Brothers sleeping

Brothers sleeping, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

This is not a fine art pic by any stretch, but I had to post to share some great news.

When AOL finally got around to handing out bonuses, E and I decided that each of us should get a little bit to spend on our hobbies. I took this opportunity to jump to the next level of photography equipment. It took some wheeling and dealing and plenty of help (more on that later), but I finally pulled together enough pieces to start taking pictures.

So now I have a NIkon D80, an entry level 70-300mm telezoom, and a dedicated TTL flash (never had one of these before and the difference is amazing). And I just ordered my first "professional grade" lens.

And there's no way that I could have done it without some amazing support. I've mentioned in previous posts how thankful I am to Judith for jumpstarting me back into photography, and I couldn't have made this next step without the help she gave me getting started.

And then this week my wife completely surprised me with a gift. She gave me the money to buy that first "professional grade" lens. It was so unexpected and generous that we both broke down and wept for a bit. But since then she's been rolling her eyes and giggling at me because I'm running around like a kid at Christmas time.

So here's a picture taken with all the new toys (so far). I don't get the new lens for a few days, so you can expect some more test pictures then.

Thanks again to everyone!