Life Update Through Photography

So I apologize for the lack of blog updates. But honestly, I've been busy. I haven't really been thinking about spending time in front of my computer post-work hours. And to also be honest, I don't miss spending time with social media in my face either. What I do miss is seeing my friend's faces and big life updates. But I'll get caught up late April. And if it's super big, I'll still find out personally, which is always better anyway!

I have appreciated the letters, cards, e-mails, phone calls, and packages I have received from friends and family so far. I am blessed to have you all in my life! All are being returned now. Thanks for going out of your way to stay connected to me.

Here are some pictures I've taken lately. Enjoy!

 Part of a dinner I made recently. Spinach and feta stuffed shells. I topped it all with homemade vodka sauce from scratch and mozzarella! A great combination. 

 A picture from the pre-race at Bristol Motor Speedway. I bought tickets to this month's Sprint Cup race for Tom for Valentine's Day. It was under rain delay for most of the day, but we were able to stick around to see the entire 500 laps!

 A outside the track after the race was over at night.

 A plant sitting in the window sill. I just saw this yesterday morning and thought it looked pretty cool with the sun rising behind it. 

 The dog of a friend, Christina, during an evening hike at Buffalo Mountain Park in Johnson City. Thank goodness for spring weather! I sure hope the snow is gone for good.

 View of the mountains from the top of Buffalo Mountain. This is mostly a view of Unicoi County, TN. 

A little sweaty at the peak of the mountain. I am just grateful for the chance to get out and see just a sliver of the beauty God has provided for us in this world we live in!

The Rocky Start

Well, I have made it a few days successfully. By successfully, I mean I haven't decided to reverse my decision to not use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram yet. Yet. 

So, I do know I won't give up. It will be hard, and has been hard already, but it will be really good for me. I have told a few people about my decision to give up social media and instead write a blog about my experience, and some say "Isn't a Blog social media, too?". It is. But my intension was to give up things that distract me from living in the moment, not necessarily every social media platform. So for all those still curious as to why I am choosing to blog when it is still a form a social media, this is a better way for me to reflect and to hold myself accountable for actually staying off Faceback and such. And if you are reading this blog, it means you actually care about my reflections. More than half of my friends on Facebook don't really care about the things I reflect about via my "facebook status". So thank you for caring :)

Today is my roommate's birthday (Happy B-Day, Laura!). Last night a group of us went out to dinner to celebrate. I made the choice to leave my phone at home instead of bringing it with me to the restaurant. This may seem simple and not a very big deal, but for me as someone who uses her phone as comfort and security for NO reason, it was. No one else who could be texting me would be more important in those few hours than Laura and the friends I was surrounded by in that moment. I didn't need to have my phone there to Instagram a picture of my Blackberry Sangria to a bunch of people who don't really care that I ordered a blackberry sangria but would "like" my photo anyway, because that's what you do. You "like" your friend's photos because it's a method of still saying you're still up-to-date with their life and really know what's going on. I "like" my friends' photos all the time, but sometimes, it's simply because I miss them, and I want to acknowledge that I'm still here and I'm noticing things about their life. 

Since I'm not around to "like" my friends' posts for awhile, I can't wait to actually get caught up with some people by hearing their voice and reading their direct words to me. I have phone calls scheduled, home addresses exchanged, e-mails back and forth, and more going on with so many important people to me. Most of which would never have happened without me backing out of social media for awhile, so for that, I am thankful and excited. I hope this continues even past my 40 days without Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And I also this helps to inspire my friends to not necessarily give up their social media platforms, but find more genuine ways to stay close to friends far away as well. Pen Pals are fun so far!

It's a beautiful weekend here in Tennessee! It's going to be 65 and sunny today, so I'm hoping to get outside and take a few pictures. I'll share them with you here! And if you are still stuck in the frozen tundra up north, there's no better way to stay in touch than to visit. 

“What day is it?"
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh. 
― A.A. Milne