As I write this, I'm on a Southwest Airlines flight from Spokane, Wash. to Denver, Col. The mountains below me are dusted with snow - a significant change from my end destination in Katy.

Well - end destination for now. After nearly 24 years in Texas, my wife and I are moving to Washington state to be closer to my family there and in Western Montana. 

Katy has been good to me over the last four years. I've met amazing people, covered two natural disasters and seen a community rally together to support its own on countless occasions. 

If you need help in Katy, it's there for the asking. 

That community feel is what's calling me home to the Inland Northwest. Old friends and blood relatives that I treasure await.

That said, I want to thank the Katy community for accepting me as one of their own. The public information officers who have been quick to respond, the elected officials who answered challenging questions and other community leaders who have taught me a great deal during my time in Katy serving at two local publications.

It has been an absolute privilege and an honor to work with the journalists and newspaper administrators that serve the Katy area. I’ve learned what to do, what not to do and when to just sit back and shut up – well, mostly.

I encourage anyone reading this to make sure that community feel remains alive in the Katy area. Volunteer at local nonprofits, check in on your neighbors, pick up that wrapper blowing around in the parking lot and chuck it in the dumpster – whatever it takes to preserve that magic which is Katy, and Brookshire, and Pattison, and Fulshear.

This is your home where all the people you treasure are, so make it the best place it can be. Nurture those you care about and grab a drink at MKT Distillery with a friend, a bite at Snappy’s to chew on the mayor’s ear and rock out to a free concert at Central Green at LaCenterra while your kiddos play.

As for me, I’ll come back to visit when I can, but I’ll be going on new adventures at a newspaper in Moses Lake, Wash. where I’ll be covering the local government, education and crime beats.

I’ll also be making it a point to spend time with my younger sister who lives just a short drive away, my mom who lives near her and family in Trout Creek, Mont. where I grew up. I’ll also be making it a point to enjoy those things that make my hometown a community – the annual Huckleberry Festival (yes, it’s a real thing and huckleberry ice cream is DELICIOUS), bass fishing on the Clark Fork River, camping at the lake where we spread my father’s ashes and eating my favorite candy bar, the Idaho Spud – chocolate marshmallow wrapped in a dark chocolate and coconut shell. YUM!

I’ll also find new things to treasure as I explore Moses Lake, which is surprisingly similar to Katy in many ways. The school district is under the magnifying glass over choices related to a bond package, the county jail is too small to fit the need, the growth rate in the community is through the roof and homes just can’t be built quickly enough to meet demand. You know – the usual small-but-growing-town stuff.

But it’s also got a lot of places and events to explore. I hear there’s an annual downtown festival, a variety of live music options, kayaking, hiking, mom-and-pop stores and even a comic book shop (not having a comic book shop might have been a deal-breaker for me…).

I’m leaving you in good hands. The Katy Times team will continue to provide a valuable, locally-focused paper each week. Susan Rovegno, our publisher, will help with all your advertising needs. Debbie Prejean, my work sister and our bookkeeper, will make sure classified ads are taken care of and the mail gets handled. Tyler Tyre, our sports editor, will continue to keep you up-to-date with all of the exciting action at Katy High, Paetow, Cinco Ranch and the other schools in the region. Bringing it all together, Marissa Ferreira will keep pulling all the content together and working to give you a beautifully laid-out product every week.

And please welcome my replacement, George Slaughter to the Katy Times. He’ll be stepping into the role it has been my privilege to hold for the last two years. He’s a good man with integrity, heart and a deep love of history and community. I have faith in him and I know his integrity will honor Katy’s small-town feel.

Be well, and as Keanu Reeves once said, “Be excellent to each other.”