1,000 Words

I have been thoroughly enjoying daily reflections through the photo-a-day challenge hosted by Rethink Church.

If photos are worth 1,000 words, then these photos shall prove to be my 40,000 words of reflection for Lent. Follow along on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook: I've been posting them on all 3.

Today's Reflection:

Day 6: Wonder.
Surveying the wonder-ful, wonder-filled cross.
 #photoadaylent #rethinkchurch

A picture for you. Just One.

My own computer decided to connect to the internet, so I thought I'd post pictures. Then I realized I don't really have many of me! ha, oh well. Sunday was a great day... I have a few from there.

Mindy, Don, Jessica and Matthew (took the picture) went up to the observatory on Sunday before church... it was BEAUTIFUL! I got a few good shots of the others... and this is the only one I'm in. You can kind of see the (smoggy but beautiful) view of LA behind us.
Later on Sunday I climbed an AWESOME tree that is the 2nd oldest of its kind in the US. Its the tree that inspired Disney's treehouse - I was glad I didn't wear flip-flops :)

eh, well... I was trying to upload 1-a picture of the gigantuous tree, and 2- a picture of me in it, but the internet here is slow and its taking forever. So I guess one picture will have to do for tonight. I'll get on taking more of me in the future. :)

A New "Toy"

I made a big step today. I made a large purchase of something that will be carried by my side and, for many, be a part of who my identity is for years to come.

I finally got a new camera I have been "needing" for some time. "Need" in quotes because the reality is, I acknowledge that this is actually something I want and can survive without. Yet still need because taking pictures is something that I have grown to love doing. It is in many ways a part of who I am. I love capturing the pictures, places, and events of my life (and others) around me and documenting it. Truly, I believe far more can be said with one picture than with 1000 words, and I do not ever want to miss that opportunity if I can help it. (Of course... I still wish I could afford to have a nice SLR camera!!! someday... for now these lovely, efficient point-and-shoot cameras will have to do!)

The old camera I have has aged out, in need of things like a new color sensor and other expensive parts that do not make the camera worth fixing. So after spending the day yesterday on the phone with a friend who knows more about these things than I do, I decided on the camera I would splurge on (though lets be clear... I've been saving for this for months!) My old camera was the Canon Powershot ELPH SD450. My new one is not exactly what I wanted, but I think once I grow into it, I will love it.

Are you ready?

My new camera is... the Canon Powershot ELPH SD870 IS.








It is an upgrade in many ways. The obvious stuff is cosmetic: a larger, clearer, more durable screen, has no viewfinder (not a big deal since I don't think I've ever used the one on my old ELPH), and it has black accents instead of being a solid silver. It is also larger- which I'm not a huge fan of but a "sacrifice" I am willing to make - for the wide-angle lens. Most importantly, this has an image stabilizer, which is something I really missed having in my last camera. Features like the ease of navigation and the face detection will also be helpful. These are only some of the additional features I'm aware of; it is also supposedly faster, and is definitely smarter. Not to mention that the menu is touch-sensitive and scrolls like an ipod wheel. This will take some getting used to, to be sure!

I have a ton of things yet to learn about how to use it, what the magnificent features have to offer, etc. But in the interim, I am excited! I am also glad I managed to pick it up before the big "Dignity Idol" contest at Dignity Diner on Tuesday... I am excited to catch this event on camera! It will be a great trial run of how well we function together under pressure before I leave for the Ride:Well Tour in just over two weeks!

One more thing... I am sad that even though it is an ELPH, it is a different size AND uses different batteries. So I need to purchase extra back-up batteries (thank you, ebay, for being cheap!) AND I had to get a new case. Thanks to the wonderful free fliers they handed out at the Cubs game last month, I had a coupon that gave me a gift certificate with a large purchase at Best Buy. So the case (less 10%, thanks to the AWESOME salesperson I was working with!) turned out to only be $4! A great deal indeed - and it made me feel even better about buying it in the store despite a (slightly) cheaper price online.

Thanks again, Sarah, for your help in picking this out! As with any big purchase, I am still a bit hesitant and nervous about it. But I am confident that with time and practice, I will grow to love my new ELPH as well as I did my old one.