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She believes family is another important pillar of a happy life. She advises to spend as much time as possible with your family members and not to take family for granted, as you can lose them without warning.

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Her with my sister and I in 2009

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The Fish Queens (as referenced in the Week 3 Greeting Card assignment) at the parade in 2011

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Her best friends- The Divas

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A photo of us many years ago

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She believes one of the most important things in life is finding a good group of friends. For her, this is "The Divas." They have been friends for many decades- supporting each other through illnesses, relationships, grief, and more. They always make time for each other, and would do whatever any one of them asks. Having strong platonic relationships will get you through any hardships.

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A song she likes to listen to while watching the sunsets.

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A classic Jimmy Buffett song that she enjoys.

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One massive change she has noticed in her lifetime is women in the workplace. She says "I can only recall one mom when I was growing up who worked in an office downtown in Grand Rapids." When she was a child, women did not really work. When she grew up, she worked and raised her kids which was very different from the culture she grew up with.

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The COVID-19 pandemic was another impactful event. She recalls the hysteria leading to the toilet paper shortages, and how she had never experienced something like this. As COVID was especially dangerous to older adults, she recalls feeling very scared and uncertain when the true shutdowns first began.

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January: A scientist in China confirms that a mysterious new pneumonia-like illness identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, can be transmitted from human to human. Two days later, China puts Wuhan under strict lockdown. Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, the U.S. sees its first case of the disease, later named COVID-19. The patient is a resident of Washington state who had traveled to Wuhan. The Trump Administration declares a public health emergency.

February: Cases of COVID-19 begin to multiply around the world. Countries are restricting travel to contain the virus.

March: The WHO characterizes COVID-19 as a pandemic. In the U.S., the Grand Princess cruise ship is held at sea off the coast of California after 21 of the 3,500 people aboard test positive for the virus. California also becomes the first state to order all residents to stay home with the exceptions of going to an essential job or shopping for essential needs. As cases grow, hospitals become overwhelmed, and there is a nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). In Italy, there is a moment of solidarity when people in quarantine sing from their balconies, starting a trend that sweeps across Europe.

April: As cases continue to surge, countries keep their borders sealed. Businesses shut down (leading to massive job losses), schools close, sporting events cancel, and college students go home. People start wearing masks and practicing "social distancing."

May: Experts focus on "flattening the curve," meaning that if you use a graph to map the number of COVID-19 cases over time, you would ideally start to see a flattened line representing a reduction of cases. After months in lockdown, states slowly begin a " phased reopening," based on criteria outlined by the Trump Administration, in coordination with state, county, and local officials. Meanwhile, scientists across the globe are in a race to understand the disease, find treatments and solutions, and develop vaccines.

June: Efforts to reopen the economy leads to new cases, and the curve is not flattening. Experts point to the dangers of large gatherings and use terms like "clusters" and "super-spreader events."

July: The pandemic is causing an uptick in mental health issues as job losses continue to soar, parents juggle working at home with caring for or homeschooling children, and young adults grow frustrated by isolation from friends and limited job prospects. Officials debate the best scenarios for allowing children to safely return to school in the fall.

August: The first documented case of reinfection is reported in Hong Kong. On a broader scale, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (after heart disease and cancer).

September: The school year opens with a mix of plans to keep children and teachers safe, ranging from in-person classes to remote schooling to hybrid models. Meanwhile, the WHO recommends steroids to treat severely and critically ill patients, but not to those with mild disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that people who had recently tested positive were about twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than were those with negative test results.

October: President Trump tests positive for COVID-19 after a gathering in the White House Rose Garden where multiple people were also thought to have been infected. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants full approval to a drug called remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19.

November: Cases rise again as cold weather drives more people indoors-the U.S. begins to break records for daily cases/deaths. Many officials around the country bring plans for reopening to a halt. As the holidays approach, the CDC urges Americans to stay home, limit the size of their gatherings, and avoid mixing with people who don't live in their household.

December: The FDA grants Pfizer-BioNTech the first Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for an mRNA vaccine, a new type of vaccine that has proven to be highly effective against COVID-19. A week later, it grants another EUA to Moderna, also for an mRNA vaccine. But, as vaccinations begin, major variants of the virus are beginning to circulate. The UK reports that a new variant of the virus, called B.1.1.7, could be more contagious. By the end of the month, B.1.1.7 is detected in the U.S.

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On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic. Yale Medicine looks back on one of the most challenging periods in recent memory with a month-by-month timeline.

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The attacks on 9/11 were an impactful moment for her. She recalls being alone at work with the TV on when the broadcast of the planes interrupted the regular schedule. She worked in finance, and had a few days off because the stock market closed following the attacks. It was especially impactful as she had visited New York and seen the Twin Towers in person just a couple weeks before.

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On the morning of 11 September 2001, 19 terrorists from the Islamist extreme group al Qaeda hijacked four commercial aircraft and crashed two of them into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. After learning about the other attacks, passengers on the fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, fought back, and the plane was crashed into an empty field in western Pennsylvania about 20 minutes by air from Washington, D.C. The Twin Towers ultimately collapsed, due to the damage from the impacts and subsequent fires. Nearly 3,000 people were killed from 93 different countries. Most of the fatalities were from the attacks on the World Trade Center. The Pentagon lost 184 civilians and servicemembers and 40 people were killed on Flight 93. It was the worst attack on American soil since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.

After the Taliban refused to turn over the mastermind of the attacks, Osama Bin Laden, Operation Enduring Freedom officially began 7 October 2001 with American and British bombing strikes against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Initially, the Taliban was removed from power and al Qaeda was seriously crippled, but allied forces continually dealt with a stubborn Taliban insurgency, infrastructure rebuilding, and corruption among the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and Afghan Border Police. Bin Laden would go into hiding for nearly 10 years.

On 2 May 2011, U.S. Navy SEALs launched a nighttime raid on Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing the al Qaeda leader. Operation Enduring Freedom officially ended 28 December 2014, although coalition forces remained on the ground to assist with training Afghan security forces. American troops departed Afghanistan in August 2021.

Attack on the Pentagon on 9/11
Oral Histories - Navy Archives Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206 Pentagon 9/11 Oral Histories
In the immediate aftermath of the attacks on 11 September, the Department of Defense and all of the branches of the Armed Forces began efforts to document the attacks. The Naval Historical Center (the predecessor of NHHC) activated its reserve unit, Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206 (DET 206) to assist in the documentation efforts. Over the next ten months, DET 206 reservists and NHC Historians interviewed hundreds of individuals who were in the Pentagon on the day of the attack or were directly involved in the Navy's response and the work that followed. The Navy Archives has received permission to release a portion of the oral histories to the public for the first time since they were recorded. The oral histories that have been authorized for release can be found at the link above.
Archives Collections - Navy Archives Blogs/Articles Artifact Collection

Terror Attack, 11 September 2001, artifacts that were at the Pentagon at the time of the attack to include a laptop, window glass, and a door sign from the Pentagon's E-Ring
Photo Gallery

The Attack on the Pentagon. The photos in this gallery are a small portion of those found in the Pentagon 9/11 collections held by Navy Archives.
Graphics Suggested Reading
Attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11
Oral Histories - Navy Archives Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206: Documenting the Experiences of the Navy in New York City After 9/11
The oral histories document the experiences of Navy personnel in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island on the day of the attacks and in the days and weeks following.
Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206 Pentagon 9/11 Oral History: CDR Terrence Dwyer
Commander Dwyer was the head of medical services on the USNS Comfort in September 2001. His oral history documents the service of USNS Comfort in New York City following the attacks.
Archives Collection - Navy Archives Photo Gallery Blogs/Articles Suggested Reading
9/11 Terrorist Attacks (General)
Oral Histories - Navy Archives Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206: Documenting Operation Enduring Freedom - Experiences at CINCUSNAVEUR London on 11 September 2001 and in the Aftermath
The oral histories focus on the experiences of Naval Staff on duty in London at Naval Forces Europe (CINCUSNAVEUR) on 9/11, as well their work in the aftermath and their observations on foreign reactions to the attacks.
Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206: Documenting Operation Enduring Freedom - CINCLANTFLT & COMSECONDFLT Norfolk
DET 206 reservists deployed to Norfolk in December 2001 to document CINCLANTFLT and SECONDFLT operations leading up to September 11, the immediate response following the attacks; and operations in the days and weeks after the attacks. The oral histories in this collection offer overlapping and complementary perspectives.
Archives Collection - Navy Archives Artifact Collection

"We Stand By You" banner, displayed by German destroyer FGS Lutjens to USS Winston Churchill (DDG-81) following 9/11 attacks
Artifact Conservation

Highlighted Projects. Recently, NHHC's Conservation Branch was tasked with assessing, analyzing, and conserving two evocative objects associated with the September 11 Terrorist Attack: a banner of solidarity produced from a bedsheet by crew members from the German destroyer FGS Lutjens displayed while alongside USS Winston Churchill on 14 September 2001, and a severely damaged laptop recovered from the rubble of the Pentagon.
Suggested Reading

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Introduction Attack on the Pentagon on 9/11 Attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11 9/11 Terrorist Attacks (General) Selected Imagery

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Another newspaper clipping. She recalls having to re-buy back to school clothes for my father and uncle, and crying in the store when asked about a receipt because it was destroyed as well.

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A news clipping following losing their family home in a fire. She recalls how difficult it was to lose everything, especially photos.

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Seeing the Temptations at Frederik Meijer Gardens with her longtime friends.

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Seeing the Righteous Brothers in concert.

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With the recent passing of Jimmy Buffet, she recalls the time she was able to get tickets for her and a friend by sending a letter.