Christmas Pictures Galore!

I know this is an excessive picture overload, but trust me, I could have posted a lot more. We took 733 pictures while we were in Utah, and it was too hard to narrow them down!

Our break was nothing short of fabulous. I don't think anything beats spending time with family, stuffing our faces with our favorite foods until we feel ill, and laughing until we cry. It was a much needed break for both of us.

I was planning on doing this post sooner, but after sitting in front of the computer for 10 hours everyday at work, coming home and spending more time on the computer is the LAST thing I want to do. But I do it for my fans. :)


Our trip began in Salt Lake City with the Alba's. We stayed with them for three days. Their dog Mattie was as crazy as ever. She loves to eat snow.


Adam's little brother Nick buried himself in the ridiculous amounts of snow that accumulated while we were there.


We made the traditional gingerbread houses. When we were finished, some remained standing, while others weren't so fortunate.


We saw our good friends, Brad and Brittney. Their daughter Lilia sure is cute, but unfortunately, she didn't like us very much. She made this face every time she looked at us!


We met our friends Kirsten and Dave's new Beagle puppy. When Adam and I get a dog someday, we're going to get a Beagle too. He was so friendly and one of the most adorable little balls of fur I've ever seen.


We got to see a few more of our friends from my European study abroad. We can be serious, but we're much better at making what we like to call "surprise faces."


We played a lot of Rock Band.


Adam and his little sister Michelle pretended to get along long enough for me to snap a quick picture of them.


We visited Adam's paternal grandparents, Guelito and Guelita. Love them!


Then it was off to beautiful St. George to spend the remainder of the week with the Doxey's. Gratefully, we were right ahead of the snow storm and didn't have much weather on the way down.


I made three pies, which took me practically an entire day, but turned out quite delicious, if I do say so myself.


For the first time in the fifteen years my family has lived in St. George, we had a white Christmas. This is the front of our house on Christmas Eve. The snow didn't stick, but it was magical, nonetheless.


Christmas Eve dinner.


Me, my dad, and youngest sister Lauren at our annual Chinese dinner feast on Christmas Day.


We played a lot of music. Because my dad is in a rock band and they practice at our house, he has all of his equipment set up 24/7. It is a blast!


We went shooting out on the BLM, but my mom and I didn't take it quite as seriously as the boys had hoped.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas too!

Dark Blonde/Light Brown/Reddish Hair!

I've always been a blonde, but I felt like going darker for a change. I don't know how I feel about it yet, so we'll see...

Live Nativity

Tuesday night we played Mary and Joseph in the live nativity at the Washington D.C. Temple. We got there an hour early so we could get dressed in the costumes and learn the 7 minute skit. It was a freezing cold night and was raining, so there weren't too many people watching us, but it was a great experience nonetheless. We did the skit over and over for an hour.

As I cradled the doll, I thought of how Mary must have felt that night as she rocked Him in her arms and knew she was looking at the Son of God. I thought a lot about Christ- His birth, His life, and most importantly, His atonement for us. I was overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude for Him and for His example. I don't know where I'd be or what my life would be like without my Savior.

National Tree and The Messiah

We saw the National Tree again this year. It was nice, but, like last year, was freaking freezing.



Snowing in DC. Not a regular occurrence.


Fog. Now that's more regular.








Standing nobley in front of the White House.


Fast, clean and spacious Metro. Much better public transportation than the big city up north.


These were our seats at the National Cathedral for Handel's Messiah. They were great, even though they were oddly placed behind the performers. The performance itself was phenomenal. It was actually a very spiritual experience. We took this picture right after the famous Hallelujah Chorus.


Addy, trying so hard to be patient and smile in the freezing weather where the last thing he wants to do is take pictures. The "feels like" temperature that night was like 17 degrees with the icy wind. Not a good time to be outside.

On the radio

I'm on the radio today - an NPR program called Day to Day talking about the legal job search.

DC Metro area:
WFWM-FM: 91.9 12:00PM-01:00PM
WSDL-FM: 90.7 1:00PM-02:00PM

Salt Lake City:
KCPW-FM: 88.3 12:00PM-01:00PM

St. George:
KSGU-FM: 90.3 01:00PM-02:00PM

Tooele:
KCPW-AM: 1010 12:00PM-01:00PM

I don't really remember what I said, so if I sound like an idiot or said something offensive or stupid then I apologize in advance. And it's probably going to be a really short story (3 minutes). So if you don't want to waste an hour waiting for my sweet tones, or if you miss the live airing, then it will be available online after 3:00 PM EST here.

UPDATE: Here's the story.

The best part of being a student

Adam finished his finals last Thursday and has been living like a king since. He’s been playing ridiculous amounts of guitar, sleeping in (last night he got 14 hours!), watching football, reading the newspaper, doing crossword puzzles, surfing the internet, and bike riding. I don't know how he's managed, but he's even thrown a little laundry and dishwashing into the mix (thanks, angelbabe!).

The best part is that he gets to do this for another month until school starts again in January. Although I’m a little jealous of his free time, he totally deserves it! Live it up, Addy, because you'll soon be living in the real world like the rest of us!

Help! I'm Dry!

The cold winter air is eating my skin alive. My lips were peeling so bad yesterday that they bled, and my whole body feels itcy. I've been trying to use tons of chapstick and lotion, but it doesn't feel like it's working. I need recommendations of your favorite lotions and chapsticks to help combat this irritating problem. What have you found to help?

Thanksgiving Fun

We spent Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house in Columbia, MD. It is so nice to have family closeby. We spent most of the day being lazy, stuffing our faces, catching up with family, and most importantly, playing with babies. My cousin Gina's 7 month old is the most adorable baby I've ever seen. He is so happy! All he does is smile, giggle, and make cute baby noises. I played with him pretty much nonstop for the entire day. It was a blast!


Everyone wrote what they were thankful for on a piece of paper and we strung them all together and made a banner out of them.

We laughed pretty hard when we noticed that Adam wrote he was grateful for "me education." Ha ha.


I got together with a few of my girlfriends and made these darling Thanksgiving turkey cupcakes for table decorations at their Thanksgiving dinner. I struggled a little at first (as evidenced by the picture below- I put the feathers on backwards!), but finally got a hang of it.

BYU vs. Utah Game

A bunch of law students and their spouses rented the second floor of a sports bar for the big game. It was a lot of fun to have so many people together. The BYU fans definitely outnumbered the U of U fans, but Adam made sure to make up for it by being extra obnoxious while cheering. I was actually pretty mortified by his level of enthusiasm.

Mutual disgust for the other's school.

Pretending to get along.

Adam with a few of his U buddies (neither of which were as annoying as him).

Some of the girls.

I was obviously disappointed with the outcome of the game, but honestly, I think it might have been worse if BYU had won because I would have had to hand Adam tissues while he cried for the remainder of the weekend. It was kind of worth it to see him happy!

Things I've Done

I saw this on someone else's blog and loved it. All the things I've done in my life are bolded.

1. Started your own blog (obviously)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (does tithing count?)
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (twice! I love Paris!)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (very overrated)
20. Slept on an overnight train (way too many times)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (who hasn't?)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (I wish)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (been to Venice but didn't do this- I regret it big time)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (a Mediterranean cruise is my dream vacation)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (I don't think middle school Spanish counts)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (one of my very favorites)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (Adam and I are in the official Gettysburg National Park movie)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (a very successful one!)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I've tried but I get too scared/grossed out every time that I can't every finish! My blood doesn't come out fast enough!)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (Auschwitz- way sad)
67. Bounced a check (oops!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (live a mile from it)
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (two)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (should have in seminary, but I doubt I read every page cover to cover)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (it depends in what sense)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (not personally, but work on them every day, baby!)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee


Now bold all of the things that you have done!

Exciting things are coming up for the Alba family!

Today Adam was interviewed by Jeff Brady at NPR News for a story they are doing about the job search for law students. Jeff met him at the school, set up a microphone, and interviewed him for over a half hour. He asked Adam about law school, the job the market, whether he's seen people do creative things to try to get into firms, any advice he has for other law students, how many places he applied to for summer internships, etc. It will air nationally sometime this holiday weekend; we're not sure of the date yet, but we'll keep you updated in case you're interested in tuning in. This interview is a total dream come true for Adam- he's completely obsessed with NPR. It's all he listens to in the car.

In other news, Adam and I are going to be making our debut as Mary and Joseph at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitor Center on December 16th from 6:15-8:15 p.m. We'll be the ones standing in the freezing cold for 2 solid hours holding perfectly still, cradling a doll in a stable with barn animals surrounding us. If you want to stop by and try to make us laugh while we're trying to be very serious, you're welcome to. We dare you to break us- we're good. But seriously, it should be a spiritual experience, and we're really looking forward to it!

I admit it...

I bought the first gift for my not-yet-existent-hopefully-I'll-have-one-someday baby girl. I couldn't pass up this darling handmade baby blanket. I figured, hey, lots of other girls do it, so why can't I? I managed to make it over 2 years of marriage without buying a single article of clothing or toy for my future children. But I fell in love with the simplicity and charm of this sweet blanket. I figure if I never get blessed with a little girl, I can always give it to one of my sisters.

New car no longer new

So remember how I posted about how we bought a new car? Well, it doesn't look so new anymore. :( Some old guy merged into my lane without even looking and rammed right into the side of our car. I was just heading straight down my lane without doing anything. I wasn't trying to turn, switch lanes, nothing. He just rammed right into the side of me.

I was pretty upset that he hadn't even seen me and felt like having a little fun with him. I made some conversation and slipped in the fact that I work at a personal injury law firm and that we sue people for their negligence while driving every day! The look on his face was priceless. It was hilarious, but then I felt bad and assured him that I hadn't been injured and felt fine.

Luckily, his insurance has agreed to pay for the damage. It's kind of a bummer that this even happened, but I guess stuff like this just happens sometimes.

Friends & Family Weekend

Tonight Adam and I went to the Gap Outlet and used our friends and family coupon that my cousin emailed me this morning. We got a few things that we've been needing but haven't wanted to spend money on until now. Three reasons why this was so awesome:

1. The Gap Outlet is already cheap as it is.
2. They were having a huge sale, and almost everything was marked 50% off.
3. We used our 30% off coupon on top of that.

We ended up getting everything like 80% off! I paid $2.97 for a turtleneck and $9.00 for a really thick, warm sweater. It was practically like they were giving stuff away. We almost felt like we were stealing from them and felt kind of bad.

Email me at andi.alba@gmail.com if you want me to send you the coupon. It's good through Sunday. You can use it at Gap, Gap Outlet, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factory Store, and Piperlime.

BYU Police Beat

While attending BYU, I always looked forward to Tuesdays because that was the day the Police Beat came out in the Daily Universe. I would always grab a paper on the way to my first class and laugh at the idiotic but very hilarious things that had happened on campus during the past week. If only I could have been there to witness some of this nonsense!

Adam and I like to keep up-to-date on what's going on in good ol' Provo through their website. Here are a few gems for you to enjoy:

Oct. 16: A male student said he received a suspicious phone call from someone claiming to be from a magazine company telling the student he had won a prize. The student gave the caller his address and debit card information. The student, recognizing this as a potentially dangerous situation, called his bank and discovered an unauthorized $69 charge. The student cancelled the transaction and reported the incident to the police.

Oct. 18: A female resident of Wymount Terrace called in a suspicious phone call in which a man made statements with the intent of hypnotizing the student. The student said she does not remember most of the conversation, but remembers she called him her master. Police say it is virtually impossible to hypnotize someone over the phone.

March 12: A male student posted fliers in female dorm halls asking for dates to satisfy a dating requirement for his marriage preparation class. The fliers not only violate BYU policy but were disturbing female residents. Police discovered that the student was not enrolled in that class and the professor he said he had has retired.

April 2: The father of a student called BYU police when he had not heard from his daughter for four days. BYU police called the student and told her to call her father.

June 2: A blind deer was found by a resident at the Wymount Terrace. Provo Animal Control was called and they came and took care of the animal. They knew it was blind because it was running into things.

Sept. 16: Police responded to a call about three males with nets and a broom at the pond south of campus. The men were apparently trying to capture a duck. The officer told the men to leave and leave the ducks alone.

Sept. 16: Residents of Taylor Hall reported three males making noise and pounding on their windows, including one dressed in a Spiderman costume. Police discovered they were residents from May Hall. The students explained they were bored and looking for something to do.

Oct. 19: A male student in Merrill Hall reported an incident that began about a month ago. He said other students set off a fire extinguisher and stole toilet paper. The incident resulted in one student hitting another and the other responding by firing an air soft gun. The case is under investigation.

Nov. 6: Officers responded to a call concerning a disorderly person in the atrium of the HBLL. The subject at issue was wearing a red shirt, a scarf around his neck, a red mask around his eyes and holding several roses. He was holding a sign that read, "Ask me for ... A-Hug, A-Rose, A-Hand, A-Date, A-Nything else." When officers told him he wasn't allowed to solicit in this manner, he continued to argue and told them he wasn't going to stop. Officers then explained that he may be arrested for disorderly conduct but he said he had diplomatic immunity and could not be arrested. When officers told him that it is necessary to receive permission from the dean of student life to demonstrate on campus, he agreed to follow through with the dean and left the area.

Nov. 1: Police received a call concerning screams and pounding coming from a room in the Maeser Building. Police investigated and discovered the screaming man was a custodial worker watching the game between Texas and Texas Tech, and was upset about his team's loss.

Nov. 11: A female student reported that she had received an e-mail from service@irs.gov, claiming that there had been a miscalculation on her tax report, and that she was eligible for a refund. She was asked to submit a tax refund request and complied. She reported the incident to the police after being told to do so by her dad.
A male student picked up candy in the BYU Bookstore Sept. 7 thinking that it was part of a promotion. After confronted he agreed to pay the 25 cents.

A male student locked his personal items in the Richards Building locker room Aug 29 to attend class. When he came back all of the items, even his clothes, were missing from his locker.

Someone cemented ceramic animals on rocks of the waterfall near the Bell Tower Sept. 5. The officer took down 14 different ceramic animal figures that were half-cemented to the rocks.

Grams and Gramps' Visit

My sweet maternal grandparents drove all the way from Detroit, MI to visit me and Adam this past weekend. We had such a blast!

Whenever guests come into town, we have an excuse to do the touristy things that we've never gotten around to doing since we've lived here. We went to Mt. Vernon and saw George Washington's plantation home.

I was a little surprised by all the farm animals running around the grounds, but we learned that Mt. Vernon is still a fully-functioning farm today.

This is what I get when I ask Adam to smile for a picture most of the time. Lovely, dear.

These trees were definitely the super stars of the day. I can't get enough of the gorgeous fall colors out here!

View of the back of the mansion. I'd love to have a big porch like that overlooking the Potomac.

Luckily for me, I'm the only grandchild that share's my grandmother's birth month, so I inherited her gorgeous antique sapphire and diamond necklace this weekend. I absolutely love it. It's so vintage. Thanks, grandma! I hope I have a September-born daughter or granddaughter someday so I can pass it on to her.

We also hit a few museums and ate a lot of delicious food. It was a great weekend. We are so grateful we got to spend some time with the G-Units. Come again soon!