Mark and I sometimes use a forum that lists deals and contests that are going on around the web. I came across the LiHD contest and was immediately intrigued because I really wanted an HD camcorder. As a child, we had the 8mm tapes to record special moments. It's nice to get together and watch them but they are of poor quality. Before we entered the contest, we were using a digital camcorder to record our children and we knew in 20 or 30 years when we got together as a family to watch the video's they would not be the quality that we really wanted to capture our children in. In the future when we watch a video of our children, we want to see the details, the dimples and every last pixel of their beautiful smiles. So I jumped at the chance to win one since it wasn't in the budget at the time.

At first, we didn't believe it. No, seriously, we didn't actually believe we won until we emailed Panasonic and they confirmed it. Once they confirmed it, we couldn't even express how excited we were. Mark and I, of course, called our family and told our friends who couldn't wait to come over and try out all the stuff. When they first installed the TV, we were in awe! We didn't have a high definition television and I had only seen a handful before winning one. How we lived without it, we will never know.

Our favorite photo on the site is the "Fairies" photo. It's of our daughters dressed up as fairies for a local festival. We had so much fun making their costumes. It's just one we will always treasure.

We would have to say if you have a camcorder, get a tripod and use it when you can. It really makes a difference in the quality of the video. Regarding photography, just have fun. We're always striving to get the perfect shot and to take pictures like the professionals, but just try to enjoy the moments as you're taking them. Like when we took the girls out to a little cupcake store. They sat and ate their cupcakes and we snapped a few photos. We were all just enjoying the moment and also the cupcakes!

First, we've met a lot of great people. The community is supportive, inspiring and knowledgeable. We always have a place to turn when we want to learn how to do something with our Panasonic gear. We love when we get home after taking some great shots and we immediately want to upload them and share them with our LiHD family.