Happy every-holiday-for-the-next-year to me!

Friday, June 17, 2011 was a special day. Yes, it was my parents' 33rd wedding anniversary. And my friends Kristen and Roger's 5th anniversary. (It's hard to believe that it's been five years since I flew home from Italy for a week to be in their wedding!)

Five years ago was also probably the time that I stopped using one of my best high school graduation gifts (yes, from 2000): my Pentax 35mm SLR camera. It used film. (This my be foreign subject matter for people born after the mid-1990s.) I was SO excited about that camera. I still love it. And, even though it's basically worth nothing (and it's too expensive to use it/develop film), I can't bring myself even try and sell it--or give it away. But maybe someday my kids will take photography class at school, and maybe, just maybe, they will have an old-school teacher who will make them use 35mm cameras and film. And then, they will be so excited to use their mom's old camera. Right? I mean, that was me back in 1998. I got to learn with my mom's Canon. sigh.

I've gotten off track.

This past Friday was a special day because I bought a present for myself; a present that brings me quite up to date with current photographic technology. I am now the proud owner of a Digital SLR camera. It's beautiful. It's fast. It's shiny and new. I love the sound of the shutter when I press the release. I love the quality of the images. I love holding the camera up to my eye--like I'm using my mom's old Canon, or my old Pentax! It even takes video. I'm clearly in a new league. I've been researching DSLRs forever. I wavered over the Nikon v. Canon decision. (I went with Nikon. Mostly because I like how the camera felt in my hands.) I did the math and, well, I did the math. This is not cheap present.

So why now? Why did I leave work a little early on Friday and go to the camera store downtown (where the salesman probably thought I was a little bit crazy) and walk out less than an hour later with a new camera? Well, the timing was greatly motivated by the quickly approaching birth of my new niece. She is due any day now (maybe tonight!) and she really needs to be well-photographed! I mean, she is going to be super cute. My almost 2 year old niece, Mia, and her little brother (coming in September) give me even more inspiration to take our family memory keeping to the next level.

There will be many photos making their way to the blog. I started using Picnik to edit and play and I'm having way too much fun. And I've been carrying my camera almost everywhere I go...in the cutest camera bag ever! It's called "The Bowler" and its sporty-ness has produced comments such as "Cute purse!"...from men! I'm almost positive that I've never had a guy compliment my purse (or undercover camera bag) as "cute" or at all. Love it.