Thursday, October 15, 2009

Almost there... allllmoooost theeeerrrrrre...

All those years! - - - all those years of trying valiantly (and mostly unsuccessfully) to keep that blasted tenth commandment. Don't worry, I haven't been coveting my neighbors wife, or his house, or his donkey...

...but, his camera.

It seems as if those big, black, beautiful chunks of SLR wonderfulness are popping up around the necks of all my friends. I watch those friends as they press the shutter-button, and I try to funnel a bit of that magical shutter sound into my own ears.

You know, Brian has actually had a paying job for over a year now, and we've been saving those scarce extra pennies any time we get the chance. And, last month, as I transferred some more funds into our savings account I thought to myself, "It's time." Time to do something completely selfish - - - indulge one of my fantasies and cradle my very own SLR camera.

Excitement!

In addition to my new camera, I decided to splurge just a bit more and take a photography class at the community college in town. Again, completely and indulgently selfish. I admit that I have no true ambition to become a professional photographer...nor will I ever aspire to make every shot perfect. I love my point-and-shoot camera, and I'm sure it will continue to live in my purse (okay, okay...diaper bag - - - I have no purse) and snap the majority of my pictures. But I utterly long to have a camera capable of taking breathtaking pictures. Scenery, flowers, my babies, my family... oh! the daydreams are endless!

And then...

Last week, Brian came in from mowing the lawn and said, "Linds, our yard smells like crap. Literally." Sure enough, one step outside and a whiff later, I realized that something was terribly, grotesquely wrong with our septic system. The amount of money forked out so that the septic people could rip up my beautiful lawn ended up throwing out the idea of a camera and photography classes for a while.


Excitement quickly turned into tearful disappointment.

But, then again, there are some good things about this situation, I suppose. It's a good thing I'd been saving up money in the first place so we could actually afford to pay the septic guys (and believe me, they deserve the money! Watching them muck around in our 'crappy' water for an afternoon was enough to make me want to offer them a nice, hot shower and some clean clothes and boots afterward!)... And it's a good thing that it was just a moderate problem, or we would have had to pay thousands more... And it's a good thing we don't have to threaten the kids with their lives anymore NOT to play in the fun, stinky mud puddle... And it's a good thing I love my point-and-shoot so much, and that I can still get really good pictures out of it... And it's a good thing that our bellies are always full and our beds are always dry, and our 'waste' has somewhere to go, because I guess that's more important than being able to take awesome pictures, anyway...

So, here's to working septic systems... and a few more months of waiting.


12 comments:

  1. It's hard when you get so excited for something to just see it "flushed down the toilet." To see it "go down the drain." Okay, enough with the puns, but I know it's really sad especially after working so hard to save up. It seems to work that way when you own a home. If it makes you feel any better I think the pictures you take are AMAZING!! You do a great job and I'm shocked that you have had no training in the area. I wish I did as well as you do. Your time will come Linds. Just keep holding on!

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  2. I do so hear you. Someone said to me recently that whenever there's a windfall they always expect a problem to develop. I think that might be a healthy attitude to develop...

    We had to have our septic system worked on a few years ago. It was a stinky process and I remember being amazed that people would do that kind of work day in and day out!

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  3. I would never have guessed that you have a point and click! Your pictures are always so great!
    Those darn trials...they stink! haha I just love your blog you make me laugh!!

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  4. Sorry about your money misfortune, but I must say you take the most incredible pictures already so you shouldn't mourn too long. I can only imagine what you would do with an SLR though! Someday, right?

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  5. Seriously, isn't that always how it is? We were so so so close to being completely debt-free last month and then our car blew up and needed a new motor. Hang in there on the SLR - I had to save and covet for a long while before we saved enough for ours. I promise, you'll appreciate it more when the day comes (BTW - check out B&H Photo online - we got an awesome deal on ours through them). And I agree with one of the above commenters - for a point and shoot, you get some really great shots!

    Your blog always inspires to me to be a better mom. You're awesome.

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  6. Ok - for the record.. I honestly thought you already owned an SLR! :) Every time I whip out my own point-and-shoot, I think.. hmm.. If only I had a camera like Lindsay's maybe I could take pictures as great as hers.. Well, now it's just been reaffirmed that I'm a lame photographer.. not that I've tried that hard, I suppose.. Actually reading the manual or doing a quick google search might helps my skills just in teensy bit..

    But anyway.. good for you looking at the bright side of things.. ;)

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  7. It's a good thing that you have the best attitude ever.....I'm always proud of you.

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  8. Ugh. And I was so proud of myself for having convinced you to actually spend some money on yourself!

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  9. Oh, and you are a "mama", NOT a "momma"!!

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  10. Oh, MAN! That stinks! (no PUN intended.) You'll be snapping SLR quality pics in no time! And seriously Linds, I'll teach you everything I know in exchange for baked goods. :)

    Oh, and knowing you, I'm surprised you didn't walk out there and offer those men a hot shower and a brownie.

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  11. Oh Lindsay! That is awful (but really funny how you wrote it). I'm glad you got the problem fixed, that it was minor, that you had the money to pay for it, and I'm sorry that you have to wait a little longer for your camera. But just think about what it will mean to you now when you get it...I mean, after you've paid to have all the "crap" removed. Awesome.

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  12. I'm sorry you didn't get your camera or photography classes. I am glad that your poop is no longer hanging out on your grass. You are awesome to be saving money right now!

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