Friday Photo #26

Another sad farewell to one of the good guys 

*Sigh*

Back in the winter when my buddy KJo (whom I still miss every day) left for warmer climates, I wrote how many people have come and gone through the station, but there have been only four whose absence I truly missed. 

Today there are five.

Sonya walked through our doors as a mere pup. She was fresh out of college. She was so young she still had baby fat for God's sake! But from the start there was something special about her. She was vibrant. She was drop-dead gorgeous. She was smart, scary SMART! She has always been a quick study, able to adapt her delivery and mannerisms to match the old pros around her while developing a style of her own. She's got it all.

I should hate her.

But that's impossible. Here's why...like my friend Beets and I, she's one of the guys. She's bawdy, belches and has a finely honed 12-year-old boy sense of humor. How could I not love her. She's one of the most down to earth people with whom I've ever had the pleasure to work. And she's just a kick to be around. Always upbeat even when situations are maddening, she can lift the mood with that big, goofy, lovable laugh of hers.

She brings a positive, youthful energy that's contagious. The newsroom is dimmer when she's on vacation. It's going to be absolutely black now that she's leaving. 

Sonya is heading South for an opportunity which should have been afforded her here...afternoon and evening anchor. I've told her before she's too good for us. Seriously. She's talented enough to be on Network. She's waaaaaay better than any of the chippies on the Early Show. It's great to see a news director finally believes she's ready to run with the big dogs. I just wish it would have been someone here at the Special K. 

Her empty cubicle, like KJo's, will be a sad, daily reminder of the two pieces of our heart lost by short-sighted thinking. But I can't help but be thrilled for her. She'll be living in a happening city, near her sister with her brand-spanking-new niece and finally in the same city as her equally drop-dead gorgeous beau. 

She has the world by the short hairs. This is her time to shine. I have no doubt she will beam brighter than the white-hot Florida summer sun. 

So here's to you, my lovely friend. It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to work with you and watch you grow professionally as well as personally. May your new life be bursting with elan, love and all the goodness you could ever imagine. You will forever hold a special spot in my heart. 

I miss you already.