End of an era

Christian and I have finally come to grips with the end of an era. The era of film that is. When I first met Christian, he was a photographer. Photo editor of the Highlander, that is. The school paper at UCR. I dabbled in photography myself back in high school. We spent our youth travelling our world (which consisted of mostly just the western United States) with cameras in tow. Backpacking and road trips were our great escapes from the world. We'd get home from work Friday night, throw our gear into the back of a truck and off we'd go.

I worked for an auto manufacturer, so I leased many of their vehicles and with the amount of miles I commuted back and forth to work plus our endless road trips, I ended up getting a new car about every 6 months!

We were never quite happy with the pictures we sent in to be developed. The prints invariably came back with heads cropped when the negative were fine. The negatives came back scratched. Or they developed them with dirty over used chemicals out of cheapness or neglect or both. We ended up starting up our own dark room. We'd seal up a closet or bathroom and worked for weekends at a time on our treasured memories. It was very time consuming. We could never quite keep up with the rolls of film we kept bringing back from our trips.

In the end, Christian got me my first digital camera some 7 years or more ago so that I could print my own pictures of family and friends and stuff. We kept the film cameras for our adventures.

Shortly after, we began our family. With kids and a greatly decreased income since I wasn't working anymore, our trips trickled down to once in a blue moon and the film cameras came out less and less until it basically sat packed away in the back of the closet along with all our darkroom equipment. With the hundreds (okay, thousands) of pictures we took of the kids, it would have been impossible to take them with film.

When we moved, we found no room anywhere to store all our now useless darkroom equipment and camera supplies (among other things). Our dreams of restarting our photography again when the kids grew up and left the house became just a pipe dream and we knew it. Film, chemicals, paper are all getting more and more difficult to procure. Digital photography has improved significantly, although it will never produce the same results.

First, we thought that we would have to end up throwing a lot of it away. Christian decided to try to sell them online. Most of it has all gone in the past couple of weeks. It has been a rather sad and stressful experience. It went rather a lot quicker than we anticipated though...probably due to the rock bottom prices he set them at. There is still a niche for this kind of thing apparently. Mostly by older, retired individuals who still hang on to the old art of photography. He priced them to go quickly so that the whole ordeal would be over sooner than later.

With some of the proceeds of the sale, he ended up getting me this baby for my birthday. My very own DSLR! I never thought we would be able to afford one. I'll still be able to use my old lenses and flash!

Unfortunately, my own 35mm SLR is quite worthless now. Although once a really nice camera in its own right, there is simply no market for it anymore. Christian's camera, a Nikon F4, was an icon of it's time. A professional work horse of a camera. Used by National Geographic photographers and such in it's day. I would have always thought that he would have been buried with it.

I was rather reluctant and horrified at the thought of him selling it. I told him I didn't want a new camera. It would be the camera that guilt built. I couldn't bare it. But he convinced me that the camera and all our other equipment was useless to us now. And that we might as well get something we can enjoy out of it.

Alas, all that is left now is the memories. Memories of a simpler time of our lives with less responsibility and care. An end of an era indeed.

p.s. This post is dedicated to my selfless husband. I love you!

On Blogging

It has officially been a year this month since my first post. I didn't really want to blog. Everyone was talking about blogging and I just didn't get it. Then our friend Raena moved away and she blackmailed me into blogging. She said that she would only give me her blog address if I started a blog of my own. She convinced me that it was a great way to keep a journal.

I've tried keeping diaries and journals on and off since I was a child but I always abandoned the idea at some point...usually not long after I started!

Christian even made us each journals once for family home evening. I kept it up for all of one week or so. I was hopeless. Christian and I started a website at one point when Emily was first born but after about a year, it was just too much work.

But it's been a year so far and I have to say, I do enjoy blogging. I like being able to record what we've been doing and what's been going on in our lives. Being able to post pictures really helps. Occasionally, I have to force myself to make a post but it really isn't such a battle. Now I wish are started one sooner! Did I ever thank you Raena? Consider this your official "thank you" for making me do this.

What's more, I love reading everyone else's blog as well. I love to see what everyone is up to. And even more so when friends move away. And I could hardly believe it, but I have found other blogs out there that I am totally addicted to checking every day or every now and then...and I don't even know these people...what's up with that? Okay, most of them may pertain to cooking but not all of them. I guess it's cathartic some how (both writing and reading peoples blogs).

But now I want to look into printing my blog. I guess a lot of people uses blurb? Does anyone have any thoughts, advice, or experience they can share?

A Day of Firsts for Emily

Monday was a day of firsts for Emily. 1st day of school in the 1st grade. And she also rode her bike for the first time without training wheels. We've been meaning to take them off for some time but Emily was not up for it before we moved. After we moved, we knew her bike was already getting too small for but we didn't really have time to deal with it. Her friend Lauren, who is a year and a half older, rides without training wheels, so Emily started warming up to the idea. I figured we would work with her over the summer but never quite got to it.

Christian raised the training wheels so that she could not rely on them so much and then on Monday, he took them off. Here is Emily on the bike.

It was pretty anti-climatic. She hopped on and rode like she's been doing it all along. There was no holding on to the seat and letting her go. Oh well, I guess that's good. Now we just need to move her up to the bike that fits her. We got one some time ago from a friend but because it had no training wheels (or girly designs) she wasn't really that interested. But I think she is tired of wrestling with the bike that is too small for her (plus Lauren's bike isn't all girly) so I think she will finally accept it!

First Day of School

The girls started school on Monday. So we started a new schedule for us. We get up earlier in the morning now since Caitlyn's preschool starts at 7:45. And we go to bed earlier. The girls' bedtime is now 8:30. A normal time for kids finally. She had afternoon kindergarten last year so we stuck to our late schedule and they didn't go to bed until 9:30 or 10:pm. We still got Emily to nap several times a week so it worked. Now she doesn't nap at all and has all day school, since she started 1st grade this year.

Here is Caitlyn on her first day of school.

She did so good. She was excited to start preschool. I thought she would change her mind by the time it was time to leave her. I was bracing myself for her eyes to get all glassy and teary eyed. When she used to get super upset or afraid, she starts tearing up and stuffs her little fingers in her mouth like a little bulgy bear. But nope, mom was the one reluctant to leave and Caitlyn just smiled and waved her hand. She settled right in, did her puzzle and started in on reading some books while the teacher, other parents and kids were trying to get settled. We were so proud of her.

At last, we pulled ourselves away. We went home and fed Emily a quick breakfast and then walked her down to the end of our block to wait for the bus. Here is Emily on her first day of school.

She was pretty excited. She wasn't afraid to ride the bus on her own to school. And I have to say, I am really loving not having to drive her back and forth through all the school traffic. I was dreading having to drive back and forth 4 times a day but this has worked out fine.

Well, except for today, she almost missed her bus!

After I pick up Caitlyn from school, we have time to either run errands or come home to play for a while. Then she takes a nap, gets up, has a snack (since she has lunch so early before leaving school), plays for a little more, then we go down to the corner to wait for Emily's bus to bring her back.

I think this will work well once we really get into the groove of things!

Catching Up

A few more misc. pictures from last week that I was too busy to post. The girls are back in school and I have almost two whole hours to myself in the mornings. I've pretty much wasted the first couple of days because, well, I could!

Last Wednesday, the girls made me miss my yoga class because they wanted to do some more hiking. Our neighbor and her kids were going to hike up to the ranger station from the Box Springs trail again and they wanted to go too. My curiosity to find out where I went wrong on the trail got the best of me and I agreed to take them.

We only made it half way up though. It was just too hot to try to get the two 4 year olds to keep going up the steep hot trail. We stopped for a snack and headed back down. I see where I we went wrong now though and we will be back in the fall.

After Mass on Saturday, we went back to Marian's to pick up the girls. She was having a birthday party for Pepper (her dog) who is 13 years old now. She collected gently used towels, blankets, newspapers and donations for Humane Society where she adopted him from. The girls helped grind wheat and we made gourmet dog treats for Pepper. I was too busy and forgot to take pictures of our final product.
Since I missed yoga, Caitlyn wanted to do yoga with me. Here is Caitlyn in Vrksasana (Tree Pose).

Perspective

On Saturday, one of our oldest friends from college was going to take his solemn vows. It was a profession of vows into the Order of Friars Minor. In other words, he's an actual Franciscan Friar! After college, he went to work for the DA's office out in L.A. After several years I think, he became dissatisfied with what he was doing and decided to dedicate his life to God.

We were floored when he told us what he was going to do. Personally, I didn't think he would last. He's always been such a joker and set in certain ways of comfort. The road was a bit bumpy now and then, but he went on to get his master's in religion at UC Berkeley. And now he has taken the final step to take his solemn vows (of poverty, chastity and obedience). They still wear the simple brown habits with the white rope around their middle. Now he gets a rope with the three knots tied in them to represent his vows.

So we attended Mass at the Saint Francis of Assisi Church on Saturday out in Los Angeles. Marian watched our girls for us. I've been to Mass once before in college but on a smaller scale so I knew a little of what to expect. The whole thing seemed a lot less formal than I expected though and a lot less um, well, solemn! There was a lot of clapping and laughing (at some inappropriate time, I thought). The music was not solemn either. I guess you can call it more invigorating and uplifting in a way.

We were very happy for our friend and happy to be able to go and support him in his decision to serve God though.

In contrast, on Sunday, after church, we went to the Mt. Rubidoux ward to witness our friend's son, Brandon get the Priesthood. He just turned 12. There was no big ceremony. We were just in a little room with the other boys his age, his parents and some church leaders. And although a few of the other boys were also, um, less than reverent, I'll tell you, the spirit was so strong in that little room.

It certainly gives one a renewed perspective. I am so grateful for the church and the restored gospel.

Castle Park

The week before school was pretty busy and I didn't have time to post anything between swimming, birthday parties, baby showers and preschool orientation.

At the beginning of the summer, the girls signed up for the summer reading program at the public library. Caitlyn can't read yet so her program was pretty easy. She just had to show up 8 times during the summer and she could pick out books for me to read to her. Emily, however, had to read something like 25 books over the summer. It's fairly impressive for a 6 year old actually. She worked really hard. Some of the books she picked were a bit long and she got tired and frustrated a bit but she worked through it. And the prize at the end of it all was an all day ride ticket for Castle Park.

The girls were super excited. I was a bit miffed to find out that they now charge for entrance to the park though. So I still had to pay for myself to get in and for parking. So...not exactly a free day but still worth it as the lines were very short and the girls had so much fun. It's really neat to see the excitement in their little faces as they ride the rides. The girls met up with one of their best friends, Sophie and they got to ride some rides with her.

But of course, their favorite ride was the log ride. Sorry Kristi, I hope you don't mind me posting this one. It was just too cute to leave out. But don't worry...it's just a tiny picture! This is the ride that Emily had ridden the most. Caitlyn was a little unsure of whether she liked it at first but she warmed up to it! Thanks Jorgenson's for making their special day, extra special!