Do-Da-Dooo... (you know like a trumpet blowing)

Another blog already? I know what you are thinking.... Cara needs to get a life. But I have had many valid reasons in the past week to blog, and more importantly have had the time to do so at work...
Speaking of work, I started this job at the end of October, and was looking forward to it after five months of vacation (Adam calls it unemployment). I am basically tech support for insurance agents at the corporate office of my company. We test new software fix problems with insurance policies, babysit insurance agents in the field who don't pay attention to what they are doing, all kinds of exciting (not!) things. I like the job because I have read more fiction in the past few months than I have since before starting college and I've met lots of fun people. But the job has quickly changed in it's aspects from when I started (I was not misled, there is just a transition happening in the company). The largest change happened today, I found out that through work, I will now become a licensed insurance agent. Ha! If you would have given me a list of things that I would become licensed for including insurance agent, firefighter, circus performer, and race car driver, I would have listed insurance agent pretty near the bottom. But here I am being informed that sometime in the next few months I will be taking a licensure test. Hmmmm I don't know what I think about it yet.

Another thing: you might notice the really long list on my blog, I joined the League of Pastor's Wives. There are a bunch of Godly women who blog and support their husbands in full and part time ministry. I actually don't know any of them, but the few blogs I've checked out so far have been really pretty good. If you are curious, check them out. As I told my friend (and mentor) Charlotte the other day, no use in denying the inevitable. I'm gonna be a pastor's wife soon enough, might as well live up to the fact.

Ahem.... (all my blog titles should be sounds)

My husband, who despises the whole idea of blogs, read mine. It's probably the second time ever he's read one... but this is the conversation that ensued.
Adam: I like your new blog. The design is really good.
Cara: Thanks, what did you specifically like about it?
Adam: I like the ferris wheel picture.
Cara: What ferris wheel picture?
Adam: The one at the top.
Cara: That's not a ferris wheel, that's a picture of the top of the atrium at the Gaylord Texan. Remember, you were there when I took it, you said it was a good picture.
Adam: Well it's a Texas Star.
Cara: Yup. (and then I walk away really confused)
So, I had a really great time this week with friends. I realized as I went to bed last night that I'm so thankful for my friends. I got to talk to Andi for a short while (a rarity with my work schedule and her wedding planning schedule), play phone tag with Jess (we never seem to catch each other), and have a good catch-up conversation with my Darby-Friend last night. But I actually got to see some of my awesome friends too. Thursday dinners with the Googers (not to be confused with the Kooglers) is becoming one of the things I look forward to alot, Hans and Courtney, you rock! Also the Kipp-McDonald adventures continued with game night number two and the boys whomping the girls at knowledge of movies and tv. Reminds me, I must figure out where Adam stores all of his pop culture information. If only Seen It Friends Edition was working, right Rebecca?
Then Sunday we went to our awesome Ethos Sunday school class and then to the best small group in the world last night. It was fun to have Toby's homemade maple syrup for dinner (it doesn't matter what we had with it, the syrup was so good, it's the only thing worth mentioning). And we got to pray over Bruce and know that the Lord listens to those who call out to Him (thanks Nooma-Rain video).
So why am I boring you with all this information about our really cool friends. Well I'm trying to make you jealous and want for you to want to come meet them. We really want to you come and visit us and experience our life here in Dallas. Adam and I are only here for another year and three months (it's not like I'm counting) and A LOT of you haven't been to visit. So really, if you've been putting it off, this is the last summer to get out there and hop on a plane or pack up the family car and make an adventure out of it. God only knows where we'll be after this chapter is over (hopefully not still in Texas), so come visit us while you can.... For those of you in Ohio, come now, it's already 75 and sunny here.... That should tempt you. We have a spare bed, an air mattress, and we welcome children too!

ahhhh...(sigh of relief)

The feeling of something new is always exciting. It always has that new smell... new look to it. I love new things. It makes me think of spring, flowers growing, sunshine on your face kinda feeling.
It was time for a new blog, so here it is... Setting something up like this is takes a lot of work. It's taken me a whole day at work to get it where I would like it, and trust me, I'm still not finished. I'll keep adding stuff and modifying it as I go. I promise.
You see, I get restless. It's inherited from my mother. I call her a drifter when I'm not calling her a hippie. She has this habit of moving and altering things as she goes. A project never finishes where it started out from. She moves every two years or so, sometimes longer, sometimes less. I never knew the stability of having a childhood home, I had two houses, a couple of apartments and a townhome where I grew up. But it made things for the best, I know how to adapt and how to adlib a lot of things.
The downside is that I have the restless spirit too. I get tired of doing things for long term. To some that would explain a lot of things about me: in five years I've had five jobs, just because I chose to do so; I've had 4 sets of curtains in my living room since we've moved in a year and a half ago; and I love to create and modify things for new uses.
But through the grace of God I've been able to learn the staying power of a few things. Like my faith, and my marriage to my adorable high school sweetheart. Knowing that there are things that remain, even when everything else fades away gives me great comfort, strenth, and freedom.
So I start this new blog, wishing I could smell the new blog smell, and hope that I can continue with due diligence in keeping up with old friends, encouraging others, getting things off my chest, and keeping that part of my brain that loves to write active.
If you are wondering about me, read my profile, or check out my older blog for some insight.