Baby!!!

I'm not having one!!!! But I figured the title would get your attention. I have to post at least once a year, right? Who knows, maybe I'll get back in the habit of regular postings, but I doubt it. And today I am in the mood to blog.

The other day, when I was writing (which I do regularly...just not on this blog) I filled up another journal, and had to get a new one out. So I took the now-filled journal and put it with the dozen or so other filled journals that date back to eighth grade. Of course, I had to take some out and read old posts. Fourteen year old me kept me amused for quite some time, actually. It was funny, seeing how much I've changed since then. But it wasn't really a surprise. I mean, I would HOPE that I've made some serious progress between the ages of 14 and 22.

No, the real surprise came when I started flipping through the most recently completed journals, those from the last couple of years. I didn't realize how much I DIDN'T know what I wanted, until I figured out what I wanted. Does that make any sense?

The last year has been one of change. There haven't been any major, outward life changing events that made me go "Whoa, change. I hate change". Rather, it has been a slow progression, brought on by seemingly small events or realizations, conversations, books I've read, etc, that has given me a clearer vision of what I truly want from life. Even more, I have come closer to understanding what I am MEANT to do in life. Because I do think I am here for a purpose, but unfortunately, my life didn't come with a step by step manual personalized to me. I've got a good Book for the foundation, but the rest is hidden in a fog that I have to navigate through, carefully enough so that I don't fall off any cliffs, but not so cautiously that I impede my own progress.

I mean, if you had told me a while back that I would come to have a passion for teenage girls, that I would be driven by my desire to love and guide them, that I would EVER find something I was more passionate about than theatre, I would have said that you were insane. If you had told me that I would turn down a paid acting gig because I found something I loved more, I would have laughed. No one could have told me that, or guessed that it would happen. And really, I'm not sure when I realized that my focus had shifted.

I guess I always thought that if I didn't end up pursuing theatre professionally, it would be because I had given up, compromised my dreams, lost sight of my goals and aspirations. The idea that I could possibly love something more never ever occurred to me. Part of me is surprised that I did, but I am more surprised at the complete absence of regret about shifting focus. Theatre will always be a part of me, and I will always take part in it. I'll never stop loving the stage, or auditioning, or singing (sorry, Siblings.) But it doesn't drive me any more. That blows my mind.

So now, with the New Year, I don't really have new goals, or new resolutions. Rather, I have simply come to understand, and put into words what those goals have been for a while now. Change isn't so bad after all.

Lissa

On Performing

You there in the back row
Watch me, watch me, sing my song for you
Touch me with sunshine
Need me! Cant you see how I need you?
Dreaming's what I do.
Show me dreams come true.
You there in the back row
Watch me, watch me, sing my song, for you!

-Liz Callaway

My Favorite Little People

These are my three favorite little people.

Laney



Ty



Og


They are amazing. I'm the most blessed auntie ever.

This is the Sound of My Favorite Voice

This man has unending talent. I've seen him perform several times...his voice never fails to make me cry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kOy43qVzMQ

Just thought I'd share.

I'm So Unimaginative

The bad thing about repeatedly forgetting to blog is that when I finally DO blog, I have a zillion things to blog about. In fact, this particular blog could be several hours worth of reading. To avoid this conundrum, I will try to condense things into short blurbs about all the recent changes.

First off, the house. The remodel is well underway...we could be done with it by the end of this month. Unfortunately, our stupid cabinet makers decided that the soonest they can deliver our cabinets is June 18th. The bad thing about that is that is drags the whole process out a little. The good part is that we can relax a little, because we are very, very busy right now, and our neighbors probably would NOT like it if we worked late into the night in an effort to get things done.

We are both so ready to have our kitchen and living room, though. Right now, between our upstairs and our basement, we are basically living in the same square footage as we had in our apartment. So while the space is decent, we would appreciate also having the use of our main floor.


Nathan and I both recently (sort of recently) started working new jobs. He is working at Historic Fort Snelling as a reenactor (he loves it), and I am working at The Limited in Rosedale Mall. It's not a career, but it keeps us solvent.

We also were both recently cast in The Music Man, as Marian and Harold, so nightly rehearsals will add a new layer of craziness to our summer. I am ecstatic to be back on stage again, and playing opposite of Nathan will just make it more fun.

The last major change is that we are both transferring schools in the fall. I've realized (finally) that I cannot be a theatre major. I'm bored. While I love the performance classes, the academic side of it is not terribly challenging. I love school, always have, but I haven't truly enjoyed college since my first semester when I took Latin.

So, after much research, I am transferring to the University of Phoenix in the fall. No, we are not moving to Arizona (I'd kill myself). I am finishing my degree online as an English major. I did my senior year of high school PSEO online, and I loved it. I've spent a good deal of time with an admissions counselor on the phone, and I think the program suites me well. It is the number one online English degree in the country, and according to him, will challenge me plenty. I can also get my Masters through the same program if, when the time comes, I choose to do so.

Nathan is transferring to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts as a graphic design major. He has toured the school and loves the program. The fringe benefit to all this transferring is that both programs are significantly less expensive that NWC.

So there you are. A lengthy blog about my life. Now I can wait several months before I bore you with another one.

Love to you all,
Lissa

Update from Starbucks

This blog, I'm sorry to say, will be sans pictures. We still don't have wifi in our new place (Nathan is calling about that right now!) so we are in Starbucks, using theirs.

The move this weekend was a little insane, but it went well. We had a ton of help (thank you, my amazing family!!!) especially in the morning. We were able to get pretty much everything moved on Saturday. We didn't really unpack anything other than our bedroom furniture on Saturday night, because we were exhausted.

Sunday morning, we woke up to a disaster of a house. Somehow, when you move, you never expect to wake up the next day to a house full of boxes...but alas, alack, the Unpacking Fairies did not visit us in the night, and we spent the morning comically digging through things to try to find food and clothing.

Around 11:30 we headed up to Forest Lake for my mom's 50th birthday party. It was so much fun! I got to see my brother Matt who came in from Chicago for the party, and several other people I hadn't seen in a while. It's rare that we get all 5 kids and significant others together...unfortunately, Emily couldn't make it. I guess we'll just have to go to Chicago soon to visit them!

After the party, all of the siblings headed over to Pops' and Grams' house for pizza and, in Cody's case, copious amounts of wine. Nathan and I had planned to do some serious housework on Sunday after the party, but of course, by the time we got home, we didn't really want to do much. We did manage to unpack most of our clothes, and I got a good start on organizing my amazingly gigantic closet.

Monday we got an early start. I had class, and chapel, and then we headed over to our old apartment for the last time. We spent about 2 hours scouring the place (it's never been so clean) and then loaded up the last few little things that we had left there on Saturday. Then we locked up, turned in the keys, and left. After lunch, we began to unpack the plethora of boxes that basically made it impossible to walk through our house.

By Monday evening, our upstairs was pretty much done. The study (with all of our books), our bedroom, and our bathroom were unpacked and completely set up. Tuesday was another long (but very productive) day of unpacking. We hauled all of the things for our kitchen and living room down into the basement, because we are renovating those rooms. Then we set up a temporary living space and kitchen area (with a toaster oven and microwave) and packed everything that wasn't completely necessary away for the next two months. I will post pictures of all of this soon. Promise!!

So today is the little things...calling about wifi, contacting our association with some questions, grocery shopping (we've eaten so much Subway in the last week...) and basically tying up loose ends.

Then the renovations begin! Oh joy.

Love to all,
Lissa

We Bought A House

Yes, that is right. We bought a house. And we are moving this Saturday.

It's kind of crazy, actually. We were semi-casually looking, and this place kept coming up. It was too good of a place, at too good of a price to pass up.

It's a town house in New Brighton...not my ideal location, but everything in the cities is either crap, or out of our price range. And since we will only be here for 3 or 4 years (enough time to finish school, do some theatre, and move to Manhattan) I can deal with the fact that I live in a suburb.

Things I love about my house.

1) It is 500 square feet bigger than our current place, NOT including the basement.

2) The basement. While it is technically "unfinished" it is clean, painted, and completely usable for a work room for Nathan.

3) The laundry room. It's in the basement, and the washer and dryer do not require me to feed it quarters before I can wash my clothes.

4) Three bedrooms. And because Nathan has the basement as a workspace, we will be able to have a guest room, and a library/study.

5) Walk in closet. Huge. Mine. Need I say more?

Things I Hate:
The kitchen. That's it. But since we got an INCREDIBLE price on the townhouse (so good...you have no idea) and because we paid way less than we expected to pay for a house, we are redoing the entire ground level floor. Reflooring, new appliances, new cabinets, etc. Nathan's dad is an architect, so he helped us with the design, and because Nathan is great with house work (he a lot of the same kind of work on his sister's house when they lived in St Paul) we won't have to pay for most of the labor.

We;ll be eating Chinese food and microwave dinners for about a month, but it will be so worth it!!

So all in all, we are both very excited to be moving. It's not our dream house, but it't will be a good place for the next few years.

And anyone who wants to is welcome to help us move this Saturday...just saying.

Love to you all,
Lissa