Disney Trip 2009

We recently spent a fun-filled week at Disney World with the Via family and my parents. There were 15 of us - 10 adults and 5 kiddos. It was great to spend time with the entire family - all in one spot. We went to each theme park, enjoyed the warm weather and good company. It was Warren and Marcia's 40th anniversary celebration and also their very first trip to Disney! Here are some photos from our Disney adventure:

First stop: Magic Kingdom - my parents hadn't been to Disney World since the 80's, when we visited for my sister's 4th birthday.

Ethan and Peyton on the carousel

Animal Kingdom was next. These are the siamang's swinging from ropes.

Everest: One of the best rides at Disney World, hands down.

Ethan and Kira (and Dad in the background) enjoying the safari ride. Now if there was only a way to experience the ride without the cheesy tour guide....

Character dinner at Chef Mickey's - celebrating Marcia and Madeline's birthdays.

After dinner, a few of us headed to Magic Kingdom for the firework's show.

The boys in the U.K. at Epcot's World Showcase

Fancy faces!

Belly dancing in Morocco at Epcot

Courtney and Alison at the Hollywood Studios parade

Dinner and entertainment at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue.

The 40th Anniversary dance at Hoop Dee Doo

Ethan making beautiful music on the washboard.

Mom and I after a good ol' country dinner of fried chicken, cornbread, ribs, salad and strawberry shortcake.

The Leavitt's are famous! Their family was chosen to cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Raytheon Family Technology Center at the hotel. They even made it onto the Raytheon website!

With the Simpson's at Universal Studios

Drenched after a very intense river raft ride at Islands of Adventure. Thankfully, it was 80 degrees that day and we dried out in the sun.

LEGO New York City at Downtown Disney

Marcia, Kira, Peyton and Alison posing at Downtown Disney

Kira and Maddie cooling off in the pool.

Click here for the full Disney album, if you are interested. :)

Welcome Home Griffey!

Junior is back!  This is awesome news and I hope he helps the M's win some more games this year.  We will definitely order MLB Extra Innings this season so we can watch him play (along with Ichiro and the gang too).  Go M's!

Slacking Off

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  Frankly, there was nothing very exciting to write about.... until now! We just returned from a week at Disneyworld with the Via's and my parents.  It was an awesome trip and photos will be coming soon.  

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.