This is my edit of the best of 2013 at the Ames Tribune. So many more I wanted to include, but as with any edit, you must kill your babies? Something like that.

As of December 27, I no longer work directly for the Tribune. After a few abrupt changes to my plans, I found my best option was to do what I wanted to do since...forever I guess. Freelance. Scary and filled with anxiety and stress? Not so far. A certain level of calm has washed over me and I've been feeling better than I have in A long time since breaking the full-time flight pattern. Things are more "up in the air", but I have been getting a great response from my connections in Iowa and other places which is making me think I can really pull this off.

What it really takes is patience. (which I don't have a lot of). Landing clients that think enough of you to pay what your worth is hard. But I figure it's a numbers game. Lucky for me, I have had a line of jobs here in Iowa that have pushed my portfolio to look  how I always imagined it to be.

I would never be in a position to strike out on my own without the support of my family, friends, girlfriend Sarah, and the staff at Times Citizen Communications in Iowa Falls and everyone at the Ames Tribune. So thank you and have a happy New Years!