diff --git a/lib/bunyan.rb b/lib/bunyan.rb
index 8e7b660..fb1fc34 100644
--- a/lib/bunyan.rb
+++ b/lib/bunyan.rb
@@ -1,27 +1,32 @@
 require 'rubygems'
-
-#gem 'mongo_ext'
-
 require 'mongo'
 require 'singleton'
 
+$LOAD_PATH.unshift(File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__)))
+
+require 'bunyan/config'
+
 module Bunyan
   class Logger
     include Singleton
 
     class InvalidConfigurationError < RuntimeError; end
 
-    attr_reader :db, :connection, :config, :configured
+    attr_reader :db, :connection, :collection, :config
 
     # Bunyan::Logger.configure do |config|
     #   # required options
     #   config.database   'bunyan_logger'
     #   config.collection 'development_log'
+    #
+    #   # optional options
+    #   config.disabled true
+    #   config.size 52428800 # 50.megabytes in Rails
     # end
     def configure(&block)
-      @config = {}
+      @config = Logger::Config.new
 
-      yield self
+      yield @config
 
       ensure_required_options_exist
       initialize_connection unless disabled?
@@ -29,31 +34,11 @@ def configure(&block)
     end
 
     def configured?
-      !!@configured
-    end
-
-    # First time called sets the database name. 
-    # Otherwise, returns the database name.
-    def database(db_name = nil)
-      @config[:database] ||= db_name
+      @configured
     end
-    alias_method :database=, :database
-
-    # First time called sets the collection name. 
-    # Otherwise, returns the collection name.
-    # For the actual collection object returned by Mongo, see #db.
-    def collection(coll = nil)
-      @config[:collection] ||= coll
-    end
-    alias_method :collection=, :collection
-
-    def disabled(dis = nil)
-      @config[:disabled] ||= dis
-    end
-    alias_method :disabled=, :disabled
 
     def disabled?
-      !!disabled
+      !!config.disabled
     end
 
     def method_missing(method, *args, &block)
@@ -71,8 +56,9 @@ def self.method_missing(method, *args, &block)
 
     private
       def initialize_connection
-        @connection  = Mongo::Connection.new.db(database)
-        @db          = retrieve_or_initialize_collection(collection)
+        @db         = Mongo::Connection.new.db(config.database)
+        @connection = @db.connection
+        @collection = retrieve_or_initialize_collection(config.collection)
       end
 
       def database_is_usable?
@@ -80,20 +66,21 @@ def database_is_usable?
       end
 
       def ensure_required_options_exist
-        raise InvalidConfigurationError, 'Error! Please provide a database name.'   unless database
-        raise InvalidConfigurationError, 'Error! Please provide a collection name.' unless collection
+        raise InvalidConfigurationError, 'Error! Please provide a database name.'   unless config.database
+        raise InvalidConfigurationError, 'Error! Please provide a collection name.' unless config.collection
       end
 
       def retrieve_or_initialize_collection(collection_name)
         if collection_exists?(collection_name)
           connection.collection(collection_name)
         else
-          connection.create_collection(collection_name, :capped => true)
+          db.create_collection(collection_name, :capped => true, :size => config.size)
         end
       end
 
       def collection_exists?(collection_name)
         connection.collection_names.include? collection_name
       end
+
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/bunyan/config.rb b/lib/bunyan/config.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e1cfdbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/bunyan/config.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+
+module Bunyan
+  class Logger
+
+    class Config
+      # used to hold all user-defined configuration options
+      attr_accessor :collection, :database, :disabled
+
+      def initialize
+        @size     = 52428800
+        @disabled = false
+      end
+
+      def [](meth)
+        send(meth)
+      end
+
+      # First time called sets the database name. 
+      # Otherwise, returns the database name.
+      def database(db_name = nil)
+        @database ||= db_name
+      end
+      alias_method :database=, :database
+
+      # First time called sets the collection name. 
+      # Otherwise, returns the collection name.
+      # For the actual collection object returned by Mongo, see #db.
+      def collection(coll = nil)
+        @collection ||= coll
+      end
+      alias_method :collection=, :collection
+
+      def disabled(dis = nil)
+        @disabled ||= dis
+      end
+      alias_method :disabled=, :disabled
+
+      # default size is 50 megabytes
+      def size(new_size = nil)
+        new_size.nil? ? @size : @size = new_size
+      end
+      alias_method :size=, :size
+    end
+
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/bunyan_spec.rb b/spec/bunyan_spec.rb
index c93d785..c80fcfa 100644
--- a/spec/bunyan_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/bunyan_spec.rb
@@ -1,27 +1,40 @@
-require 'spec/spec_helper'
+require 'spec_helper'
 
 describe Bunyan::Logger do
-
   before do
-    @conn = mock_mongo_connection
     @logger = Bunyan::Logger.instance
-    @logger.stub!(:connection).and_return(@conn)
+    @mock_database = nil
+    Mongo::Connection.unstub!(:new)
   end
 
   it 'should have a connection' do
-    @logger.should respond_to :connection
+    configure_test_db
+    @logger.connection.should be_instance_of Mongo::Connection
   end
 
-  it 'should have a collection' do
-    @logger.should respond_to :collection
+  it 'should have a reference to the mongo db object' do
+    @logger.db.should be_instance_of Mongo::DB
   end
 
   it 'should have a config hash' do
-    @logger.config.should be_a Hash
+    @logger.config.should respond_to :[]
+  end
+
+
+  it 'should use the mongo c extension' do
+    defined?(CBson::VERSION).should_not be_nil
+  end
+end
+
+describe 'when initializing the collection' do
+  before do
+    @conn = mock_mongo_connection
+    @logger = Bunyan::Logger.instance
+    @logger.stub!(:connection).and_return(@conn)
   end
 
   it 'should create a new capped collection if the collection does not already exist' do
-    @conn.should_receive(:create_collection).with('collection_1', :capped => true)
+    @conn.should_receive(:create_collection).with('collection_1', :capped => true, :size => 52428800)
     @conn.stub!(:collection_names).and_return([])
     Bunyan::Logger.configure do |config|
       config.database   'database_1'
@@ -37,7 +50,6 @@
       config.collection 'collection_1'
     end
   end
-
 end
 
 describe 'the required config options' do
@@ -58,46 +70,6 @@
   end
 end
 
-describe 'bunyan logger configuration' do
-  describe 'setting config values' do
-    before do
-      Bunyan::Logger.configure do |c|
-        c.database   'database2'
-        c.collection 'collection2'
-      end
-    end
-
-    it 'should allow setting of the database' do
-      Bunyan::Logger.database.should == 'database2'
-    end
-
-    it 'shoudl allow setting of the collection name' do
-      Bunyan::Logger.collection.should == 'collection2'
-    end
-  end
-
-  describe 'the optional config options' do
-    it 'should allow the user to mark bunyan as disabled' do
-      Bunyan::Logger.configure do |c|
-        c.database   'test_db'
-        c.collection 'test_collection'
-        c.disabled   true
-      end
-      Bunyan::Logger.should be_disabled
-    end
-  end
-
-  describe "when the disabled flag is set" do
-    it 'should not create a new logger instance' do
-      Bunyan::Logger.should_not_receive(:initialize_connection)
-      Bunyan::Logger.configure do |c|
-        c.database   'test_db'
-        c.collection 'test_collection'
-        c.disabled   true
-      end
-    end
-  end
-end
 
 describe Bunyan::Logger, "#disabled?" do
   it "should return false if nothing is set" do
@@ -109,20 +81,10 @@
   end
 end
 
-describe 'the database getter' do
-  it 'should allow setting of the database' do
-    Bunyan::Logger.configure do |config|
-      config.database   'my_database'
-      config.collection 'my_collection'
-    end
-    Bunyan::Logger.instance.database.should == 'my_database'
-  end
-end
-
 describe 'mongodb instance methods passed to a logger instance' do
   it 'should be passed through to the collection' do
     configure_test_db
-    Bunyan::Logger.db.should_receive(:count)
+    Bunyan::Logger.collection.should_receive(:count)
     Bunyan::Logger.count
   end
 end
@@ -138,18 +100,15 @@
 end
 
 describe 'when bunyan is disabled' do
-  before do
+  it "should not send messages to the mongo collection" do
     @conn = mock_mongo_connection
     Bunyan::Logger.configure do |config|
       config.database   'bunyan_test'
       config.collection 'bunyan_test_log'
       config.disabled   true
     end
-  end
-
-  it "should not send messages to the mongo collection" do
     %w(insert count find).each do |command|
-      Bunyan::Logger.db.should_not_receive(command)
+      Bunyan::Logger.collection.should_not_receive(command)
       Bunyan::Logger.send command
     end
   end
@@ -181,3 +140,4 @@
     Bunyan::Logger.should be_configured
   end
 end
+
diff --git a/spec/config_spec.rb b/spec/config_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c95b7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/config_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Bunyan::Logger::Config do
+  before do
+    @config = Bunyan::Logger::Config.new
+  end
+
+  it 'should have a collection' do
+    @config.should respond_to :collection
+  end
+end
+
+describe Bunyan::Logger::Config, 'collection size' do
+  it 'should default to 50 megabytes' do
+    # configure_test_db
+    config = Bunyan::Logger::Config.new
+    config.size.should == 52428800
+  end
+
+  it 'should all the user to set the collection size' do
+    Bunyan::Logger.configure do |c|
+      c.database   'bunyan_test_log'
+      c.collection 'configured_size'
+      c.size       100_000_000
+    end
+
+    Bunyan::Logger.config[:size].should == 100_000_000
+  end
+end
+
+describe Bunyan::Logger::Config, 'when setting the collection size' do
+  it 'should never set the size to nil' do
+    @config = Bunyan::Logger::Config.new
+    @config.size nil
+    @config.size.should == 52428800
+  end
+
+  it 'should override the default value' do
+    @config = Bunyan::Logger::Config.new
+    @config.size 1010
+    @config.size.should == 1010
+  end
+end
+
+describe Bunyan::Logger::Config, 'when getting the collection size' do
+  it 'should return the collection size'
+end
+
+describe Bunyan::Logger::Config, 'alternate method invocation syntax' do
+  it 'should act like a hash' do
+    config = Bunyan::Logger::Config.new
+    config.size 10
+    config.should_receive(:size).and_return(10)
+    config[:size].should == 10
+  end
+end
+
+describe 'bunyan logger configuration' do
+  describe 'setting config values' do
+    before do
+      Bunyan::Logger.configure do |c|
+        c.database   'database2'
+        c.collection 'collection2'
+      end
+    end
+
+    it 'should allow setting of the database' do
+      Bunyan::Logger.config.database.should == 'database2'
+    end
+
+    it 'shoudl allow setting of the collection name' do
+      Bunyan::Logger.config.collection.should == 'collection2'
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe 'the optional config options' do
+    it 'should allow the user to mark bunyan as disabled' do
+      Bunyan::Logger.configure do |c|
+        c.database   'test_db'
+        c.collection 'test_collection'
+        c.disabled   true
+      end
+      Bunyan::Logger.should be_disabled
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "when the disabled flag is set" do
+    it 'should not create a new logger instance' do
+      Bunyan::Logger.should_not_receive(:initialize_connection)
+      Bunyan::Logger.configure do |c|
+        c.database   'test_db'
+        c.collection 'test_collection'
+        c.disabled   true
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
+