Hi Family and Friends! It has been a while!

Quick Highlights from the Past Couple of Years

• Now in Portland, OR!
• Work, Work Work
• It has been fun having friends in the area to explore the PNW
• I went on a bucket list vacation w/friends and family this year!
• Memorable Birthday

This is my first end-of-the-year letter in the last few years because of my work schedule, and there wasn’t much going on because of the pandemic.

For the two people who don’t know, I now live in Portland Oregon! I moved here for a less demanding position, as everything was pausing during the pandemic. So far, I love it here!

So, what has been happening?

Professionally

Was I redecorating, learning a new hobby, or baking sourdough bread during the pandemic…not at all! Instead, I found myself working 12-16 hours a day on a project that may change the way we address research and major healthcare challenges in the future. The silver lining of all of this was seeing doctors, nurses, programmers, researchers, and industry leaders work together to address COVID questions.

It was moving to witness this unprecedented teamwork centralizing medical record data from more than 230 urban and rural hospitals across the country, creating one of the largest public COVID medical record resource in the nation (The US is behind other countries with this type of resource). This medical data resource impacted clinical guidelines and health policies, and the White House from both administrations came to us for information.

National COVID Cohort Collaborative

Exploring

Most of you know I love exploring. The Pacific Northwest has the most beautiful coastline and stunning waterfalls, and there are still a few old-growth trees that haven’t been cut down. There are impressive views of volcanoes, massive rivers, and crystal-clear lakes. I thought disease was taking out the trees because many of the mountains look like a case of alopecia due to aggressive logging. Portland loves a parade! They take parades seriously, with floats, marching bands, and the dancing Alaskan airlines staff.

And for all of the foodies, this is the place of locally created farm-to-table restaurants, food trucks, the birth of craft beers, award winning wines, pizzas, and pastries…yum!

Friends/Family/Events

One of my good friends, Stacy, moved out to the PNW for her job which helped make the pandemic bearable. We had a great time attending the Seattle Storms and Seahawk games, visiting flower farms and gardens, and hiking the waterfalls and antique shops. I am so jealous of her living room view of the Seattle sunset over the bay!

After two years of not celebrating my birthday, my S.O. surprised me with a concert in Las Vegas. I couldn’t believe I was seeing Bruno Mars on stage…on my birthday! The concert and the entire trip he arranged were awesome! I am grateful for the wonderful people in my life

This summer we decided to take a quick trip to the US Open. It was so much fun spending the entire day watching tennis and enjoying the events. I think we went to every court this time. My brother and I took advantage of being in the area and visited family we haven’t seen in several years.

It was nice visiting my family in Arkansas this year. I miss them!

Vacation – Yellowstone!

Instead of the annual beach trip this year, we decided to go to Wyoming and Montana for a friends and family once-in-a-lifetime vacation to experience natural beauty in our national parks right here at home! Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the trip would take place. Before our scheduled departure, Yellowstone park closed due to historic flooding, the Jackson Hole airport was closed due to repairs, and the Going-to-the-Sun road was closed due to a huge summer snowstorm. Thank goodness, the lodges and some roads opened the week before we arrived…Whew!

Glacier, Tetons, Yellowstone

Glacier’s majestic peaks and the Grand Tetons glacier lakes were beautiful, but now I know why Yellowstone is so popular. It had mountains, rushing rivers, waterfalls, buffaloes, grizzlies, mud pots, springs, geysers, and so much more! Kate, Sam, Ben and Gabriel has a wonderful time. I highly recommend taking the family to our nation’s national parks to experience natural beauty! Thanks to Annette for making sure we took the trip this year 🙂

The last couple of years was unexpected and challenging for all of us, but as I was masked up I was able to sneak some enjoyment in the simple things. Helping friends move cross country, going to Tahoe for skiing and summer R&R, and attending weddings were just a few of the other things I experienced. Next year, I hope to work less and to see more of my friends and family 🙂 I hope all is well with you!

Have a Wonderful 2023!

Luv Ya, Anita

Quick Peek of My Other Activities