Go Dawgs!!

Tonight was Buie & my's first LA Tech basketball game as official Rustonites! yay! It feels official now. We really live here. We can literally drive 10 minutes to get to the stadium. I know it sounds silly but I'm so sappy when it comes to anything Tech related. It sounds silly, especially since I didn't even attend Tech. Louisiana Tech has been such a big part of my upbringing and I have so many happy memories attending sporting events with my family. I hope we can provide the same for our family. As I watched my niece, Makaylan, cheering for the dawgs tonight, I couldn't help but remember me as a little girl cheering in my little Tech cheerleader outfits. 

As Buie and I were driving to the game tonight, he informed me that the last Tech basketball game that he went to was when he drove down from Little Rock to ask my daddy if he could marry me. My dad already had plans to go to the Tech game, so of course Buie went with him. I'm so glad Buie went to that game with my dad. Can you believe that was FIVE YEARS ago!?!

Update from the Woods.

Another week has gone by here in our new home as we are settling in. Our daily activities include unpacking boxes, tending to the animals (apparently we have added one more to our herd- more on that later), checking things off of our to do list, going to Lowe's AGAIN, wondering where our hammer is and then finally giving up and buying a new one at...you guessed it, LOWE'S! 

This is the new little kitty that has been hanging around our house. Apparently the story with her is that she belonged to the former owners but she ran off when they were moving out of their house. Well, she has obviously come back looking for them and has instead found a fence up in her backyard, two dogs and two cats and two humans inside what used to be her home. I'm sure she is one confused little kitty. We, of course, have been feeding her and befriending her all the while trying to get in touch (via the realtor) with the former owners. We'll keep you posted!

We really do love it here so far. The woods. The quiet. The afternoon sunshine on our front porch. I might just grow old and die here. :)

I attended my first Tech basketball game as an official Rustonite. B was feeling a little under the weather, so I went on a date with my daddy just like old times. But tomorrow night we plan to go to a BIG Tech game together and can't wait! 

B & I are still juicing 6 to 7 days a week and are loving it. I haven't weighed recently but I'm pretty sure I've lost more weight. (yay!) I love that I can literally get ALL of my recommended fruits and veggies in one drink and I do it first thing in the morning! Hopefully I'll get a blog post up soon about our juicing experience. It's definitely been a fun thing to do together.

Hope y'all are having a great week so far!

The House on Longhills

This past weekend was officially the end of our move. Our whole moving process has more or less been one big learning process. Having never moved before, we made some big mistakes that we will never do again, like trying to pack some things ourselves. We thought we'd just let a moving company take care of the heavy furniture and we would do the rest. I'm telling you, the money that you MIGHT save doing it this way is NOT WORTH the headache and the hassle in the end. Buie and I both are suffering from aches and pains, bumps and bruises. So after one moving company, one PODS, and two Uhaul trips later, I can finally say we are 99.9% moved out of our house in Benton. The .1% is for the few things in the garage that we honestly had no room for but I don't care if I never see them again. 

This weekend we loaded down a Uhaul and Buie's truck and said one last goodbye. We walked around the backyard sharing memories. We stood on the brand spanking new patio that we technically only used like 3 or 4 times. We never even had our friends over to enjoy it.

There were so many things we loved about this house and still do. Buie and I have sacrificed many things that we loved about this house in order to move to the house we are in now but we know in our hearts, it's the right move. And because we are king and queen of doing things backwards in this life, this house in Benton, AR is for sale. That's right, we bought a house in Louisiana before selling our former home. We didn't plan it that way but that's the way the cards fell on the table. So, it would be awesome if this house sold. We have a few renovation projects in mind for our current home that we can't wait to get started on... but until then, let's get this house SOLD!

To check out more about this property, please check out the listing. This house is listed by Cara Wilkerson at The Property Group. There is an Open House scheduled this coming Sunday, February 24th so be sure to drop on by and see the house!

Valentine's Day:: The Gift of Good Health

One of my goals for this year is to take more personal pictures with my good camera and not just with my iPhone. I always have my iPhone readily available so it's easy just to snap, give it a quick little edit in Instagram and bam it's done. It takes a little more effort to pull out my big guns, set the manual mode, download to my computer and give it an edit if it needs it. But as a photographer, I know this will only help me in my trade.

Today is the day everyone celebrates LOVE! The Buies don't go all out for this holiday with candy, flowers, stuffed animals, etc. It's a little too commercialized for my taste so this year we decided we would purchase something for ourselves for V-day instead of giving each other typical Valentine's gifts. We purchased a Hurom slow juicer and are super excited about it! To me, we are giving each other the best Valentine's Day gift: the gift of good health! I plan to blog a lot more about juicing and our experience with it, including recipes we love. Tonight we made a green lemonade using cucumbers and lemons and it was surprisingly tasty! :)

I usually give our fur babies something small for V-day just to remind them how much they are loved. Being in a new town we are just now discovering local shops and places to find gifts and things for our boys. Today while we were running errands around town we discovered a cute little store that carries one of my favorite lines for doggies: Harry Barker. Have you heard of them? They make adorable dog products that we just love. They are a bit on the pricey side but are very good quality products. I picked up these two stuffed bones today. They have squeakers in them which make them the perfect toy for my two boys. 

After strolling around downtown Ruston, buying goodies for our kiddos, Buie & I went to the grocery store and stock up on veggies and fruits for our new juicer. A bag of chocolates just happened to hop in my cart so of course, we had to make chocolate covered strawberries to celebrate this day of LOVE.

Overall, it was a great day: juicer, dog toys, chocolate covered strawberries, spending the day with my favorite Valentine! Hope y'all had a great Valentine's Day!

Little Cottage in the Woods

There's a silly song I used to sing when I was a kid about a little cabin in the woods and it goes something like this: 

Little cabin in the woods

Little man by the window stood

Saw a rabbit hoping by

Frightened as could be

"Help me. Help me." little rabbit said

Less the hunter shoot me dead.

Come, little rabbit. Come inside. 

Safely to abide. 

This song has been playing over and over in my head for the last week and it's silly but I thought I'd share it with you. Of course, I replace the word cabin for cottage and it sounds so much better and much more appropriate for our little cottage in the woods. ;)

 It is safe to say I have never felt this way about a building before.  I have seen the Eiffel Tower, The Louver, the Colosseum, among many other of the world's greatest structures. But none give me the feeling like this house does.

 You know when people talk about "their happy place?" Well, it wasn't until we found this gem that I realized I didn't really have a happy place. I don't think I ever truly felt settled in our last home for whatever reason. To me, a happy place is simply that: a place where you can always go and find instant happiness. It might be a quaint little antique shop that you get lost in or a little reading nook in your bedroom. For me, this is my happy place. Our cottage in the woods.

I know over the next few months and years as we make this home more inviting and more our own, I will find specific spots around and in this house that I love. But for now, I am loving the whole house itself. Nestled deep in the woods of Louisiana... where I can't hear any eighteen wheelers whizzing by on the interstate at night. All I hear is the silence that God intended. Frogs and crickets singing me their lovely evening tune.

 I love the character in this 20 year old home. The way that nature envelopes it and embraces it as if it has always been here. I love the winding brick path to the front door that welcomes in friends and family. Though the bricks are broken and uneven, it is perfect to me.

Yup. This is my happy place. So if you see me around town and I can't stop smiling, you'll know why. It's because I get to come home to this every evening.

New Beginnings

Buie & I ordered a juicer today. We are going on this cleanse, detox, eating raw foods hard core. I know you're thinking..."Blah, blah blah. We've heard it all before, Cara Beth." And yes, it's true I started a detox right before Thanksgiving but seriously who starts a detox right before Thanksgiving??? Right after we decided to start our detox, we also decided to move so our cleansing plan fell to the wayside. Buie actually made it further than I did. He even ate vegan for like 3 days straight which is huge for my meat and potatoes guy. 

I'm sick of being tired all the time. I'm sick of being worn down. Quite frankly I'm sick of being sick. While I have made a HUGE improvement in my health over the last few years, I am no where near where I need to be. I am willing to try pretty much anything at this point. Juicing has been something I've wanted to get into so we took the plunge tonight and bought one. So hopefully I can blog about our juicing as we stay on this difficult journey to good health. I have to be honest. I'm really excited to get started! 

So here's to new beginnings, good health and hopefully some great juicing recipes! 

I'm so ready for Spring. Anyone feel me on this one? 

Lay it down.

I just returned from an amazing morning of worshipping our one true Creator and it was exactly what I needed. I feel like I have literally been holding my breath under water for months and this morning God came and reminded me to breathe.

Breathe.

source

I think we don't take the time to breathe and really take in life as it is happening. I used to be all about "living in the moment" but lately I feel like I have been drowning in a sea of moving boxes & bills. It's a lot to take in. In the last two months, either my husband or I (or both) have done one of the following: quit our job, bought a house, moved to a completely different state, packed a Uhaul, packed a POD, hired movers, (yes, we had a lot of stuff), moved to a new city where we know about 10 people, moved my business to a new state and basically started over with my clientele, moved & tried to comfort 4 animals as they get used to a new home - this might have been the most trying of all of them.... I could go on and on. All of these things are fairly normal when it comes to moving but my point is we've been so busy that until this morning I honestly don't think I've sat still for longer than an hour or two.

This morning I attended a Women's Conference here in Ruston where the keynote speaker was Kelly Minter. Before today I wasn't too familiar with Kelly. Yes, I knew she was a Christian singer of some sort but that was about all. I learned today that she is also an author, songwriter and speaker.

me & my beautiful mother at the conference

The theme of the event was Clear the Stage and she talked about how to make space for the only one who truly deserve it - Jesus Christ.  The conference topic was on idolatry and false gods and it truly touched my heart. If you are like me then when you hear the word idolatry, your first thoughts are probably of some huge gold statue. Kelly talked to us about the false gods in our lives and it opened my heart to what God was telling me. A false god can be anything you place in front of God. It can be a relationship, an obsessive habit or a material possession. Honestly it can be ANYTHING! What do you spend your time daydreaming about? Has it become an obsession? What are you doing that you don't want to do?

The evil does not lie in what we want but in how much we want it. 

What a powerful message. I was live tweeting the event on Twitter (@cbbuie) and here are just a few of my notes that I tweeted today:

• At the root of everything evil is the belief that God is holding out on us.
• Our hearts are built & designed for relationships & community with God. No other thing or person will satisfy. 
• Your idols will keep you striving but they will never satisfy you. 
• When we are enslaved by idols, we will manipulate, bargain & grasp for control. 
• Our pain & emptiness draws us to our false gods. 
• The thing we think we may die without, may be the very thing that kills us. 
• When people are our gods & we rely on their love & affection, it blinds us from God's affection for us. 
• Do not put off obedience to the Lord. You are only prolonging your bondage. 
• Trust God to provide, even in the middle of a mystery. 
• What are you withholding from the Lord? Lay it down. Trust that He will provide. Genesis 22
• Lay. It. Down. 
• There is nothing that we can lay down that God cannot take the place of. 
• Lay. It. Down. 
• What pain are you trying to numb? What false god are you trying to numb it with?

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself "a worrier." In fact, my personality is pretty laid back and care free. However, lately I have been spending a majority of my time worrying about the future. I truly believe that God told me today that my false gods are my worries about the future. I debated on whether I would write down these worries but I decided those are between me and Him. One verse that God gave me today is 1 Peter 5: 6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  

LAY IT DOWN.

I encourage you this coming week to ask God for Him to show what your false gods are? What are you withholding from the Lord. Trust that He will provide. Is it worry that is keeping you from Him? Lay it down. Is it pride? What about a toxic relationship? Is it an addiction? Remember there is nothing that we can lay down that God cannot take the place of. 

*Shout out to my sister-in-law Amanda who planned the entire event and to Angie who also spoke today about her life as a missionary and did an amazing job!

We are home.

 Where do I begin? We are now homeowners in Louisiana. The past few days, weeks, months have been stressful to say the least but we are excited to say that we are officially here in Ruston, Louisiana. This has been the tentative plan for the past few years for many reasons but now seemed like the best time to make this plan a reality.

So why move to Louisiana you ask? Well, there are so many reasons that are obvious to those who know us well but some reasons might not be so obvious. 

1. We felt this is where we needed to be. The most important reason for moving to Louisiana is that we both have a peace about it. We have prayed about this decision and feel that God has His hand on this move and has good things in store for us. 

2. We needed a change. This is vague and specific all in the same statement. Simply stated, Buie and I both felt like we needed a change in life. Arkansas will always be considered a part of us but it was time to move on. We plan to keep in touch with our best friends who still live in Arkansas and will never forget the good times we had there. Arkansas was good to us but we are looking forward to a change of scenery. 

3. We have a close family network in Louisiana. I am from Louisiana and growing up my brothers were two of my best friends. I hardly remember fighting with either one of them. In fact the two fights I had with them I remember so vividly because they were literally the only two I had. I love them and their wives just as much today. My brothers, my sisters-in-laws and our nieces and nephews will only be about 5 minutes away from us now! My parents will be about 45 minutes away instead of 3.5 hours. And Buie's parent's are still only about 2 hours away from us. Family is so important to us, it was crucial to us that we all live close and stay connected. We want our children to be close like I am with my brothers. 

4. Our doctor is in Ruston. I have mentioned on here our desire to have children. We have an excellent doctor at Season Wellness Clinic here in Ruston who specializes in hormone replacement therapy. Now our appointment drive time will be about 10 to 12 minutes instead of 4 hours. Also, we can see Dr. Goodyear more often which means hopefully we can have a baby sooner! (fingers crossed) :)

5. Buie is going back to school! Yay! We are really excited about this change. My husband is so talented is so many areas but if you have ever talked with him for more than 5 minutes you know that he is especially intellectual. I call him my genius and that is no exaggeration. Buie is going to attend LA Tech this summer (most likely) and finish pursuing his Masters Degree in History. I'm so proud of him! 

6. I am going to continue pursuing my photography and what better place to do that than in your home state where people know and love you! So if you need your picture taken, shoot me an email. www.carabethstudio.com

7. We fell in love with this house. Over the next few weeks and months and let's be honest, probably years, you will probably get sick of seeing and hearing about this house. But it is and has become my latest DIY project. It is a gorgeous cottage nestled deep in the woods just outside of the city limits of Ruston. It's so eerily quiet and dark at night but I love it. It's so peaceful. It's so perfect. 

photos: courtesy of Realtor.com


We are home.