How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport? Our awesome kids are ages 8 and 6. We are just moving to the area, but I grew up and went to school in Wilton/ New Canaan/ Westport.
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project it is you might be doing? It’s probably slightly cliche, but I come from a family of physicians and people who are healers in other ways as well. Despite my various interests growing up, I think I always knew I would be on this same natural path. I moved to the DC area after residency in CT to explore a different metro area, and live near one of my brothers. After some time, I met my husband, and we started our family and have been enjoying living in Arlington, VA ever since. I’ve worked at a large organization as well as a smaller practice, and it’s been amazing to treat patients across different demographics, lifestyles and cultures. One thing that is constant, no matter where a person is from, is that people do better when they understand their condition and we plan together how best to treat it- with a huge focus on addressing root causes.
What was your best memory from 2021, a strange year we know… Funny- there is a lot of 2021 that I cannot recall.It kind of sped by! But I would say that we went on some amazing family trips locally in VA. We hiked in Shenandoah, went
rafting, explored caverns as well as our best memory of visiting Chincoteague island and its wild horses!
What are you most looking forward to the rest of this year? New area to live in, new adventures, and time with family and old friends…and definitely looking forward to meeting our community and joining peoples’ health journeys at WMWC. I wouldn’t mind a trip or two as well!
What is the best show you have recently (binge) watched? AND/OR what is the last book you read? It was some very light reading: David Sedaris ‘The Best of Me’ and I binge watched ‘Workin’ Moms’ .
What is one food you could not live without? I cannot believe this is my answer, but I think it’s… broccoli?! With cheese as a close second 🙂 For food as cuisine, it’s a tie
between Vietnamese, Italian, & Laotian!
What is your greatest fear? For most situations, it is that there is ‘something I didn’t plan for or anticipate properly’
What is your greatest indulgence? Interesting question, and for me, has answers on a few levels: Indulgence as far as a favorite thing that I try not to limit: gifting my loved
ones really nice/thoughtful things. I love It! Indulgence as far as time: Mindlessly watching old ‘Golden Girls’ or “The Office’ episodes- I wish I were kidding. Indulgence as far as self care: massages and facials whenever I remember to book them! Hopefully this will be a lot more often, with our amazing center.
Which talent would you most like to have? I do wish I could sing a lot better than I do!
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I am working on the first one, but: ‘Sorry’, ‘only boring people say they are bored’ and ‘you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a
ticket’. My father used to use that last one, and it took life to make me understand what he meant!
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I still write short stories in whatever spare time I can find! (I used to do this a lot when I was younger)
If you weren’t doing what you are today, what might your career path might have been? I really don’t imagine myself doing anything too different than being in Medicine, but if I
really had to choose– I am pretty sure I would have done something involving writing or editing, or traveling. Or maybe all three!
If you could travel to one place this next year, where would it be and why? We have been planning a trip to Sintra, Portugal since… March 2020 🙂 Haha So I’d love to see that come true, and we also had wanted to take our family to India- our kids have never been. I guess that’s two places! Over the last two years, we have kept our travel very minimal, and I would really love for our kids to explore different areas of the world with us. Both countries offer incredible parts of history, natural beauty and culture.
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If you could live somewhere other than where you do, where would it be? Probably Sevilla, Spain or maybe Canouan, St. Vincents and the Grenadines, or San Diego
If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted to do, what would it be?
1) Wake up early (in a beachside villa or a cabin in the mountains), sit with a steaming mug of coffee (maybe Nicaraguan, Araku Valley, or from Philz in San Francisco!) and curl up with an intriguing historical fiction book or immigrant story
2) Go swimming for an hour, or if on that mountain, hike to a beautiful vantage point, and take pictures to post… absolutely nowhere! 🙂
3) This may sound odd, but I’d actually enjoy getting through e-mails or some work for like 45 minutes. There is something about productivity that makes me weirdly happy.
4) Go for a long walk, maybe catch up with some long distance friends on the phone for a bit.
5) Dream of /plan our next vacation
6) Have a glass of wine in front of a fire, sit with a blanket, write a short story
7) Early bedtime!
● This could be with my family too, as isolated as I made it sound 🙂
Are you a morning person, or a night owl? How does sleep fit into your life? I’ve always been a night owl. For some reason, my creativity and energy seems to peak later in the day! So Sleep is used restoratively at the end of the day, as it may be for everyone else- but as I move on in life, I am really starting to understand the value of a good, deep nap.
What thing has surprised you most about being in the suburbs? I haven’t yet come back to live there as an adult parent,, but visiting over the last few years shows me that things are not actually as ‘quiet’ as I remember them being when growing up in Fairfield County- and I actually love this about the area now!
What is the first thing you do when you walk in the door after a long day? My boring answer post COVID and seeing patients- head straight to the shower before
coming anywhere near my family:-( My true answer- smile big because I hear pattering feet and a joyful “Mommy’s home!!”
Who is your favorite hero of fiction? I think it’s Batman, I have always been intrigued by his struggle and story. Who are your heroes in real life? Out of people I know- my parents
and my grandparents.. Knowing their ‘origin stories’ growing up and all that they have accomplished- I can’t help but admire them! Out of others: Jane Addams, Rosalind
Franklin, Indra Nooyi
QUICK THIS OR THAT:
At a movie: Candy or Popcorn? Popcorn for sure!
Cook or order in? Literally either- I can really enjoy both, depending on the day and mood.
Cake or Ice Cream? Cake- chocolate with cream cheese frosting
Iced Coffee or Hot Coffee? Hot coffee
Beach or Mountains? That’s a tough one- and a seasonally based answer for me! 🙂
Puzzle or Board Game? Puzzle
Wine or a Cocktail (if cocktail, which one?) Cocktail, and as high maintenance as this is going to sound: most anything with elderflower, and/or St. Germain and/or lime! But- you can
never go wrong with a glass of a good pinot grigio as well!
Before bed: Social media or book/TV? Definitely book or TV
Stay in or go out? Go out for sure
Comedy or Drama? Comedy