Redhead Mommy

Let me preface this story by saying that we are not wealthy. We are a family of five on a teacher's salary in Michigan. We have what we need, but we're not rolling in it. There isn't a lot of room for extras, hence, when we were robbed last May, and my Canon Rebel Xti and Canon flash and Lowepro case were all part of the collateral damage, and our deductible being a good chunk of change, the Rebel did not get replaced. And while I know that a fancy-schmancey camera is not a necessity by any stretch of the imagination, it has been my one form of creative expression since being a stay at home mom, and I'd only had it about two years.

To say I missed my former camera is an understatement. I stopped reading about photography, I stopped looking at photography resources because every time I did any of those things, I got punched in the heart with sorrow and grief and anger. I didn't feel that it was good for me to keep experiencing this, since I didn't really know when we'd be able to replace it, so I stopped altogether. I explained it to my choir-director husband this way: it was as if he was told that the only way he could create music for the rest of his life was with a recorder (you know, those horrible precursors to clarinets that they use in elementary school to teach music?). My point and shoot just wasn't what it needed to be for what I wanted to do.

That all being said, one can imagine my joy at Christmas to open not only a new Canon T2i (a better model!) and kit lens, but also a 18-250mm lens and a nice camera case as well. (Sam's Club had a killer deal going!) And my husband had worked it out with himself, my dad and in-laws as a big joint gift, and planned it out so that I only got the camera and kit lens first (we have THREE Christmas stops for our family!), and then had to wait a couple days before I realized he had actually bought me the package deal. He wanted to get the full amount of pleasure from surprising me...evil man. ;)

While I am a very passionate person, I detest crying in front of people. However, just writing about this amazing Christmas gift makes me tear up. You'll just have to take my word for it, because there will be no demonstration!

And so, since we have returned home from holiday travels, I have immersed myself in all things photographically related. Mostly because I have some catching up to do, but also because of a huge project I have taken on for this spring (more on that later). Don't worry, the kids are still getting fed regularly....most days. ;)