the daily 7: part VI

i am so thankful...

1. we are going home to the land of milk and honey today, sokno ya know!

2. being able to talk to erin on the phone not once, not twice, but THREE times yesterday

3. sweet treats from joyous rorex

4. being so close to one person

-it is amazing what even one month of marriage will do to two people. especially to your embarrassment factor. i mean, i knew the day would come when something like i'd forget to flush or something and adam would realize it before me...but so soon? whooops!

5. by my sheer wit and genius getting our supervisor to let me off 3 hours early...awesome

6. old navy yoga pants

7. WEDDING PICTURES!!! they are not all ready yet, but our amazing photographer put up a preview on her blog. http://meggievelasco.wordpress.com/ here is one to peak your interest:

the daily 7: part five

thankfulness:

1. cancelled classes (even if i forget that the class was cancelled and go anyway)
2. books
-i went to the library today to gather some "scholarly sources" far a looming research paper and was reminded how much i love books. walking through stacks and stacks of hard backs was just so cool...the smell, the quite.
3. two more tuesday/thursday classes!!!!!
4. getting a call about working on a christmas list.
- i love the thought of presents maybe even more than what i actually get. i turned into a little kid before all of our wedding showers and i STILL can't sleep on christmas eve.
5. we are going home tomorrow!
-as much as murfreesboro has become a place of comfort, it still does not conjure the same emotions as south knoxville. (most of) our family is there, our memories are there. because we know that we won't live in murfreesboro after may, i think that our hearts haven't tried to settle here...so it will be a welcome trip to knoxville for thanksgiving
6. devon and erin
-i always look so forward to spending time with my brother and sister-in-law. they are two of the most wonderful people i know and it is so fun to hang out and laugh with them. we are going to cut down christmas trees for our house/apartment. i can't wait to spend time together as married couples!
7. mtsu's unlimited free printing in the library

the daily 7: part 4

today i'm thankful for:

1. the fact that this blog has nothing to do with school and i can miss two days of thankfulness and it not effect a grade of any sort.
2. lazy lazy saturday full of cuddling and sleeping
3. iron and wine at the ryman
-i'm pretty sure sam bean and his crew literally took us to a whole nother world. it was quite possibly the most unexpectedly energetic concert i've ever been to. heard sounds i didn't think were possible and felt emotions only music could provide
4. 4 1/2 hour naps after 8 hour work days
-adam and i both work early morning shifts (starting anywhere from 5-6:30 am) at the hospital. today was particularly hard. for adam it was the 5th workday in a week that he got up at 4 a.m. and for me, it was a case of the mondays mixed with a exhausted body and mind. it was SO good to whisper to each other half way through our shift, "hey lets go home, cuddle up, and go to sleep," and know that we could. freedom to rest is good.
5. conversations with biv
- although we don't get to talk very much, it is such a joy to finally get in touch with one of my very best friends after a battle of phone tag. her 22nd birthday was sunday and i loved hearing about the festivities that went down in celebration of her. i also love knowing that no matter how long its been...we'll never have an awkward conversation...love that.
6. one more week of school
7. sweet notes of encouragement from adam

the daily 7: part tres

thankful for things like:

1. a truck i can get into
-i absolutely loathe my automatic entry. the battery went out in it and i couldn't get in my truck for like two weeks.
2. my husbo- he's just so cool
3. new paste magazines
-chock full of culture and makes me feel like there is so much more to explore in life
4. a clean toilet
5. cold italian dressing on a lettuce salad...just lettuce
6. laughter that counts for prayer before dinner
7. holly grigsby for being the only person to continually comment on my blog...i love her for that and many other things

the daily seven: part 2

thursday's things to be thankful for:

1. old people in the hospital that tell me i'm beautiful
-note: they say this all with me wearing no make-up, dirty black pants, a grey knee-length jacket with shoulder pads so big i look like a linebacker, AND a hair net
2. karl marx
- due to enjoying his writing in sociological theory i succeeded in feeling competent for the first time all semester in my philosophy class. i never took intro to philosophy so i don't know why my advisor thought i'd be ok in a 4000-level philo class.
3. realizing i only have three more classes of philosophy
4. getting a b+ on my philosophy paper! (which was a completely awesome surprise)...suck it dr. michael principe, you will not hinder my greatness
5. we got a big fat iPod
6. gmail lets you pick pretty back ground and theme settings
7. being able to make it through a full day of classes for the first time since last thursday. adios upper respiratory virus!

7 wonders of cara's world

i completely recognize that two posts in one day is a little out of character for me, BUT i was talking to my brother today and realized that i'll get to go back to knoxville in just one week for thanksgiving. so as cliche as it may be, i think it would be sweet (and good for my defensive pessimism) to write 7 things i'm for real thankful for every day until thanksgiving. what would be even cooooler though would be if everyone who reads this (if anyone does haha!) would comment with things they are thankful for too!

drum roll....(and in no specific order)
1. getting out of a three hour night class way early
2. really good parking spots
- i drove to class today for the first time EVER at mtsu because i was sick and had go to student health services, and what do you know, there was a parking spot right next to the entrance...very awesome and very rare on any college campus.
3. new friends that make me feel at home
4. old friends that make me miss home
5. a warm husband to cuddle with on cold nights
6. having someone that never fails to remind me that i am loved to an infinite extent
7. blankets
-hand made mamaw quilts, quilts i tried to make and mamaw had to finish, blankets given to us for a wedding gift (thanks amy!!! i'm cuddling with it right now!), patterned sheets, down comforters...

speaking out

today i got to do something i've never done before...speak in front of a bunch of people. i was asked a few weeks ago by my medical sociology professor if i would be in his panel at the annual tennessee social sciences symposium. i don't think i would have ever done it if someone i respect as much as dr. hinote hadn't asked me. it was interesting and nerve wracking. the panel i sat on was entitled "sociocultural dynamics in doctor-patient communication." i spoke about gender and how it effects the way health care is delivered. although it wasn't as big of a room as i was expecting (probably a good thing), every seat was filled. i know that most of the people there only came to get extra credit, but most seemed pretty interested. we actually had some questions asked at the end, which proved that some people were diggin' what we were saying. i even had one guy come talk to me afterwards to say that he really agreed with and was inspired by what i had said...WHAT?! pretty cool. what a neat thing it was to be able to speak about something that you really feel passionate about...and get applauded for it.

what's in a name

today i woke up to breakfast in bed, thanks to my amazing husband. my next thought after "i am incredibly lucky," was, "aaaaand i'm pretty sure i have a fever." once i finished the scrumptious breakfast, i went directly back to sleep for another four hours. i woke up feeling much better and in order to not feel completely worthless i decided to do a couple things i've had on my list. one of those things included heading to the dmv to change my name and renew my license. and for all of you who are wondering...yes i changed the picture i've had since i was fifteen, learning to drive, and clearly still learning how to fix my hair.

so its official.....i am Cara Cecelia Grigsby!

the boro welcomes the best

today was landmark as it was the first time i got to have a friend from home visit me in murfreesboro! on the way to see her love to camp in jackson, becca stopped into the boro. it was so good to have her hear...if nothin else than to just talk. i miss being around my best friends who know me so well and who have seen the best and the darkest places of my heart. that kind of community is hard to find, and i was lucky enough to have that with my girlfriends.

we caught up on each others lives, but mostly we talked about weddings and marriage because becca is getting married on june 19th!!!! it was really great to talk with her about the other side of the wedding. as i've said before, i am no expert by any means, but i loved answering her questions to what i did know. i just can't wait until we are all old and married and doing whatever old married people do together. with a friend like becca, its guaranteed that we'll be together long enough to find out.

just a reminder

as adam and i were driving to get the chinese food fix i have had all day, we noticed the gas prices. and were SHOCKED! at the bp on the corner of east clark and memorial regular gas is $1.99!! i honestly think that prices haven't been that low since i graduated from high school.

i know that our first instinct is to let out a great big sigh in relief because now we can drive all we want again without the fear of going broke. once i started thinking about it, i realized that i haven't heard complaints about gas prices on the news, seen closed down pumps, or half as many people choosing alternative transportation as just over a month ago. and it scared me to death. when prices hit $5.00 per gallon i had a mixture of feelings. of course i was worried because i know the only way adam and i can see our friends and family from home is driving 2 1/2 hours, but most of all i was hopeful that america would finally understand what a crisis we are in.

we are utterly and fully dependent on oil.

not only do we drive more than every other country in the world, but we make ridiculous amounts of products from plastic. we have come to rely on the stuff and if for some reason we ran out or were cut off from supplies of oil, the country would be in much more of a panic than the one week we were running out of gas.

SOOO...all of this to say, i am praying and hoping that we as a country don't forget the fear we felt when we realized how dependent we are on the oil industry. just because gas is under $2 a gallon, we cannot afford to stop pursuing more environmentally friendly ways to live on our planet. by no means am i an expert on this...but every little bit goes a long way. here's a link with some great tips on small changes you can make that will have a big impact!http://www.worldwatch.org/resources/go_green_save_green

now go hug a tree!!

The Mystery of Marriage

its funny how when you are engaged people tell you all of these things about marriage and at some point you start to think you are an expert on it...well at least i did. when you think about it though its kinda like me saying that i'm an expert on deep sea diving even though i'm terrified to even snorkel. but its so true! i mean, all through pre-marital counseling i started to feel like, "ok, i think i'm starting to get this!" i could even talk to my friends about the spirituality and beauty of marriage and i wasn't even married!

i still believe that even now that i am a wife, i am not an expert. i am certain that i will never be an expert because marriage is not of this world. it is so holy that we cannot comprehend it, the depth of it all. however i can say that the night after our wedding i was singing the same tune as when my girl, biv, got her glasses..."i thought i was seeing everything right before, but now its so clear!" it is unbelievable the truths that the lord has enabled me to see through my husband, our marriage, and the love he has given us for each other. things such as having a new name and being able to be naked with someone speaks so clearly of what our relationship with christ involves. when we allow him to make his home in us we are given a new name. i was no longer "cara." i was "beloved." in that same way i am no longer "accardi," but i am adam's beloved and "grigsby." in christ we do not have to hide behind our sin, shame, and guilt. he lets us run free, unchained and unclothed...naked and unashamed. and with our husband or wife we are not only able to, but the lord REJOICES in us being naked and unashamed with one another. it is all so beautiful and i'm only 10 days in!