort Wayne magazine. She gave me my first crack at writing under my own byline and I’ll always be grateful. My first piece was the cover story for 2012’s December issue titled, “Making Magic,” a feature about holiday entertaining. I cried tears of joy when I saw the cover and my own name as the contributor on the masthead. Soon after, Connie gave me my own monthly column, “Spotted Around Town.” This opportunity was a dream come true, as well as a fantastic way for me to reacquaint myself with a city that felt familiar in a few small ways and yet was very different from the one I’d left all those years before. When I think of Fort Wayne in our early years here, it seems almost magical. There were so many wonderful things on the horizon – new restaurants, new boutiques, new events, an exciting focus on revitalizing downtown and a new group of Boomerangs (young-ish people who had fled Fort Wayne only to have found their way back for various reasons). I met some very lovely personal friends, friends I didn’t think I’d be able to make as a stranger in a new land in her early to mid-thirties. I also met some very creative and talented professional collaborators, who made my writing about people, places and things around town so thrilling. I’ve profiled hundreds of small businesses and personalities over these many years, and it’s been an absolute privilege. Though the name of the publication, my editors and my column titles have changed, writing for Fort Wayne magazine has been one of the greatest honors of both my professional and personal life. Falling in love with a city I once dismissed has been a very special gift (and yet another lesson), and I give credit to my relationship with the magazine for that.

As I type, I am sitting in my living room in Minneapolis, a still unfamiliar room in a still unfamiliar state. Last August, my husband accepted a promotion that would eventually require him to be in the office, rather than fully remote as he had been for quite a few years. Even though we felt we were ready for a new challenge, a new adventure, we all realized it would be hard to leave when the time came this summer. We originally thought we’d stay in Fort Wayne about 5 years, but it ended up being a shocking (but not unpleasantly so) 14. Of course, we will miss our closest friends and family, but we will also miss the daily moments and interactions that make this community feel so special, like walking into any number of businesses and being greeted by name and going anywhere and almost always knowing someone. We will miss the entire menu at Bravas, and owners Bo and Becky who maintain one of the coolest spots in the city. We will miss dropping by gallery openings and pop-ups of so many artists and makers, like Matthew Plett, Lyndy Bazile, Julie Wall and Justin Lim. We will miss shopping at The FIND, Fancy & Staple and Hopscotch House. We will miss sending our boys down to the Landing for their regular cuts with Dev at Jeffrey Benjamin Hair. We will miss the cucumbers at Wu’s (dubbed Wucumbers) and I will miss not sharing my own order. We will miss cheering for our friends at the Dragon Boat Races and Fort4Fitness, cheering for the entirety of Fort Wayne Sport Club and we will most definitely miss cheering for any and all Wayne Generals teams, but especially the boys soccer team. ¡Vamos Generales!

Our life in Fort Wayne has been rich with people, places, meals and experiences. I was able to realize my dream of both being a published writer, as well as a small business owner. I also was able to spend the last years of my mother’s life by her side. My mother was my biggest support throughout my entire life, always encouraging me to take the leap, make the move and strive for more. She gave me so much and it was my responsibility and honor to give back to her when she was most vulnerable, challenging as it was most days. It was utterly bittersweet that I said goodbye to both Fort Wayne and my mother in the same season, closing a chapter filled with peaks and valleys alike, but with beautiful memories that I’ll take with me no matter where I go.

I leave Fort Wayne this time as someone who values the beauty, fun and joy of a community that will give back what you put into it. I’m thankful I was able to have a second round with the Summit City, and I will treasure the gifts and lessons it gave me as I endeavor to create a new community for us Foxes in the North Star State. Our Minneapolis adventure will no doubt be fun and exciting, but it can’t possibly be as sweet.

Finally, my eternal thanks to everyone involved in the production of this magazine. I have never taken for granted that my words have been physically printed. On paper. In ink. Print is not for the faint of heart and I applaud those who continue to push out this beautiful, glossy city mag month after month. The team is small but mighty and surely talented and tenacious. Long live print! And please subscribe.

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