Birthday Party

So my nephew turned six a week ago and I just got around to going through the photos. I was struggling with exposure compensation, missed a lot of shots, but I got a few. At least the speed light cures his blurriness. According to the photographic record, my nephew was very, very blurry until last August when I bought a pair of SB-800s.

I was pleasantly surprised by Em and her fiancé attending. I figured she'd be at work but her schedule has changed. Even more pleasantly surprised that their wedding plans have been revised to a more sensible expenditure. Last I'd heard they were planning on a pretty pricey affair, and they're not asking me to pay for it so not my place to judge, but spending big on weddings just doesn't make sense in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, weddings are a blast. And I make my living in part off people's lack of perspective when it comes to wedding budgets. But I was like, If you can save that kind of money between now and October, awesome. But that'd be a down payment on a house, or a new car note paid off.

Of course they were about as interested in my advice as I was in my parents' advice when I was their age. To me, the wedding is about making a public declaration: We're in this together. And that's a big deal, and it should be celebrated, absolutely. But you're not more committed to making a go of it if you spend thirty times more on what amounts to a party. Long term, not having your household budget tight as a drum because you're struggling with your spendy ways is worth a lot more than pictures of you and your friends dressed to the nines proving you have no business being within 500 feet of a dance floor.

That's coming from someone who had a spendy wedding paid for by the parents, who returned from the honeymoon to a disconnected phone. I may not totally live the Dave Ramsey thing, but dude, the financial stress I've weathered, the corners I've painted myself into, I'm obviously a Slow Learner. But having learned at least a little, I hope my offspring can learn from my mistakes.

Gawd but I got off subject there, this is a post about my nephew's birthday. He's super awesome fun and I love the little dude. Can't wait to go flying rockets with him again.