miscellaneous ramblings

1. home. You've probably already noticed, but I'm back from our whirlwind impromptu trip down to Texas - we got back yesterday afternoon. The funeral was hard. Very hard. I have a big bump on the inside of my lip - the flesh that I kept on biting trying to hold back tears. At first it worked, but in between the funeral and the reception I lost it and started sobbing. Thankfully only for about 30 seconds...I feel sorry for our old neighbor, who was talking to me at the time.

The photo above is of our friend's land, which was one of the most important things in his life. I snapped it at the reception, which was at his neighbor's house. It may not look like much, but this picture is precious to me.

2. i hate picasa web albums. I really do. Assuming you use Blogger, every single picture you upload gets automatically transfered to Picasa Web Albums. The catch is, you only have a certain amount of storage. And when you exceed that limit, you can no longer upload photos on your blog, unless you delete some. That's what happened to me today. I had to delete some pictures (which were also deleted from my blog) so I could upload more. Sigh.

3. rosie. Rosie is my friend's yellow lab. When I went to her house a few days ago, this is how Rosie was lying at one point. When Andi grabbed my camera to take a picture, Rosie started wagging her tail - but remained in the exact same position. Cracked me up. 

4. sweet boy. Today I had to babysit for a family whose kids I regularly watch. When one of the little boys saw me come in the door, he yelled, "Carlotta!" and jumped on me with a huge hug. I mean jumped. I ended up hold him. Sweetest. thing. ever.

5. piano. I'm starting my first teaching job on Monday...I will be teaching a little girl from our church piano. She's already taken one year of piano, so I hope she'll learn as much from me as from her previous teacher...wish me luck! ;)

6. ice cream sandwiches. A few years ago, we got some ice cream sandwich makers, similar to these (we got them from Williams-Sonoma, but I don't think they're sold anymore). Tonight we decided to make some of these delicious treats - mine was a pig. Is it not the cutest thing?! I can't get over the little snout.

7. lilly. She just cracks me up. She found a picture of Justin Bieber in the newspaper (Note: I'm definitely not a fan, but she adores him. For whatever reason.), cut it out, and kissed it. Twice. Then she said she wished he was her dad. Umm...

She also said that she had a dream about Jeremiah, and in the dream, he was her husband. But they weren't married, Lilly insisted. He was just her husband. Snort.

-carlotta

today.

Today I woke up at the unsightly hour of 5:56 am to leave for our drive back to Oklahoma.

Today I gazed upon misty fog hovering over grassy green meadows.

Today I ate way too many cookies. 

Today I looked at a wasp up close.

Today I got sunburned on one shoulder (nope, I have no idea how that happened either!).



Today I laughed at Lilly's head covering - the comics page from the newspaper.

Today I laughed again at MeMe's and Lilly's song. "The pancake man, the pancake man, he tripped and fell in a frying pan." Oh sweet girls.

Today I admired vibrant blooming flowers.

Today swooned over these beautiful photos.

And today...I blogged ;)

What did you do today?

-carlotta

my new favorite photographer

Yesterday I had the privilege of seeing my best friend Andi. (Is she not beautiful?! I have a gorgeous best friend.) 

I hate that she lives here in Texas and I live in Oklahoma, eight hours apart. Sigh. But we manage through Facebook, Skype, and emails...

I digress.

I took my "fancy pancy" camera (her words, not mine) with me to her house...and she pounced on the opportunity to use it, as she, too, is interested in photography. All I have to say is that she's very talented - when she's not taking awkward pictures of me, that is ;)

*Credit for all photos except the above, which was taken by me, goes to Andi* 

                             

She found this camera at an antique shop in Vermont for twenty five dollars. It retails for five hundred. A good buy, no? Love these photos. 

One of her dogs, Rosie. She's a yellow lab and I love her to pieces. 

Andi's favorite shoes. She's very sad that they have a hole in them (but she wears them anyway).

So, what do you think? She's my new favorite photographer :) 

-carlotta

head in the clouds

Even though I'm some what scared of heights, clouds fascinate me. It seems that I'm constantly looking up in the sky. (In fact, while photographing clouds, I've run into objects more than once. Oops.) 

Cumulus, stratus, cirrus...and probably my favorite of all - cumulonimbus. There's nothing quite like the feeling of seeing dark, thick clouds swirling about the sky, indicating a coming thunderstorm. 

During our drive down to Texas a few days ago, I became bored. Having finished the book I brought along (being a fast reader isn't always a good thing ;)) and tired of listening to my iPod, I leaned back in my seat and stared at the sky. I was amazed at what I saw. From puffy, castle-like clouds to heavy layers of grey clouds, I had a wonderful time looking at them.  

Before long, I found myself searching pictures in the sky. I discovered an old lady sitting cross legged eating a bowl of soup and a llama leaning over a fence among many other things. (Yes, these were very detailed clouds. Or maybe my mind was a bit over imaginative? Hehe.)

Yes, my head is often in the clouds. What about yours?

-carlotta

happiness is...

Holy chipmunks, people! (Yes, I just made that up.) There were seven link ups last week! Great job :) Could we try to top that? It's all up to you! So, I'm keeping Happiness Is open, but I've decided if there are less than 5 links two weeks in a row, I'm going to close it for an undecided amount of time. Mmkay?

This week has been really rough, so this is just what I need - to find the bright side of the past few days.

Won't you play along? Just write a post with two things (or for you rebels, more than two things) that made you happy this week, then come back here and link up. Oh, and grab the button too :)

<div align="center"><a href="http://pastors-girl.blogspot.com"><img alt="Happiness Is..." src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1064/4732886685_1331802b43_m.jpg" /></a></div>

Happiness is...

...an unexpected trip to Texas. Even though it's under sad circumstances, it's great to catch up with old friends.

(Regarding the photo, I was playing with long exposures. It was taken during our long drive yesterday, as the sun was rising)

...homemade apple pie. Well, in this case it's McDonalds. Bought and eaten yesterday during a stop in our drive, if you must know. It was still good ;)

What has made you happy this week? Link up and let me know! (If you don't have a blog you can let me know in the comments)

Have fun :)

-carlotta

et cetera

I'd like to thank y'all for your wonderfully sweet words on my last post. You comforted me more that you'll ever know. I'm still reeling with shock, and to know that you're all praying for his and my family means a lot to me. 

Yesterday, I needed a distraction from all of this, so I grabbed my camera and went outside. The sound of the shutter clicking was almost therapeutic. I could feel myself getting a bit better with each shot. Photography soothes me so. When I'm taking pictures, it's like I'm lost in my own little world, capturing God's beauty. I'm so very thankful that He has given me this talent (I'm sorry if that sounded that like I was bragging, I truly don't mean to!).

What soothes you?

I'm still planning on putting up a Happiness Is post tomorrow, along with a linky. I hope you play along ;)

-carlotta

PS I'm sorry if none of this really makes sense...it's 4:01 am right now (although, I'm scheduling this and you'll see it a couple hours from now.), and I'm still not quite awake...we're leaving for our trip in an hour.

why do these things have to happen?

I don't even know how to start this. I've been sitting here for the past hour, typing and erasing, typing and erasing. This is so incredibly hard and I don't know how to adequately put it into words.

You may remember when I asked you to pray for our family's close friend, who had lymphoma (I'm not going to release his name on account of privacy reasons).

He passed away yesterday afternoon.

When I first heard the news that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, I of course was crushed, but I didn't think death would follow so quickly. I thought for sure I would be able to see him at least once more. My dad talked with our friend's brother this past Thursday - who felt that he [our friend] would pull through. A few days after that conversation, he had a heart attack. Even though he survived it, it depleted him of what little strength he had left in his body, which quickly led to his passing yesterday.

My heart is hurting so badly. He was so close to our family. Over this past New Years, he stayed with us for a few days (he lived in our hometown in Texas). It was like old times. He and my dad laughing, joking. Teasing me and my siblings. And now? He's gone. Just like that. When I cheerfully waved goodbye to him at the airport I never in a million years would have thought that was the last time I'd ever see him.

This is only the second time someone close to me has died. Call me naive, call me young, but the pain of someone dying is not a feeling I'm accustomed to. I'm not used to this type of hurt.

After hearing the news that he had slipped away from this earthly world, the first thought that came to my mind was "Why?". Why do these things have to happen? I know God has a plan. I know that he let this happened for a reason - but it doesn't make it any easier.

I apologize that this post is so melancholy...but life isn't full of only smiles and laughter. It's full of tears, of heartache as well. I try to focus on the positive things in life, but when things like this happen...sigh.

Please keep his family in your prayers - I know it would mean so much to them. Thank you.

-carlotta

PS We've decided that we're going down to Texas for his funeral (which my dad will be preforming, as he's a pastor). I feel horrible about how I'm reacting to this trip. I'm excited to go down, but I don't want to be excited. I should be sad. After all, the reason we're going to Texas is because of someone's death. So why am I excited? I don't know. And I'm beating myself up about it. 

I will try my best, but if I don't post this week, that's why. This is all so unexpected and I don't know if I'm going to be able to find the time. I hope you understand.

miscellaneous ramblings

1. Jeremiah. Jeremiah took the above picture...I love it. It's super artistic - and I love the angle. He's leaving this afternoon for a week of camp. My dad will be even more outnumbered. ;)

2. butterflies. Yesterday I glanced out my window and saw two small white butterflies. They were flitting around our backyard and were playing what looked like tag. It was the most beautiful thing. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the amazing sight.

3. school. I'm not exactly looking forward to the start of school. There is one thing I love though - the crisp, new pages of books, the new pens and pencils, the neatness of the first few weeks. I always try to make that neatness last longer, but when papers to write and tests to take get caught up with me...well, let's just say that being neat is not my first priority then ;)

4. crepes. My mom made crepes for dinner a few nights ago. I died and went to heaven. It'd been a while since I'd eaten any - and these even better than I remembered them. I had mine with mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes, and basil from our garden, and then filled my dessert crepe with the juiciest strawberries and Nutella. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture. Me, the girl who would take a picture of an ordinary bowl of granola, didn't remember to photograph this amazingly wonderful food. Sigh.

(Now I have an excuse to make crepes again. Hehe.)

5. braces. I recently received the news that I'm getting my braces off in the fall! Woot! While I will be incredibly glad to be released from the clutches of this evil contraption, I know the results will be worth every bit of pain and discomfort.



6. tiny creatures. They fascinate me. I will never tire of photographing insects (in this case, a bee). I'm captivated by how complex their bodies are - there's so much more to them than what meets the eye.

-carlotta

geeky carlotta, among other things

Today I did some rearranging in my room - I moved around my "office" space. How I had it before wasn't working out too well. I loved how it looked, but there simply wasn't enough room. Between my laptop and school things strewn all over the desktop, it got a bit challenging trying to find a clear space.

Above is how it used to be. I loved this arrangement - looks wise. Practicality wise...well, like I said before, it wasn't working out. 

While cleaning my room this morning, I decided to do something about it. So I switched the desk to the other wall...

...and in the space between the desk and the wall, I rolled in a storage cart. When I need more space during my online classes, etc, I can set my laptop on this cart, atop the cooling rack (aka a cookie rack stolen from my mom).

Since I was already moving things around, I figured it would be a good time as any to clean out my desk. Oh boy, was that a task! I discovered these geeky glasses...

It's probably not hard to put two and two together. Geeky glasses + a crazy girl =

Geeky Carlotta! Excuse my face. I'm really not sure why I was compelled to contort my mouth into something that looks strangely like a platypus' mouth. Or why I was compelled to make my eyes freakishly wide. I hope you're not scared to death now. 

(It's okay if you're scared to death, though. To tell you the truth, I kind of scare myself to death.)

And now...my desk drawers are all pretty! Although, this is the only drawer that looks somewhat good. The others are organized, but definitely not pretty. 

I'll stop rambling about drawers now.

So, what do you think of the new arrangements? Do you have any suggestions to make it better?

-carlotta

because i'm nice like that

Just in case you haven't seen enough photos of ice cream...

(homemade chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks)

...here are some more. 

Because I'm nice like that. 

Have you made ice cream at home before? Try it sometime. I guarantee you'll be blown away. 

-carlotta

a vintage photo shoot

I consider this my first photo shoot. I mean, I've dragged my siblings outside countless times for a few pictures, but I've never actually styled and planned a photo session. This was the first time that we went somewhere with props for planned picture taking. 

I wanted a vintage feel for these photos. While I admit they're not completely old fashioned - there's only so much you can do with kids! - I love how they turned out. 

MeMe is such a great sport when it comes to me taking pictures of her. In all honesty, if the roles were reversed, I don't think I could put up with someone constantly chasing me around with a camera! 

This picture is so Jeremiah. It captures him perfectly. From his sarcastically lifted eyebrow, to his still sweet smile...I've never gotten his personality to shine through like this before.  

I love these pictures of my mom and Lilly. They melt my heart :)

Our neighbor, Zoe, tagged along on the shoot...I promised her I would put up a photo of her on here. Hehe.

It was so hot and sticky outside during all the picture taking...everyone was dripping sweat and exhausted, so we had to stop earlier than I would have liked to. It showed me what photo shoots with children (although, photo shoots in general) are really like. Kids aren't always cooperative, they don't always listen. They don't always want to go with your idea for a great shot. I actually left feeling very dejected about how everything had gone...I thought for sure I didn't get any good shots. I was very pleasantly surprised to say the least when I discovered it wasn't a complete failure. 

In conclusion, this shoot was so much fun - I can't wait to have another one when the weather is a bit cooler :)

-carlotta

happiness is...

Last week I said I was thinking about closing the linky for Happiness Is. I've decided to give it one more week - if there are less than five, I'm going to close it for an indefinite amount of time. Sound fair?

<div align="center"><a href="http://pastors-girl.blogspot.com"><img alt="Happiness Is..." src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1064/4732886685_1331802b43_m.jpg" /></a></div>

You know the drill...write a post with two things that have made you happy this week (or, if you're a rebel, more than two things ;)), grab the button, and link up!

Happiness is...

...well, this picture describes it all. It sums happiness up for me ;)

...evening sunlight streaming through blades of grass. And sun flare.

What has made you happy this week? Link up and have fun! (Or, if you don't have a blog, let me know in the comments)

On a side note... A very close family friend of ours was recently diagnosed with a form of lymphoma - we  found out about this just last night. Right now he is in the hospital for an unknown amount of time. I was totally stunned when I heard this news. It was so unexpected. He is like family to me...to all of us. I've known him as long as I can remember. I can't even think about what might happen as a result as all of this. If you wouldn't mind, please say a prayer for our friend. It would mean the world to us.

-carlotta