Lemon Pi

Nate and I just finished listening to a book on tape - Life of Pi. I do believe that my friend Maya has been suggesting I read it for a few years now. I very much enjoyed it ... although I didn't like how the book ended. It left me feeling dissatisfied ... as endings usually do (as I think I have said before, I don't much like the end of books.)


It is the second book we have listened to on tape - the others include The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity. My husband really enjoys listening to books on tape and the idea of reading books together. I think he got the idea from his parents who do the same thing. I am really enjoying it - it gives us something to discuss beyond our own lives, the news, and the gospel. Although, I must admit we tend to relate everything we read to those three categories anyway ... especially the gospel. Of course both the C.S. Lewis books are about religion and thus church doctrine informs our discussion of those books, but Life of Pi also has a unique perspective on religion. The narrator's voice is also exceptionally interesting and entertaining.

Anyway - its a good read. And no, neither of the two words referred to in the last post were found in this book. They are, however, found in the new Dan Brown book Lost Symbol which I am currently reading on my own. But I must say, I have been slowing down a bit on the reading of it because I am close to the end - only a 125 pages left. And have we learned about my reading habits ... yup, that's right ... I don't like the end of books. And so I will let this one drag out for a few weeks I am sure. Aggravating, isn't it?

the family dug up a few more wedding photos

Thanks to my mother-in-law, we have a few more wedding photos to share while we patiently wait for the professional photos. Thanks Gennie!

one of our best!

Jonas reaching for my owl pendant I had attached to my flowers. How fun is that bouquet?!

Nate's oldest brother Joe and his wife Sara and their girls Libby and Jenna.

Sara made Libby and Jenna's dress - these girls are sooo super cute!

I throw this one in to illustrate my niece Brooklyn's great affection for Nate.
When we came out of the temple, her first question was:
"Uncle Nate, why did you marry Aunt B?"

Nathan, Grandma Soelberg, and my father-in-law Craig

The happy couple kneel down to talk to Jimmie and Jenna on the steps of the temple.

10 of our 13 nieces and nephews pictured here:
Hunter, Cameron, Libby, Jenna, Mikyla, Monica, Terrick, Joaquin, Jimmie, and Annabelle
(held by Kate - Nate's younger sister)

All 5 Soelberg kids!
(Ben, Joe, Nate, Kate, Steve)

Beautiful Temple, Beautiful Day

My sister-in-law Kate and her yummy 5 month old Annabelle

This girl is sooo smiley, I love it!


And our favorite picture of the bunch:

I love the attitude on my face (I was annoyed at the wind I think) and his discontent at the idea of holding back my veil all day ... hahahahaha! Also, check out the face on Nathan Soelberg ...
he makes it often ... I laugh everytime!

a few more pictures ... but not quite satisfying ... i know

new do ... take 2

so now i have actually dried and styled my new do myself and i like it even more. i flat ironed the layers instead of using a round brush ... which let's be honest, I can't really use. i think this look fits me a bit better. it feels young and fresh and of course - new!

here are a lot of shots i made my parents take of me in their backyard:

The straight forward view:
(p.s. in new skinny jeans - yay!)

My "better" side
(I joked about this with my parents because I had this
big zit on the left side of my face all week!)

With my mom:
(who by the way is an AMAZING seamstress and
took in two dresses of mine while I was in town
... because she loves me. And I also learned this trip
that she at one point was the costume maker for
"the playgirl club" - a gentleman's club when she was in college!
Yes, I know ... you are thinking WHAT! Hahahaha
This was all before she joined the church ... at least that is what she says!)

With my dad:

This is what happens when you let my dad take the picture,
he chops off your head:

Another attempt to get my entire head in the picture:

Another picture with me and my cool yellow wayfarers on:

One last shot - a self-portrait - because you can't trust
the parents to get a good shot of the sunglasses and hair
they haven't yet come to fully appreciate:

where does the time go?

February is already half-over (thank heavens ... I am not a fan of this month ... more on that later) and I was reflecting on what has happened and what I haven't posted about.

I went to the Pacific Life Bowl Game on December 30th with my oldest brother. UO Ducks were playing Oklahoma State in San Diego. I got tickets and new exactly who would appreciate hooking him up ... since he always does the same for me.

I had a birthday ...
My roommie bought me flowers ... isn't that nice?!

I went out to dinner with friends for the birthday
(even though I was sick)
and wore this belt buckle I haven't worn in years
(because I couldn't for year ... if you know what I mean)
so I had to show it off and wear my shirt tucked in.
I know you can't tell but it has a lion head ... its pretty rad.

So about this whole not liking February thing. Its not because of Valentine's Day (typical conclusion to be drawn, but not the reason for my dislike) ... its because its a really crappy month.

Let us outline why.

The holidays are over by this time ... Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years ... and their residual effects have worn off as well.

My birthday has come and gone ... and to make matters worse ... I was sick this year.

Winter and coldness is STILL here and not letting up anytime soon.

And this year ... I am writing a thesis and February marks just four months left to do so ... and I am stressing out about it.

Need I say more???

So a few years ago I decided I would take trips in February. It hasn't worked out every year ... but I am going to try to do that since it makes me feel better about the month. This year I went to Salt Lake City, Utah. Not too glamorous, but a good get-away none-the-less.

Saw this guy in Salt Lake City, Utah.
He and a bunch of his lion friends are on the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
I guess I have a thing for lions these days.

Went to the Logan Temple for the first time. It is soooo beautiful!
Loved every minute of it.

More pictures ... its just sooo amazing:

Utah Trip - August 2007

As I am about to embark on a new adventure - school - I want to take the time to reflect on the past summer. After quitting my first real job (two years is a good effort, I think) and moving from DC, I was able to be on vacation for about a month in California before I moved to Oregon. I wrote here, here, here and here - just to remind you of a few. But I left out lots of stuff, so here it is!

August:

My trip to Utah to see my brother and his family was fantastic. Of course, I only have pictures of his children. They are sooo cute!

Terrick (or T as we call him) ... bluest eyes ever! And white blond hair ... I just love it.
He wants to be big like his brothers sooo badly. I wanted to steal him away in my suitcase.

Cameron (or Cam) and a dinosaur ... he likes dinosaurs and he picked out this alligator shirt to wear to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point.

Mikyla (or Kyla) ... sings songs to spell her name, always wears dresses, often says the phrases: "that's perfect" and "isn't it beautiful?"
She is a girlie-girl, despite the fact that she has three brothers!

Classic picture ... couldn't help but take it. Hunter is in the orange shirt on the right - he's the oldest ... such a cute little boy that is a great big brother most of the time - especially early in the morning when he is telling Cameron and Mikyla to play quiet because Aunt B is still sleeping in the next room.

My friends Sarah and Jon Bush's baby Jonah ... so cute!
It is crazy how much he looks like his dad!

Sarah Bush and baby Jonah ... I can't believe we met our freshman year in college and now she is married and has a baby! Crazy how time flies. It was so great to see these two and eat at Cafe Rio ... it had been over 2 years since I had been back to Provo!

hot, hot, heat

Power outage in the OC ... whatever will we do? You see it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't still 100 degrees at 6 pm. I am melting ... ahhhhh. So the folks and I went to the pool. It was lukewarm but nice enough. We stayed until my fingers and toes were all prune-like. That is when you know its time to get out.

Its my last night in the OC until November or December and its hotter than Hades. Kind of makes me happy to move to the Pacific Northwest and embrace the rain ... hahaha ... yeah right. I just gotta keep reminding myself of this deathly heat come November. Oh yeah, did I mention I have to wake up at 4:15 in order to catch my plane ... yeah ... good times.

Peace-out OC vacation life ... its been good while it lasted. Pictures from the past month to be posted when I get a wireless network for my lap top set up. Be excited. Be very excited.

unemployment = a great tan

You know its been a good month when you have managed to get the best tan you have had in years. Really it just represents that I am unemployed and will soon be heading back to school ... but I am perfectly ok with that. Either way I am more tan now than I have been in the past 4 years combined!

Working is so over-rated. Living with your parents for a month in Southern California, going to the beach a few times a week, and driving your mom's 350-Z around town is sooo under-rated. But one does need to make a living to support themselves, so I will live it up now while I still can. Only four more days of the OC vacation life ... then I am off to Oregon on Tuesday to start the next chapter of my life - GRADUATE SCHOOL (imagine dramatic music here).

home ain't so bad - even if it is the OC

Driving around in my mom's hot little car - windows down, Led Zepplin blasting, dancing and singing at the stop light - I forgot how great the weather is in SoCal. It was even a bit chilly at night (to me since I was used to 90 degrees and tons of humidity at midnight).

So, home is good. I sort of remember why I didn't stick around ... but it sure is a nice place to visit.

will i ever stop moving?

I am waiting for my queen size bed and ikea dresser to be picked up right now ... they won't be here for at least an hour ... and I am thinking. Uh oh ... thinking. Yeah - I agree, its a dangerous past time.

But anyway - I am doing it. Thinking about moving ... past, present, and future. I leave on a plane tomorrow headed for LAX and really I don't know when I will be back on the East Coast. Geez, I am totally getting sad. My parents have lived in Southern California for pretty much their entire lives. I joke with them that I have lived in more states in my 24 years than they have in their 35 years of marriage. As I am looking at my life packed up in suitcases I can't help but wonder when will this end? When will I feel comfortable enough to "settle down" and actually live in one place for more than a few years. I am not even talking about just living in one city or area ... an even bigger accomplishment would to be live in the same house/apartment/dwelling for more than one year. Well thinking back to my college days, I did live in one apt. for two years but I lived in a tent for two months in between those two years ... but still, I think that is the time frame to beat.

For fun - lets chronicle the locations:

1. House I was born in - Irvine, California - January 1983 - August 2001

2. Deseret Towers - Provo, Utah - August 2001 - May 2002

3. House I was born in - Irvine, California - May 2002 - August 2002

4. Sparks Apt. - Provo, Utah - August 2002 - May 2003

5. Foxwood Apt. - Provo, Utah - May 2003 - August 2003

6. Campus View North Apt. - Provo, Utah - August 2003 - May 2004

7. Tent - Escalante, Utah - May 2004 - July 2004

8. Campus View North Apt. - Provo, Utah - July 2004 - May 2005

9. House I was born in - Irvine, California - May 2005 - September 2005

10. Crystal Plaza Apt. - Arlington, Virginia - September 2005 - August 2006

11. Rhapsody Condominium - Washington, DC - August 2006 - August 2007

12. House I was born in - Irvine, California - August 2007 - September 2007

13. Hideaway Apt. - Eugene, Oregon - September 2007 - June 2008

(then who knows ... will I stay or will I go?)

Let's count it out people. That is 13 moves in 6 years. Two of those are across the country and 7 of them are from one state to another. I am tired, how about you?

But I am excited for this new adventure. Sad to leave behind my many good friends that I have made here, as well as those of you who have been in my life for awhile but happen to be here with me. It has seriously been soooo great. I love the East Coast and I love everyone I have gotten close too. I know that this move is a good one for me (as have so many of the previous moves) and I look forward to the challenge of school and meeting new people. I am also very excited to serve the Lord in a new way in a smaller church setting in Eugene - I know it will be good for me.

So, here goes nothin'.

sick days should always be this fun

A few weeks ago my sister and mom came to visit me. I should have posted this earlier, but I got distracted by the opportunity to see Senator Reid speak. Plus I called in sick to spend time with them and I didn't want to blog about it while I was still employed. But since I no longer work - I feel like its ok to show photographic evidence of my sick day. The photo is not dated or anything, hehehehe. Not the greatest photo of us, but family is so great that its still worth posting.

Mom, Sarah, Bethany ... taken in the reflection of the Vietnam Memorial.

It was my sister's first time out to DC and she got to visit without kids! It was a fun vacation for us all, even though we were reminded of how very very different we are. Its funny how siblings can be so different. But diversity (even in the family) makes the world go round and I am thankful for our differences. I hope one day it won't feel like they are so big, but until then I hope we continue to love each other for all those little things we each bring to the table independently. I am really glad I got to share this city with my big sister and mom for a few days ... it was great!


(Lets see how long it takes for my sister to actually realize that I posted this ... she doesn't read my blog much and I get on her case about it all the time)

the new me is sort of like the old me

Most of you know that this dark hair of mine has not always been ... well, dark. Growing up in the OC of course I had blond hair, mostly because my hair was so easily bleached out by the sun and my beach/pool going summers ... until I started working. I started highlighting my hair when I was 16 and started working during the summers and on weekends. That went on until college when I decided to go darker and while I did have a stint of highlights for a six or eight month period of time in college, for the most part I have steadily gone darker. It makes me feel older and more sophisticated, sort of.

This last October (2006) I donated my hair to locks of love and also got back to my roots ... the natural color of my roots that is. Since July (2006) I have not highlighted or dyed my hair and because my hair grows incredibly fast, when I cut 13 inches I was basically cutting off most of my dyed hair. Because I do not see my family nearly enough living across the entire continental United States they tend to forget how dark my hair really is (I too tend to forget and I see me in the mirror everyday!) It takes a while for people that we have known our whole lives to replace that mental image etched in their minds. I would estimate it takes 2-3 years for our own self-image to catch up with reality (in my mind's eye I am younger, blonder, and thinner than I actually am - one could argue that we all think along those lines). Up until about 8 months ago I would still catch myself doing a double take in the mirror, forgetting my hair was sooo dark ... and I have had dark hair for about 4 years!

So now that my mental image of myself is getting some-what in line with reality, I decided to change it up for the summer (just trying to keep my life interesting I guess or maybe I am trying to recapture my responsibility free youth). In honor of my family who still (and probably always will) picture me as a blond, I have gone lighter! I post the pictures here to provide documentation. The lighting is not the best, but I hope you get the idea. I am still trying to warm up to it - I think the front is a bit too light for my taste, but hey its just hair and it will grow. I can change it any time I want.

Me and my new hair!
(check out the pictures to the right to do a before and after comparison)

Picture is kind of washed out, but I also got my make-up done.
I told the woman that I wanted to bring out my eyes more but with
natural/neutral colors. I kind of think she pulled it off.

This is a technical shot - can you see the highlights?

This is what I do not like about highlights - it looks too streaky ...
I am waiting for them to fade.

Funny cyclops shot (my hair is never this big)!