Response to Changes
I received the following note on MySpace, and because she brings up some excellent concerns, I thought I would clarify what role my future husband did play in my decision to move. Posted below is her comment and a version of my reply to it.

Even though everyone is saying to you that they understand and that they hope you have a wonderful etc, I am sitting here wondering why you would give up your biggest dreams and live with a guy, away from everything that you once loved. I don't know you, and I don't know anything about this guy or your old home, but it pains me to think that one of the best comic chicks around is getting pushed over by some guy. It is not a good influence to show your fans that a girl can be easily woo-ed by a man and give up her dreams in the midst of it. A lot of girls do this to themselves, I didn't think you would be one of them to give up everything. I don't understand why you would do this and possibly won't ever.

It was great to hear from such a sensible a young woman. I understand her concern completely, and she's absolutely right. A girl should never abandon all that is important to her for a man! But I made my decision to get a day job long before he proposed, and let me assure you that I carefully weighed my decisions before deciding to move. I can only go so far in Roanoke. I could have requested that my fiance move up here, he was willing, but then I realized that I (and he) have a better chance of advancement and success in the urban area that is Raleigh. There are better colleges for furthering my education, better jobs and opportunities, more creative people to interact with, and a bigger comicking community. That's to say nothing of its proximity to some of the best facilities to work on my jaw. I had always planned to move camp, but I did not expect to move it so soon or southward. Life change is always bittersweet, and I am sure this is not my last move.

Also, the sooner I know where I will be for two years, the sooner I can start fixing my jaw, which is of prominent importance to me right now and the reason for my seeking a non-comics job. So all the more reason to move as soon as a decision has been reached. (Plus, I need a job to keep living, and I can't take the job up here and leave after only a few months. That's bad form.)

As you can see, my decision to move has more to do with business sense than my deferring to my significant other. As I have made sacrifices to move down there, so too is he making sacrifices. (I negotiated with him for hours before accepting his proposal. There will be sacrifices, but not of the virginal kind, thankfully!)

But I completely agree. A girl should never give up her dreams for a guy. Keep your priorities straight. Don't be afraid to set your foot down, to negotiate, to have demands or principles. They are worth fighting for.

It feels like I'm losing a dream, but as so many other readers have already posted, I'm not losing a dream. I'm leaving a job. As long as I keep making comics, even if it is in my spare time, the dream lives.