Our new place!

Not sure why I haven't shared these yet, but I thought my mom and auntie might like to see where we're living now. Here are just a few pictures of our new place.

Our kitchen. Complete with our "and they lived happily ever after" sign that Renee brought all the way back from Ireland.

Our guest bathroom. I've often thought about writing an "ode to our second bathroom". It's been life changing, really.

Our new dinner table and chairs. I am my mother's daughter because maybe (just maybe) it took me 3 weeks to decide on chairs to go with the table. And maybe (just maybe) we literally didn't have anything to sit on because I sold our chairs on craigslist before the new table came. Indecisiveness can really get ya sometimes.

And...ta da! Our Christmas tree this year! Complete with popcorn garland (because our ornaments are in California), last year's Christmas picture, and a red velvet bow on top.

Soon I'll take pictures of our second bedroom. To entice you all to come visit. ;)

A New York Thanksgiving...

New York enchants me every time I visit. This time, we spent our Thanksgiving holiday there with sweet friends. We went to the Thanksgiving Day parade, saw the Bruins play at Madison Square Garden, went out for a fancy dinner (that was generously paid for by a complete stranger sitting next to us!), and saw a Broadway show. More pictures to come, but I thought I would share this little video to show you just how close we were to those beloved New Yorkers on Thanksgiving Day. I really do love this city.

Macy's Day Parade from Kristin Bishop on Vimeo.

Viva Vieques!

Currently dreaming of Isla de Vieques, an island off of Puerto Rico and our official honeymoon location!

We will be staying here... (9 days! 8 nights!)

Eating here...

Doing this...

and this...

And yes, it has been a year plus since we were married, and yes, I will tell everyone we meet that we are honeymooning.

February, you can't come soon enough.

Its never too late for a honeymoon.

Joe and I have been scheming the last couple weeks to plan a honeymoon. When we were married, we had a "minimoon" (perfect, of course, just a bit too short) and always said we'd go on a bigger trip after I was done with school. Now, we have officially been bit by the travel bug.

We're the kind of couple that likes to go off the beaten path, but we're desperately needing time to slow down, sit down, and relax. What are your favorite vacation spots?

p.s.- J, I will never forget when we left at 4:00am at the end of our minimoon so I could make it back to class by 7:30am. What a husband you were already! And an even better one today.

Bahstan

We took a short trip to Boston last weekend. We caught the last bit of the fall colors, and visited our favorite places (ok, maybe my favorite places?!) in Harvard's Square. It was definitely chilly, (for us, anyway) and so with just that little taste of cold air I'm fully intending to hibernate for the winter.

p.s.-Did I tell you yet how wonderful it is to have our weekends back? Joe and I have never even known each other when one of us wasn't in school. We love school, but we sure do love each other more.

we love DC

we thought it appropriate to stay in theme this halloween with our pumpkins. you know, with our new city and all. husband's handiwork is on the right, mine is on the left. we had apple cider, caramel popcorn, and I played the "monster mash" from my iTunes to get us in the Halloween spirit. (yes, I do own that song. weird, i know.)

regardless of your political leanings (we happen to be a bipartisan household), there's nothing like living in our nation's capital in the fall. we are so blessed.

p.s.- don't forget to get out and vote!

Apple of my eye

We took an hour's drive into Maryland to pick our very own apples(!) this past weekend. Quite the concept for these two California kids. (I'm afraid to admit that as we were driving, Joe and I both realized we had never seen apples growing on trees or spinach growing from the ground.) The weather was crisp as we walked through the rows of trees to pick only the best ones. I decided this is a fall tradition I could definitely get used to.

We love you, fall. Just don't let winter push you out too soon, ok? Thanks.

Happy Birthday, Claudia!

Here's wishing a wonderful birthday to you and many more!

National Gallery of Art- Sculpture Garden

What do you do when you can't find the food festival you were planning on going to?

You buy an izze (because these Bishops can't let their blood sugar get too low), and walk around until you find something pretty, like this:

Yep, that's the National Gallery of Art- Sculpture Garden. There is so much to do in this fun little town that a short walk down the street can lead to a new adventure (or plan B, but "new adventure" sounds better). We were immediately enchanted by all of the big, colorful sculptures in the garden. (really, it doesn't take much to entertain us)

And then, just when you're ready to leave, you take another stroll. Maybe because you still can't believe that you actually live here.

Stop whatever you're doing...

And make this...

When my mom, sister and I took a tour of Europe a couple years back, we had a dessert for every country. In Italy, gelato. In France, crepes. In Germany, apple crisp.

With colder weather and apples fresh from picking, a little apple crisp was just what I craved. If healthy is what you're looking for, you won't find it here. This is a celebration kind of dessert. (And if you happen to be celebrating Christopher Columbus Day or the fact that it's Thursday, so be it. We're all about celebrating.) But it was delicious! (just ask my husband)

Caramel-Apple Crisp (makes 8 to 10 servings)

Topping:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

10 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground allspine

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 Pippin or Golden Delicious apples (about 2 3/4 pounds), peeled, cut into eigths, cored (we used Golden Delicious apples that we picked up from the pumpkin patch)

Lightly sweetened whip cream

For topping: Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small moist clumps form. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. (I love do aheads! Made for multitaskers.)

For filling: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir sugar and butter in large skillet over medium heat until smooth sauce forms. Add lemon juice and cook, stirring, until caramel is deep brown, about 5 minutes. (The trickiest part. Do not multitask here. It will burn very quickly.) Mix in salt, then apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated, about 1 minute. Scrape apples and caramel into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish; spread evenly. Sprinkle topping evenly over.

Bake crisp until apples are tender, sauce is bubbling thickly, and topping is golden, about 50 minutes. Let crisp cool 15 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream. (Homemade whipped cream is best. And so easy!)

Pumpkin love

Loved this day. Love my husband. Love the little white pumpkin sitting on our doorstep as we speak.

p.s.- We went to Plaka Grill afterwards and it was the most delicious lunch we've had since we moved. I know that our readers are all home in California, but put it on your list of places to go when you come visit us. ;)

Mmmm...

Joe says the first time he came over to my apartment when we first started dating, all I had in my fridge was sour milk. (Maybe that's why he smells the milk everytime after taking it out of the fridge?)

I'm not denying nor confirming that.

But, if I do say so myself, I've grown leaps and bounds since that first little milk incident. And because I haven't started work yet (just one week left!) I've had the extra time to make some good home cookin'.

Let me present to you last week's menu:

Turkey sausage-spinach lasagna with spicy tomato sauce (admittedly labor intensive, but so worth it)

Roast pork loin with garlic and rosemary with roasted herb potato medley

Roast chicken breasts with garbanzo beans, tomatoes, and paprika with whole wheat cous cous

I'm no expert, but these have all been quite tasty. (all you need to know to cook is how to follow directions, and we all learned that a long time ago) But there's something about making a Bon Appetit recipe that automatically makes you feel fancy. And most of these can be made with only one pan!

I highly recommend taking the extra time this weekend to make one of these recipes. You'll feel fancy too.

Get well soon!

(little Morgan is on the right)

Our brave girl, Morgan, got her appendix out a couple nights ago. We are so glad that she is on the mend. Having a tummy ache is the worst.

(here she is chatting with me on the phone last night)

We love you, Morgan!

And to our Madison, you are always such a good big sister. We are so proud of you.

(p.s.- Now you know exactly what Kris has been going to school so long for. All that just to give some medicine. Crazy, huh?)

Saying prayers for Joe's dad too this morning. He is having shoulder surgery. Get well, soon!

Our little date with the Big Trees

photos from our mini california trip. (i know, i know, back already...)

After two red-eyes, a crazy week at work (Joe), getting car sick on windy roads (me), and not knowing what the heck time zone we were in, a little date with the Big Trees was exactly what we needed.

Happy Birthday Mamma Llama!

(me and my mom, who's just a few years older in this picture than I am now. i love how much i look like her here.)

It's my mom's birthday today! And though we can't be at home with her to celebrate, we are wishing a big happy birthday to her from out east. I love you, Mom. Thanks for always making life one big party. I want to be just like you when I grow up.

p.s.- i love you more than chocolate ice cream. which you know is saying a lot.

Starting to feel like...

Best things about yesterday:

getting a parking spot right in front of Anthropologie, that hot little mocha in my hand as I walked around on a rainy day, organizing our closet (it's the anesthetist in me), Beth at the Virginia office telling me my transcripts had arrived (thanks Beth, I can stop calling you every day now), and picking Joe up from his fancy pants business "trip" downtown (even 15 minutes is too far away for me).

p.s.- J, can't wait for apple picking, pumpkin carving and leaf peeping. I love that I get to go on this adventure with you.

We've heard from a few of you that you aren't able to comment on our blog. Well, it should be all fixed now. (forgive the beginner!)

All comments, suggestions, and funny stories are now welcome. (especially funny stories. we love those.)

Par for the course

Do you remember what it's like to move?

Because I had forgotten.

1. We boarded our plane at LAX with 13 bags. Everywhere we went, we counted them each time (sometimes twice, three times) to make sure we had them all. If people were staring at the airport, we didn't notice. We were too busy counting.

2. We spent the first night in our new condo on an air mattress. Somewhere on our trip, the mattress developed a hole, and we found ourselves smack dab on our hardwood floors about halfway through the night. We were so tired, we almost didn't care.

3. We unloaded our moving truck in record time (with the help of these guys) so as not to make any neighbors upset with a gigantic moving truck in a tiny parking lot. (Management said the neighbors call tow trucks on each other!) We kissed our muscles afterwards.

4. I went to Trader Joe's three times in the past three days. I had to map it each time.

(* side note: the "2 buck chuck" here is not $2! It's $3.29. We were heartbroken.)

5. Joe called me when he had finally made it to his office (via shuttle and metro) on his first day back to work. It was that big of a deal (you would have thought he was traveling internationally).

When you move to a new city, even the littlest things can seem like a big deal. You start all over again. And this is just par for the course.

But we've survived our minor obstacles. And even went out and about to explore the city a bit over the weekend. Eastern Market was our first destination. We walked around Capitol Hill, I got a tour of Joe's office and afterwards we stopped by a fall festival. (Shout out to Scott for letting us in the office. You made these two newcomers feel welcome.)

Flowers and crepes. I was sold.

Trading in a view of the Hollywood sign for a view of Capitol Hill.

Today marks just one week since we've landed in DC (one week!). Oh my, who knows what's next.

(p.s.- if it is even possible, i love my husband a thousand times more after this week. for too many reasons to list.)

We're here!

We made it! With just a few short days here in DC, we already have lots of funny stories and new experiences. So much to tell you about!

We're still settling in, but thought I would leave you with a video we took on our last day in LA.

The story goes like this: We went through our entire first year of marriage with one pan to cook with. (Yes, you read that right, one pan. When you know you're moving, why buy more?) But just before we left it was finally time to say goodbye to our beloved pan. (We were already planning on boarding the plane with an air mattress. We thought an air mattress and a pan might be a little over the top.)

We decided to honor the pan like any other good owner would with a memorial service. The following is us, silly and delirious (moving will do that to you), saying so long to our one and only pan.

Goodbye Pan from Kristin Bishop on Vimeo.

Passed!

Remember that big test I mentioned? Well, I passed. And I promise you, it was life changing. I've never been so happy to see a four letter word.

To celebrate, J and I went to the new Indian food place just down the corner from our now (very empty) apartment. (I'm not usually the biggest fan of Indian food, but believe me, J has earned this too.) We toasted with a bottle of wine we had been saving for such an occasion, and barely made it through dinner. (I woke up at 2:30am the night before my test and was too nervous to ever go back to sleep.)

your newest CRNA! (certified registered nurse anesthetist)

one very tired, very happy, very relieved husband

It felt like one of those days I will remember forever.

Happy Birthday Mike!

We are so thankful for you, and hope you have the happiest of birthdays!

Home is wherever I'm with you

The truck is in Kansas City, the cars are being shipped this morning, and all that's left are my anesthesia books and an air mattress in South Pasadena. (and Joe's bottle of Tapatio that we don't have any hope of finishing unless we literally drink it for dinner)

Life in our little apartment right now is um, simple. We both hit our head on the kitchen light fixture about a dozen times each day, and it's getting a little tiring to keep eating off of plastic plates. But a move cross country certainly reminds us of how much we can live without.

One that I can't live without though, is that husband of mine. And just after we hit our head on the light fixture for the 13th time that day, we sing this little song to each other (to be funny, and to keep us sane) to remind us that it's all ok because at least we're together.

Dear friends, please pray for the rest of our move to go smoothly (thank you, Jesus, that it has gone relatively smoothly thus far) and for my big board exam on Wednesday. I think everyone I know west of the Mississippi will be glad when that one is over.

Very soon, the Bishops will (finally) be in the District.

{one year}

shown above: our rooftop pool excursion at the Standard downtown, a lovely anniversary dinner at The Little Door, celebration champagne gifted to us on our wedding day, and a little white (red velvet) cake just like the day we were married (frozen cake layers don't taste any good anyway, right?)