Brightwood Lights

For Christmas this year, Caleb and I decided to give each other two gifts:
1) a new roof for our house in DC; and
2) a new digital camera.
The first resulted in a bonus third gift- something we usually choose to forego:
3) Credit card debt!!!

So though gift #2 made us merry, you may think, “In light of #1 and #3, #2 wasn’t very bright!”

But, I’m glad we went ahead and bought the new camera anyway. Our kids are only little once, so we want to capture as much of these years as we can. My parents bought a video camera when they really should not have, and they have never regretted it. We all enjoy watching those old videos now.

I have a feeling we will feel the same way about owning a camera that a) does not specialize in blurry photos; b) takes pictures of more than just people holding very still for a very long time while it “thinks”; and c) is not cracked and barely working.

So far, we’ve had fun playing with the new camera (it’s a Canon EOS Rebel T2i, in case you care) and are learning to use its many settings. I’ll be working on a few update blogs, so hopefully the upgraded technology will be evident here shortly. Here are two sneak-preview photos that would not have turned out with our old camera:

Until next time, Happy New Year!

Just a quick note to let you eager family members know that there are now new photos posted. We are off to Iowa this coming weekend, so we will likely have more to share soon.

Enjoy!

Yes, we know- the picture update is LONG overdue.  Had we somehow forgotten that fact, we would have been duly reminded by the fact that it just took us about two hours to upload them all.  That’s how many there were.  Actually, almost every single picture on the “Photos” page was changed.

Before you view them, here’s a brief description of what you’ll find:

Instead of labeling the three sets by month, as we usually do, we have split them into “June & July,” “Minnesota,” and “Maine Trip.”  The June & July set includes Simona’s first birthday, a few pictures from our first weekend away from her (when we went to a wedding in NY), and assorted summer fun in DC.

The Minnesota set includes pictures from our trip to Longville, Minnesota, where Caleb’s extended family vacations every year.  This is the first time we’ve joined them in several years.

Finally, the Maine Trip set includes pictures from our New England adventure, including two different weddings (in MA and RI), outdoor fun (boating, canoeing, and hiking), and time with family and friends (and some good lobster!).

Thanks for your patience, and be warned- viewing will take quite some time.  Enjoy!

It’s just slightly past February 1, but the website update is now fully underway. The purpose of the website continues to be to keep family, friends, acquaintances, and potential stalkers up-to-date on our lives, though we do not want it to replace actual communication with any of you! (Except maybe those stalkers. . .)

And what’s with the name, “Brightwood Lights,” you might ask? Well, we live in “stepchild” neighborhood of DC- that is, one that has an official designation (“Manor Park”), but which only about six people can properly identify. We are outside of two well-defined neighborhoods, Takoma and Brightwood, by about two or three blocks. But, for simplicity’s sake, we usually claim to live in Brightwood. Such posers, I know.

Anyway, back to the site’s purpose: We also hope that this will satiate the appetite for updates on the newest addition to our family, due to arrive any day now.

We will keep you posted as events unfold!

For all (any?) who have been breathlessly waiting, Nancy and I are about to undertake a major overhaul on this site. Hopefully we can have it up and running smoothly by February 1.

Look for a number of things:

1) The blog to become a central part of the site (instead of my side creation from one night).

2) A fresh, new look.

3) An update to most of the content sections.

4) Ways for you to “subscribe” to our site so you know when we’ve changed things.