| We broke the 10 hour drive from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Dallas, Texas up into two 5-hour segments. We left Las Cruces at 6 pm on Sunday and made it to a Super Walmart in Odessa to sleep for a few hours before hitting the road again. Sleeping in a Walmart parking lot was a first for all of us, but having a secure trailer with comfortable bedding and windows to shut out the light made it doable. First thing Monday morning, we continued on to our destination: Hickory Creek, just outside of Dallas. |  |
We hit some lightning storms and some heavy rain which threw a wrench into our hiking plans. The rain cleared up as we set up our site, which made for a gorgeous full-sky rainbow, but it prompted us to reach out to everyone who had planned to hike with us the following day with a backup strategy. We still wanted to meet up, but it would have to be indoors. Thankfully, everyone was both understanding and flexible.
On Tuesday, Shereese and I met up with Jonna, Erica, Jenny, and Bryan at a local restaurant for lunch. We stayed for several hours, getting to know one another, comparing our experiences working in healthcare, why we love it, and the many ways weâd like to see it improve. Jonna is a marketing communications expert and geeked out about email funnels and strategies to engage communities. We also learned about the challenges of working from home with three kids and how the Texas school system has been a great resource for her family. We discovered that Erica is the founder of the #HITsm hashtag and weekly Twitter chat and she is extremely skilled at strategic marketing and is focused on helping executives expand their reach through storytelling. Bryan and Jenny both contributed valuable insights to the conversation, sharing similar patterns that they see women struggle with in other industries.
Later that day, we recorded a podcast with Jenny Rios, an Architect and Construction Manager in the San Francisco Bay Area and focused on what changes sheâs made personally and how she focuses her professional efforts to make a positive impact in her industry. Jenny happens to be my sister, and she flew out to meet us in Dallas because we have a cousin who lives here and we were due for a visit.
Wednesday, we took the day to hang out with family. It was great timing too, because we were all together when we found out that HIT Like a Girl podcast won the Medigy #HITMC âHealth IT Podcast of the Yearâ award! It made for a great celebration with loved ones and turned a good day into a great one. Jenny and I were able to attend Lundynâs Tae Kwon Do practice that evening and witness how she is kicking butt, or should I say, hitting like a girl!
Thursday, Shereese and I stayed close to the trailer to find the perfect ratio of work emails and meetings to naps.
Friday, we leave for Little Rock, Arkansas.
Dallas, TX
Where we stayed: Hickory Creek, TX
Where we intended to hike: Cottonwood Trail â> We got rained out & met for lunch instead at Elm Fork Taphouse instead
Indigenous Acknowledgment - Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo); Tawakoni; Wichita
Friends We Made
#BTSWe were able to capture the Medigy #HITMC award ceremony presentation and award and Joyâs live reaction to learning that weâd won the âHealth IT Podcast of the Year.â |
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During family day, we captured some of Lundynâs Tae Kwon Do skills. The teacher asked her and a partner to be an example for the class on a particular kicking exercise. Look at that high kick! |
TIKTOK!
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