Tag: labrador

Marshall Beach & 10 Things

  1. Sunday morning we woke up early & did a the Batteries to Bluffs trail in the Presidio & went down to Marshall Beach. It was pretty much empty. We maybe saw 15 people the whole time.
  2. We bought a car this weekend!!! We’d been talking about getting a new car, both of us drive sedans & we needed something bigger since baby is coming & we finally did it. It still doesn’t feel real!
  3. In case you can’t tell by these photos, the beach is 100% Juno’s happy place. Whenever she’s home & dreaming I have to imagine she’s dreaming of sprinting down the beach after her orange ball & running through the waves.
  4. I hit the 25 week mark on Sunday, time just feels like it’s flying by now.
  5. This weekend instead of just being hermits & lounging we actually went to two different social events, pretty big deal for this pregnant homebody. We went to a going away dinner for one of my coworkers who is moving to Thailand! & We went to one of my good friends from college, birthday party.
  6. Our baby nursery is finally starting to come together, We assembled the glider chair this weekend & it’s funny how just one more piece of furniture makes the room look like it’s transforming.
  7. It’s supposed to rain a couple days this week & I’m really looking forward to having an excuse to stay inside. When I have days off & the weather is beautiful it’s hard to make myself be productive around the house, but when it’s rainy & gross out I’m motivated to knock some projects off my to-do list.
  8. We started watching Comedians In Cars tonight & I think we may have just found a new show to binge! We restarted Big Little Lies, but it’s so dark that I need something funny to counterbalance.
  9. We are going up to Tahoe in two weeks & are staying in a little cabin that’s dog friendly. We decided to do cold & warm mini baby-moons. So this kicks off the cold one. I’m happy it’s finally storming so hopefully there’ll be fresh snow when we’re up there.
  10. I signed up for a six week prenatal yoga class. Tomorrow night is the first class, I’m excited to have classes on the calendar. Throughout the second trimester pregnancy my exercise routine has mostly consisted of going on long / brisk walks with Juno. So I’m happy to have something else added into the mix. I know I need to be stretching way more than I am, so I think this will be the push I need as I enter the last trimester.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Back Home & Back Blogging

Here are a few snaps from this past weekend. We went to my parents house outside of Sacramento to spend Thanksgiving there. I love visiting this time of year because all the trees are SO colorful. We had to take advantage and take some photos. We took our black lab Juno & she absolutely loved being able to be outside all day & run around. My brother had his little rescue puppy there as well so the two of them became best buds. Along with Thanksgiving we celebrated my brothers birthday as well. The past few months I’ve taken a break from blogging, partially because I spent most of my first trimester horizontal on the cough & partially because I still have to sift through all the photos from our Spain / Portugal trip & that task seemed really daunting when I was feeling so bad. But I’m happy to report I’m back! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. I’m thankful for being able to spend it with family rather than working in the ER!

Hello Spring 

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No Matter How Long The Winter, Spring Is Sure to Follow

It seems like the rain in California has just been relentless; albeit great for the drought I find myself rejoicing when the sun’s out & it’s a beautiful spring day. These photos were taken two days ago in Golden Gate Park, but even now as I write this, there’s rain drizzling down my window. I don’t religiously check the weather here in San Francisco because on the whole it’s so mild that usually a look out the window & a few light layers will be enough. However with all this rain it’s been really nice when I wake up & there isn’t a cloud in the sky! The unpredictability of the weather the last couple months have just brought me more gratitude for when it’s a beautiful day outside. I feel like it’s too nice to sit inside & let it go to waste. So rather just walking my dog around our neighborhood we’ll stroll through the park & take advantage of some sunshine because we could wake up to rain tomorrow. This “seize the day” mentality can be so motivating. It’s easy to be focused in on the day to day tasks & think, ugh I have to get the dog out for a big walk otherwise she’ll be a madwoman.  But this season change has allowed me to zoom out & actually see the beautiful day & enjoy just being outside soaking up some much needed vitamin D! As a nurse I feel like already have a pretty good appreciation for how precious & unpredictable life can be but it always feels good to find new appreciation even in the day to day things.

Speaking of appreciating small things – this is our last weekend at home before we head to Europe & we’re SO excited! We’re just wrapping things up before we leave, having dinner with some of our favorite people & dogsitting one of Juno’s BFF’s plus it’s supposed to be sunny!

Ocean Beach Adventures

^^ no one can throw driftwood for the dog like Chris can 🙂

This weekend we changed up our normal beach routine, instead of heading over to Baker Beach, we decided to venture a little further & hit up Ocean Beach.  Baker is super close to our apartment & has sweeping views of the Golden Gate so it’s our usual go-to. The weather this weekend was SO beautiful that we knew Baker Beach would be saturated with tourists and locals alike so we decided to try & find a spot with a little more room for Juno to run around. We went to the south end of beach & it ended up being perfect! I think spring may have finally sprung in San Francisco & hopefully we’re past all the non stop rain. All this warm weather & sunshine makes me so happy & excited for summer! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Our Best Black Friday Purchase – Ever!

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One year ago on our way home from my parents we picked up our sweet black lab Juno. I’ve never been one for black friday shopping but this by far was our best black friday deal ever! In some ways the last year feels like it’s flown by, but at the same time it’s hard to remember what life was like before we had this sweet girl. I’m certaintly a little nostalgic being a couple states away this year celebrating Thanksgiving in Texas. But we’re sure to celebrate Juno’s adoption day when we get back home. For now she’s enjoy Thanksgiving break in suburia with my best friends family & their two dogs! It’s crazy to think our eighty pound labrador was once 15 pounds of pure puppy! Time flies! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving & shared it surrounded by loved ones.

 

Carmel By The Sea

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^French 75’s by fire light!img_9362



This past weekend we celebrated Chris’ 31st birthday in Carmel, if this sounds familiar it is, last year for Chris’ 30th we splurged and stayed at Carmel Valley Ranch, which was wonderful but this year we decided we wanted to spend more time in Carmel proper. This seaside town is so quaint, filled with little cobblestone alley ways, italian eateries & wine pours as far as the eye can see. There are no street numbers in Carmel, so all the places just say what street they’re on and which streets they’re in between. We stayed at The Hideaway which is located right in the heart of Carmel. Everything, including the beach was walking distance. One of the best parts about Carmel is how dog friendly it is! We brought Juno along on this trip & it was a blast. She has so much fun roaming around new places & on Saturday she swam in the ocean for almost two hours. So many restaurants let you bring your dog and have them lay on the ground next to you & you can find dog friendly shops, and even wine tasting rooms. We got to Carmel on Friday afternoon & just enjoyed walking around and exploring. Our hotel offered a complimentary happy hour with wine & light snacks. So we sat in the courtyard and just enjoyed the fire pit & some free wine (score!). Saturday morning we got up early and headed to the beach. Carmel Beach is one of the few truly dog friendly beaches that allows you to have your dog off leash. So needless to say Juno was in HEAVEN, as I’m sure you can tell by the photos. After the beach we made it our mission to end up back in the same serene courtyard we found the first time we visited. Sure enough we were able to locate it & we sat outside enjoying the awesome weather. Next up we took a quick nap & then headed back to the complimentary happy hour. Finally we ended our evening with a super romantic dinner at Casanova. We ate at this place last year, but unfortunately I was ill at dinner & really couldn’t enjoy my food, however I am pleased to report that it completely lived up to the hype and might be my favorite restaurant in carmel!! Anyways hope everyone had an awesome weekend, I know I’m already dreaming of being back at this little seaside escape.

 

Labor Day Love

img_7657^Juno can’t believe all these gorgeous lakes & waterfalls are in the city!
img_7675^^ How gorgeous  was this Labor Day Sunset?!
^^ True love is when your husband drafts your fantasy football team while you do your makeup. 
Labor Day kind of snuck up on us this year. We didn’t plan any getaways & it honestly turned out to be a great weekend in the city. Friday, Juno (our black lab) & I did an urban hike through Golden Gate Park. We walked about 6 miles in the park & it was awesome. We stumbled upon the amazing waterfall above Stow Lake. I had been to the waterfall before but somehow missed the part where you’re able to walk to the top!! Juno seriously was in heaven. Friday night we reunited with one of near & dear friends & just went out to a delicious dinner & enjoyed being out in SF. Saturday was a true test of our relationship, we had to go to Ikea – hung over, on both a holiday weekend & a college move in weekend!!! Luckily we survived & successfully built our furniture haha. We rounded out the weekend with a little bbq & I made some of deviled eggs & a watermelon caprese salad! Holidays are just the best excuse to make delicious treats! Happy unofficial end of summer all!

Mendocino Lake

IMG_5162IMG_5139^^ heart eyesIMG_5152IMG_5142^^ Juno’s Frenchie Boyfriend Jax IMG_5163IMG_5156IMG_5161IMG_5158IMG_5164IMG_5159IMG_5153IMG_5141IMG_5155IMG_5170IMG_5138Driving home through vineyards…IMG_5137

This weekend we camped in Mendocino Lake, about 120 miles north of San Francisco, through wine country. It was absolutely beautiful & the weather was spectacular. It is so nice to get out of San Francisco’s mid to high 60’s & actually experience some summer heat. I always forget how great camping is, it just really makes it feel like summer. And I must admit I think it’s a lot more fun with a dog. Juno got to hang out with her Frenchie boyfriend Jax & a 1 year old golden retriever so needless to say she had a phenomenal time. Although sharing a 3 person tent with a seventy pound labrador puppy is less than ideal. It was so nice to unplug and just enjoy being outside with good friends. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Valentine’s Getaway – Tahoe City

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^^^This sunrise woke me up – talk about forgetting you went to bed at 3am!

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^^This photo reminds me so much of a Bob Ross Landscape…

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I swear this dog and look so majestic one minute ^ and then so goofy then next …

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^^My two Valentine’s this year – I’m one lucky girl.

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^^Juno actually does really well on car rides – she usually just snoozes the whole way, like below…

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^^True Life: Being a Puppy Mom is Exhausting.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day low-key has always been Chris & my take on the holiday; especially since my birthday falls two weeks afterward! Usually a nice dinner out is the extent of our Valentine’s Day plans. This year however we had no plans up until the last minute when we decided to drive up to Tahoe once Chris got off work on Friday. We ended up leaving SF at 9pm which made for a lonnnng & sleepy car ride but thankfully we made it & woke up to the most beautiful sunrise over Lake Tahoe! I can’t remember the last impulsive decision we made that turned out this good, except maybe adopting Juno on Black Friday 😉 Tahoe was the perfect escape – we took Juno down to the lake for a few hours on Saturday & let her play in the snow & she even decided she wanted to go into the frigid lake – she would have kept fetching indefinitely – so we finally had to end the game. The rest of the weekend was spent with good food, great wine & bouncing between soaking in the hot tub & tiring the puppy out. All in all it was a Valentine’s to remember. Hope everyone had a great day celebrating love in all it’s forms, I was thankful to be with my little family in such a beautiful location.

 

 

Baker Beach Day

img_0084img_0080img_0081img_0078img_0092^^^ Happiness is a sandy snout – Juno spent a good portion of her time yesterday trying to dig gigantic holes in the sand! img_0086img_0088It feels like a lifetime but we’ve only had Juno, our black lab, for 2 months. It’s been so fun getting to explore San Francisco with our newest fur-baby.  Yesterday we ventured out to Baker Beach. The weather was so strange but when we got to the beach the sun was actually out. The cloudcover made for some pretty amazing photos, especially with that little bridge in the back drop. Baker Beach is an awesome mile long beach tucked beneath the Presidio Cliffs with phenomenal views of the Golden Gate Bridge & Marin Headlands. It’s hard to believe that a beach this beautiful can be empty enough to let my puppy run around! Yesterdays beach trip was the perfect start to the weekend! We’re off to the foot hills this weekend to let Juno explore the 4 acres my parents live on. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!