embracing the last moments

Our trip to Germany is slowly coming to a close. One week from today, we'll get on a plane and begin the long journey back home.

About a week and a half into our stay here, I began to feel slightly homesick - something that is very rare for me.   I alternated between wanting to go home at that second and never wanting to leave Germany.

(I no longer feel that way, but in hindsight, I think it was due to the lack of sun. It was so gloomy and rather depressing for awhile...and with weather like that, well, I couldn't help but miss my bright, sunny, airy room, the sun, and my friends.)

But now in this last week of our time overseas, I've decided to embrace every little thing. Embrace the time I still have with family. Embrace sleeping in (I know I'm going to be bombarded with things to do when I get back).

I'm going to embrace the last moments.

Is there anything you're embracing the last moments of?

-carlotta

PS Tomorrow I'm leaving for Paris! Eek!

PPS I added a poll on my right sidebar (below the followers gadget) regarding Happiness Is. Please give me your opinion via a vote, will ya? Thank you! 

happiness is...

It's that time again...time for Happiness Is!

If you haven't played along before, it's simple. Just write a post with two things that have made you happy this week, add the button (directly below) to your post, then come back here and link up! But please write the post before you link up :)

<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...

...finding out that I'm going to Paris! That was definitely the highlight of my week. I can't believe I leave the day after tomorrow already!

...sisterly love :) This was taken on MeMe's birthday, and it was so sweet how excited Lilly was about everything. Super cute.

Your turn!

-carlotta

PS Would y'all like to continue Happiness Is? Or would you rather have some sort of a photography blog hop (I'm not sure yet what kind)? I'm curious :)

uninspired

Lately I've felt a bit uninspired when it comes to blogging.

You know those times when your head is filled with so many ideas you could write ten blog posts a day? I experienced that a few weeks ago. Now? I'm pretty much the opposite.

Blame it on the rainy, cold weather (which means it's hard to go places so I can take pictures), blame it on writer's block...but when you don't have any ideas, then you don't have any ideas.

So instead of wracking my brain trying to come up with a halfway decent post, I decided to work on my blog design. I've rewritten my about me page, tried to figure out a two column design and went back to a three column, since the formatting didn't want to like me, redid my header, and moved around some things in the sidebars. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions? I'm still tweaking everything a bit, but overall I'm fairly pleased by the outcome.

(And my header was sibling approved...if that's worth anything ;))

Have a wonderful day! I'm off to get my hair cut :)

-carlotta

a thousand words

They say

(linking up above photo to Macro Monday)

that a picture 

is worth



a thousand words.

If that's true,



then here's



a very long monologue.



(Alternately titled: I'm suffering from a major case of writer's block)



On a side note, I uploaded these photos via Flickr. Please let me know if you can't see them! This is getting very tiring...sigh.

Also, I recoded my blog button...for those of you who couldn't grab it before, it should work now (find it on the left sidebar). :)

-carlotta

miscellaneous ramblings

1. shorts with tights. Yay or nay? I've seen this combination a lot lately, and tried it for myself (black tights under khaki shorts), but I'm not sure about it. What's your opinion?

2. black and white. The lovely Hannah from Aspire is hosting a black and white portrait challenge...above is my entry. I know I've shared this photo before (though never in b&w), but I still love it. I adore Lilly's rather wistful expression.

3. 507. That's how many photos are currently on my memory card. Considering I normally don't have more than twenty pictures on it at a time, it's slightly overwhelming. Thankfully, I can hold over one thousand, but I don't want it to get that bad. I really need to go through all of them before I go to Paris.

4. MeMe says thank you... for all your sweet words on her birthday yesterday! She had a wonderful day :)

5. big, open fields are the best. They really are. Yesterday we took a hike in the forest, and all of a sudden it opened into a wide open field. With the warm sun coating us like a blanket, we ate a picnic lunch. I could have stayed there forever.

6. charleston. This video makes me want to go to Charleston, SC, ASAP. Oh, who am I kidding. Olivia's whole blog makes me want to go to Charleston ASAP.

7. photo uploading. Gah. This has me so frustrated. It seems that everyone can see my photos when uploaded through Blogger. And a few aren't able to when I use Flickr, Photobucket, or Imgur. The problem is, I'm running out of space on Blogger, but I don't really want to pay for more storage. So, what do I do? Your thoughts would be appreciated!

-carlotta

happy birthday, meme!

Are you getting tired of saying "happy birthday" yet? Just hang for one more day, because it's MeMe's 7th birthday!

I can remember her birth like it was yesterday. Our whole family (at the time being my mom, dad, Jeremiah, and me) was actually there when she was born. When we heard, "It's a girl!" and heard MeMe's first cries, I ran out to the other room where my brother was watching Mary Poppins. "The baby's here!", I exclaimed. "It's a girl!" Jeremiah barely glanced at me, his eyes fixated on the TV screen. He gave a very uninterested, "Oh.", and turned back to his movie. I still crack up over that.

Though she was officially named Mariam Elizabeth, on the drive home from the birthing center we agreed on calling her MeMe as a nickname. It really stuck ;)

MeMe was a very quiet, content baby. She rarely fussed, but always wanted to be held. Being overjoyed to finally have a little sister, I gave no objection and held her as often as I could.

When she was almost two, we moved to a St. Louis seminary so my dad could become a pastor. She was amazingly good during all the packing and traveling.

MeMe instantly bonded with the little girl two months her junior whose family lived above our apartment on the seminary campus. For the two years the family lived there, they were inseparable. They were so adorable together! 

When it came time to move again - this time to Oklahoma, MeMe was old enough to actually understand all the hustle and bustle that was moving. It was so fun to see the exciting, thrilling thought of moving to a new state through her eyes. 

That was already three years ago. Where does the time go?! Now, MeMe, you're seven! I can't wait to see how the rest of your life unfolds.

Happy birthday, MeMe! I love you. :)

-carlotta

PS I know she looks a little somber in these photos, but I love how they draw attention to her eyes. And no, she's not really that pale ;)

i feel so loved (and some very exciting news)

Thank you for all your incredibly sweet birthday wishes yesterday! Man, you sure know how to make a girl feel loved :)

My birthday celebration started on Wednesday afternoon, so we could celebrate with my dad, where we again got ice cream at the local ice cream store. 

This is what I got...the chocolate bowl. Yum.

I knew my parents had something big up their sleeves. I found out what this surprise was on Wednesday as well, because my dad wanted to see my reaction.

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you already know what the surprise was (I couldn't keep quiet!)...

My mom handed me three packages. The first one was a magazine about Paris. The second one was a French dictionary. At this point, I was still totally clueless. The last one was a maroon folder. A folder? But when I opened up the folder and glanced at the sheets inside...

...I knew. Inside were printouts of two train ticket confirmations for my mom and me. The destination? 

Paris, France.

Oh.yes. I'm going to Paris next weekend!!!!!!!!

(The above photo is extremely unflattering, but that's how excited I was ;))

I'm so unbelievably excited. I've wanted to go to Paris for as long as I can remember. And now? I finally get to go! We're leaving very early on October 1st and returning on October 4th. I'm not sure if I'll be able to blog while we're there (even though the super cute hotel we're staying in has free Wi-Fi), since we'll probably be incredibly busy. So I'll schedule some posts while we're gone...but when we come back, be prepared for photo overload! :)

On my birthday, I got up at the far too early hour of 6:30am so I could come along to the airport to drop off my dad.

(My dad arrived safely last night after a long, but uneventful flight. Thank you for your prayers!)

After taking a late morning nap - Hey! I was tired! - we ate lunch and I opened presents.

My mom made my very favorite baked macaroni and cheese with a delicious salad. Among my presents was a hat very similar to my brother's! You know, the one that I stole and my mom took a picture of me with, and I made it my profile picture? (Run on sentence much?) Yeah, that one. I love it.

After my first class - nope, I couldn't get out of going to class on my birthday :), I took a bike ride around the country side. Weaving through the maze of corn fields and farms, with the sun shining and the wind blowing on my face, it was just what I needed. I could have bicycled forever.

To end the day, I blew out a candle (since we haven't had a cake yet) while everyone sang happy birthday.

It was a good day. And, my birthday celebration will continue in Paris! Eek!

-carlotta

today...

...is kind of a special day.

Why?

Because exactly fourteen years ago today, a little girl was born.

This baby weighed seven pounds and eight ounces and was born kicking and screaming somewhere around 6:30am (no one really remembers the exact time...ha.).

This baby was (and is) the daughter of these people...

(Gosh, aren't they so stinking cute?!)

This baby was named Carlotta Cisternas. (I'm not giving our last name for personal reasons ;))

And this baby...was me!



Yep, today is my fourteenth birthday.

That sounds so young, doesn't it? I don't feel fourteen. Sometimes I feel like a giggly five year old who can't wait to grow up. Sometimes I feel like I've lived a long time, an old person who wishes they could go back to their childhood.

Isn't that the way with everything? You're never really happy where you are in life. When you're young, you can't wait to grow up When you're in elementary school, you can't wait to be like the "big kids" in middle school. Same goes for middle school. You can't wait to get into high school. And in high school? You can't wait to get into college. But when you're older...you wish you could go back to being younger, back to the time you couldn't wait to grow up. So it goes, around and around.

I know I still have so much more to learn. Most of my life still stretches before me. Challenges, sadness, joy, happiness. I hope that someday down the road, I'll have a husband and  family of my own. I hope that I'll have a job I love, whether it be as a mother or as something else. I hope that, someday, I will be able to pursue my dream of being a photographer.

But I know, that even if things don't go according to my plan, it's going to go according to God's plan. Everything that happens in my life will happen for a reason.

Sorry, this was a little somber and deep for a birthday post...I didn't mean for it to get so long ;)

Have a wonderful day!

-carlotta

PS My dad is leaving to go back to the States today (he needs to go back to work)...would you mind saying a prayer that he arrives back home safely? Thank you!

happiness is...

Greetings, loved ones! It is now time for Happiness Is!

Great. Now I sound like I'm from the 1600s or something. 

Anyway, if you haven't played along before, it's simple. Just wrote a post with two things that have made you happy this week, add the button (below) to the post or just add a link to my blog, then come back here and link up!

See? Easy as pie.

(Going off on a bunny trail here, why in the world is it called "easy as pie"? Why not "easy as cookies" or "easy as a rhino" for heaven's sakes! Besides, the one time I made pie, it wasn't easy it. It took me far too long. *cough*threehours*cough* But I'm digressing.)

<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...



...MeMe, Jeremiah, and my dad arriving back safely from their trip. They left on Friday to visit my two older sisters (sadly I wasn't able to come along this time) and came back last night. I'm so glad the family is back together again!



...beautiful, sunny weather. Every time we come to Germany we're usually blessed with good weather, but most of our time here it's been rainy and cold. I've learned that I thrive on sunshine. Even when it's cold, the sun makes all the difference.

So, what has made you happy this week? Link up and let me know! (Or, you can leave your answers in the comment section on this post)


-carlotta

once upon a time

Once upon a time there was a little girl who decided she wanted to have her picture taken in the mirror of I tractor. I obliged. And now? I'm entering it in Raw(e). (Yes, I know I said that yesterday, but I've decided I'm going to do it now instead)

Once upon a time there was a girl who was a little too obsessed with finding objects to photograph that had a ton of texture. See?

I'm in love. I want to frame them. Ha.

Once upon a time there was the best ice cream dish in the world. A strawberry chocolate bowl (translated on the spot from German into English...therefore, it isn't the most poetic name), which consisted of chocolate ice cream, fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup. 

It was quickly eaten. ;)

Once upon a time I was informed that some cannot see my photos. Gah. Not again! I uploaded these using Blogger, but I don't have much more space left. How many of you cannot see photos that I uploaded using Flickr? (you can use my previous post as a test) Thank you!

What have you done once upon a time?

-carlotta

in which i talk about farming

Except, not. I didn't, and don't, actually farm. Rather, I take pictures. Which doesn't count as farming, does it?

I didn't think so.

Although, I did spend a good chunk of my younger years on a farm of sorts. When we lived in Texas, we had two horses (a Paint and Palomino), two goats (originally named Barbie and Ken, which was then changed to Barbie and Q. Get it? BBQ? Ha.), three dogs, and eleven cats (though almost none were indoor cats). I'm pretty sure my mom wanted to get sheep. But we moved away before we could do so. I'm not sure if I should be happy or not.

Moving right along.

My aunt has a ranch. It's more of one than we ever had. She has four or five horses, five pigs (with two of them expected to have piglets any day), countless chickens and ducks, many goats, and a cow, who is due to have her calf soon. See? Much more of a farm.

This is Wilma. (except it's pronounced vilma in German, since the "w"s have a "v" sound) She wasn't being very cooperative when it came to getting her picture taken. This was take number 385.
Okay, not really. But then again, pretty much all animals aren't very cooperative when it comes to getting their picture taken, are they?



This sweet little piglet (I forgot his name...oops) has only been at the ranch for two days - my aunt just bought him. I'm definitely not a pig person. I think they're gross and smelly and just, well, icky. But this little guy? I kind of fell in love with him. He was adorable.



This picture makes me laugh. Really. It kind of reminds me of one of "The Dog" photos. And I should really know what this horse's name is, considering my aunt has had her for as long as I can remember. Sorry.



But regardless of what her name is, isn't she a pretty horse? I think yes.

Lilly and I discovered the tractor, which was parked in a shed. Being the photographer I am, I insisted on taking her picture in the mirror. I kind of like it.

My aunt spotted us sitting there and asked if I wanted to drive the tractor. I recalled how my brother plowed into a fence a few days ago (he didn't know how to brake) and gulped, but went along with it.

Even though I lived in the (sort of) country for about nine years, I've never really been a "country girl". You never would have found me wearing cowboy boots and Levi's jeans, dragging a bucket of slop to the pigs while precariously balancing on a pile of manure.
Nope, that's not me. I've always been more of a city girl. That's why the picture I'm about to show you cracks me up... 

First, let me point out the fact that I'm wearing a peacoat, scarf, skinny jeans, and UGGs. Definitely not a "farming" outfit. 

Secondly, I'd like to direct you to our facial expressions. 

Me: Huh? How do you work this thing?

My aunt: Don't you get it?! Just push this button, while pulling this lever, while staying in your seat!

Me: *Scratches head in puzzlement*

Okay, that dialog didn't really take place. But it could have.

I finally figured it out, and started driving, with Lilly on my lap. When it was time to turn around, I turned too tightly and nearly drove into the steep ditch on the side of the road (which was deserted except for us). Lilly was freaking out and I didn't know how to back up, so I turned off the engine and asked Lilly to stand by the road while I figured it out. I finally got it, backed up - and almost ended up in the ditch on the other side, but that's another story - and Lilly climbed back on my lap.

And then we road drove off into the sunset.

Or something like that.

-carlotta

scavenger hunt sunday

Today I'm participating in Scavenger Hunt Sunday...I played along a few weeks ago, the day before we left for Germany, so I thought I'd play again today :)

1. Wish or dream. I got this shot of Lilly intently watching cows getting milked at a dairy, but I love the wishful look on her face.

2. Clean. One of my desk drawers after organizing it. This may still look a little chaotic, but believe me, it's waaay better than the before. ;)

3. Currency. This may not look like normal money to some, but in my house? Airheads are probably equivalent to thousand dollar bills. Okay, yes, I often occasionally succumb to bribing my siblings. Especially when it comes to getting their photo taken. Hehe.

4. Pair. My grandma and grandpa before leaving to go to their 50th wedding anniversary celebration :)

5. Square. (One of) the town squares, of course! The store with its door wide open is the ice cream store...they have the best ice cream ever. Hands down.

Happy Sunday!

-carlotta

PS I noticed I hit 400 followers! Seriously?! Y'all are the best. :) Welcome to my new readers!