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?

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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

1. a gorgeous flower (I am so flower challenged...I have no idea what kind it i)

2. a giant lollipop, which will be used in the photo shoot later (read below to find out more)

3. crape myrtle - surprise, surprise! 

4. an overexposed photo of Lilly...but I love it anyway

Following lunch today, I tried to have a photo shoot in the backyard with my siblings. Because it was around one, the sun was high overhead - making the light extremely difficult to work with.

I called it off and we've decided to go to a park later and have the shoot there. It'll be my first time having a planned session, complete with props - hopefully it goes well. I know exactly what I'm looking for in the photos. With a bit of luck, I'll be able to capture the feel I was looking for. I'm so excited!

Assuming everything works out, stay tuned for photos from the shoot later this week :)

What have you been up to today?

-carlotta

1. crape myrtles. I love 'em even though they scream "East Texas suburbia". If you've ever been in subdivisions anywhere in East Texas, you know what I'm talking about. It's probably because it's practically the only thing that will grow in the sticky, humid climate. 

2. Germany. I can't believe that less than two months are left until we leave on our trip to Germany (50 days, to be exact. I just counted.). When we my mom bought the tickets early this year, the wait loomed so far ahead of us. It felt like it would never come. And here we are, 50 days away. Wow. Be prepared for an overwhelming amount of pictures on my blog in September. (I wish I would have had my camera in the previous 10 times I've been to Germany. Think of all the memories I could have captured!)

3. estate sales. You know, those old homes that are full of treasures, usually last inhabited by old ladies.

We went to one this morning...and saw this.

Um, what? "Weird looking Mother and Child"? Could they really not come up with something better than that? And in the painting's defense, it didn't look "weird" at all. It's called art, people. 

I walked away with this little number...

A vintage metal box, the loveliest shade of green, for fifty cents. Right now I'm storing my camera things in there - memory cards, cables, batteries, etc.

4. blogging stats. (And I really, truly don't mean to brag. I'm totally humbled with all that's happening on my blog.)

I recently published my 500th post. 

I'm getting an average of 106 visitors a day (an average of 227 page views a day). Y'all make me feel so special! ;)

137 followers. Wow is all I have to say. 

None of this would have been possible without you - I'm giving you all the credit. 

Also, I have a favor to ask. On a scale from 1-10 (1 being the slowest and 10 being the fastest), how quickly does my blog load for you? Of course some of it depends on the speed of your internet connection, but if you could do that, I'd greatly appreciate it. If it loads too slowly, I'm going to have to reconfigure some things. Thank you in advance!

5. twitter. I've been sort of thinking about getting an account. Thoughts?

6. new life. It amazes me. This flower was in full bloom about 18 hours later. God's creation is so wonderful!

7. elephants. Some missionary friends of ours doing work in China came for a visit this past weekend. (Because of the delicate nature of what they're doing, I can't post anymore information.) With them they brought these adorable stuffed elephants and a beautiful carved vase from Cambodia. I love the elephants to death (the blue one's mine ;)). 

-carlotta

Today we went the to pool (as we do practically everyday). I can't say that the pool is my favorite thing of summer - no school takes that place ;) - but it's pretty far up there. Swimming is so refreshing and so much fun. And, when the weather it's so sweltering hot you break into a sweat after being outside 30 seconds, it's the perfect thing to do in the summer.

There's nothing I love more than having a playful water fight with my siblings. Or laying out in a lounge chair by the pool with my eyes closed, basking in the warm summer sun and listening to the shrieking laughter of children splashing water at each other. 

I've spent so many happy summers swimming. From canon balls to backstrokes to the dead man's float, it's always been pure bliss. And now that MeMe's learning to swim - with Lilly not far behind - she can now also experience this bliss.

I can't get enough of that feeling you have when underwater. The distant voices, seemingly far, far away, the bubbles drifting out of your mouth and nose, the weightlessness. It's moments like those that I want to last forever - of course until I run out of air ;)

And then when Labor Day arrives, bringing with it the closing of the pool, it's so melancholy. The carefree days of summer are over until next year, the covering is placed on the water, and everything is closed down until Memorial Day.

But instead of focusing on Labor Day, I'm going to enjoy the time I have left at the pool. I'm going to splash, have fun,  lay out by the pool, and listen to the sound of laughter floating from water.

How about you? What do you love about the pool?

-carlotta