My Baby...

When asked what brand of camera I want to upgrade to, the person asking looks at me with disappointment when they hear my answer. "My dream camera is a Nikon!" Most, actually all of my friends who are professional photographers have, use, and recommend Canons. One such photographer pushed for my reasoning behind wanting a Nikon. And this is what I said:

It's has little to do with quality, name brand, or price. For me, it is all physiological. It all started with my brother, Spencer, and his passion for photography. Spencer had a nice Nikon when I was a little kid. As my own passion for photography grew, so did my desire to test out his Nikon. He never let me touch that camera. And since he took it everywhere with him, I couldn't even sneak in his room and look at it while he was away at school. Years passed and not once had I held that camera. I never looked at a camera in the same way that I looked at a Nikon camera. My parents had noticed my ability to take good photos with the small, family snap-and-shoot camera we had at home. So they said they would pay half the price if I wanted to get my own camera. I didn't have the money for a Nikon, so I settled for a camera that looked similar to Spencer's Nikon....it was even black like his. A couple more years passed and I had fallen in love with my camera. I had brought that camera with me everywhere. That camera went through hell in my possession (sorry for my choice of word, but it is the closest word that comes to what it was like for my camera.) That camera has been dropped while hiking and rolled down the side of Montana and Wyoming's snow caped mountains. It's been on roller coasters, bike rides, snow boards, and more. Don't get the wrong idea, I loved that camera and took care if it like I would my own child...minus the rolling down a mountain part. It has been with me during the best times of my high school life: my first dance, championship lacrosse game, first trip to the Portland Saturday Market, sister's wedding, and even the midnight showing of Twilight. I never expected to get an upgrade anytime soon. But then I saw it on April 14 2009. The Nikon D5000. Ever since then I would dream of having this camera.

And that was my reason for wanting a Nikon.

Every weekend I would pass the Nikon station at Costco, and have to pull myself away from the cameras so I could go home.

Three weeks, straight, before Christmas I made sure to let my parents know just how much I NEEDED this camera. A line I would often use was "I will never progress in photography if I have the same camera the rest of my life. Do you want me to progress?" When I was feeling bold I would pull the What-Would-Jesus-Do line. I even gave a speech about the comparison that could be made between the boy in The Christmas Sweater novel and my need for this specific camera. ( Read The Christmas Sweater and you'll understand.)

It was two days before Christmas and I was sure I wasn't getting a Nikon D5000 anytime soon. Boy was I wrong!

On Christmas Eve my dad came in from the car and said "Lizzy, will you go get the rest of the groceries from the car?" I went out to the trunk and froze. I was in shock. If it wasn't for the light-headed feeling I wouldn't have remembered to breath. Lying in the back of the trunk was a box, in that box was my new baby.

I ran into the house screaming, and I sat on the kitchen floor hugging the box that held my long awaited treasure.

Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Me and My Books

In the last year I have taken a complete 180 degree turn with my view towards reading. I have read books before this year, but never finished them. I would read enough to know how the story would end then get bored with it. I even did this with class assigned books...don't tell my teacher. Anyways, it wasn't till my ninth grade year that I enjoyed, and finished, my class assigned books. I actually picked up and read a book for myself that wasn't a class assignment. Once I finished that book I picked up another one and finished that too. I guess it helps that my parents have a library collection of books in the house. I have never, not once wanted to spend any part of my summers reading a book. When I was in Montana I found it quite pleasing to sit down and read a book that I liked. When I finished a book I picked up another and read that too. I am a VERY slow reader so it may not seem like I read a lot of books to you, but for me I am becoming quite the reader. So far I have read: Speak, Dove, Animal Farm, Lance Armstrong, Recovering Charles, Wednesday Letters, Why I Believe, Timepiece, and The Letter. I decided that the next book I am going to finish is The Christmas Sweater because I gave it to a friend for Christmas. My friends and I went to the Library yesterday. Sadly, they didn't have the book that I wanted. But I did go to Barnes and Noble with the same friends today and they did have another book that I have been wanting to read. I didn't bring my money with me, but this gave me a great idea. I have been wondering where on earth I would get my first job. I now plan on working at a book store. If I work at a book store I can read the books without having to buy them...it sounds illegal, but fun. If anyone has any suggestions for books that I should read, my comment page would be the place to spill your ideas.

(One more thing.)

I went to the library to get a book that I've been wanting to read. They didn't have it, so I went to the desk and they ordered it from a Portland library. Two days later they called and I picked it up. I had not clue what this book was about, only that it's my friend's and dad's favorite book. I thought, oh if it's her favorite book than it must be good. I didn't want to pass up a good book. When I got the book I was disappointed and excited at the same time. First off, it was only a 110 paged book that looked REALLY old. I thought, I have been searching everywhere for this? it better be good. but at the same time I was excited because it, being a short book, meant I could finish it in a day and get back to my other book. Boy was I wrong. I got home and started reading the Introduction. Within the first two paragraphs I was in need of a dictionary. After five pages of gibberish, I gave up on finishing the rest of the Introduction. I started the book. Right off the bat, I was confused. I kept reading in hopes that it would clear up eventually. Early on in my reading I pulled out a dictionary. This book had the weirdest words. It even spelt color wrong. I kept reading; I was determined to finish this book that I had worked so hard to find. The day was at its end, and I was only at page 19. That in itself tells you how hard this book was. I decided that if I couldn't recall anything that I had just read, it was time to quit. I gave the book one last chance, and I opened to the last page (this is something I tend to do with all my books.) I read the last page and was lost once again. I flipped to the second to last page and read that too. There was no way that I was going to try to read this book. I took out my book mark and shelved the book. I'll never know what that book was about or what message I would have gotten from reading it. But one thing I do know is that my dad and friend must be amazing readers to have that as one of their favorite books.

I'm debating whether or not I should tell you what book it was. I don't want to crush someone's dreams of reading it too. But then again, I don't want anyone to go through the torture of reading it after their painstaking efforts in finding it. I've decided to reveal the book that caused me to sweet bullets finding and reading it. The book is......Heart of Darkness, by Joesph Conrad.

Week Three in Roundup Mt

Hey Y’all! This week was so slow that I, some how, got enough patients to scrapbook. I got all of my camp pictures scrapbooked…and, if I may say so myself, the pages look pretty darn good for what normally comes from my scrapbooking at home.
This week I drove on highway 87. Yup, no joke, and I don’t even have my permit. I do have to add that Roundup, Montana highways are completely different than our Portland highways. At 5 o’clock in Portland, you can expect to be in stop and go traffic all the way home. But here, the most traffic I’ve seen consists of, at most, four cars. Oh, and not to forget, I only drove about 30 feet down the highway before getting to the turn off I needed. However, my heart was still racing five minutes after that. Good thing there are no cops in Roundup.

That same day Amber and I went down to the Hooderite Colony (not sure if that’s how it’s spelled.) We met up with Carol and drove down to the river.

At the river we went fishing. I had to hold a worm, I almost died. Once I got my fishing poll, I got my thumb stuck on the hook, it hurt.

I was the only one to catch a fish that day. I was pretty proud of my accomplishment. I’d have to give a little credit to Lardy for all this fishing advice in class.


Fishing got boring so we hopped in the river. I was scared of being bitten by a fish the whole time.





I guess I shouldn’t have been scared of the fish; I should have been scared of the leaches. When we got back to the house Amber held out her hand and right between two fingers was a leach. It was right then that I began to flip out and look at my arms and legs for leaches. Thankfully, none were found.
I can check off four more things on my list of activities to do while here.
~Get a Portland postcard in the mail (I’ve always wanted one)
~Catching a baby Cat Fish
~Swimming in leach infested waters
~Illegally driving on the highway
Today my dad is officially 50 years old. Sorry dad, the world has to know who our senior citizens are. Hey at least you can get the senior discount. Okay my teasing is done; I wasn’t there to tease you in person, so it’s only far.
This weekend I will be going backpacking with Amber at Red Lodge. I’m a little nervous about sleeping outside with all the bears and snakes. But I’m excited to sleep under the stars. Stay tuned to find out if I get back alive.
Until next time, enjoy the Rose City!
PS. For all of you who know how much I don't read, I have finished two books...booyeah!