A Very Special Valentine's Day

Joel and Chris tried to plan a surprise Valentine's Day date night, but I managed to ruin it by trying to buy tickets to the very show they bought tickets to. Joel and Chris planned out a whole night of dinner on Lake Washington and tickets to see Amaluna. Every year Cirque du Soleil comes to Seattle (well, the show is actually in Marymoor Park, which is in Redmond, but it is close enough, I guess...).

Our appetizers and Jackie's Soup - So Good!

We started the night by eating dinner at the Beach Cafe in Kirkland.  Located right on the edge of Lake Washington, this was a great choice by Joel and Chris. Our table gave us a great view of the lake and the atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed. When we arrived, the restaurant was pretty empty, but it quickly filled up as the night went on. We decided to start night with a couple appetizers and settled on the Jerk Spiced Chicken Wings (actually, we ordered them so Joel would stop bringing them up as a possible option), and the Crab Artichoke dip. Both dishes were absolutely amazing and we quickly finished them off.

Dinner is Served!

Jackie decided to try their Coconut Corn Soup and found it to be amazing! Along with her soup, she ordered the Seared Salmon Tacos, which she said were very good. I decided to really throw caution to the wind and indulge myself with the Crab Penne'n Cheese. It was mind-blowing. I am pretty sure I said, "mmmmmm, oh it is so good!" with every bite! Hey - it is not very often that I don't mentally calculate the calories-in-vs-calories-out dilemma, so I was enjoying my meal! Joel and Chris had one of the many burgers on the menu (I can't remember which one) and they both really liked it. The portions are great, the flavors amazing, and the view un-beatable. This a restaurant that we all said we wanted to come back to.

Happy Valentine's Day - Joel, Me, Jackie, and Chris

Amaluna: Inside the Tent

We left for the show and found we should have been a bit faster at dinner. The traffic was terrible as it funneled into the park entrance, but once we were inside the park it was smooth sailing to our parking spot. It was pouring down rain and due to our late arrival, we had to run to make it our seats before the show started.

Amaluna is the story of a young girl, coming to age on a mysterious island governed by Goddesses. The young girl falls in love with a brave young suitor but their love is put to the test when a group of outsiders arrive on the island, triggering an epic series of events. At least that is what the shows website says - I didn't really get all that from the actual performance. Don't get me wrong, I could definitely tell there was a girl, a boy, and a love story, but the more detailed parts of the storyline were lost on me. I guess I was paying more attention to the death-defying stunts, amazing costumes, and pure physical strenght displayed on the stage. I guess I didn't really care why they were running around and swinging in the air, I just wanted to watch them do it! I saw so many amazing stunts; things I didn't even know the human body could do. A couple times I was sure they would fall, that I was nervously tensing up during a few of the performances. Overall, an amazing show, that truly took my breath away.

Me and Joel

Jackie and Chris

What an amazing Valentine's Day!