Sometimes it’s just time to say goodbye. For me, that moment is now, as my Southeast King County odometer has runneth over.

My last day with Covington-Maple Valley-Black Diamond Reporter is Feb. 9. I will be continuing my journalism career closer to my apartment in Capitol Hill at a variety of community newspapers in Seattle.

My one-year stint with Sound Publishing felt like a long ride — in a good way. I learned a ton. And I’m not just talking about in relation to the communities of Covington, Maple Valley and Black Diamond.

There were hundreds of hours of podcasts on my 1.5 hours of daily commuting — being pulled into the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee on Serial, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel to the storytelling beats of Snap Judgment, blasting through episodes of Radiolab and turning my mind off with the pop cultured sportsmen at Grantland.

Then came encyclopedias of oddball knowledge from my co-workers. I learned more about the history of religion, horse racing, the film industry (Dennis), Disney (Kathy) and the benefits of veganism (Rebecca) than I’d ever imagined.

But yeah, there was also all the writing, which hopefully you enjoyed.

I biked with a pair of unapologetically optimistic Mormons, vented about an infuriating traffic ticket and spread the facts behind a pair of mayor scandals. I also bought an engagement ring and proposed days prior to my fiancee deploying to Africa.

I grew both personally and professionally with this job and I’d like to thank you, the readers, for inspiring me do what I love: tell people’s stories. It’s an opportunity I don’t take for granted.

This isn’t my first newspaper goodbye and hopefully won’t be my last, either. Perhaps we’ll meet again during a catastrophe or major event. If we do, I’ll keep passing along what I’ve learned.

Until then, stay tuned for the next episode.