From Stranger to Friend...

I will always remember my first Friday here in Richmond.  It was 19 months ago.  I walked into work and pitched a story about new driver's licenses being issued at the DMV.  

I was given the okay to work the story and was told my shooter would be Ronnie - a photographer I had never met.

We went to the DMV.  We were strangers.

Three hours later, we returned to the station.  We were friends.

Since then, we have covered A LOT together.

Ronnie did live shots in the pouring rain with me when the DC Sniper was executed.

Ronnie was by my side shooting heartbreaking video following the murder of UVA lacrosse player Yeardley Love.

Ronnie hid with his camera as we had fake panhandlers beg for money during an undercover investigation.  

Ronnie drove three hours with me at 1am to cover an event in Roanoke, stayed in a nasty hotel, then cheerfully drove back home the next morning when the story was canceled.  

Ronnie was in the operating suite as I underwent LASIK eye surgery - knowing that he had to shoot it right the first time because, with this story, there were no re-do's.

Not to brag, but this year I won some journalism awards for stories that aired last year.  

Ronnie shot every single one.

This good man has spent literally HUNDREDS of hours of his own time working on and perfecting dozens of my pieces.  

He has spent literally HUNDREDS of hours listening to me talk about work, girls, being Mormon, running, Utah, s'mores, girls, Idaho, Jamba Juice, girls...everything!  

Truth be told, Ronnie is one of the main reasons I'm dating my incredible girlfriend.  He began encouraging me in September to pursue her...and eight months later I finally listened.

Ronnie has become one of my best friends.

Tomorrow I will say goodbye to him.

He's leaving Richmond.  Monday he begins a new job at a station in Charlotte, North Carolina.  

He is so happy.  I am happy for him.  He deserves this job.  He is super talented and will one day be shooting for a major news network.

I'm grateful I'll still get to see him occasionally.  I'm grateful his beautiful girlfriend is still in Richmond.  I'm grateful he'll be visiting Utah next year for the first time ever.  I'm grateful he'll hook he up with a job at CNN when he gets the offer soon.  I'm grateful he and I will stay friends. 

Most of all, I'm grateful that when I walked into work on a Friday morning 19 months ago, I left with a new friend.