Valentine's Dinner

I took Bea out to French 75 Bistro in the Marketplace last night. It was a tasty meal. I haven't been in love with this place in the past, but it was very good last night. It was a fixed price menu with some options.

First, after we sat down they brought us an appetizer of a tasty cream with raw salmon and caviar on an endive leaf.

Then I had the seared foie gras that was served on a big plate with toasts, cooked greens, and blood orange slices. It was my first time with foie gras (fattened duck or goose liver). I liked it mostly, but I wasn't sure of the sliminess of the inside. Bea had a lobster and corn chowder which was good, but more corn than lobster. Then we shared a Caesar Salad which was the kind where they don't chop the romaine spears. They were good, but overdressed.

For the main course, Bea had a filet. I had braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and green beans and carrots. It was very tasty.

Then the dessert was unbelievable. It was a perfect White Chocolate souffle with raspberry sauce and cream.

At the end they brought us "free" glasses of champagne. I'm not a big champagne guy so I had a couple sips and then we left. It was a pretty good meal.

Did you go out or stay home or go out on a different night????

The Ultimate Date Night

Tomorrow night will be an amazing date night for Bea and me. I can't wait. Kevin and Michelle will be watching the kids overnight. We are having dinner at Pizzeria Mozza in LA which is an incredibly delicious and fun restaurant owned by Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton. I had the best bread and caprese salad of my life there. Then we are heading to see Wicked with decent orchestra level seats. After that we are staying at the Renaissance Hollywood and Highland Hotel and enjoying some Hollywood nightlife there. Then we will have a nice breakfast at the hotel and hang out and shop in LA for the day. We don't have to be home until late afternoon on Saturday.

It's going to be amazing!! Thanks Kevin and Michelle. You rock!!

My Wife is Funny and Smart

Check out Bea's most recent post on her blog here. It's her take on what she would write on a Starbucks cup. She is a funny girl.

BEA HAS A BLOG!!

My amazing, intelligent, beautiful wife, Bea Wakeling, has finally started a blog. I am so happy it is beyond words. Her blog is called Vanishing Roads which is from a poem about choices we make in life and how the roads that we don't take vanish. She will explain it better, but I think it's a pretty sweet name.

Check her first post out at http://beawakeling.blogspot.com or use the lovely link I made her on the right.

10 Wonderful Years!

Today marks our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary. On July 5, 1997 we were married at Ocean Hills Community Church in San Juan Capistrano, CA and enjoyed a beautiful reception in the Dana Point Harbor.

I love my wife more today than I did ten years ago. She is an awesome woman and I'm blessed by God to have her in my life. I don't know if I would have been able to picture the way our lives are now on that day ten years ago. Today we are truly thankful and will celebrate at The Melting Pot tonight with some yummy fondue.

Video from Bea's Birthday

This video is from Bea's Birthday back on May 30th. It's just the family chatting on the couch about not much of anything. A glimpse of the wacky life of the Wakeling clan.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEA!!

It's my beautiful bride's birthday today. I wonder if I'm allowed to say her age online. I don't think I will...just in case. She is wonderfully loving, incredibly funny, and a bit spicy. She is carrying our unborn daughter in her belly and it's been a bit of a challenge so I thank her publicly for the effort this takes. This picture is about a week old and the baby is due July 1st (or in Bea's opinion, next week).

Bea on Film

I had the Macbook with the iSight in bed tonight and I made Bea talk on camera. It's good stuff. You will love it. The lighting is really dark and the sound is low, but that's perfect. You will see how much Bea loves blogging. Plus I haven't been preaching as much lately so I miss making the confessionals.