Dear Friends and Family,
If you’re reading this, then you must have received our holiday postcard and want to know more about what our family has been up to this past year. We used to include short summaries in our holiday cards, but this year we decided to send postcards in order to save paper. So this blog is our way to fill you in about what we were up to in 2021 while being more environmentally more mindful.
The year kicked off at our newly acquired vacation rental, which has been such a gift during the pandemic. You would not believe how lucky we were that this find landed in our laps! We closed on it the day before Thanksgiving last year, and have been able to visit it every month since. Nested among trees at the foot of Mt. Hood and a short walk from a salmon restoration habitat along the Sandy River, our getaway home is a place where we can escape the business of everyday life, though it is only an hour away from Portland.
Josie started their senior year of high school this fall. After a year of remote learning, Jo had mixed feelings about attending school in person, but has made the most of it. They are still enjoying Jazz Ensemble, which is a nice balance to the rigors of the International Baccalaureate program, for which Josie is a candidate for the full IB diploma. Over the summer, Josie was working for a local chain of car tire retailers, but later started working at Rose City Coffee Company doing various miscellaneous jobs.
Having spent the first half of the year working prep for Seasweets Poke, Gabe began his training to be a paramedic through Auckland University of Technology‘s Bachelor’s of Health Sciences program. Unfortunately, New Zealand is not open to foreign students, so he is completing his courses online. Knowing how to make lemonade out of lemons, Gabe moved to western Massachusetts with his girlfriend Anna. When he is not in school, he is working as a line cook at Fitzwilly’s a Northampton establishment.
Sharon continues to practice emotionally focused therapy for couples, though as a certified supervisor and trainer, most of her work is actually comprised of supervising EFT therapist or providing training opportunities. The Portland Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy has grown from a one-woman show to a community of therapists dedicated to providing excellence in EFT in Portland. Sharon’s professional highlights of the past year have been focused on interrogating and dismantling oppressive practices that have been embedded in psychotherapy. Sharon has been working from home ever since the start of the pandemic. In August, she finally gave up her office in SW Portland, her professional home for 12 years.
After 15 years as a laboratory animal veterinarian at Oregon Health & Science University, Tom made a major career move in July and joined Cayuse LLC, a Portland-based software company that develops research administration software solutions. As Director of Customer Delivery at Cayuse, Tom is overall responsible for the success of Professional Services Consultants, who work to configure and implement the software applications. While a rather big departure from veterinary medicine, Tom’s has been able to leverage his management, analytic, and strategic planning skills in this position.
Chatkupt Lee Family 