Fish, Food, and Fellowship!

Date Night!  Date Night!!! 

Derek and I headed to Downtown Houston tonight, leaving the boys in the care of my parents.  (Zach and Ash enjoyed a night of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese along with all sorts of play with Grandpa and Grandma.) 

Derek and I dined at the Houston Aquarium restaurant where you dine on fine seafood quisine among large tanks of various fish, sharks, rays, and even a few giant morey eels!  Derek had blackened salmon and I had tropical whitefish, and of course we had key lime pie for dessert.  Fabulous!

The stairs up to the main dining room.  (See tank of fish swimming to the right in the photo.)

 Enjoying my mojito! And those are pearls around my neck that Derek bought me for my birthday.  Apparently they are the same "fake variety" - Derek's own words- that Michelle Obama wears.  I love them :)

 Derek + beer and more fish to the right. 

 Key Lime Pie!!!!

 After dinner, we attended the Houston Symphony's performance of the entire score of the Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring which they played in real time to the movie.  It was OUTSTANDING.  The neatest part of the performance was watching the percussion section beat on piano wires with heavy duty chains for some of the orc music.  The chorus was just fabulous- especially the Houston children's choir. It was also fun to watch the conductor's special music stand which allowed him to properly cue the music to the events on movie screen.  So cool!

We are totally excited to hear that their next movie performance will be The Matrix on November 3rd.  Don Davis, the composer of the score, will be coming personally to conduct the Houston Symphony for this event.  We plan to buy tickets ASAP!!!!