Thursday, December 16, 2010

Newest Endeavors

I like lists. I like them because usually, if I put something on a list, it gets done. That's how I managed to plan a wedding. But I don't make lists often enough, which means that I don't accomplish what I should. I made a list of the things I wish to do in the next few months. I'm going to post it here so that everyone will know if I don't accomplish what I want to. Pride should keep me going.

1) French. I began learning the language with the Rosetta Stone program this summer, and then promptly quit. So I'm restarting the learning process.

2) Writing. I finished my novel ages ago, re-read it, and promptly decided that I hated it. But I love to write, and there is no reason I'm not writing things that I DON'T hate, so that I can actually get something published. Matt is planning on retiring on the large amounts of money I will make from my huge success as a novelist, so I should get on that.

3) Health. I've been doing very well here lately. (I'm going on two years without a hospital visit...That's the longest it's been since fifth grade.) I've been taking vitamin supplements, drinking lots of green tea and water, etc. Recently I've begun to work out again. All of this is good. Now I want to keep it all going.

4) Reading. There are oodles of books on my list that I need to read. I need to spend less time on facebook and more time reading quality literature that will improve my mind and my vocabulary, thus ensuring less usage of words like "oodles".

5) Drink more coffee. Just kidding. But I felt that my list needed a fifth item.

Love to all!
Lissa Hoarn

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Oddest Things

If you could describe me in one word, what would it be? For those of you who like me, it might be bubbly, outgoing, or confident. For those of you who don't, it might be bossy, annoying, a tad overbearing. For those of you who love me (yes, siblings, I am talking to you...and Liana) it might be obnoxious, air-headed, loud, or amazonian.

But I can almost guarantee that none of you would choose the word "maternal." I am so not the nurturing type. That's Becky, and more recently, Sheryl. (That transformation came as a bit of a surprise...just kidding, Sheryl.) That's not me.

So maybe it's all the time I've spent with Delaney and Tyler lately, or maybe it was the several months of looking after 16 ninth graders, or perhaps it's the whole marriage thing, but my behavior has been shockingly maternal lately.

I've been cleaning the house...regularly. I've been cooking. I made a grocery list. spent the last hour looking at the 2010 list of top 100 baby names. And get this...today, I PICKED OUT THE SCHOOL I WANT MY KIDS TO GO TO.

Well, I picked out the schools. The good news is, they are all top prep schools where almost every kid goes to an Ivy League college, and they are all in Manhattan. The bad news is, the yearly tuition for all of them is higher than my college education is costing me. So I guess I have to be rich before I have kids.

But seriously, I'm starting to freak myself out. The other day, I changed Delay's poopy diaper..AND I DIDN'T GAG. That's a first for sure, even after all of Anna and Bethany's diapers.

Don't worry...kids are still a long way off...like, 8 years off. At least. I'm sure that this is just an odd, hormonal phase I'm going through, and next week, or next month, or tomorrow, I'll be over it.

I sincerely hope so.

Love to you all,
Lissa

Monday, November 29, 2010

Things I Like About the Nilius House

Becky and Joel's normal day care lady just got a new job, so they asked me to take over for the two days a week that Becky works, just until I go back to school and Becky starts working from home. Today is my first day, and here is a list of things I enjoy.

1) Laney. This is an obvious one, but seriously, this little girl is so much fun. There is nothing better than hearing "Ishy...Ishy!!!!" from her crib when she wakes up from a nap.

2) Food. Becky and Joel have great food...I love Double Stuffed Oreos, and Sour Cream and Onion chips.

3) Singing! I can sing as loudly as I want to, and there are no apartment neighbors to hear me. Also, Laney things that my operatic attempts are hilarious, so that's a plus. When I stop she says "gain!!" and I get to keep singing. Her favorite is when I go really high and cross my eyes.

4) Television. I got to watch The Today Show AND The Tyra Show today...and a few minutes of Elmo's World on Sesame Street. It's been a while since I've been able to watch anything but DVD's and Netflix.


Love to to all!
Lissa

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Things to Be Thankful For

I stole the title of the blog from Sheryl, who stole it from Becky. So the good news is, all of the women in my family are thankful. Here is my list.

1) I'm thankful for my husband. Every day I think "I can't believe I found him". Pretty sure God custom designed us for each other, because we are freakishly compatible. He is so selfless and giving and loving.

2) Family. I am blessed with an incredible family. My mommy is pretty much the most awesome person I know, and I have four of the craziest, loudest, most obnoxiously wonderful siblings in the world. And now that we've all found a significant-other, we've doubled in number and noise. I cannot wait for them all to come home!!

3) Theatre...and school. These sorta go together, because I took a short break from both of them this fall. I'm so glad I did, because now I am anxiously awaiting the start of second semester so that I can get back to what I love...the classroom and the stage!!

4) I'm not pregnant. This is a random one, but I'm so paranoid about getting pregnant that I always think I am. I'm not. So thank you, Lord, for birth control.

5) Books. Every time I spend a few hours immersed in a story, and then pull myself from it, I'm amazed at how far out of this world my mind can travel. Literature has allowed me to experience things that would otherwise be impossible.

6) All the little things that I can't get enough of...coffee, snow, fireplaces, coffee, volleyball, high heels, coffee, shopping, coffee, big cities, NBC news, lip gloss, peppermint, candlelight, snuggles, and coffee.

And of course, I am thankful for all of you.

Love to you all,
Lissa

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

My Life in a Painting

Once upon a time, a little girl, about 9 years old, went to the Mall of America with her aunt. Toward the end of the expedition, they wandered into an art store. While the grownups around her had a very long and boring conversation about frames and interior decorating, she flipped through a pile of prints sitting on the table. It was there that she stumbled upon a piece of art known as "The Accolade". And she was in love.

I can remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember how reluctant I was to go into a boring art store, and how much more reluctant I was to be dragged away from that beautiful, beautiful print.

I am no art expert. Show me a painting, and the only thing I will be able to say is whether or not I like it. But for me, that is what art is all about. Beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder. I enjoy Monet. Picasso often freaks me out. But for me, if an artist can make me feel something, something genuine, real, something connected to what I see before me, then he or she is a success. If I look at a painting, or a drawing, and my emotions overwhelm the obnoxiously critical part of my brain, and I find I cannot critique at all, that artist has truly created.

It must be noted that I do not always necessarily like the pieces that summon such emotions. A piece that upsets or angers me is not likely to find its way to my living room wall, but it is no less appreciated for what is has done.

Edmund Blair Leighton is such an artist. Perhaps the part of me that loved him when I was 9 is the part that hasn't really changed much. You know...the part that likes Lords and Ladies and Castles and Masked Balls. The part that wants to put on a long, flowing renaissance gown and promenade dramatically through fields of harebells and thistles. That is what keeps me going back to my computer to stare at his paintings again and again.

Nathan bought me a tapestry of one of my favourite Leighton paintings, The Accolade, as a wedding gift. Its gorgeous, and it hangs on the wall right next to my bed.





I look at it every night as I'm falling asleep. There have been so many times when I've wished I could pull a Mary Poppins, close my eyes, and jump right into the picture. Wouldn't that be wonderful? To be able to live all of my favorite works of art.

And recently (within the last few years) they stumbled across this painting, also by Mr. Leighton. In the picture, the lady (whom you should recognize from "The Accolade") is tracing the shadow of her lover so she will have something to remember him by as he goes off to war. I adore it.



Of course, even just prints of this particular piece are several hundred dollars right now, so it will have to wait. It does make a lovely desktop background for my computer, though.

Thanks for reading my random ramblings about things that have little significance to anyone except myself.

Love to you all,
Lissa

Monday, September 20, 2010

In Which I Share My Love of Autumn...

Things I love about Autumn:

1) The crisp air, without humidity or allergies. Seriously, fall is the only season that I can have the windows open without a full blown allergy attack or poofy hair. And I love that.

2) Snuggles. This comes with having windows open and the apartment being really cold (but the good kind of cold...the fresh air in my lungs cold). And being cold means I need more blankies, and more snuggling time with my husband.

3) Pumpkin Spice Lattes. They are the epitome of Autumn. I have as many as I can between the day they arrive, and the day the barrista tells me that they no longer serve them.












4)Fashion. Fall fashion is my favorite, without a doubt. I can wear enough layers to make my outfit interesting, but I don't have to bundle up to the point of frumpiness (not that I do that in the winter anyway...I usually opt to look good and be cold). But fall brings back boots, legwarmers, tights, knee high socks, and trench coats. And what is better than that? Also, the September issue of "Instyle" is my favorite.















5) Books. Yes, I love literature year round, but there is something sitting in front of our (fake) fireplace with hot cocoa and a really thick novel.















6) Volleyball. Have I mentioned lately that I love coaching? It's official...I'm addicted.

7) Gossip Girl. Yes, that is right. Gossip Girl returns to me every fall, and I bask in the guilty pleasure of my favorite television show. I just watched the first episode of season 4 and it BLEW MY MIND.
















8) Renaissance Festival. Other than Starbucks and the stage, this is my favorite place in the WHOLE WORLD. I get to dress up in a pretty gown and pretend I'm a princess all day, and no one thinks it's strange. Also, everyone tells me that I'm pretty, which is always something I enjoy. And this year, the king remembered me from LAST year. That's fairly awesome.


Yes, my husband made that costume himself. Without a pattern


9) Imogen Heap. She's my soundtrack for Autumn. I was listening to her when I first glimpsed the Chicago Skyline. I was listening to her when I first glimpsed the NYC skyline. So happy memories all around. Nuff said.

10) Color. For a few brief weeks, the world is neither white nor green. It's not cold or humid. It's perfection.




Love to you all,
Lissa

Friday, August 13, 2010

Five Million Years Later...

So maybe it hasn't been quite five million years since I last blogged, but it has been quite a while. I sort of forgot about it for a while...I still read everyone else's blogs, though. :D

Life has been really great lately. Nathan and I finally found a church we both like. That's not an easy thing to do when you come from different church backgrounds. It was sort of an accident, actually. We'd been going to Bethlehem Baptist lately, but I didn't feel at home. Then we were staying in Eden Prairie for the weekend because we had a conference, and we decided to go to Grace Church there because Nathan had been there before and liked it. And also, we overslept and they have a 10:30 service. :D

And I loved it. It's a big church, but it has endless amounts of small groups that we can get involved in. The worship was great (contemporary, but I didn't feel like I was at a concert either), and the pastor is awesome. The preaching is extemporaneous, which is something that I really wanted in a church. The down side is that it IS in Eden Prairie, which makes for a good half-hour drive on Sunday mornings, but a good church we BOTH like is worth the drive.

Other new events...well, as most of you know, I am not returning to school this fall. Nathan is, however, and he's looking forward to classes starting at the end of this month. Summer has gone by so fast! But to all you college fanatics, you can relax, because I am, without a shadow of a doubt, returning in the spring. It's all set. I'm sure by the time first semester is half over, I'll be dying to go back to school. Nathan is glad I'm taking a break, because it will give me time to do his homework. :D

I do start volleyball on Monday, which I am looking forward to with both excitement and nerves. What I'm NOT looking forward to is all that time in an unairconditioned gym. On the happy side, this preseason I will be the one blowing the whistle, not the one running my ass off. :D

So there you have it...a Lissa Hoarn Life Update. I'll try to keep up the whole blogging thing...no promises though.

Love to all!
Lissa

Thursday, May 27, 2010

A Lovely Day

So the weather today was fairly perfect. It was sunny and warm, but a nice breeze kept everything comfortable. Nathan and I packed up a lunch and made our way over to campus for a picnic with our friend Seoyon. We ate on "The Island", which is a lovely little island on Lake Johanna connected to campus with a bridge. There is a tiny little chapel up on a hill, which is apparently a popular makeout place, although we have yet to experience that for ourselves.








After said picnic, we signed out a canoe and spent an hour or so perusing the lake. It was lovely...and I actually ENJOYED all this time spent outdoors, which is a bit strange. And I didn't have a single sneeze or itchy eye...although I did develop a serious case of the hiccups. It gives me hope about the upcoming trip to Montana.






I apologize for poor picture quality. These were taken on my cell phone.

Love to all!!!
Lissa Hoarn

Friday, May 21, 2010

Here's to Paying Jobs I Enjoy...

Two major things since my last blog.

The first is that I interviewed for a coaching job at North St. Paul High School (Morgan's school)...and I got it!! I am officially the new coach for their 9th grade team! I had a meeting with their Varsity coach yesterday. I couldn't be more excited. The program is so well organized, and I get to do so much! Besides coaching my own team (which is actually 2 teams of 8 girls. The 9th grade team is split into "A" and "B" teams.) I get to go to several camps this summer, and a 2 day, overnight coaching clinic in St. Cloud. I'm going to learn so much!!! The sad thing is that I am going to miss the camp that I really, really want to go to...because I'm going to be in Montana. The camp is for 6th-9th graders, which would give me a good idea of what my team is going to be like this year (since it will be all 9th graders.) But don't worry, family...no thoughts of backing out. I can't wait for June 13th!!!




Not going to lie, though...the whole thing is a bit intimidating. I'm the youngest coach by far...and the only female. But everyone that I have met so far has been great, and great at answering questions. The other intimidating factor is that I'm in charge of 15 or 16 girls...and I'm on my own a lot. The 9th grade team plays opposite the JV and Varsity teams. So if they have a home game, we have an away game. And I don't have an assistant. (Sheryl, I may need some help...) But I plan to spend the summer getting to know the NSP program, and studying the game as much as possible. I'm determined to be a bad-ass coach.

It's going to make for a crazy fall schedule, though. After my two matches (A and B team), I either bus back to the school, if we played away, or drive to the school where the varsity game is. I get to sit on their bench and take stats. I'm almost as excited for that as I am to coach my own team. I think I'll learn a ton.

Go Polar Bears!



The second thing just happened this morning. Nathan's sister Caroline called to offer us a job watching her two older boys 3 days a week. It's basically the same schedule as Mom has...Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I'm really excited for this, because we were looking for a nanny job we could do together. It's even better that it's with family, and we already know and love Jacob and Nicholas.

So it looks like that's our summer! It's going to be busy, and fun, and crazy! And I intend to accomplish several goals, such as weekly visits to the library to pick up intellect-expanding literature, learning French (we have the Rosetta Stone program...and I am dying to be bilingual), working out regularly, and eating healthy food. All in all, it should be a very productive few months!!!

Love to all!
Lissa Hoarn

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

I Hate Young Talent...but Really I'm Just Jealous.

Saw this link on someone's facebook wall the other day. And so I watched it. And watched it. And watched it.

Two questions come to mind.

1) Why does a 6th grader have so much talent?
2) How the heck did Justin Beiber get famous when there is talent like THIS in the world???

Copy/paste this into your browser, and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDlC7YV5is&sns=em

Love to all,
Lissa

Friday, May 7, 2010

The Ralph Roister Doisters

So near the end of every year, the NWC theatre department hosts a lovely part for those who have been involved in the several productions throughout the year. We car pool over to a lovely (and gigantic) boat on the Mississippi River, and they feed us oodles of good food. Then we have an awards show (The Ralphies...almost as prestigious as winning a Tony), sprinkled with several skits, puppet shows, and entertaining speeches. After all this, we go outside on the giant deck, and dance in ridiculous ways to ridiculous music. So. Much. Fun!

The dress code for this prestigious event is "Fractured Formal", which is basically formal wear, with a twist. The size and style of the twist is up to you. It was a fabulous (and very late) night, and unfortunately, we didn't charge the batteries on our camera, so pictures of the event itself are nonexistant from the Hoarn camp. We did, however, take pictures of our outfits. Which were fabulous.



My lovely outfit...the stockings don't show very well in this picture, but they were bright orange...and one leg had fishnets over it, the other didn't.




Nathan's outfit...yes, we coordinated.



My hair...Nathan actually did it. It took three bumpits and a LOT patience.





I'm madly in love with this veil...and I finally had an excuse to wear it!



And at the end of night, after removing three bumpits, five ribbons, and several packs of bobbypins, I could have passed for Aslan's twin sister.



Love to all!!
Lissa Hoarn

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Life Update

I received a text message last night informing me that I needed to update my blog (thank you, Liana) so here I am. Sorry I've been so lackadaisical about it lately.

So I have just three weeks of school left! It feels like this year has absolutely flown by, but I'm ready for summer! I'm excited for my first summer as a married woman, and Nathan and I have lots of plans.

The thing I'm MOST looking forward to is our trip out to Montana in June to see the baby. Of course, at this rate, he might not be here in June. He may just stay in Sheryl forever. (Did you know the gestation period of an elephant is like 18 months? Not that that's relevant here.) Becky, Joel, Laney, Matt, Emily, Nathan and I are all piling into a vehicle and driving out to a cabin in the mountains. We plan to do some hiking (if I can keep my allergies under control) spend some time in Bozeman with Sheryl and Cody, and just chill with the family. I'm pretty excited...there are few people in this world I love as much as my siblings!

So this weekend Mom and I are going to South Dakota with our Junior Olympics volleyball team...this tournament wraps up our season, which is rather sad. The only thing I enjoy more than playing volleyball is being on stage. In a way, they are similar to me. I get the same rush of adreniline. I missed playing so much, and coaching filled in for that a bit. I am hoping to find a coaching position for a younger team in the fall, so hopefully I'll have that to look forward to.

Anyway, I'm going to go make another cup of green tea...with honey, of course. I've become an addict.

Love to all!!!

Lissa Hoarn

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Fail

So tonight I decided to make a lovely dinner for my wonderful, wonderful husband. I was in the mood to try something new, so I found what looked like a great recipe for lemon poppy seed chicken. The recipe was really simple: not many ingredients, and basic instructions.

Apparently, it wasn't simple enough. Either that, or I suck. However, in this case, I choose, for my own self esteem, to blame the recipe. (Not that my self-esteem needs help.)

It was TERRIBLE. First I had a little problem with the butter. The recipe called for a half stick of butter, melted in a sauce pan, to brown the chicken with. Then I removed the chicken, as directed, to add the next ingredient. However, by the time the chicken was sufficiently browned, the butter was also brown, and in some spots, burned. So I kept the chicken, and dumped the butter, because it is supposed to be a part of the sauce. So I remelted butter til it looked like the picture (don't laugh) and then added the next ingredient: two tablespoons of flour.

Ok, so shouldn't a recipe tell you that the flour is going to chunk up into nasty little fried turdy looking things??? Out went that batch of butter and flour. The third time around I got it right. I applied the "cornstarch" method to flour (mixing it with a little cold water first) which I probably should have figured out the first time, but hey, give me credit.

So once that road bump was behind me, I followed the recipe to perfection! (I swear!) I finished the sauce, put the chicken back in the pan, and let it simmer for the proper amount of time. Then the fatal tasting. I almost spit it back out. It was bitter, and nasty, and did not taste at all like anything ANYONE would want to put on a nice dish of chicken and pasta. After several minutes of adding things to try to make it better (didn't work) I called on my husband to taste it.

He still claims that it wasn't that bad. He fiddled around with it for a while, then said that he would gladly have it for dinner, but I found a better place for it.



That's right...it all went down the sink. Luckily for us, Nathan can cook fantastically, and of course, in his effort to be unfailingly, annoyingly good at EVERYTHING, he never uses a recipe. After graciously telling me that it hadn't really been that bad, he made his own, much better, version of lemon poppy seed chicken.



















However, my cooking skills were not a complete failure. We used the same chicken, which, despite having sat in that awful concoction for a good part of an hour, had acquired a lovely, moist, light, lemony flavor. And of course, I made the most important part of the whole meal.



No one boils spaghetti like I do. No one.



Love to all,
Lissa

Monday, March 29, 2010

Hotel Nilius

Nathan and I puppy-sat for Becky and Joel this weekend while they were in Omaha visiting family. We had a great weekend with just us and Kodi, their fluffy white husky.

Friday night Mom, Lezlie, Nathan and I went to go see "The Wizard of Oz" at the Orpheum in Minneapolis. It wasn't a great show, but we had fun, and I got terrible blisters on the back of my heels from shoes I've worn a thousand times. It's a little strange, since they've never given me trouble before.

Saturday was an early morning, since mom and I had to be in Burnsville by 7:15 to coach volleyball. We picked up Starbucks on the way to keep us awake. Morgan and Kelly surprised us by coming to watch our team play, and Morgan stayed the whole day. It wasn't a great day for the team, but it was fun to see Morgan. I miss her lots these days.

Sunday night Nathan and I had a bonfire in the back yard. It was so fun just to snuggle up and talk for a couple of hours by the fire. After that we play Bananagrams and some card games. The best thing about this weekend is being able to play music or talk any time of the day without worrying about waking the neighbors.

We are going to head home in an hour or two here, because we have some things to do, but I don't really want to leave. We've both grown very attached to Kodi (I'm thinking of dog-napping him) and I like this house...particularly the fridge, which Becky stocked full of all sorts of delicious things for us.

Anyway, I'm going to go finish packing and fold some laundry. (we took advantage of the free washer and drier...we have to pay two dollars a load at our place) Love to you all!

Lissa Hoarn

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Seasons and Such

I'm sitting in bed, wrapped up nice and cozy in my snuggie (Don't mock me until you've cuddled in one), with the window open to let this spring-like breeze we are having in. I certainly hope this weather lasts...today, I actually wanted to go outside. Do you know how often that happens? It might as well be never.

In spite of the lovely warmth, I don't like spring for several reasons. Soon the snow will melt, and the trees will decide that they feel compelled to poop pollen everywhere. If you've ever met me, you know that pollen might as well be arsenic to my immune system.


I can't breathe for entire months at a time. My eyes look like I'm a meth addict. I eventually resort to making strange noises in an attempt to scratch my throat. It is very disturbing.


And then, as if that weren't bad enough (subjunctive mood, anyone?), spring decides to turn into summer. And summer is my absolute least favorite time of the year. Now, if I lived in California, in a nice beach house, I would love summer. But in the lovely state we call Minnesota, summer only means mosquitoes, humidity, and loads of people swimming in lakes and chlorine infested pools, both of which I'm allergic to.

If I had my way, we'd skip spring in Minnesota all together. A month of summer, nine months of fall. Why fall? Because fall is perfect. Colorful, brisk, but not freezing, and allergy free. Add it to a Manhattan sky line and we've achieved heaven on earth.



Add enough winter to cover Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. Ba-boom! We've achieved a perfect climate.

Love to you all!
Lissa Hoarn

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A Very Funny Video

So my sister Sheryl just sent me an email that said "Cody gets bored sometimes" and the following link.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/38kAsPU0n8eIY57L

I'm posting it here, because it needs some serious exposure. You'll notice it was the staff pick for this particular website. Please watch it...my stomach hurts from laughing.

Love to you all,
Lissa Hoarn

Monday, February 22, 2010

Missing Him

Some lyrics from my favorite and least favorite song in "Working". It's a beautiful piece, with moving lyrics, and our director has staged it so beautifully. But I can't watch it, or listen to it, because I have to be on stage immediately after, and I can't very well go on sobbing. It doesn't help that the guy who sings it looks like a 20 year old version of my own father. I miss him every time I hear this song.

He was my hero then,
He couldn't do no wrong as far as I was concerned,
I thought he was the wisest, and the strongest, and the best of men,
The tables hadn't turned,
I hadn't learned,
How little time it takes,
Everybody breaks,
And daddies make mistakes.



Just thought I'd share that before going to sleep.

Love to all,
Lissa Hoarn

Rehearsal Blog

I have five minutes til places, so this may be a short blog. I promise (or nearly promise) a longer blog tomorrow...I know, I know, I've been slacking in the blogging department. In my defense, life has been CRAZY busy lately.

So I'm going to put in a shameless plug for the show I'm in right now, and tell every one (everyone in Minnesota, that is) to come see it! It's one of the best productions I've ever been in, and by far the most powerful. It is a collection (seamlessly integrated) of real life stories from people in the working class, from a CEO of a major corporation, to a housewife.

Hold on, I have to go onstage. Back in a jiff.



Ok I'm back. Not that you would have noticed if I'd left, since you are almost inevitably reading this in one sitting.

Anyway, the power in this musical lies in the truth of it. There's no magic, no fairy tales, except the magic and fairy tales that these people made for themselves. If you've read Stud Terkel's "Working" you know what I'm talking about. It's a powerful work.

There is one thing about this show my vanity doesn't like, and that is that every costume I wear (I have 4 of them) is completely and utterly shapeless. It makes sense for them to be shapeless, as my main role is a teacher in her 60s, then my subsequent roles include a housewife, a factory worker, and a cleaning woman. Well, they're not COMPLETELY shapeless...my butt looks good in my housewife jeans. But for the most part, they're worse than CLBS polo tops, which are something akin to a potato sack.



Yes, that bad.

I love you all, and hope to see this Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at the show! (If you are poor, Wednesday is a free preview. Call me for details...or facebook me.) Talk to you later!

Love,
Lissa HOarn

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Strange Habits


A quick blog while I'm supposed to be in chapel...

I have a new obsession. It's called "Online Shopping: The Pretend Edition". It goes something like this.

I go to a website filled with lovely things I would like to buy and wear (mostly shoes...mostly Christian Louboutin shoes. ) and then I spend a good deal of time picking out the ones I want and adding them to my cart. After I've compiled an extensive list of merchandise, I go view my cart and pretend that I'm debating whether or not to buy them, even though there is no debate at all. One pair of these shoes is almost a month's rent. Then, I "make" the "wise choice" and decide to hold off buying them until, oh, maybe next week. Next week, of course, I will simply repeat the same process.

Now my question is, is it a good thing that I can (for the most part) satisfy my shopping cravings without spending any money, or is that just pathetic? Maybe it has something to do with my insane imagination and intense thespianism. (I made that word up.)

Off to class now!

Love to all,
Lissa

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Back in the Hospital

Well, I'm sitting in a hospital room for about the gazillionth time in my life, but for once, I'm not the one in the sick bed. So how many of you freaked out when you saw my title for this blog? Hopefully I got at least a couple of you.

One of my best friends from school, Seoyon, went into the nurse's office yesterday with severe stomach pain. They sent her to the emergency room, and in a few hours was diagnosed with a bad case of appendicitis. Apparently they got her into surgery just in time. Seoyon is from Korea, and her parents currently live in Kazakhstan, so she has no family here. Luckily, Nathan was able to stay with her until I could get away from rehearsal and stay the night with her. They expect her to go home tomorrow morning, so pray that there are no complications! She's an amazingly strong person.

Being here made me so thankful for my mom and all those times she spent a whole WEEK in the hospital with me, not just two nights. When you're lying in pain, drugged up on morphine, you're only focused on getting better and going home. But sitting next to the bed, wondering what you can do to help, running on 3 hours of sleep is different. Trust me, it's nowhere near as painful as an appendectomy, but being here makes me shake my head at my wonder-woman mother and how patient she was all those times. Not only that, but she always had the clarity of mind to make good decisions, tell off inadequate nurses, and tell creepy doctors what's up.

Anyway, I'm going to go practice my monologue and song, since I'm missing rehearsal tonight.

Love to all,
Lissa Hoarn

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Of Fire Drills and Groceries

So I got my wedding pictures back today...there are so many great ones! I spent almost 6 hours yesterday sorting through the disks and disks of pictures, and narrowed it down to about 450...then I narrowed those down to the 250 I put on facebook. By all means, go see them and comment!

I discovered today that my talent of deep sleeping has progressed. I slept through FOUR alarms today.

That, my friends, is a new record, even for me. I'm serious, I think if the fire alarms in our building had gone off (and trust me, they are the kind of alarm that splits your head down the middle) I would have slept through it. I think I need to start going to bed earlier, because I missed my favorite class today, (well, my favorite except for the fact that it's a first hour period...but still) and that makes me sad.

Speaking of fire alarms, I just thought I'd complain to you all about our lovely fire drill we recently had in married student housing. It was about 4 in the afternoon, which, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, means I'm sleeping, because I had to get up very early, and I have rehearsal from 7 to 10 PM. So I take a short nap in the middle. It also means I have a very, very, very minimum amount of clothing on. And I also happened to have a headache and a soar throat on this particular day. So the lovely, musical sound of the head splitting siren was even MORE pleasant that it usually is. I dressed as slowly as possibly out of protest, while Nathan hunted for our keys, and walked out into the hallway to see the fire marshal in his huge, fluffy hat (not joking). It was like those British guard hats, only with a giant "Fire Marshal" badge on the front.

He smiled cheerfully at me as I walked out into the bitter cold, and I gave him a friendly glare in return. I swear, if that ever happens again, I'm just going to hide under the bed so when they check to see that every one is out, they think I'm gone. Of course, with my luck, it wouldn't be a drill, and you'd have Lissa Extra Crispy on the menu.

Just finished taking an Ethics test, which I spent the morning studying for, since I missed my early classes. (The first one on accident, the second class on purpose) Nathan is a much more analytical thinker than I am, so he's still in the class working on the last few essay questions. It was a fairly easy test, mostly just analyzing arguments and such things. Tomorrow I have a New Testament exam, which should be interesting, since I have to fight so stay awake in that class. It's the only class I really, really don't want to go to. Thankfully, it's only a quad, so soon it will be over and done with.

Nathan should be almost done, and we are going grocery shopping today.


This has become a favorite activity of ours, after a full semester of a nasty, expensive meal plan and empty cupboards. Now, we get to make a lovely list on our little magnetic refrigerator pad, and cheerfully debate whether or not Philadelphia Cream Cheese is worth the extra 40 cents (it is), or whether or not we should splurge and get bagels this week. It's fun!

Anyway, enough of my ramblings! I shall cease and desist.


Love to all,
Lissa Hoarn

Friday, January 29, 2010

More Kitchening.

So I know two posts in one night is a little silly, but I thought I'd share my latest culinary achievements with you all. I'm feeling very domestic lately...it's a little freaky, but I'm sure the feeling will pass quickly. So here's some pictures of my spontaneous baking tonight. While baking, I watched Dick Van Dyke...it was lovely.


I decided to make those jelly filled sugar cookie things.




I even made a cool jelly squirting thing out of a baggie. I felt very accomplished.




Using the awesome tool I made ...Yes, I know, I rock.




The finished product. I had a little trouble getting the frosting to spread evenly, but it tastes pretty darn good.




Ok, I'm done. Come visit me and I'll share!

Love to all,
Lissa Hoarn

Song Lyrics and Love





I'm not going to lie...I'm a Miley Cyrus fan. You have exactly 10 seconds to mock me. Go.

Time's up. So, back to my original point. I have a weakness for her husky voice and when she actually writes the songs, they come out sounding far less...Disneyish.

But the point of this blog is not to defend my secret admiration for America's current pop princess. (Seriously, people. If I could be her, I would.) But what I want to talk about is her newest song. I don' believe she wrote it, but it's part of the soundtrack for her new movie coming out (Nicholas Sparks. Here's the preview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joCwQ2pjfjw). The lyrics make me want to cry, simply because they remind me so much of a certain man I recently married.

"When my world is falling apart
When there's no light to break through the dark
That's when I, I look at you
When the waves are flooding the shore
When I can't find my way home anymore
That's when I, I look at you."

Cheesy? Maybe a little, but I can't help it. I wish I could write songs, because I love music so much. I hate that I have to search for music written by other people to describe what I'm feeling. In the end, there is no better way for me to express myself than through a song. Anyone want to volunteer to write music to the thousands of lyrics I have stored away in my journal?

Anyway, I know this blog is a bit sappy and ridiculous, but from my perspective, there is no way I could possibly put into words what Nathan has done for me, or how I feel about him. This song shows an aspect of him that I have needed so badly the past week.

January 22nd, one year ago, was the last day I ever exchanged words of any kind with my dad. Trust me, they were not happy words. I miss him and love him and hate him all at once, and I know that if I were in a dorm room full of girls, I would not be in a good place right now. Nathan isn't just strong for me, he reminds me of my own strength when I just want to curl up and cry. Just his presence in my life reminds me of all the things I have to be thankful for, all the incredible blessings in my life. That is priceless.

Love to all,
Lissa Hoarn

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Chocolate Cake...A Really Short Blog

So on Sunday I was bored, and I was craving chocolate. So I made a chocolate cake from scratch. It was lots of fun, and it turned out really well. I used the lovely mixer mom got me for Christmas. I felt like Becky, getting all excited about a kitchen appliance, but it's fun! It has it's own little box and everything.


It made things a lot easier...I am sicking of mixing everything by hand! I still want a Kitchen Aid, but this will do for now. :D




I felt like a cross between Patty and Jack Bauer.




This what the cake looks like now. Like I said...it was good!






Anyway, just wanted to share my culinary success with you all, as they are few and far between!





Love,
Lissa Hoarn

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Blessings and the Thoughts that Followed

The last two weeks have been the most stressful time yet for Nathan and I. There was a mix up with how our married student rent was being handled. We had been told that it would go on our loans, like every other student's housing, but to make a long story short, it didn't, and they won't put it on there, and so we had to come up with 4 months rent before we could register for classes. We managed to make enough of a down payment that they unfroze out accounts, and we registered.

It's no fun to constantly have the thought of "What are we going to do?" hanging over our heads, and we spent a lot of time talking about what our option were. I'm blessed to have a man who's first priority is to make sure I'm taken care of, and who does not let stress make him angry. We knew when we got married that money would be an issue, and we never wanted that to come between us. These weeks were a test of that, and I feel luckier than ever with the husband God has given me.

So on Thursday, we were sitting in our living room, doing some homework, when his phone rings, and it's the (wonderful) lady who has been helping us out with our finances. She called to tell us that someone had donated a significant sum of money to our student account.

I'm tearing up thinking about it even now, but in the moment, it was overwhelming. We have no idea who would have done that, because we didn't really tell anyone what was going on, outside of a couple of family members. But God knew what we needed and He took care of us.

People have talked about traumatic life experiences that have brought them closer to God. This was not traumatic at all, and it wasn't even obvious. It was like God was gently tapping on my shoulder saying "I'm here. Why don't you remember that?" I'm so willing to come before Him and thank Him when He blesses me, but when things go wrong, I look for solace in other places - people, music, theatre, literature - I turn everywhere but the one place I should be turning. And then when I do finally turn to Him, I always surprised that He has just what I need. It's times like these when I am reminded of my utter humanity.

And it's not just material things I fail to depend on Him for...it's the emotional and spiritual things that I long for that He has the power to give. My need for a father, the love that I crave from those around me, the desire to be praised by others...These are things that can all be satisfied in Him. He can give more love to me than my earthly father is capable of giving, and He created me in His image with His love...that is better than the praise of man.

So why, when my head knows these things, do I 9 times out of 10 look in the wrong places for what I need? I think, more than anything, it is from a lack of understanding on my part of who God is, and I think it comes back to praise. That sounds like a strange connection, but the more I walk the daily walk, the more I realize that when my hear and mind are focused on praising Him, they are simultaneously being reminded of who He is and what He can do, and if I truly know that, why on earth would I ever consider looking other places for gratification?

Hope this all makes some semblance of sense.

God Bless,
Lissa Hoarn

Friday, January 15, 2010

Feminism, Conservatism, Ethics, and Other Ramblings.

I had my first Ethics class yesterday, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.

I swear, I'm not sexist. I do believe that men and women are created equal, but I also believe that they are different. They have different strengths and weaknesses, which of course, varies more specifically to each person. I also believe that most adamant feminists are slightly hypocritical. They demand that these differences be minimized, but would be deeply offended if men started treating them the same way they treat other men. I realize that saying this may not make me very popular, and I also realize that I'm generalizing, but since this is a rabbit trail anyway, I'm moving on, with no apologies.

My point is, I have never really like women teachers. Now, I have had several gifted women teachers. Anyone who has sat in a class under Barb Zemple cannot deny that she is a wonderful high school teacher. I don't think men are better teachers than women; however, they do tend to be far less emotional. I really don't think that is as much of a problem in a college classroom as it is in a room full of unruly high school students, but the years have formed my bias, and I was disappointed (as horrible and close minded as it is) when I discovered my ethics professor was a teacher. I still have not met a woman teacher I really got along with. (Well, Mrs. Young...but she's much more than a teacher...she's more like a gift to all students at CLBS.)

So, to make a long story short, my ethics prof is fantastic. Not only is she one of the most intelligent and well-spoken people I've ever met, she's also ridiculously enthusiastic. She's sarcastic, down to earth, funny, and a wonderful debater. The class is, for the most part, one giant discussion over the reading, and she likes to play the devil's advocate.

Not only that, but she also chose really intriguing text books. They were not written by a Christian, which was a source of some debate in our classroom as one student expressed "concern" for the ideas this textbook was planting in our heads. I, on the other hand, found it refreshing. She chose the textbook because the author is well versed on the subject of ethics. Period.

Growing up in a very sheltered environment, in a Christian school, every text book I ever had was from a Christian bias. While I think it's wonderful that I was given that foundation, I think there is something to be said about thinking for oneself. While we discussed the text, I was challenged to maintain my Biblical worldview and give valid, logical answers that included more than "because the Bible says so", but also had Scriptural basis.

That is one thing that bothers me about conservative circles. I think often we use that phrase as an "easy out" of a difficult situation. Yes, the Bible is the ultimate standard of truth for a Believer. But God gave us brains, and the gift of logic and knowledge, and I believe our responsibility is to do what we can with that knowledge, always coming back to His Word for our foundation. This is the first time I've had reading assignments for a class, and had to really think about the morality of what I'm reading. It's not just the information I'm discerning now, it's the ideas.

I loved CLBS. My junior year of high school was one of the hardest years of my life, and that school pulled me through. It was the support and love and shelter I needed at that time. In college now, I feel academically prepared, and miles ahead of many people theologically. But I wish we would have been a little less conceptually sheltered. There are so many ideas and worldviews that I would have trouble facing in person. These are things that were written off as "bad" or "ungodly", but never delved into. I realize this is a sensitive topic, because you can take this idea way to far. But not everyone goes from CLBS to NWC. Some of my class went to universities where they are facing things they've only heard about. You can have the best theological background in the world, but it's very hard to refute something you've never faced under pressure, even if you know what is right and what is wrong.

Not that I'm complaining; I'm hardly suffering as a result of my schooling. It's just a thought.

In closing, I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester. If one class can inspire this much rambling, I wonder what thoughts will invade my head in the future?

Until Then,
Lissa Hoarn

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A New Semester

I'm afraid that in the flurry of Christmas break, I rather neglected my blog. But Christmas break is over, and I'm just getting back into the habit of the school week.

Quick breakdown of all my classes:

New Testament History and Literature: One of those required freshman courses. I took OT last semester, and this is basically the same thing. A book by book take on the Bible. Pretty basic, after going to school at CLBS, but it's a good class, and an easy A.

Biblical Worldview-Personal Responsibility: I had my first class today, and I loved it! I can already tell that I don't concur with my prof in all things, but that will make the class less boring.

Theatre Management: I'm really excited about this one. It is taught by the producer of Triple Espresso, who also works at the Guthrie. I haven't been to a class yet, but I've heard he's fantastic. I'll find out tomorrow morning at 8:35. Blech. I am so not a morning person...



This little dude looks way happier than I do when Nathan drags me out of bed and dumps coffee down my throat.



Foundations of Communication: Another general. Yippee. Skippy. Not really looking forward to this class, but maybe it will be more fun than I'm expecting it to be. From the class description, it just sounds plain time consuming.

Ethics: A discussion class, with surprisingly interesting texts. I'm excited to dig in to the more controversial topics.

So that's my line up for this semester. Lucky for me, my Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes are quads, so for the last two months of the school year, those days will be completely free! Hmmmm...four day weekends...whatever will I do?





I am also hoping to be in the spring musical, "Working".




It's a great show with lots of food for thought and fantastic music. Call backs were tonight, and I think I have a shot at a decent role. Of course, after almost six months without a show, I don't care what I get. I just need to get back on stage before I die of withdrawal. I'll keep you all updated.

Love to you all,
Lissa Hoarn