Christmas at the Allisons

Christmas has come to the Allison apartment!  Since I've been mostly seeing this:

 Derek and I took a little studying hiatus!  Derek's parents sent us a little Thanksgiving gift and told us to have some fun on our break, and we used our gift to outfit my new Christmas tree!  We also did a little personal shopping--which is accountable for a new stripey shirt for me and an awesome Christmas sweater for Derek!

 This was our Christmas tree before when we only had our decorations from last year.

 And here's our tree after!  Let's just say it's awesome!

And this middle lighting show is our Christmas tree from the street!  I love plugging it in every night and morning to bring some cheer to people rushing to and fro work!

Has everyone decorated for Christmas yet?
--Catherine

A Funny Story

Today, I watched an episode of Frasier.  While I was watching it, my little brain wheels were spinning in circles and I had a major case of deja vu!  That's when it hit me...

Blake told me the storyline of the episode on one of our first dates SIX YEARS AGO!

I can still remember us walking outside of Fanning Hall and hearing about the episode.  I can't stop giggling that I am watching it now!  I wish we had been watching together.  It would have been like a small wrinkle in time :)

--Catie

Date Night with Blake

This is one of those rare, rare weekends where Blake and I are both free, FREE, FREE!!!!!!!!  Can I tell you how amazing this is?!  I don't want to brag too much since most people probably have stuff to do this weekend, but I feel like my bragging is justified since Blake and I lived in the same apartment for three days but never saw each other even once.  Instead, we called each other in the mornings and evenings.  Lame.

But oh how I have looked forward to this weekend.  And it's here! And it's great!

Recap of Our Week

This week, I started my new teaching gig.  I'll be teaching a class to two groups of 1Ls at the law school, and I met them during orientation this week for the first time.  I was pretty nervous, which makes me get more animated, so I've probably sufficiently scared off the first year law students!  I am so glad to be over the first hump, and I'm preparing for my first lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Time to brush the dust off the powerpoint program on my laptop and get to work!

Blake finished up his OB/GYN rotation on Wednesday morning after working through the night.  He arrived home and immediately set to cramming studying for his standardized test on Friday.  He didn't have hardly any time this rotation to study, but I'm sure he did just fine on his test yesterday.  Wednesday afternoon was the first time Blake and I had seen each other since Sunday afternoon!  That's what happens when I'm working days and he's working nights.

Date Night!

I got done teaching and my boss let me cut out of work early on Friday.  Blake, who had just finished taking his test, came by and picked me up from downtown DC, and we reveled in our weekend-long freedom!  During said reveling, we went to the grocery store to stock up on basically everything.  I meant to take a picture of the sad state of our fridge, but I forgot.  Tell you what, google 'empty fridge' and that's a general idea of what ours looked like!

After our kitchen was stocked, we headed to a place called Cafe Ole near American University.  I had scored a $10 coupon for $20 worth of food, and we wanted to check it out.  It. was. heaven.  Blake and I have always loved Mediterranean food, and this little place solidified my love!  Blake and I ordered the cutest thing we could find on the menu--the Chef's Picks for Two!

Oh my goodness the food was so good.  Our order came with a bread box that included melt-in-your-mouth, cheesy focaccia bread, seasoned pita chips, and toasted lavash.  Our platter came with the most delicious food I've had in awhile: black bean hummus, greek salad, toscana salata, "Z" provencal chicken, and Tagine of lamb.  Can I take a second to tantalize you with the descriptions of our two favorite dishes?

The "Z" Provencal Chicken-- Chicken stew with tomato, artichokes, olives, and onions over brown rice and lentils topped with lemon pepper aioli.
The Tagine of Lamb--Morroccan lamb stew with carrots, celery, caramelized onions, and orange zest served over Israeli couscous garnished with curry aioli and julienne of mint.

Afterward, the chef came to our table and asked how we liked everything.  Blake and I have been raving to everyone about how great the food is since we tried it!

After a delicious meal, Blake and I drove a few miles up the street to Bethesda to Regal Cinemas to watch The Dark Knight Rises.  It was GREAT!  We got there early and managed to refresh our memories on the last two movies via Wikipedia.  We had a blast escaping to Gotham City to finish out the series.  It was a very satisfying ending to the trilogy.

What a great Friday night!  I wish every weekend could include a date night like this one!  A delicious dinner, an entertaining movie, and the best guy a gal could ask for made for a great Friday night.
--Catie

Notes On Dating a Law Student

Today I came across a very funny article with some tips for dating a law student!  You can read the list here: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/notes-on-dating-a-law-student/

Some of my favorites included:

Own a copy of Black’s Law Dictionary. This is not for your significant other, in case she loses her copy.  She does not lose anything. No, this is so you can figure out what the hell it means when the law student says, “It’s unconscionable that I would have to do the dishes two nights in a row!” 


Practice not rolling your eyes and gagging when your significant other mentions Supreme Court justices with a familiarity usually reserved for golfing buddies or a whacky uncle. Examples: “Of course Stevens would say that! Classic Stevens!” or “Scalia be tripping!”


Start to enjoy “watching” Law and Order. While you will watch Law and Order, you will not be able to actually watch it. Yes, you will see it on your screen but it will be accompanied by a non-stop live commentary track provided by your boyfriend or girlfriend on what the show gets right but mostly what it gets wrong. Nod reverently and occasionally remark about how interesting this all is while thinking to yourself that if the law student talks like this through American Idol, you will stab them.


Allow them at least one tear inducing, nervous breakdown a month. Maybe two. Law students exist within a cauldron of pressure and competition. They’re type-A, anal retentive types pitted against other type-A, anal retentive types amidst an unstable, contracting, and unforgiving legal market. In short, shit gets real. So intense freak outs should be allowed or even encouraged to exorcise the crazy away. This will benefit the both of you, and your partner will be forever grateful. After all, you should cut the law student some slack. They’re only human. They’re not lawyers yet.

These were written by Jacob Killian over at thoughtcatalog.com.

I'll have to ask Blake about the truth of these tips!

Best Search Term EVER

I've mentioned before that Blogger allows blog owners to see what search terms led readers to their blog.  We've had some funny terms before, like when several people got to our blog by typing in "Einstein Poop Statue" http://washingtondandc.blogspot.com/2011/11/some-funny-traffic.html. into google.

The one I found today though completely takes the cake.  It's like somewhere out in the world there is another Catie.  Have I built up the anticipation enough, yet?  Ok, here it is, the best search term EVER:

HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

Since everyone is just dying for a picture of Blake's legs, I'll gladly oblige (times THREE):

Mystery google-searcher, you are so welcome.
--Catie

Blake and Catie's Two Year Wedding Anniversary

Two years ago today, Blake and I walked down the aisle and vowed to love, honor, and cherish each other until death do us part.

Here's a little highlight video from that awesome day two years ago!

Enjoy!
--Catie

IronMed = Hardcore Blake

Blake informed me a couple months ago that Allen and Justin had convinced him to team up for a fundraising triatholon for their medical school.  It is aptly named "Iron Med."  Iron Med had three parts: a 750 yard swim, a 12 mile biking trail, and a 5k.  Blake quickly shotgunned the running portion, Justin called biking, and Allen did the swimming!

I, being the dutiful wife that I am, got up on Saturday morning with the sun to cheer on some of my favorite DC people (Blake included)!  I showed up just after this guy --->
began his swim.  It was a great day!  The guys did so well!

Here's some pictures!

 Above is Justin finishing up his 12 mile bike ride!!

 He tagged Blake, who did the last leg of the journey.  I like to imagine that the girl in the blue/pink in the foreground of the above picture is thinking, "look at that hottie running!" 

While we waited for Blake's return we got picture happy!

Steven, on the far left, ran all three legs of the Iron Med by himself and WON the entire competition!  He's seriously athletic! 

 Here comes Blake rounding the last corner before the finish line!!

 You can do it Blake!

 Team Serenity Now!  You go guys!

 Afterward, a bunch of our friends who competed got a hankerin' for IHOP, so we headed to Virginia to indulge in some highly fattening, artery-clogging deliciousness.  Below, you can see my delicious breakfast/lunch!

 When we got home, we studied until later in the evening.  Then, it was time to get dressed again for the medical school's Follies.  I wrote about my school's Law Revue.  Follies is the med school counterpart to Law Revue!

 We sat with a big group of our friends and laughed the night away.

 This is the best picture I got of one of Blake's professors on stage treating us to some '90s classics (some of my favorite music!).  I also managed to photograph that creepy girl in the corner.... Yikes!

 Some of Blake's classmates.

 The other side of me!  If you've been reading our blog for long, then you'll probably recognize those people!

What a wonderful last 'hoorah' before Blake and I race headlong into finals.  Yes, that was an intentional and extremely corny pun / joke.  Just rolllll with it.

An Embarrassing Story

I'm going to tell an embarrassing story on myself.  It all started with this free coffee table that I picked up from an ad on craigslist in a somewhat shady part of town all by myself without telling anyone where I was going (that's not the embarrassing part... that's just the part where I admit that I was blissfully unaware of the crime rate in DC and didn't take a single step to ensure my own safety).

This happened last year, and I decided I wanted to make a bench out of this coffee table.  I don't know about you, but I need a creative outlet sometimes.  I think blogging and creating little projects around our apartment help A LOT.  This project was born from that desire to do something.

My mom found some foam on sale at a shop in Tennessee, and my dad brought it up with him one time when he was visiting.  I bought the fabric online, but unfortunately, the coffee table wasn't exactly right for what I wanted to do.  We ended up just folding the fabric under the foam and laying it on top of the coffee table.

The other day, I was brainstorming about what to do with this old thing.  And then it hit me!  Blake and I took a couple of hours to staple the fabric/foam to the rim of the coffee table.  Then, I found some cute trim online, and I have plans to hot glue the trim on top of the staples around the rim! PERFECT.

This is before the trim is added but after the staples were in

 Except.

Here's the embarrassing part.... 

I completely ordered the wrong amount of trim.   Today, I got about 5 feet of trim in the mail!!

I ordered the trim online after looking at dozens of different kinds.  I made sure the measurements were right for what I wanted, but I completely glossed over the description of what I was ordering!

Below you will see what I did not notice when I first looked.

So I read the first part and thought I had ordered 12 yards!  I didn't read the next line that said it was sold by the yard! Hahaha.

This is not a good sign coming from someone who is supposed to be awesome at reading the fine print!

Anyway, I ordered a single solitary yard of trim.  The person from the fabric store must have gotten a good laugh at my goof.  I paid more in shipping and handling than I did in fabric!  That must be why he or she gave me a couple extra feet.  Pity trim!  :)

Some goofy things we're up to...

"Wow, is it really already the weekend?" said no one ever.  However, these pictures are from last weekend and I forgot to post them, so I kind of might have asked myself in my head if it was already the weekend (the horror!).  Also, my weeks are all jumbled together and my sleeping schedule is slightly off.  Today, this glorious Thursday, I thought it was Monday.  Monday?? What is wrong me....

Anyway, this little trip to get mexican food up the street is not exactly blog worthy, but since my books are most certainly not blog worthy, I will share them with you anyway.

 A regular old (last) Friday night date!  Want to know something funny though?  We went at 4:30 PM. For dinner. Because we were hungry, that's why!  And because we've always had the dinner cravings in the middle of the afternoon like an old couple!  Do. Not. Judge. Us.

On (last) Saturday, I successfully gave myself a fishtail braid that I wore outside of the apartment.  It has never happened before so I took this picture.

Blake and I decided to get dinner at the Panera's we discovered a couple of miles up the street from us!  We can park near there because of the zone (DC is divided into zones for parking.  We have a zone parking pass, but can only park in our neighborhood).  Little did we realize how far away the nearest parking spot would be!

Never will I ever again complain about parking far away when I'm in a parking lot.  A parking lot is a cement-covered dream!

After our date at Panera's, we walked over to the Container Store and Best Buy across the street.  I used to love to take some time to myself and window shop in Tennessee when I was feeling stressed or bored.  In DC, I don't even bother.  It takes too long to get anywhere, and everything is more expensive. So while we were at Panera's, I talked Blake into going over to the Container Store/Best Buy because those are names I recognized!  And I wanted to window shop!

The picture below is a result of playing on the Macs they have in Best Buy.

When Blake saw the picture, he said, "Hey I look just like Daniel Radcliffe in that picture!"  And you know what?? He kind of does!

I married Harry Potter. Don't be jealous.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, Internets!

For Valentine's Day I got Blake tickets to the Crime and Punishment Museum here in DC.  You can check out that post by clicking here.  Today, I sent him to class with a couple of surprises.  I handmade a Valentine for him!

Backstory: Over Christmas break, we might have started watching a couple episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians (cough cough).  Anyway, occasionally we've been watching an episode to, you know, keep up. 

 I photoshopped Blake with the Kardashian sisters!!  I was so proud haha.  Also, I had this printed out at the law school, and a guy saw it and probably thinks I'm really weird now. :)

 The back is a face-in-hole picture of him with the Kardashians again! 

 While I was being creative, I thought I would make a couple of valentines for some of Blake's friends.  For Allen, I wanted to pay homage to his science fiction love.  He's the one who invited us over to his place the other day to watch Alien.  Here's the valentine I made for Allen:

I got the idea for Justin's valentine shortly after going over to his place to watch Virginia Tech play in the Sugar Bowl.  So here's the valentine I made for Justin:

They were so fun to make! I like having a creative outlet.  Hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Pre-Gaming!

I gave Blake his Valentine's Day present a little bit early so that we could really enjoy the experience.  I got him two tickets to the National Crime and Punishment Museum in DC!  It's a really cool museum, with lots of interactive exhibits.  Unfortunately it's not a free museum, so if we don't make the most of gift-giving moments, we might never have gone! 

Plus, Blake's been playfully telling me he's going to retire and write murder mystery novels.  So I viewed this gift as a way to encourage his dreams and aspirations!!

We started our evening at the Old Post Office for dinner and the Clock Tower Tour!

The Old Post Office is a great place to stop!  In this picture you can see the FBI Building, Smithsonians, National Archives, The Capitol, the roof of the Supreme Court building, and the roof of the Art Museum!

 The views were beautiful!  It was very, very cold though!

 As we left, we ran into a snow storm!  That's a slight exaggeration, but as we were walking to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, it started snowing, and the wind was blowing really hard!  I'm fairly certain my skirt flashed half of DC!

We finally made it to the museum, and got our tickets, and started touring.  The tour started with some Medieval Times, and then morphed into Colonial Times, and then Pirates, and then hit up the Wild Wild West!

This was a gun shoot out, and there were little targets on different things that you had to aim for.  When you hit a target, it would make a noise.

This was Bonnie and Clyde's car (well, it's the car they used in two of the old movies about Bonnie and Clyde)!  Blake and I felt mighty old when we realized that we've already outlived both Bonnie and Clyde.  Where did the years go?!

At one area, we got to fingerprint ourselves using some new technology that is ink-less.  It spits out a card with your print on it, and your purported crime.  My crime was parole violation and Blake was contempt of court!

Then, we got to be part of a line-up!  I don't look guilty at. all.

Blake fits right in!

Next we toured some prison cells.  Blake is escaping!

This was a fun exhibit about tattoos and what they mean.  The tattoo I looked at was the number 13 1/2--the thirteen and a half  stands for 12 jurors, 1 judge, and a half-assed lawyer!  Hopefully I will not be the lawyer in that case in the future!

Haha Blake preferred this very manly cat in a bonnet tattoo.  At least we have our ink picked out for if we're ever booked!

Next, we sat on a Harley Davidson police bike!  This is the closest I've ever come to riding on a motorcycle!

He's a natural!

Here are heat-seeking cameras!  Blake and I are certifiably hot! Hot! HOT!

This was a really, really cool exhibit.  We got to simulate a police cruiser rushing down city streets to get to a car accident!  I think Blake and I both hit cars or pedestrians the first time we tried it.  I also managed to fishtail off the road and into a brick wall.  We both made it safely the second time though! 

Another cool exhibit in this area was a simulation on a huge screen with some type of gun.  Blake and I were in a police cruiser and we came upon a couple of dudes arguing.  One of them pulled out a gun and "shot" at us, so we had to open fire to protect ourselves and the other guy.  Blake and I wounded the culprit, so we passed our test!

Blake is passing the other test to make it onto the police force--5 pull-ups!  I only had to do 2 and I couldn't.  It's a good thing I'm training to be a lawyer and not a detective!

A mock crime scene!

There was a whole section on the Medical Examiner's office.  Blake knew all sorts of neat information from when he went to the local medical examiner's office for a med school class.

And finally,  here's Blake with Crime Fiction Writers.  I'm feeling pretty confident that he'll be up on that board some day!
Happy Valentine's Day, Blake!