Today I made a big purchase. I did it impulsively, which is the only way I seem to be comfortable parting with large sums of money because to me that is a scary act. Today, I bought a new camera.

I love my old camera. Love it! But I had to pay for some repairs to it after a trip to Africa and a very rough safari trip. And now the primary lens for it is broke. I shopped around and buying a new lens would have cost about what the camera is worth. By buying a new camera, I get a lens I can use on the old camera and I get all of the sweet upgrades that come with the newer, better camera. Additionally, it’s a way to finally use some freelance money I’ve earned towards something fun.

And so now I am the owner of a Nikon D5100. And I love it. Well, I will love it as soon as I figure things out. Features on Nikon cameras have advanced a bit in the last few years…

This post originally appeared on Kate’s Point of View. © Kate. All rights reserved.