the start of Christmas and the loss of a friend (an electronic friend)

I am known to be overly dramatic about things.  From others' perspectives it probably will seem that I am being too dramatic about the loss of my camera.  If you haven't been made aware of the tragedy; my Nikon D40 bit the dust about half way through our family trip in Mombasa.  My D40 has been with me since 2007 and I loved her like a fourth child.  It went everywhere with me; often stuffed in my diaper bag to capture Easter egg hunts, beach vacations, Filipino markets, horse drawn carts in the Ethiopian mountains and absolutely everything else.

I think I'm mostly sad because it was the first camera that really started my interest in taking photos.  Good photos.  It was a gift from my husband and my father-in-law helped him pick it out.  I lovingly carried it with me on all our travels. It was always wonderfully reliable and I'm really going to miss how comfortable it feels in my hands.

I take at least one photo of something every day.  Whether it's my children or a cupcake, I'm always snapping photos.  Without my camera I'm using a little Canon point and shoot that is grainy and blurry and just plain horrible.  But how can I miss Ashlynn's first coherent experience with  Christmas tree or Bella discovering Christmas for the first year that it all really clicks and she truly gets-it?  I can't.  So I apologize for the photo for the next few weeks.  Luckily, my lovely sister is arriving for Christmas and is bringing with her my brand new Nikon D7000.  Merry Christmas to me!

We have a huge 9 foot Christmas tree.  Addie and Bella both took turns trying to get the angel on the top while Justin held them on his shoulders while he stood on a stool.  In the end I had to bend the top branch down and guide the angel on before I stood it back up.  Ashlynn loved pulling the ornaments on the tree.  I'm happy to say than none of our decorations were broken on their travels from the Philippines to Ethiopia.  All the credit for this goes to Cora (Yaya) and her wonderful packing job.  She lovingly wrapped each and every ornament and arranged them safely in boxes after Christmas 2010.  Justin and I got a little teary unwrapping all her handy-work.  She left sweet notes on the boxes for us listing the contents inside; signing each note "love, Yaya".  Each and every Christmas we will think of Cora and how much she adored our Christmas tree and helping us decorate and pull it all down every year.  She used to say that she loved the ornaments (many of them generations old) because "each one is a memory".  Sweet Yaya!  We miss you this Christmas.

Anyway, the angel is in place and the 220 volt lights from Manila survived the move so we are in business for Christmas.

Oh, and does our mantel not scream to be decked out in Christmas red and green, or what?