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!!!

THE SURPRISE Return

While I was in Montana I had been planning out my return to Oregon, and how I would surprise my friends. I had it all planned out when a new and improved plan was brought to my attention. I had remembered my family reunion that we go to every year, in Utah. I wasn't going to miss my chance to surprise Sarah when she least suspected it. I called my mom up and told her my idea. She, secretly, bought me a plain ticket to Salt Lake City, Utah. When I got back from Mt. Rushmore, the week before, I said goodbye to Montana and jumped on my 10 o' clock flight to SLC, Utah. I had to fly to Denver, Colorado to switch plains. It wasn't just a simple, half hour delay. I had to sit in the Denver airport for three hours. Not only did I have to sit for three hours, but I got lost and I was all alone. When I found terminal A50 I took a seat and read my book. Three hours later, I got on my plain and eventually made it to Utah. I stayed at my grandparents before we drove up to Bear Lake. When I got up to my Aunt's cabin on Bear Lake, I started to plan out how I was going to pop out and surprise Sarah. I eventually came to the conclusion that I should be buried in the sand when she arrives. You're probably wondering how I kept all this secret from Sarah. I had just gotten back from a hiking trip with Amber a couple weeks before. I told Sarah that I was going to be up in the Mountain again for that weekend so don't call me. I even let her brag about seeing Melissa and being in Utah while I was supposedly stuck up in Montana. She didn't have a clue what I had in store for her. I knew what time she would be arriving at the cabin, so I dug my hole and waited for the right time to have my cousins bury me. There I was sitting on the couch waiting when, out of nowhere, my dad's car pulls up honking (my mom's way of warning me that they were there.) I flipped out and ran out to the sand. I jumped inside the hole, and my Uncle, Mark, put an inner tube and towel over the hole. I, anxiously, sat in the hole waiting for Sarah to look inside. My cousins told Sarah that they had caught a fish in the lake, put it in the hole, and wanted her to see it. Through a hole a watched her walk over. When she lifted the towel and realized it was me she jumped inside. She flipped out and, as I expected, she hit me for not telling her. I had a great time at the reunion. I got back home last Saturday night. I love being back in Oregon with all my family and friends.

The Love Inn, my aunt's last name is Love hence the name.

Trip to the Lagoon in Utah.

Waitin' in line.

Best ride at Lagoon

The 'Rents

Farris Wheel.

Our traditional Bear Lake Pizza run.

Me kicking B-U-T-T at PacMan.

Gerrrrr. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Just out for a walk...in the middle of the road.

My dad gave us a quarter to ride, Yahoo.

I can hold the sun, pretty cool ha?

This is such a random picture, but that's why I love it.

My grandparents are amazing!

My dad got Jet Skis. You can hear me screaming a mile away.

One night there was a wind storm and the tree fell over. I was out side with my cousin next to the tree when it fell over, scary.

Melissa and I hit some golf balls, if you don't know by now I LOVE golfing...I even watch golf on TV with my dad.

Our traditional Friday night shakes at LaBouse cafe.

Week FOUR in Montana

Sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog.
I went to Mt. Rushmore for my last week in Montana. The drive down to South Dakota was too long. It took us two days to get to Rapid City. There's really not much to say about the trip, but seeing the Mountain was pretty cool.


i stayed in Rapid City for a couple nights. On the last day I went to Bear Country USA. Driving through the park was nice...but...they would yell at you if you had your window rolled down. I mean come on, how am I supposed to pet the bears or even get a decent picture through a window? I was feeling like a rebel so I left my window an inch open the whole time. Since no one has invented non-reflective windows, I didn't get any blog worthy pictures of any bears.

On the way back to Montana I stopped at the border. If you ever are at my house ask me to tell you the story behind this picture...it has to be done in person, only I know the sound effects needed to tell it.

The day after I got home from South Dakota I rode horses with my Uncle Jeff, and Amber. One thing this picture doesn't show is Jeff holding the reigns of my horse the whole ride. I am still deathly afraid of horses, but I can now get within arms length without screaming.

On Saturday I packed up my bags for THE SURPRISE return....

Backpacking at Red Lodge

Last weekend Amber and I went backpacking up at Red Lodge. This experience proved to me just how out of shape I am. The view at the top of the mountains was great.

At Vista Point in Wyoming.Flippin' amazing truck.I had to cross a shark infested ocean to get to the snow on the other side.

In my efforts to cross the shark-infested-ocean I was swallowed by a whale. I rolled the rock, that I'm sitting on, down the whales throat and then it spit me out.

I think this is the exact spot I am going to build my house. I would have plenty of visitors hiking by each day.

We got to this point and had to go all the way back, I'm told it's not a good idea to be on the top of a mountain while there is lightening.I, eventually, got to play in the snow.Me crossing the treacherous waters below.

Just picture me holding a fishing pole.No, that is not a helicopter above my head. It's a mosquito. Oh that's Amber, by the way.

That was the hardest hike I had ever done.

The next day we hiked up to Basin Lake, in Montana. It was a very nice hike.

We hiked to the Upper Basin Lake and ate lunch. That was the first time I had ever eaten MRE's...surprisingly tasty. When we got to the Upper Basin Lake, we went swimming. Yup, I went swimming in a glacial lake...I was freezing and far from dry.

On the way down it started hailing with lightening. I thought Montana was supposed to be a dry state.

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!