Experience Matters Over the span of my working life, I have gained invaluable experience across the customer services industry. From managing live theaters in London's West End to directing customer experience teams in London landmarks such as St. Paul's Cathedral and Royal Museums Greenwich, my work has always been about people; both clients and colleagues. In all of these environments, our customers were putting their faith in our hands. Their hope was that their decision to spend their hard-earned money on what we provided turned out to be a wise one. There's nothing more rewarding for me than seeing the joyous smiles on clients' faces and knowing that I've had the privilege of helping them realize their dreams. From London to San Francisco In 1993 I read Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" series of books. The stories are told of a young woman excited by the possibility of a new life in a new city who was brave enough to take the plunge and move from Cleveland to SF. The stories described a city of diversity, opportunity, and acceptance. The young woman very quickly found a special group of friends with whom she shared some amazing experiences. The stories ignited something in me. I wanted to experience what she had. Over subsequent years I visited the city for vacations whenever I could and always spent time looking for the house that I could only dream about living in. The ever-recurring question was "what if one day...?" In 2018 (25 years after reading the books) my husband, Rainier, called me at work. His company had offered him a move to San Francisco! And so the dream started to become our reality. In early 2019 we relocated from London to San Francisco without, then, three-year-old Australian Labradoodle, Charlie. We had wasted no time exploring our new home city and its extraordinary environs. Everything exceeded our expectations. We became homeowners in early 2021 and now live in the Duboce Triangle. Charlie's favorite thing about living here is obviously the Duboce Dog Park which is just a block away from my home. He's made many great doggy friends there. I have made many great doggy-owner friends as a happy result. When we manage to take some time off for leisure we like a mix of exploration and entertainment (and eating!). Whether it's reaching the summit of Mount Diablo, hiking in Yosemite, drifting down the Russian River in the late afternoon sun, watching a Broadway hit show or enjoying something tasty by the bay, we never cease to be in awe of this incredible part of the world and never forget just how fortunate we are to be able to call California, specifically SF, our home.