Movin' On, But Not Gone

Cougar Community The Garage
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Welp, I’m not sure if this warrants its own thread or not, but thought I’d post this in the Garage section. I’m about to make a life change, and it’s hard. I know a lot of you have probably gone through similar things.

After a great 8.5 years at WCCC as the photographer / videographer / graphics designer / marketer / all-around-media-guy, and living in the wonderful state of Oregon, I’m changing gears and moving back to where I started from in CA. This may seem crazy, and it even feels that way to me, but there are several factors at play and this appears to be the right thing to do at this time. Today is actually my last day working in the office at WCCC.

It’s funny, I always assumed this would happen once I finished my Cougar project. And if you’ve been following my “Snowball” thread, you’ve seen that I’m pretty much there. So the timing seems to line up in that sense.

At first, I saw WCCC as kind of a starter job when I was fresh out of college, and I also saw it as a great opportunity to fix up my grandma’s old Cougar. But what should have taken about 3 years ended up taking about 8. During that time I gradually started to feel at home, and now leaving doesn’t sound so good. But my parents are in CA and getting old, and that’s one of the biggest reasons I’m going back. Plus, Don has even said it himself as I’ve lamented about the change, “do you really want to sit in the back room of an auto parts warehouse forever?” He gets it.

I’m not gone, though. For starters, I’ll still be doing some remote work for WCCC when I can. I’ll still run the calendar photo contest and put the 2020 calendar together. And I’m definitely not leaving the community. Now that I actually have a functional Cougar, I’ll probably show up to some local club events in CA now and then. And I’ll still be here on the forum to chime in on tech questions, and to share whatever I’m doing with my car. Hopefully, it won’t need much for a while!

So wish me luck as I start this new chapter, and as I drive a freshly restored Cougar about 1,000 miles down I5. :open_mouth: I’m going to miss a lot about the life I’ve had here, but sometimes change can be good, and I’m looking forward to the possibilities.

I’ll end this with a nostalgic pic from my first year at WCCC when this whole thing started.

andrew project (167)-1028.jpg
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Going to miss your personality on videos.

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Good luck Andrew. I’m sure Don will miss having you around. You guys have brought some personality to what might otherwise be incredibly boring.

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Best of luck Andrew. I know that moving your entire life is not an easy thing. Neither is caring for your aging parents, but you will find it very rewarding that you did so in the years to come. Nothing so important as family.

Just as you have no regrets about your move to Oregon 8 years ago, you will have none about this next chapter either. You bring a lot to the table in terms of talent/hard work/enthusiasm, and those attributes will serve you well in the next phase of your career.

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Best of luck in your future endeavors.

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Well Andrew - I do hope you won’t stay a stranger. You are about the same age as my son and he too is in the film business.

He just never caught the Mercury Cougar bug or vintage car thing…

I’ve enjoyed the few projects that we got to work on together and I am glad I got to know you a little.

I truly wish you the best of luck and I sincerely thank you for the tremendous amount of positive energy you have brought to our hobby.

  • Phillip
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It’s been that long, doesn’t seem like it.
I remember when you first joined this forum we didn’t get off on the right foot but it’s been all good since.
Good luck to you sir. :beer:

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Best of luck to you, I’ve enjoyed watching all of the WCCC videos.

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Best of luck, and I’m glad you’re going to be close to your mom and dad. They will definitely need you and or enjoy having you around as time continues to flyby.

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Best of luck.

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Transitions aren’t easy, and I wish you and WCCC all the best. I can’t imagine
Don and the crew won’t miss you. Your parents raised you right, and you
certainly honor them (The 5th Commandment) by moving close.

Where in California will you be moving? There are LOTS of Cougar folks here!

All the very best to you!

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Best of luck o you Andrew. I think WCCC is going to miss you more then you will mess it. I hope to see you on the highways. Take care.

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Best of luck to you Andrew. You are always great to deal with and always a smile on your face.

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Where in CA?!

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Good luck Andrew, and enjoy that 1,000 mile drive toward your new life in CA!

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I wish you and yours well!!! Thank you for helping me learn how to photograph cars.

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Best of luck Andrew, and if you can, keep us up to date on your trip back home.

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Good luck Andrew!

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Good luck, Andrew! I’ve been through a few major life changes and they always brought great opportunities. Here’s to new adventures!

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Good for you! It’s not easy making decisions like these but it says a lot about ones character to do what you have to do to succeed in life and be happy doing it! Family matters and being able to take care of your parents in their time of need(or future time of need) is very responsible. I’m sure they are honored to have you be able to do that for them.

Hope to see you around the forums and keeping your thread up to date. It’s helped me answer some
Of my own questions seeing how you documented your build. Hopefully you can continue to work on that calendar in future years to keep the tradition going!