Well, another semester of college completed is always another semester where I am blessed with a mild panic attack due to the terror I feel over determining the direction my life is headed. Starring out the window on the drive home (cliché, I know), I started recalling the reasons that pulled me into music in the first place. I reappeared in my room as a little 14 year-old girl, my world completely enveloped by the many facets of the “Drive-Thru” era (because we ALL know Drive-Thru has its own era). I’m not completely sure if it was Kenny Vasoli’s swooning voice and bleach blonde tips or The Early November’s acoustic EP, but I was utterly convinced that every night was another story, that I should stop expecting change because he’s just a lost cause that I’m waiting on, and that nothing that mattered more than a drive on Sunday. Snapping back to reality, I realized that it was only Saturday, that I wasn’t 14 anymore, and that I had a very important decision to make about my future.

I started in music because I loved it. I loved the notion of creating something that has the ability to evoke emotions in someone else. I get chills throughout my body when I hear a song that truly moves me. I started writing music because I had so many things in my life that I needed to get off my chest. From death in my family to happiness with my friends to crushes on boys to my own insecurities, music was and is my way of shaping, explaining, and releasing the stresses and emotions I face.

The good news is that music still holds that sanctity for me.

That bad news is that I don’t believe The Best Week Ever is the right outlet for me to do it in.

I hope that I’ve given some clarity into my musical up bringing to help explain why The Best Week Ever isn’t the best place for me anymore. I joined TBWE because Tom and James had a sound that I was really attracted to. I still love the songs we originally did and, while I do love the new songs we’ve done, they are a musical direction that I’m personally not ready to go in. I want to be as clear as possible: My decision to leave is solely based on the differences the band and I share in preference when making music. For me, there aren’t any hard feelings and there won’t be any name-calling, defaming, or bitter tongue action. I love the boys, they’re like my brothers and I hope the best for them in whatever they do. I simply believe that I have a right to be happy and I need to go wherever I’ll be able to accomplish that.

I love The Best Week Ever. I love the experiences, the memories, and every single person that has given the band a second of their life. I’m so grateful and appreciative for EVERYTHING I’ve been blessed with while in this band. Every single person I have encountered has changed my life in some way and I could not be more thankful for the support of all The Best Week Ever fans and people who became a part of one of one of the best experiences of my life. I know I owe so much to everyone involved and I wish the band and the boys the best for the future.

I am so sorry, and I truly hope that everyone who cares about, listens to, enjoys, or feels even vaguely interested in the band please continue to do so. I am only one part of a great idea and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow in my absence. The boys will continue to write and produce great songs. Whether that’s under the umbrella of TBWE or not is their prerogative, which I support however they decide.

Speaking for myself, I have no intentions of leaving music behind. Music is the lifeblood to a dream that I’ve had since I first picked up my cello. It’s something sacred and if I can guarantee anything, it is that you’ll be hearing from me again. So, before I pass out from unfortunate sleep deprivation, I just want to reiterate my point one more time:

Thanks for everything… You know how much this means.