Craft Dinner

Ethan took me out for my belated birthday dinner on Friday.  Since we are both Top Chef fans, Ethan made reservations at head judge Tom Colicchio's restaurant Craft. We didn't see Colicchio there but we did have a fantastic dinner! Craft is  a nicely decorated space with friendly waitstaff.  The food is served family-style, so you pick the meat and sides you want.  Ethan ordered foie gras as an appetizer (I passed - no livers for me) and he said it tasted like bacon. But he also said it was strange to eat an organ. :)  Then we ordered scallops, quail, brussel sprouts and gratin potatoes.  Everything was so tasty, especially the scallops and potatoes! And we couldn't leave without getting dessert - Ethan ordered the Banana Chocolate Waffle and I got doughnuts and hot chocolate.  The doughnuts were made to order and were still warm when they arrived at the table.  They were served with chocolate sauce and quince butter (which tasted and looked like applesauce).  It was quite a meal and worth every penny.  It was definitely the fanciest dinner I've ever had! 

Inauguration Weekend

Ethan and I drove down to the DC area last Saturday for our friends wedding reception. Ben and Kelsey got married in Denver in November but threw an East Coast reception last weekend. It was great to celebrate the wedding with them. They put on a great party with lots of homemade desserts and other goodies.

The newlyweds!

Ethan played bartender for a while - he looks like a pro, doesn't he?

Since it was Inauguration Weekend, we decided to head into DC and take a look at the festivities. Here are Ben, Kelsey, Ethan and I on the Metro - so much nicer and cleaner than the NYC subway! Added bonus: the Metrocards featured a picture of Obama.  

On our way to the Mall, stopped to take a photo on Pennsylvania Avenue.  The Capitol Bldg is behind my head....

The Capitol decorated with flags.  

Ethan coming out of 1 of 5,000 potties for the inauguration crowd.  Now that's a lot of bathrooms. 

The Washington Monument

The White House - bye-bye W!

Ben and Ethan

When we got to The Mall, we decided to be adventurous and see how close we could get to the We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Here we are at our concert-viewing spot - right behind the WWII Memorial (which was only open to press photographers).  We were still pretty far away but the Lincoln Memorial was directly front and center, an unobstructed view.  It was an awesome experience to be in DC during a historial weekend and to see a concert featuring such famous performers.  Bruce Springsteen, U2, Beyonce, John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Garth Brooks - just to name a few.  :)  But the highlight was actually hearing Obama speak in person!  He gave a short speech and was articulate and inspiring, as always. 

Group shot, taken by our friendly National Guardsman.  

O - Ba -Ma!  You can see him on the screens...barely.  :)

Some people will do anything for a photo....


We had a great weekend with our friends and are looking forward to seeing more of DC in the future. We are excited that if all goes as planned, we will be MD, DC or VA residents by the end of 2009! 

Seattle Birthday Visit

I was in Seattle recently for my grandma's 80th birthday (and also my 31st - we share the same birthday). I flew solo since Ethan stayed behind to feed Luna (and work - duty calls). It was a great weekend - my sister was home too and we were able to see lots of family and friends. Here are some of the weekend's events:

Christianson family photo at Grandma's 80th bday party

Grandmother and Granddaughter annual birthday photo

The family surprised her with a fancy flat screen TV!

I had a friend's night out for my birthday. Kathleen, Danica, Cara and I had dinner at my fave - Madame K's. Then we headed to King's Hardware to meet some more folks before heading to the Tractor Tavern for some special live music.

My cousin Zoe played a show at the Tractor. She's the lead singer in Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers. She is also featured this month in Sound Magazine. (That's her on the cover - far right!) This was my first chance to see her live and it was a great performance! She's got talent.

Ben, Cara and I at the Seattle Center.

I met up with Erin, Trinette and her 3 mo. old baby Gwen. We played catch up and got a glimpse of mommyhood. :) It sounds nice.

Gwen is a cutie! Just look at those eyes - she's going to be a heartbreaker...

Brunch at Bad Albert's with Danica and Meghan, followed by some Ballard Ave shopping. Always a good time!

Something is missing here... we missed you, Ethan!

Miracle on the Hudson

All eyes were on New York City yesterday. US Air flight 1549 crash landed into the Hudson River and all 155 passengers survived due to a talented pilot and quick response from NY and NJ ferries. It was truly a miracle. The personal stories coming out of this are amazing and heartwarming.

3rd Annual Visit to the Tree

Looks like we started a tradition here (but this may be the last year, as we hope to move in the next 6 months). We made our yearly visit to the Rockefeller Tree on New Year's Day. It was very cold and the plaza was jam-packed with people, so we took our photo and got out of there fast.

We wish everyone a Happy and Healthy 2009!

Christmas 2008

We had a nice Christmas week in Roanoke with Ethan's parents. We had lots of delicious food, great company and also learned a bit about the Via family history. On Christmas Eve, Warren/Dad drove us out to New Castle, a small town in Craig County, VA where his father grew up. As Warren described it, we were in "the country," and it was nice to be there after too much time in the big city. We stopped at the local cemetery where Ethan's great grandparents and other relatives are buried, tried to find the one room schoolhouse Pop-Pop attended, visited the church where the Via family reunions were traditionally held, and saw the farm where Pop-Pop grew up.  We also had a nice visit with Ethan's great-aunt Gwen in New Castle. It's nice to know more about my in-laws family history. 

Funny side story:  While we visited with Aunt Gwen, she mentioned a Subway recently opened in New Castle.  Ethan, thinking as a New Yorker, looked a little confused and asked, "Where does it go?".  He was thinking, why in the world does a small town need a subway? After 2 years of living in NYC, we hear the word "subway" and think train, not the sandwich shop.  We all had a good laugh, thanks to Ethan.  :) 

Some of the photos from Christmas morning:

Marcia/Mom opening some goodies from Washington.

Ethan showing off his new Bears hoodie.

Father and son

Onyx relaxing after the Christmas excitement.

We went for a walk in 60 degree weather!  No White Christmas for us...


The Blue Ridge Mountains in Warren and Marcia's backyard