Contest: She Needs A Name! Who? My DSLR (Yup!)

I want to shout it through the rooftops! I have found her, the one I love! My very own Canon Xsi and a 1.8/50mm lens.

I was not expecting to get her yesterday. I call her, "her" because she is a girl. I think it runs along the same lines a calling a car a girl too. It was a surprise, early birthday present! (And most likely, Christmas present too.) Anyways, so I got her from Houston Camera Exchange. If you live in or around the surrounding Houston area, it's totally worth driving in to check this place out. I had a wonderful guy help me, Will, and the prices were great.

Originally I was going to get it from Amazon. But my sister in law Heather at Home:Made Simple, told me about how you can get used and refurbished cameras over at HCE. So, I called up there yesterday and low and behold, they had a used Canon Xsi, just the one I wanted for a great price. The lens I got was new. I jumped back and forth between the 1.4/50mm and the 1.8/50mm, the difference being $250 between the two. After much chatting with others, I decided to go with the 1.8/50mm ($100 instead of $250). I'm extremely happy with it.

Speaking of extremely happy...I was a total dork yesterday, and most likely will continue to be for the next week. The hubs has now dubbed me "Picture Page" for my relentless photography of everyone and anything. The minute I stepped in the door, I ripped the camera out slapped on the lens and have been driving everyone in the house nuts, even more than usual. What can I say? I've turned into a mommy (and slightly cuter) version of a camera-crazed Gollum.

What makes this even more appropriate, is that last night the electricity went out, from around 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. from a nasty thunderstorm. It was a bit light outside so I could still see my camera and take pictures of my feet, a book on a coffee table or really anything in my line of sight. Then the electricity came back on. There was shouts of glee all over the land! It was on for about a half hour and then it went off again. UGH!

Frustration grunts arose from the pitch black. No internet, no t.v., no lights. Nothing. It was a risky situation, drinking hot, scalding tea in the dark, but I found the quiet to be quite refreshing regardless. The hubs, however, was bored. As I was caressing my used, but new-to-me camera, the hubs went to find his Mag-lite flashlight. Possibly so he wouldn't feel left out on this electronics love fest? Or maybe so could see. It''s possible. At one point, he was laying on the floor shining the light up onto the ceiling and fireplace and singing "Reunited". Was there anything lame about this picture? Yes.

All I needed was the bulbous, glowing green eyes of Gollum to make me just as obsessed as he was with his precious. I couldn't even see and I was still trying to look at my camera. I tucked her in next to me, in the recliner, like I would one of my kids. Shoot, I might as well have read a bed time story to her, but I couldn't see.

My very first pictures with my camera:

My sweet baby boy.

My baby girl. She's breath-taking.

My handsome little man. (who refused to be nothing BUT a giant, hence the tough-guy look.)

I adore this picture. As most you parents know, you cannot take the slightest "nap" without at least one child trying to wake you up! They all just piled on top of Daddy. So sweet.

My very first food picture with my new camera.

I wanted to say a big thank you to all of you who helped me through the camera shopping experience! I big thank you to Lisa at Korean American Mommy and Ben at You Fed A Baby Chili. You both were really helpful. I appreciate it. Many more of you gave out your suggestions and I truly thank you!

Contest!
Just for poops and giggles (doesn't have the same finesse when you switch out the cuss word for a kid-friendly word), I want your suggestions on what to name "her". What's the best name you can think of for my new friend? Here are some adjectives to get you rolling: She's fast, medium weight, super cute, has lots of buttons, user-friendly menu and mine.

Let's see what you've got. Be creative, fun and outside the box, please. The winner will receive a guest post here at Foodie House! The contest ends Aug. 31st, so you've got one week friends, get your thinking caps on! I will be choosing the winner based solely on the name you submit. She's a darling camera. She has a good home, now she needs a good name.