Monday, September 21, 2009

whirlwind

IMG_4798 It’s been a whirlwind of a weekend, but it was lots of fun and fairly productive.  Yes, I could have accomplished a lot more to be honest, but there were fun things going on that I couldn’t pass up! 

Friday night was spent studying and trying to get something done without getting distracted by the fact that it was Friday night.  This usually signals my brain to think that it is the weekend (freedom!) and I have ample amounts of time (ha!)  funny funny.  This is not the case. 

Saturday I also tried to get more studying accomplished, made a trip to the library and also met with my advisor to discuss my next steps in the thesis process.  He’s actually very approachable and believes that I should just go for it.  I’m getting caught up in small research methods that I’m not sure if I can do.  There is my planning oriented mind getting the best of me again!  He wants me to just come up with a simple outline of the study for now, even if I don’t know how to do something or what to measure, because this will be discussed during the pre-prospectus meeting.  He even told me not to spend too much time on it before the meeting because it will get hashed anyways.  I like things to be definite and known, so this is hard for me, but I actually left the meeting feeling very excited and empowered!  New Motto:  Just go for it!

IMG_4765 Saturday night we went to the Greek Food Festival!!!  We look forward to this every year and really enjoy the festivities and most importantly, the FOOD!  Oh how I love all Greek food!  My friend, Chris and I got there a little early to get a seat and munched on things through the evening.  It’s good to come with a couple people so you can get different foods to try without having to eat the entire thing by yourself.  I love sharing food :)

There was live entertainment too.

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First we started with a greek salad.  It was really good and fresh, but a little heavy on the dressing.

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IMG_4776 Next we decided on a gyro and greek fries with lemon and spices.  I think gyros are my favorite, well one of them anyway.  I love lamb and all the spices that they put in the slow-roasted goodness. 

oooh!  and I can’t forget the tzatziki sauce.  This is my condiment of choice for pretty much anything.

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Moving on I decided to get some Loukoumades to share.  It is pretty much fried dough, drizzled with honey and cinnamon.  Now who doesn’t like that?!  This isn’t something I really eat, but it is sure fun every once in awhile.  I had 2 of the chewy, doughy, heavenly goodness.  Don’t they look like they are glowing?

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IMG_4783Another group of friends came to the table and they got a bottle of wine to share.  Yay, more sharing!!  This wine had some rich, deep back notes to it and a good finish.  I had a small glass and also a sip of this really good greek beer.  Not IMG_4784 too much of a beer fan when there is wine to be had, but it was good!

 We sat and chatted for quite awhile.  Poor Chris, he was so tired from biking 65 miles earlier that he went home and slept (he didn’t share any food and ate a lot!).  I promised I would get him some baklava for later and came out with these beauties.  The honey cake was delicious.  Again, can’t be trusted in any fun food purchasing situation!

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This festival was really fun and we all had a great time, I can’t wait for next year!!

I spent a good part of Sunday catching up on cleaning, wash and errands.  I also got a little studying done.  The highlight of my day was the Pink Martini Concert!!!!  Chris and I decided to go out to dinner beforehand since this is kind of our anniversary gift (can’t believe we’ll have been together 3 years on Saturday).  Boy was it a great night, although I wish it wasn’t on a Sunday.  I’m pretty tired today, but it was really worth it.  I haven’t been to many concerts in my life (maybe 2), but there’s just nothing like hearing a great group that you love right there in person.  What’s your favorite concert?

IMG_4805 We went to a restaurant nearby so that we could just walk to the concert in case we had some drinks.  It was a little place called Settebello, and I’m so glad we tried it out!  The food was right up my alley.  Mostly pizzas and antipasti, but very delicious and simple.  The food was actually quite reasonable, but we got a little crazy with the drinks.  That’s where they get cha!  Another great thing about this place?  . . . the lighting was PERFECT for pictures, yay!  Most restaurants are like a dark dungeon, so this was a nice and pleasant change.

We started with a salad of various greens and herbs, roasted mushrooms, pine nuts, tomatoes, artichokes, parmesan and a vinaigrette, along with a glass of Ruffino Chianti.  This is always a great pick on most restaurant menus and isn’t too expensive if you buy it at a store either.

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IMG_4799 Dinner was the Pizza Lasagna with tomatoes, ricotta, cheese, sausage, roasted mushrooms.  We always order a side of basil because everything is better with basil :)  Their dough is really delicious and chewy, not too thin or crispy.  The menu claims they cook their pizzas traditionally, and they have a great pizza oven.  Boy I wish I could have one of these in my kitchen or backyard some day.  That would be awesome!

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Instead of ordering dessert (they had some yummy looking gelato), IMG_4801we had some time to kill so we decided to go hang out at the bar.  I ordered a lemon drop with grappa, limoncello, lemon juice and basil, and Chris ordered this drink with tuaca, amaretto and frangelico. 

These were so good!  I would go back just for the drinks, even though they are pricey.  It was kind of fun just to hang out at the bar after dinner because we don’t usually do this :)

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Chris and I really enjoyed the concert.  We were in row B, so we IMG_4809were right there!  It brought us back to Portland when we saw them the first time.  After the show they signed our t-shirts and a CD and also took a few pictures.  How cool!  This is a great group if you like instrumental music, yet it’s a little different (she also sings in different languages like Spanish, Italian and Turkish) and fun to listen and relax to.  I really want to wear my shirt, but they all signed it so now I can’t wash it! 

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IMG_4814Whew, I was so pooped when we finally got home.  I didn’t get to bed till after midnight and then had to get up early today for work and had an exam today . .  eek!  I think I did pretty well on the exam.  Most of the stuff I had learned before, so I hope I didn’t make some stupid mistakes.  I hate when that happens.   

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!! 

I am catching up on all your blogs, slowly but surely, thanks for reading!  I really appreciate all your encouraging comments on my thesis topic :)       

18 comments:

Kelly said...

Wow you did a LOT this weekend! I would love to try a Greek food festival, I feel like even after visiting Greece once I still don't really know what Greek food is!

Angie said...

Every bit of the food at the Greek Fest looks amazing!! How fun!

The concert sounds amazing too! Have a great week!

Emily said...

Like your new motto. :-)

Looks like you had a great weekend! I love a good mix of studying and fun activities. The Greek festival sounds so fun. I love Greek food, especially gyros!

chow and chatter said...

great food love Greek festivals and just go for it !

MelindaRD said...

Thanks for the pics of the Greek food festival. My fave and I am so jealous. I can only imagine trying to get from NLV to Henderson area. The whole thing is a big mess there.

Good luck on the thesis. Seriously, I agree, just go for it.

Tell everyone I said Hi when you are at the meeting. I miss SNDA and being so involved and making sure everyone is getting something out of the organization. What is the meeting topic and where is it? Have a good week!

Susan said...

The Greek Orthodox church by my house in Chicago has an annual festival that I looked forward to all year! Such good food. I loooove gyros...and tzatziki is my favorite! Anything tastes better with it. :)

Anonymous said...

it's really good that your advisor is so encouraging! you're really lucky! Go for it!!! :)

you had such a nice/busy/fun weekend!

And congrats on the 3 years anniversary, you guys look so happy together! :)

Shannon said...

Wow, Kristen! What a busy weekend....and all good! I'm so happy your adviser is so supportive. That had to be a huge relief and allow you to really enjoy the festival, the concert and dinner.

Heather S-G said...

Wow...what an incredible time! All of that Greek food has my tummy rumbling this morning :D

Gina; The Candid RD said...

How fun! You had a great weekend full of some amazing eats, wow. I have not eaten really good Greek food in such a long time, you've made me want some. I love gyros, so much, but Nick is "Allergic to lamb"...what?! He's crazy. I also love the baklava. Who doesn't like that stuff?!
I hope the thesis ideas are coming along. HAve a great week KRisten!

A said...

First of all I love your motto: Just go for it! I need to follow that more often!
The Greek Festival: O>>>M>>>G!!!! I can't comment on it all! I want to try EVERYTHING!!
That Italian restaurant: I lived in Italy for 2 years! Your food pics make me miss it!!! That pizza, gelato and lemonchello all bring me BACK! Thanks for sharing!
-A

A said...

Hi.... I'm commenting again so I can answer the questions you asked on my blog. Yes, hubby and I were both in the Navy for 9 years. We were stationed in Italy for 2. It was awesome! That's actually where we got married (in a beautiful, old Italian church). I learned so much about fresh, whole food and portion size living in Italy. Italians know how to eat! I've been meaning to post about the places I've lived. You just reminded me! I'll have to put together some posts so I can share more! Thanks for the comment! :D
-A

Sweetie Pie said...

There is a Greek festival in D.C. each year, and I keep meaning to go. After seeing these photos, I'm definitely going to make a point of attending this year. YUM!! It looks like the weather was gorgeous too. :-)

giao {kiss my sptaula} said...

great, great post. i'm such a fan of greek food...so an entire greek festival would make my head explode. i'm absolutely starving now after seeing all of your lovely photos - especially the loukoumades and baklava!

Astra Libris said...

Wow, such an awesome weekend!! Thank you for sharing all the fantastic photos and memories! The Greek festival looks incredible - I'm swooning over the baklava in particular... ooooh, and the glorious tzatziki sauce... :-)

Congratulations on the meeting with your thesis advisor! I'm soooo excited for you! You're SO gonna rock this thing!! :-)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! Y'all are such a beautiful couple... Wishing you endless joy!!

Sophia said...

oh, I read about this festival online, and was so sad it's all the way over in Vegas! I'm so glad you got the chance to enjoy it, though! :-)

Agnes Galvez, MS, RD said...

Nice pics from the Greek festival! So, my fave concert was NKOTB! It was in Oct. opening up with Lady Gaga (before she was famous). Jordan Knight's abs looked awesome. It was an entertaining show. I wasn't crazy about the other 40,000 screaming females. However, I did enjoy Jordan's performance of his solo single, "Give It To You."

Meal Makeover Mom Janice said...

Wow, a fellow RD who loves Pink Martini!? Yeah, they are my favorite band. My sister lives in Portland and introduced me to them several years ago. I've seen them in concert several times and they rock! I look forward to following your blog.