Tangled Thoughts

On Manual

Christina

April 24, 2013

For as long as I can remember (ok, so for as long as I can remember since I got my camera a few years ago) I have been taunted by the letters on the dial. When I first started learning about things, I thought the letters stood for other things – A meant automatic, S meant slow, P was for people, and M, well M was something only smart people who Mastered their camera used. I stuck with the auto switch, every so often venturing into one of the little picture shapes, but always coming back to auto. And not the A, the green picture that chooses everything for you.

The past few months, Amanda has been after me to start shooting in something OTHER than auto, claiming that my pictures would be better, or I would be happier, or I would be able to use the little lens baby that she bought me a few years ago. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t convinced. I eventually caved, and told her that I would start shooting in Aperture mode, just to appease her, and because I knew a little something about aperture already.

And so I began. Except that I couldn’t achieve what I wanted, and got more and more frustrated. Too light, too dark – nothing was working. It wasn’t even working in auto mode, because the more I shot, the more I realized the less my pictures looked like what I was seeing. My camera wasn’t capturing what I was seeing. Of course it was my cameras fault and not mine.

Yesterday I picked Nik up, and followed everyone out into the garden where Mr JD was showing off and having fun in the sun. Unable to achieve what I wanted in auto, I turn the dial to manual. The first few shots were underexposed, and overexposed. White and dark. Stupid and frustrating. And then – something happened. I took a picture – and it worked. What I saw, was what the camera saw! I spent the whole day shooting in manual, and while not every picture turned out, I was proud to announce I was actually shooting in manual for the first time in my life.

I was choosing the settings by myself, adjusting them on my own, and accomplishing what I wanted, and for once – my pictures were turning out to an extent.

Of course later that day I got to thinking – I remembered the time I found the switch on my lens – and made the switch from auto to manual focus. How proud I was! And yet looking back, how silly it was! I imagine in a few months time, this will seem silly as well. Most people prefer to learn about their cameras by reading the manuals and while this is probably the smart and most efficient way to go about things, I prefer to learn about the simple things – the hard and complicated way apparently.

Lessons Learned: Focus and Perspective

Christina

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April 16, 2013

First, a story

One of the first trips Amanda and I ever took alone, was a trip down to Arizona to see our grandpa (papa). It was the first trip we ever took solo, and we felt so grown up. At the time, I don’t think we really realized how much we learned that trip, but looking back there are so many things we learned during that first trip alone – things about airports, layovers, and dehydration. Among those many lessons however, there was something that while it really didn’t mean much to us then, has proved to be a valuable illustration, if nothing else.

Our papa lives in the dessert, there are miles and miles of dirt roads surrounding his house that are seemingly abandon. That combined with the motorcycle and 4 wheeler he had was pretty much a dream come true and we rode those bikes pretty much every day.

One of the dirt roads however, was slightly slanted towards a ditch. It wasn’t much of a slant, just enough to send you towards the ditch if you weren’t careful. Every time we tried to ride on that road – we would end up in the ditch among the thistles, cactus, and brush. It was quite terrifying and we often avoided that road – until one day, we decided to brave it.

Over and over we tried. Each time failing – only succeeding to end up in the ditch covered in thistles and scratches. It was an adrenalin pumping adventure, and a day filled with many scratches and bruises. Every time we would end up in the ditch, we would have to pull the heavy 4 wheeler out by ourselves. At the end of the day, we were very sore. But eventually, after many attempts, we mastered the “Slightly slanted” hill and managed to go beyond the short dirt road without ending up in the sagebrush.

But that lesson (among others) has stuck with us all these years.

Lesson Learned

Its really quite simple: When you focus on a problem, it becomes bigger. When you try not to do something, often you end up doing the very thing. When trying to be positive, don’t focus on how not to be negative, but instead focus on being positive.

While focusing so much on the problem – in our case it was the slightly slanted road leading to the ditch, we would end up in the ditch Every. Single. Time. But by adjusting our perspective and instead focusing on the road beyond the ditch, we were able to pass by over the slightly slanted road with no problems.

How true is this in life? By focusing on the problems, we manage to make the problems themselves, much bigger. We try to focus on the problem to fix it, but instead we manage to only go towards it, and spiral downward into the problem making it bigger than it really is. By looking at the big picture, looking beyond the problem – its amazing how some problems just disappear.

Making it personal

So often I try to focus on a solution such fixing this problem, or not becoming a certain way. But while trying so hard not to do something – I inadvertently do the very thing I was trying NOT to do! However, when I look beyond – when I change my perspective, and instead look to the bigger picture and focus on what really matters – problems that seemed so big and so significant seem to lose their value.

When I focus on my wants, and needs I tend to get frustrated. I often get hung up on small details, and lost in the day to day struggles that wont make or break anything. By focusing on the problems, I bring my perspective down and can no longer focus on what really matters. But by turning my focus back where it belongs, and focusing on God and His will for my life – the small day to day things simply don’t seem to matter as much.

Focusing on the problem is not the answer. Turning my focus off of the problem, and looking forward to the solution – I am able to “drive past the slightly slanted roads without going into the brush.” Focus on what matters, not the problems at hand. Focus on the positive instead of the negative. Look ahead, look up. And don’t forget to see the bigger picture – and remember that God is always in control, even when you lose focus.

Travel Tips: Finding a Place to Stay

Christina

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April 12, 2013

When planning a trip, aside from the tickets to get to your destination, finding the right place to stay is equally as important. For us, when traveling, we usually are on a budget. Having scored cheap tickets, we search high and low for the best deals on a place to stay. That being said – we have learned the hard way perhaps, that cheap doesn’t always mean the best – nor does expensive. Its all about finding what works for you, and your budget.

Italy – 2013

One of our first trips that I ever planned was to Hawaii a few years ago. Having not traveled for years, we decided a family trip was in order – we set the date, bought the tickets, and then set out to find a place to say. As our travel date approached, we soon realized that it was not going to be possible to fulfill this trip without going into debt. And since none of us wanted that, we postponed the trip, and instead went on a road trip to the lower 48 – a trip that of course, has opened the door to so many more opportunities.

Since that day – we have been to many more places, and traveled much further than our wildest dreams could have even imagined. China, France and Italy are the few that stick out the most. And every time, we managed to not only score good flights – we scored decent places to stay without going into debt. Let me share a few tips and tricks that we have discovered along the way. A jump start, if you will, into a great vacation.

Don’t slam it until you have tried it
Hostels. The word is enough to send panic into many people, most likely thanks to the movies where only tragic things happen in hostels. Plus the fact that much is known about hostels, it can be a scary thing. But here’s the truth: Hostels can be great! Hostelworld.com and hostelbookers.com are two of the more common sites. Just because the world hostel is in there, doesn’t mean all of the places are hostels. There are B&B’s, Inn’s, and even apartments. The convenient lay out helps you find the place that suits your needs best.

Another great find is airbnb. You can choose to share a house with someone (basically renting their spare bedroom) or opt for renting the entire home / apartment. As a bonus you meet some really cool locals who are almost always willing to give you tips about the area. It’s like couchsurfing -for larger groups.

“There are B&B’s, Inn’s, and even apartments.”

Know what you want
While budget is always a big concern of ours, there are other things that play into booking the perfect place as well. Things that are important to us are put as the main selling points, with wants close behind. While you can score cheaper places to stay in a hostel by selecting a dorm styled room for us, it works best to rent a “Private room” which usually means you an apartment styled place to stay complete with a kitchen, which also is of importance to us.

Dorm vs Private room
This is a common term when booking through a hostel site, and terms that often confuse people. I know it confused me when I first started looking into things. But fear not – it really isn’t that complicated! A dorm room is basically a room with many bunk beds – you are renting one bunk bed. If you are a single traveler, this could be an option that would work great for you. You rent a bed, and share the kitchen/bathroom/amenities – one of the perks of hostels is that you get to meet other travelers. Often times there is a “Social” room where travelers hang out and talk. A private room is just that. Often times, however, you have to book a private room for 2 or 4 people – even if you are just one person. Hostels charge per person – this could work for you or against you, depending on how you book.

Be quickly (but not too quick)
There are so many options, that spending a lot of time pursing them all out will frustrate you. I find it easiest to browse though the options, and open the potential leads in a different browsing tab. When I have finished – I weed them out by selecting the ones that look most promising and compare them at the end – looking for the best option to suit not only our needs but budget. Of course once you find a place that you are thinking about booking, you should always make sure to do research (next two points).

Beware
Of course this really should go without saying – but do your research. Once you have found a place that you think looks good – make sure to check out the ratings and comments. Often you can find the best information simply by a users feedback – what did the previous users have to say about the place? The quality? The location? Also check out the ratings – we tend try to steer clear of the ones with lower ratings, unless it is just because it is a newer listing. Remember to stay safe – when it comes down to it, you cannot put a price on safety.

“…one of the things we look for when trying to find a place to stay, is bike rentals.”

Ask Questions
As a general rule if you don’t see it listed as an amenity – chances are they don’t have it. One thing that is important to us for example, is free wifi. If they only list “Internet access” chances are they have computers which you can pay to use. But this isn’t always the case – one of the things we look for when trying to find a place to stay, is bike rentals. A few places offer bike rentals, but now with JD we need a baby seat for the bike. While none of the places have a baby seat listed – a quick email answered that they did in fact have a baby seat for rent as well as other assorted baby items. Don’t be afraid to email and ask questions.

And finally…
Remember to have fun. Relax and enjoy your vacation. Choosing the right place to stay will only help further your enjoyment, so make sure you choose the right place for the right price. Once you have found that perfect place, remember to enjoy your stay and take it all in, and when you return – be sure to give some feedback onto how your stay was – to help out another fellow traveler.

“When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, it’s Time to Go Home”

Springs Coming

Christina

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April 10, 2013

Since returning from Italy, I unpacked, and tossed my camera in the corner – mentally making a note to take him back out the next day. I missed taking pictures every day, even if ½ of them didn’t turn out the way I was hoping. Two weeks later, I pulled him out of the corner. My excuses were legit, but still!

While in Italy, all of my pictures developed a mysterious black dot in the center of them, most likely from changing the lens on the beach, and getting some sand or dust in there. I ordered a cleaning kit, but it took its time getting here – giving me an excuse to extend my lack of picture taking. And then I got sick. And more time ticked by.

Sunday we woke up late, David had worked long hours all week, and we were all recovering from random colds. We had planned on going to the park earlier in the day – but as things go, we didn’t end up getting out of the house until later. But you cant rush relaxing days, and instead of going to the park early – we let the day take on a mind of its own. We laughed and played.

And yes, he is the cutest nephew ever. Dont try and argue it 🙂

And then – we went to the park.

And I remembered just how much I miss Spring days, and taking pictures. And swinging, and riding merry go rounds.

(An awesome picture by Amanda)

Hurry up and come Spring!

Fruit of the Spirit

Christina

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March 28, 2013

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23