Say good-bye to my trusty Sony Handycam camera. Not completely, of course, but for still shots this is the end of the line. It will still be extremely useful for DVD video recording, and the occasional still photograph when necessary (as in when I don't want to pack two cameras to events). It was a nice long run, with several thousand digital photos taking up space on our computer and archived on CDs, but it's come to an end.
Say hello to my new toy, the Nikon D60 (the complete kit, with two lenses and a convenient camera bag). I have been coveting a Nikon camera for over a year, and my good husband recently surprised me with that little envelope in the picture. He had Connor hand-deliver it to me one afternoon during a therapy session with Miss April and the little guys. It took me by complete surprise. With the economy and building slow right now, I wasn't expecting such a wonderful early Christmas present. Yes, he's definitely a keeper, that husband of mine.
My gift came on Wednesday, and it's been burning a hole in my pocket ever since. I've been looking online - shopping, comparing, trying to decide what I wanted (or needed) and how to spend my gift money. I liked the ones a step or two above this one (that D90 looks amazing), but decided it was too much to spend on a toy just for me. And, as fate would have it, the local camera store decided to run a three-day after Thanksgiving special on the Nikon cameras. So, I braved "Black Friday" to take advantage of the huge savings over the normal price and managed to get the last one in the store (what timing!). On the way home, I took that savings and invested in something the little guys will love - a portable DVD player for the truck that was also on sale for the holidays.
The D90 would have been nice, but it's too much camera for me right now (and was just too expensive to justify). And the little guys will get years of enjoyment out of that DVD player.
I am, of course, still reading my manual and learning. But it's going to be fun, I assure you. I love taking pictures. Mostly of the kids, but other things, too. It will be a fun challenge and hobby. Who knows, maybe one of these days when I get my kids off to school, it could be more. Either way, it's one of the best gifts ever from an amazing husband and father, and I'm going to enjoy it for a long, long time to come!