New Camera Lens

For a while now, I've been saving up for a new lens for my camera. I've had my camera since 2008 with one lens. It's a great lens, very functional. It has such a wide focal range that I can really shoot anything. But it does have its limitations - like low light situations and the focus is not as sharp as I would like sometimes. As with any large purchase I did a lot of research on what type of lens I should get. There were so many questions: What would I want to use it for? What are my priorities? How much am I willing to spend? What do I want my photos to look like? And on and on. How am I suppose to know the answers to all of those questions? I'm just an amateur. I don't have a vision statement for my photography!

Well, after reading reviews and talking to other photographers, I made my decision. On Saturday Chris and I went to three different camera shops to try out different lenses and talk with the salesmen to see if what my online research said was in fact true when I held the lens in my own hands. It was!

I needed one more day to make my final decision . . . to spending money on myself. And today I bought it! It's a 50mm 1.4 lens which means I can take some pretty sharp portrait-style photos. It's also much smaller than my previous lens so my camera looks a little smaller and is much lighter to carry! Check out some of the shots Chris and I took in Japantown this afternoon:

I still have a lot to learn about this new lens but I'm excited to grow in my photography skills!

For a while now, I've been saving up for a new lens for my camera. I've had my camera since 2008 with one lens. It's a great lens, very functional. It has such a wide focal range that I can really shoot anything. But it does have its limitations - like low light situations and the focus is not as sharp as I would like sometimes. As with any large purchase I did a lot of research on what type of lens I should get. There were so many questions: What would I want to use it for? What are my priorities? How much am I willing to spend? What do I want my photos to look like? And on and on. How am I suppose to know the answers to all of those questions? I'm just an amateur. I don't have a vision statement for my photography!

Well, after reading reviews and talking to other photographers, I made my decision. On Saturday Chris and I went to three different camera shops to try out different lenses and talk with the salesmen to see if what my online research said was in fact true when I held the lens in my own hands. It was!

I needed one more day to make my final decision . . . to spending money on myself. And today I bought it! It's a 50mm 1.4 lens which means I can take some pretty sharp portrait-style photos. It's also much smaller than my previous lens so my camera looks a little smaller and is much lighter to carry! Check out some of the shots Chris and I took in Japantown this afternoon:

I still have a lot to learn about this new lens but I'm excited to grow in my photography skills!

Brinner and Company

Last month Chris and I invited our friends over for a game night. It was pretty low-key; four people came and we ordered in pizza and I made that delicious salad and chocolate pie. We're hoping we can make this a regular thing -- being a little more intentional with how we spend our time and getting to know people. Community has been a very strong theme in our minds over the past year and we're playing around with what that looks like.

We had our second game night last night. We had breakfast for dinner (Brinner). Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and someone even brought scones! Four guys joined us. I was the only girl. Initially I thought maybe I should just go to my room after dinner and let these guys have a "guy's night." Or spend the evening cleaning up the kitchen so they could play the games.

But we were playing new games that our guests had brought and I really wanted to learn how to play them, so I stayed. I'm so glad I did! We had a blast. One was a German game called 6 Nimmt! and the other was Monopoly Deal (a faster version of Monopoly in card form). Both were easy to learn and really fun.

Two of the guys that came are full-time missionaries currently on furlough/home-leave. We had a great discussion and I really enjoyed hearing stories from "the field." It always reminds me of the experiences I had when I lived overseas and the hard lessons I learned. Most of the time, those memories seem very far away and almost like another life. I'm always fascinated by stories of the things the Lord does through his people.

And what better way to hear these stories than around the "breakfast" table! It's real life, real conversation, real connection, real community!

Looking forward to next month's game night! You're all invited!

Last month Chris and I invited our friends over for a game night. It was pretty low-key; four people came and we ordered in pizza and I made that delicious salad and chocolate pie. We're hoping we can make this a regular thing -- being a little more intentional with how we spend our time and getting to know people. Community has been a very strong theme in our minds over the past year and we're playing around with what that looks like.

We had our second game night last night. We had breakfast for dinner (Brinner). Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and someone even brought scones! Four guys joined us. I was the only girl. Initially I thought maybe I should just go to my room after dinner and let these guys have a "guy's night." Or spend the evening cleaning up the kitchen so they could play the games.

But we were playing new games that our guests had brought and I really wanted to learn how to play them, so I stayed. I'm so glad I did! We had a blast. One was a German game called 6 Nimmt! and the other was Monopoly Deal (a faster version of Monopoly in card form). Both were easy to learn and really fun.

Two of the guys that came are full-time missionaries currently on furlough/home-leave. We had a great discussion and I really enjoyed hearing stories from "the field." It always reminds me of the experiences I had when I lived overseas and the hard lessons I learned. Most of the time, those memories seem very far away and almost like another life. I'm always fascinated by stories of the things the Lord does through his people.

And what better way to hear these stories than around the "breakfast" table! It's real life, real conversation, real connection, real community!

Looking forward to next month's game night! You're all invited!

My New Kitchen Resource

I was doing my menu planning yesterday after work (I like to get it out of the way before my weekend officially starts) and as I was reading through a few new recipes I wanted to try, I realized that I didn't have half of the ingredients. I had similar ingredients but not the exact ones the recipe called for.

I hate buying ingredients that will only get used for one recipe. Most often it means that half of it will go unused and eventually go bad. Wasted. They also take up valuable space in my "pantry" and I don't have much to spare. So, I've come to terms with the choice before me: a) pass up the recipe and find something else or b) substitute.

So yesterday while I was making my shopping list and realizing that these recipes were just too expensive, I wondered, "Can I still make this recipe work with what I have?" And I found my answer! I did a google search for "ingredient substitutes" and came across this website titled "Cooks Thesaurus." It's amazing! I typed in the ingredient that the recipe called for and it brought me to a description of that ingredient and possible substitutes; it also gives you some information about common uses and tips.

I found that all of the ingredients I didn't have could easily be swapped with something I did have! I realize that the taste may be a bit different, but not entirely; it's still worth trying. I also found out that last month I bought an ingredient that is a total duplicate to one I already had. Bummer! So, I wanted to share this great site with you! Who knows maybe it'll save your sanity and your budget like it did mine!

Give it a try!  http://www.foodsubs.com

I was doing my menu planning yesterday after work (I like to get it out of the way before my weekend officially starts) and as I was reading through a few new recipes I wanted to try, I realized that I didn't have half of the ingredients. I had similar ingredients but not the exact ones the recipe called for.

I hate buying ingredients that will only get used for one recipe. Most often it means that half of it will go unused and eventually go bad. Wasted. They also take up valuable space in my "pantry" and I don't have much to spare. So, I've come to terms with the choice before me: a) pass up the recipe and find something else or b) substitute.

So yesterday while I was making my shopping list and realizing that these recipes were just too expensive, I wondered, "Can I still make this recipe work with what I have?" And I found my answer! I did a google search for "ingredient substitutes" and came across this website titled "Cooks Thesaurus." It's amazing! I typed in the ingredient that the recipe called for and it brought me to a description of that ingredient and possible substitutes; it also gives you some information about common uses and tips.

I found that all of the ingredients I didn't have could easily be swapped with something I did have! I realize that the taste may be a bit different, but not entirely; it's still worth trying. I also found out that last month I bought an ingredient that is a total duplicate to one I already had. Bummer! So, I wanted to share this great site with you! Who knows maybe it'll save your sanity and your budget like it did mine!

Give it a try!  http://www.foodsubs.com