Thursday evening, or should I say Friday morning, I joined a line of thousands to see the Harry Potter finale in its first showing at midnight.

Part of the reason I was so willing to go (and not get home until around 4:30) was the fact that the movie itself represented a close in a chapter of my life.

I am a child of the Harry Potter age and to see it close was to see the chapter that is known as my childhood completely fade and shut.

It’s funny then, that the next chapter of my life’s story should close so quickly after.

This Thursday will be my last with the Times-Journal.

After 19 months, three championships and countless other stories, I will leave to return to school for my master’s degree.

I have a lot to thank Selma for, and even a lot more people in Selma to thank for making my time here as nice as it was.

Obviously I’m grateful to the people in my office for not only giving me the chance to start my career, but to be so nice while I was here.

I learned under some great people like Leesha Faulkner and, in more recent months, Tim Reeves and Rick Couch. I have grown as a reporter and a photographer with their help.

I’ve also got to experience some pretty cool things while here.

The birth of six babies to one family is a more recent foray, but in my early months I was invited to the Selma Fire Department were they let me get fully dressed and run some of the same drills they run.

It was probably one of the more fun experiences in my life, and I guess I didn’t make a fool of myself in the process.

Selma was my first stop in adulthood, but it’s not my last. So so long, but not goodbye: we’ll see each other again.