We celebrated Dan’s birthday with a quiet dinner at home and birthday cake, as we’d already had our fancypants dinner last weekend. For dinner, I made Dan’s favorite — unagi (eel) donburi — and for dessert, I baked and frosted a German chocolate cake (also his favorite!). It was my first time making the coconut pecan frosting from scratch, but it was surprisingly easy and turned out delicious!
The German chocolate birthday cake I made for Dan!
30! A milestone.
Putting the cake decorating skills I learned this year to use!
Homemade coconut pecan frosting on top and in between the layers.
The handsome hubby turns 30!
Dan was psyched by the Android series 3 collectible dolls I got him for his birthday!
Dan’s favorites from the collection. 30 years old but still a kid at heart! 😉
Happy 30th birthday to my better half! Thank you for being such a wonderful husband to me, and a loving father to Mio. I’ll be joining the thirties club soon enough, in a couple weeks!
December marks a milestone for both Dan and I, as we’re both turning 30 later this month! (Dan on December 13, myself on December 25 — we are only a couple weeks apart in age.) The thirties sound a little daunting but mostly exciting — we can’t wait to see where it’ll take us in both our family life and professional careers — our twenties were memorable, but we have a feeling our thirties will be just as, if not more, wonderful. As I wrote before, I’m dedicating my 30th to charity: water and so we have no plans to have any big birthday party for ourselves, but Dan still wanted to take me out to a nice dinner to celebrate what is a big milestone for both of us!
Dates are hard to come by when you’re parents, so we were really grateful that my parents volunteered to watch Mio while we got to get a little dressed up to enjoy the evening as a couple. Based on several friends recommending 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church to us, we decided to go there for our celebratory dinner.
The handsome hubby, who will turn 30 this week!
Loved the decor inside the restaurant!
It’s nice to carry a simple clutch instead of a huge diaper bag for once!
Getting started with some small plates and appetizers.
Spiced duck samosa with honey and harissa
American wagyu steak tartare with parmesan cheese and peanut vinaigrette and crostini.
Crispy pork belly with black garlic aioli and celery-pear salad.
All of the appetizers were delicious. The steak tartare was some of the best I’d ever tasted, the duck samosas had just the right amount of kick to it, but the crispy pork belly was definitely our favorite! It was so rich and flavorful, and practically melted in my mouth!
Dan had venison loin with smoked heirloom potato, Savoy cabbage, and juniper jus.
Ready to eat!
Ever the seafood lover.
And of course, there’s always room for dessert with us! 😉
We shared a chocolate Napoleon with huckleberry compote, Manjari panna cotta, and coffee gelato.
Happy early 30th to us! Here’s to another great decade together.
Koi in the pond outside 2941.
By the koi pond. Part of me wishes we had gone when there was still daylight so we could see the beautiful landscaping around the restaurant, but I guess we’ll just have to go back another time! 😉
It was the perfect romantic evening, and the dining experience at 2941 was both delectable and unforgettable! Thank you to everyone who recommended it to us. 🙂 It was a lovely way to celebrate this special occasion, and we’re feeling great about turning 30 in the coming weeks! 😀
Last Saturday was our friends’ daughter Aubrianna’s first birthday party! The three of us were happy to go celebrate the special occasion with them, and they hosted a lovely party for sweet Aubri. Here are some photos from the party!
Mio reaching for a balloon at Aubrianna’s birthday party.
The spread at the party was amazing — so much good food! We all stuffed ourselves.
Yewon made mussels with garlic — heaven for a seafood lover like me!
Mussels with marinara sauce, cheese, and hot sauce.
Chinese chicken!
California rolls made by Shin Nan.
Everyone was impressed (or rather, aghast?) at how much Mio was constantly eating… lol.
In the Korean tradition of Doljanchi, there were items placed in front of Aubrianna for her to choose something that represents her future calling. (Very similar to the Japanese tradition of Erabitori, which we prepared for Mio’s first birthday.) Everyone watched with anticipation to see what little Aubri would choose!
Aubri was intimidated by everyone watching her, and burst into tears.
After getting comforted by Mommy, she chose… the PlayDoh!
…and then the toothbrush! Future dentist, perhaps?
Celebrating with one of the prettiest birthday cakes I’ve ever seen! Yewon’s friend is a professional cake decorator and made this gorgeous cake for Aubri.
The adorable birthday girl and her lovely mama!
Daddy’s girl sitting in Dan’s lap.
Mio had a great time playing with the other kids at the party, and especially enjoyed indulging in all the delicious food offerings! Happy first birthday Aubri!
On Tuesday, Mio and I drove over to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna with our parents for an early afternoon stroll. My parents used to take my siblings and I here all the time as kids, and we always called it “duck pond” because of all the ducks and geese we’d see there every time we went. It was really nostalgic to revisit the park for the first time in almost twenty years, and share one of my childhood memories with Mio and make it hers, too. 🙂
The entrance to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
During the holidays, large nutcracker dolls flank the path to the entrance.
Snowflake decorations hanging from the ceiling. So magical!
An experiment in exposure…
A second picture, a moment later. Such a different look! I love playing with different settings on my phone camera.
We could see the water shimmering at the end of the winding path.
Geese crossing the path! Mio immediately started quacking at them.
Instead of hitting the malls and going shopping on Black Friday, we spent the day meeting up with friends who were in the area! It was food-and-fun-filled holiday weekend — this is what the holidays are all about! 😀
Lunch date with Akiho at Sushi Yoshi. She has just finished her PhD and is now a licensed psychologist!
We met up with Aiko, my friend of 25 years, and her husband Anthony. They were visiting from Boston and got to meet Mio for the first time.
Hanging out at the park. I’ve known Aiko since we were 5 – I can’t believe how much time has passed since then!
Later in the evening, we went to Honey Pig in Centreville to celebrate Liz’s birthday!
With the birthday girl!
It was our first time seeing newlyweds Luice and Jeremy since they tied the knot in August. They’re the cutest couple!
Dan and Mio chowing down
So much good food!
On Saturday, Mio had a playdate with Joelle and Clara. Here are the cuties together!
And I shall conclude with our adorable burrito Mio!
