meet me on the other side of the blog

hey all! if you like this blog...then you'll love mine and adam's new one! it will follow us on our three week journey out west and our year spent as the married property staff interns at washington family ranch in antelope, oregon. just click on the link above to start yer readin'

long time comin...

for all of you have been awaiting my re-entry into the blog world...the wait is over! now that i feel like we are finally getting settled into life in knoxville (after 6 months), i'm itchin' to update more often. to get us started, here are a couple pictures from our anniversary trip to the cabin i grew up going to with my family and the newest additions to the grigsby fam.

we welcomed Bean a couple weeks after moving to knoxville. here she is in her favorite place, the bathroom trash can ha!

this is fern, our newest addition. she loves to sit on our shoulder especially while we wash dishes or watch tv. this is her sleeping on adam on thanksgiving.

"let the wild rumpus start!"

F3 in da hood

for some strange reason, i always thought that tornadoes were a myth. of course i saw damage they had done in places far away from me, but there was something just too fantastic about them to be real. anytime i saw that we had a tornado watch in knoxville, that translated to me that we were just gonna get a a lot of rain. i guess it made it a little more real to be sitting in our bathroom with all of our cash, the wedding album, and my cell phone in my back pack getting ready for the storm of my life.



i had been in class when the tornado sirens went off. we didn't know if it was real because no one had heard that the weather was going to get real bad, but we went into the hall anyway. it was my last class of the day and i didn't want to be stuck inside peck hall which just so happens to NOT have to ground floor. so, i ran out to my truck (thank God i didn't ride my bike that morning like i was going to) and sped home. i talked to my mom for a while and then called becca to chat. i was keeping a good eye out on the weather the storm the whole time and by the time becca and i hung up i thought it was all over. then it started storming like i have never seen...it looked like midnight outside and it was raining so hard i couldn't imagine how the sky could hold it all. that's when i realized, "oh crap, these things are real!" i was so sad to be alone, wondering if adam was ok. he had been working at the hospital since early that morning. how could i be apart from the only thing that keeps me sane so often at a time like that!?



it didn't last long, but for some people it will. we had a packed hospital when i went in that night, and 3 had died (two of them being a 3 month old and her mom). i found out later that our area of north murfreesboro had been hit the worst, and the actual tornado had come within a mile of our home. i find it so interesting that all of this happened on good friday. how fitting that we would have experienced our own 3 hours of darkness on the day we remember the crucifixion of our Savior and King? it makes surviving a tornado seem like nothing compared to being rescued from death as Christ did for us.



the pictures are some i found online that some people WAY braver than me took of the storm.

moment of silence

i just finished an unexpectedly awful midterm. it was a take home exam, passed out on monday, expected back on wednesday. it included 4 questions and the expectation that each be answered by a complete essay, and that the entire exam should come out to a 10-13 page paper. which would be fine...except we were given one full day to work during midterm week. we'll see what happens!

while i am here, adam is in the studio until 4a.m. this is kind of how our life has been this semester. because we are in our last semester and we HAVE to take certain classes that are only offered at one time, our schedules are completely opposite. so when the mr is at school i'm at home or work and vice versa. we are rarely in the same place at the same time. because of this i look forward to and even crave our moments of silence. its that moment when after days of only saying hello in passing we get to sit down together and just be. those moments are so refreshing. its something that we talked about wanting so much before we were married. living 3 hours apart didn't provide many moments to be. instead they were filled with intense conversation and wanting to just make out the whole time. having two days two make up for not seeing each other for three weeks was really hard! i can't even count the times we dreamed of being able to just live our lives together. so, here in our crazy and beautiful lives...as frustrating and exhausting it must be sometimes...we are trying to be thankful for those moments where we don't have to say of do anything.

J.O.B

i have tried really hard to not let the recession get to me. its not helpful that every time i get in my car, turn on the tv, or get on the internet i hear news of more job layoffs. yesterday on NPR they reported that within the past two months there have been well over a million layoffs. that's a lot. i feel so much sympathy for those people who have worked their butts off to support their families and now are left with no income. but as selfish as this sounds, i am even more terrified for adam and i. think about it...we are graduating this may and stepping into an economy that hasn't been so bad in i don't know how long. are we going to be able to find a job?

today we are both going to the internship fair at mtsu to check out some possibilities. we stayed up late last night working on resumes, but i just keep thinking "what if its all hopeless?" what if we had to keep working at the hospital for the next 10 years. i really don't think i can do that (especially since i'm allergic to all the soap, gloves, and foam there that we have to use 100 times a day. my hands have been broken out and oozing since september). to make the matter even more grim, i got on our schools career website to check out job postings. I looked at about every field in every state and felt like there was nothing. for the first time since declaring my major i wondered if i shouldn't have just stuck to finance...no one wants a sociology major.

i did get to talk to steph bales a bit last night (on gchat no less...what a life saver!). i was telling her how i wish God would just say "this is what i want you to do and where i want you to do it." she was so good to point out his timing and that he has the best plans for adam and i...better than we could do ourselves. i know in my head that his timing is perfect, but i also know i am soooo impatient. i just keep praying for patience, trust, and a really really clear path.

the good news is that my outfit for the internship fair is pretty bangin haha! chels, you would be proud

how is it that we have not even been in school for three weeks and i already feel like i'm drowning in it? i guess i assumed that the last semester of college would have the same feel as high school...but then again, when has college ever felt like high school. it has usually been a welcomed difference, but dang...so much work already? i think that it may seem so much worse because of the hours i have to work. because of my class schedule, i can't work morning shifts at the hospital which are 8 hour shifts. so now, in order to get even close to the same amount of hours, i gotta work about six nights a week for 4 hours each. i know i'm complaining, but i guess if you only got to "see" your husband when you were sleeping, you'd be complaining too haha!

for now i'll just dream of spring break...

these are the days of our lives

it seems like the people that adam and i work with just can't wrap their minds around the fact that we are married. it is hilarious that every time either of us goes into work someone has something to say about our relationship status. one of the most common questions we get asked is: "So what do married people do for fun?" they just assume that we are a whole different species just because we are married, so to keep them wondering i just laugh and don't really answer the question. but here...on this very blog...i will reveal the secret lives of the married.

AIR MATTRESS SLUMBER PARTIES!!!!

since neither of the guests we've had stay with us have opted for the awesome double-layer queen size air mattress, we decided to use it ourselves! so in honor of an extended weekend and mlk jr., we set up in our living room floor (where you may notice the pile of crap is NOT anymore whooo hoo!!). we watched movies, slept late, watched it snow, and got to see Obama give his inaugural speech today. it was pretty awesome.

here's some pictures to prove it:

adam testing out his handy work

a little more up close... a little sexy pose

natalie, logan, and beth...tell me you don't want to sleep here now!

simplicity

we are cleaning house. our apartment, as much as i love it just because its our home, has started to drive me nuts on multiple occasions. it is something i have a had a really hard time explaining to adam, but it has something to do with disorganization and how little i feel it represents us. i know that having a pretty space might not be important to everyone. for me it is! i guess it all started because i have a mom that let me redecorate my room every couple years growing up. i just hate that everything is kinda mish-mashed in no particular sequence. not only this...but we have crap EVERYWHERE! in one corner sits a mandolin, a bike rack, and an umbrella in a trash can. in another corner is our sky high collection of recyclables that we can't get rid of because murfreesboro is the most anti-green city ever. and finally sits the chair that only serves the purpose of forcing me to get in weird positions to squeeze by our dining room table to get in the kitchen. it holds everything we plan on returning, throwing away, or just can't find a place for. the latter category is the most popular. there is actually a box of stuff brought back from knoxville in september that i still don't know what to do with. it just doesn't make sense...we live in a one bedroom apartment and some how every time we come back from knoxville, we unload twice as much as we left with. all of this clutter resulted in a frustrated conversation where adam gave us a way out. he took it upon himself to go through the whole house while i was at work and make a pile of stuff to get rid of right in the living room floor. then, he let me do the same. as simple as it sounds, i just hadn't thought about it. "what?! git rid of perfectly good stuff just because we aren't using it?" i couldn't wrap my mind around it (possibly due to a gene passed down from my mom). but how freeing to do it! i set up my first ebay seller's site and everything else is going to goodwill...unless any of you want it of course.

so that's my goal...we are going to simplify our space/life. we will only surround ourselves with things we need or that make us happy and don't take up too much room. as for decorating...that will come, but for now i'm satisfied being able to walk into the kitchen without a stubbed toe.

devasation

the grigsby's are back in action in murfreesboro after a week of family/friends/christmas/new years/birthday time in south knox. it felt strangely good to come back. i guess its that this place is where we have started building our lives together. either way, the peace of returning to murfreesboro was completely thrown within the hour that we were home. since we were starving and hadn't gone grocery shopping yet, the obvious answer to our problem was lenny's sub shop. i had gotten a gift card to lenny's for my birthday. so, even though they are a bit over priced ($6.50 for a sub, not including drink and chips) we were excited to eat our favorite meal for free. we arrived, and soaked in the sights and smells without knowing what was to come. our sandwiches were made to perfection, but as we were paying the girl said, "just so you know, we're gonna be closed tomorrow." now this was a big enough let down because we always eat lenny's after church on sundays unless we are completely broke. we asked when they would be open again, and she replied, "never." WHAT THE WORLD!! i'm pretty sure my heart literally broke. we ate our sandwiches in utter disbelief and decided that we would have to eat dinner there also in order to salute lenny's properly.

what a loss. lenny's was where adam and i had our first quasi-date, where my brother convinced me to do work crew at frontier (where i came heart to heart with christ), where adam and i had some of the best conversations, where my best friends and i knew we would see each other (if just that once) every sunday, where i went to feel some joy in the first few months i had moved here, and we can't forget that they are who catered our wedding. rest in peace my sweet murfreesboro lenny's.

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!