I have lived in all corners of the United States, but have called the Northwest my home since the late 70's. I became a nurse and then later a nurse practitioner, while raising a family of four children and owning and managing a retail store with my husband, so life has always been busy at our house. Our children are grown now and my husband and I are now enjoying the arrival of grandchildren in to our lives. We have been involved with Kaiser Permanente for many years, as we chose Kaiser Permanente for our family and employees over 25 years ago, believing it offered the best and most diverse benefits for our family and work crew. A few years later I came to work for Kaiser Permanente, first as a Nurse in Infectious Diseases and the HIV clinic, and later as a Nurse Practitioner in Continuing Care in Geriatrics. I had the opportunity to go to Pakistan with Northwest Medical Teams after becoming an NP; in fact, I flew to Islamabad in the afternoon, after taking my national certification boards in the morning, and I first practiced medicine by flashlight in a tent in the foothills of the Himalayas!