It's Wednesday again, which means it's time for Happiness Is! 

Happiness is...

...that summer vacation is almost here!!! I can't wait :)

...that I didn't mess up during my concert last night (All the winners of the piano competition I mentioned had to play their winning songs, myself included)!

What are two things that have made you happy this week?

-carlotta

This post is going to be short and sweet as I have a friend over :)

The Raw(e) theme for this week is running. 

Here's my entry...

Jeremiah and Sarge running in the river :) 

Head on over to Sailor and Company to link up your Raw(e) running picture! To learn more about Raw(e), go here to the first "edition".

-carlotta

On Sunday we went to the river (the Arkansas, which can hardly be called a river, at least in our part of the country, as it's 2 feet deep in the middle. Seriously.). All along it they have paved trails for bicycling/running/walking/taking the whole family plus the dog, two bikes, and a skateboard, etc. If you hadn't guessed yet, we did the latter.

It was gorgeous out. It was one of those days where it seems the sky couldn't get any bluer and everything couldn't be more vibrant.

(While we were taking a break, I took a picture of myself. It was supposed to show that it was warm enough that I didn't need a jacket and could actually feel my hair on my shoulders. Instead it turned out like this.)

(This picture is sort of chaotic - with Lilly pretty much right in front of the camera, and my dad cut off - but there's something about it I really like.)

I digress. Back to my story (if there was one at all). We decided to climb down from the trail to the water via a steep slope (I got dirt in my shoes. And I was wearing black skinny jeans. Dirt and black skinny jeans don't really mix.).

But once I made down the hill, which took a while, it was amazing. It actually felt like being at the ocean...it even smelled like it. There was sand between my toes, a gentle breeze blowing my hair, and a perfect place for pictures.

Looking at these pictures again makes me want to forget the piles of homework I have and go tan by the river.

How was your weekend?

-carlotta

I hope you don't mind that this post goes all over the place...

On Saturday I had (another) piano competition. I played two songs (both got the highest rating, of which only 6 are given out), and one of them got chosen for the overall winner. To say I was stunned is understated. On Tuesday night there's an award ceremony (where I have to play my winning piece again, but in front of an audience instead of in front of a judge), and I'm going to be interviewed/have my picture in the newspaper. I honestly didn't think my playing was that great! :)


Today I had my confirmation exam...I passed! I'm officially D-O-N-E with the learning part...all I have left is my actual confirmation (May 23rd), which should be a breeze. But what's not going to be a breeze is finding a dress. Seriously. NOTHING fits. Being skinny is a curse. My mom and I may resort to making one ourselves. (Suggestions?)

Along the lines (sort of) of being skinny, I've been considering becoming a vegetarian. I don't generally like meat, but there are a few things (bacon - as long is there isn't any fat on it - and turkey/ham on sandwiches) I will and do eat. And I don't know if I could give that up.
Becoming a vegetarian wouldn't necessarily be for health reasons...it would definitely NOT be to lose weight...on the contrary, I would love to gain 10 pounds! But I suppose I should be happy that I don't have to worry about losing weight...in 10 years I'll probably wish I still had the same problem. I digress.
I actually like the taste of meat, but it's the thought of eating a dead animal (and its muscles, no less) that sort of grosses me out.

I can't believe it's almost summer (although we'll probably have to do a little school, as we won't get it all finished before the school year ends). On Wednesday it's getting up to NINETY. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for the heat yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to not being so overloaded with homework! Now if I can just get through finals...

I've been struggling with my blog lately (one of the reasons I didn't post much over the weekend), for two reasons.
1. I'm starting to feel like I post too many pictures and I don't write enough (hence this wordy post)...but it really does depend on you, my lovely readers :) I would love your honest opinion - would you like me to write more? Are you bored with me just posting mainly pictures?
2. I was getting too wrapped up in numbers. I was getting too focused on just getting lots of followers and comments. While followers make my day week, and I absolutely love comments, I need to quit worrying about how many people read my blog. (Besides, I can't force people into reading it either) But don't get me wrong, I'm not discouraging you following/commenting. The problem is entirely in myself. I know I would have so much more fun blogging without having to fret over what will bring in new people. I'm still in school, for pete's sakes.

On a lighter note, we're leaving for Germany four months from Thursday! It still seems like a long time away, but it's definitely getting closer.

Alright, I need to get my rear end into science class...if you made it this far, kudos to you!
I'm going to be posting some pictures from this weekend later today :)

-carlotta