Oregon adVANture on gratitude week

11/25/2020

It's easy to look back at 2020 and remember all of the terrible things that happened. After all, this is the year that Kobe, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Chadwick Boseman, RBG, and 1.42 million (and counting) covid-infected patients died, Biden & Kamala narrowingly won the election, and fires ravaged through Washington and Oregon. In some ways, 2020 feels like the fastest yet shortest year -- the year where days quickly blended into dark months (literally) and in a blink of an eye, it's the holiday season.

Despite all of the losses of 2020, there was a lot to gain as well. Career-wise, I got a new gig at Dropbox where I get to work with brilliant folks on challenging projects. Health-wise, my skin has improved and my back hurts less. Relationship-wise, I've deepened meaningful connections. And with quarantine, I've had the chance to see sooooo much of Washington's beauty.

This Thanksgiving week, I had the week off and another chance to explore locally. What started out as an idea to drive my personal car turned into renting a 19 ft campervan to road trip down to Portland and up the coast of Oregon with Ellen and Courtney. We slept, ate, and drove in this van; which limited our interactions with outsiders. It was good food, company, and sights the entire way. I'm forever grateful for their friendship and willingness to take a covid test without judgement. Scroll below for pics and our route.