Farewell good friend...

"And (s)he will be loved…and (s)he will be loved…"

     As many of you may know, this week my family lost a very important, loving & adorable member: our beloved terrier mix, Ranger.  This will be very hard for me to write, so I apologize now for its briefness.

     Ranger came into our family in December of 1997.  I was 15 at the time & was spending my Christmas break taking the dreaded "Driver's Ed".  The positive of the class was it's location--next door to a pet shop.  Needless to say, every break we were granted the class would spill out of the classroom, aka post-realtor's office-space, & rush to "ooh and aah" over all the adorable cats & dogs.  From the moment I saw Ranger, I was hooked.  After class when my mom would pick me up, I'd repeatedly bring her to the pet shop & show her my new love.
     By the end of the class, I was heart broken that I wouldn't see my little fluff ball daily, but lo and behold, Ranger came to me as an early Christmas present, sitting peacefully in a "wrapped" box.

Ranger's first Christmas morning & first venture down the stairs!

     He was a very good dog, although quite stubborn.  Training him was hell!  I took him to TWO trainers, & he still was naughty.  Of course I remember the headache of his puppyhood lasting much longer than it probably was, but come two or three years old, he was our little goofball.

Ranger, age 1…Betty, age 11

     Then I left for college & Ranger became my parent's dog, but truly my dad's buddy.  Ranger would do anything to please, which included posing for one of his many photo shoots….

     And being the only child left, Ranger got away with a lot.

You can tell this photo is not staged because Ranger's tail is going a mile a minute…
that was our indicator he was doing something he shouldn't be, but hoping to get away with!

     He was a sweet, sweet boy; always wanting to be by your side either for a good scratch or offering a stinky kiss.  He was, & still is, a well-loved dog & myself, Mikey & Bailey will miss him dearly.

Ranger, Ranger Roo, Uncle Ranger, Danger Ranger Powers, El Toro

October 26, 1997 to February 24, 2011

The Big Night Out...

"My love waits there in San Francisco, above the blue and windy sea…"

     I can't lie here: my last two months on hiatus haven't been all work and no play.  (Because that makes Jack a dull boy…ok, creepy.)  This last weekend Mike and I celebrated our Christmas gift to one another by going to the San Francisco Symphony.  Really it was much more than that…but first, our touching Christmas story.

     Mike and I aren't big on the wrapped gift exchange.  We usually take the money we'd spend on a "true" gift and instead go somewhere for the weekend, choose a great restaurant to eat at, or frankly, not get each other anything.   But, it's more than the materialism of the holiday (which, lets be honest here, there is way too much materialism when it comes to Christmastime); we would rather spend our time and money together, and that usually means an outing somewhere.  

     This (past) year we decided to mix it up a bit.  We decided on a budget, and determined we could not discuss the gift; basically we were going back to the wrapped gift for whatever reason.  So, budget set, wheels in motion, come Christmas morning I had Mike open my first first; I just had this feeling…plus, he forgot my gift at the house.  So, he opens my gift and (drumroll please)...its the same as what he got me!!  Yep, we are already that couple.  We know each other so well we plan the same adventures for one another.

     And the adventure/our night out in the Big City: dinner at Zuni Cafe, a concert by the San Francisco Symphony and maybe some drinks afterwards.  A good night all around.
    Without further adieu, the evening in photos…

The night begins with Mike picking me up from work.
Yes, I know its blurry…but its cute and artistic!

My fruity cocktail.  A perfect start to the night!

Opps…dinner was eaten too quickly to get a good shot.

Mikey enjoying his meal.

The Zuni Cafe kitchen, aka the view from our table.

Davies Hall.  We heard Beethoven's 4th...

Enjoying our drinks at intermission.  Yep, we pre-ordered them--we're that cool.

Our "drinks" after the symphony= diner style at Mel's Drive In….

...coffee, sweet potato french fries and a banana split to share.
And yes, that is how I prefer to hold my utensils; it drives my family crazy by the way!

     Thats it for the night, but there's more to share!  Mikey and I continued our celebration into Sunday.  Bailey, Mikey and I went back into San Francisco to continue our weekend of being Bay Area tourists--we walked the Golden Gate!
     It was gorgeous!!  I am 28 years old, my grandmother used to work for the Golden Gate Transit system, and yet up until last Sunday I had never crossed the bridge by foot, at least all 1.7 miles (each way) of it.  So here are some more photos, taken by my talented husband.  And at the end, our trip to the neighboring Baker Beach--yep, that's what us Bay Areans like to do in January, picnic at the beach…

View from the SF side...

We later learned from the bridge police that Bailey wasn't actually allowed on the bridge.  Opps!
They let us finish the walk because she's so cute.  And because mommy had poop bags.

Yep, this shot was taken January 23rd.  Beautiful, huh?

That photography class paid off Mikey!

She's that cool.

Happy couple.

I'm seriously amazed those things don't fall off...

View from Baker Beach at sunset.

My little love bug, being dramatic of course.

A long weekend deserves falling asleep on the couch at 8:30.

Goodnight everyone!

So, I'm back...

"Oh baby, all I need is one more chance…(to show you that I love you)…Won't you please let me back in your heart…"

     Well, I'm back folks, if you'll have me that is.  These past couple of months have been filled with long days, a long commute and the adjustments that come with a new job, and while I apologize I couldn't write for you, I really needed any and all nightly downtime I had to recuperate.  Now, don't get me wrong here, the job is going great; but with a commute of 20 to 60 minutes EACH way, plus a 9+ hour day in the middle, I hope you can forgive me for my selfish hours spent sleeping or being absent-minded on the couch.
     And the job that has taken so much of my energy is HD Buttercup.  See, its a new store; new as in a new location.  Many of you may be familiar with the flagship store down in LA...well they've expanded and I am the Operations Manager at their San Francisco location.  Yep, I said it before--I landed myself a pretty sweet job.  Tiring, but sweet.
     Now, since this is my first post in a long time, I think I'm going to KISS.  I don't want to overwhelm myself here, because if I do, who knows when I'll be back.  Just wanted to say "hello"…
     So goodnight, have a wonderful day tomorrow, and here is the website for my new gig: www.hdbuttercup.com

Mom & I at the entrance of HD Buttercup, SF

     Enjoy the stimulation of your senses, but remember to stay true to your mom and pop store (and in this case, my mom and pop's store) at www.nantuckethomeinc.com

An oldie, but a goodie…I miss that brick wall at our "old" location!  Such a pretty pic...

     And while you are perusing the great World Wide Web, take a look at Nantucket Home's new blog, www.curatorsoflifestyle.com/blog/

     Sadly I cannot say that I have had anything to do with it's creativity, or its posts for that matter, but I'm pretty proud of what they're doing over there…

     Ok, goodnight again!  Robin