Julie Miller says goodbye to Auburn Journal - for now

So this is it. For me, anyway. I thought I knew Auburn, having grown up in the foothills' sister city of Grass Valley. But it wasn't until I stepped into the role as design and content manager did I really get to know A-town. Working side by side with Gus Thomson was a huge education, bigger than I expected. But talking with readers, getting emails, handwritten letters and telling the stories of Auburn made it all real. I know that the people of Auburn are very passionate about their town. You really care. Just ask Susan Rushton. For me, on the other hand, I say good-bye. To sound like a cliché, I'm starting a new chapter in my life. I will be trying something completely different: government work. I have been working at newspapers for 22 years. I started building classified pages, when the sections were 16 to 20 pages. I then moved into ad design. In 2006, former Journal Editor Deric Rothe gave me a chance and hired me as a copy editor. He must have seen something in me because before I knew it, I was writing stories and columns and taking photos. Not very good, I might add, but I was doing it. I think he mentioned to me he wanted to make me to features editor one day. Shortly thereafter, to Rothe's surprise, I went to work at another newspaper. But eight years later, I came back to the Journal. In my current role, I would often think, how did I get here? In name: design and content manager; in duties: Auburn Journal editor. I always tried to play it down, because it's an important job to report on and represent this city that all of you are so proud of. After all, who am I? There are some great people who work here and who used to work here. I've been running into former employees all week and receiving emails. Former Colfax Record and Loomis News editors, as well as Journal reporters and IT personnel — it's been very special to reconnect. And the current, talented Journal employees care about Auburn and the newspaper as much as you do. The Journal has been going for 148 years and it will continue on because the people behind it and in front of it all have heart. So to you readers, please give the next editor the same amount of commendation and/or criticism as you gave me. It only makes your paper better and it lets us know you still care and are still reading. And who knows? I might come back. I did it before.