Life in Instagrams

So, it’s been a while since I last blogged. Our church is in the middle of 21 days of prayer and fasting right now and so I am purposely spending less time on the computer. It is so easy for me to get distracted with Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and blogs and so I’ve pulled away quite a bit in order to be more focused on the Lord during this time. It’s been good and refreshing.  

 

But I thought I would just pop in for a quick little life update.

A few months ago, my old computer crashed and I got a my very first Mac computer.  I immediately fell in love with it. And since one thing tends to lead to another, of course, then I wanted an iphone so that my phone and my computer would sync making life that much easier.  For Christmas, my sweet in-laws helped make my wish come true.

After getting my iphone, I jumped on the Instagram bandwagon.  Instagram, was another big reason I wanted an iphone.  I love all the different ways you can quickly edit a photo right within your phone. Again, this just makes life simpler for me because I can snap a picture with my phone (which I almost always have nearby), upload it to Instagram, do a quick edit, and then when I post my photo to Instagram, it automatically saves the edited photo to my phone.  And because my computer and phone are synced, my pictures automatically upload to my computer when I turn on wifi. So I love it.

I hope to take at least one Instagram a day this year. Who knows if I’ll actually stick with it for the entire year (it’s definitely not supposed to become burdensome), but right now I’m having fun with it.  I love photography.  It reminds me to look for the good,the beautiful, the joyful, and the blessings God pours out on us each day. Because, if I don’t purposely look for them hidden among the chaos, the messes, dirty laundry piles, long rainy days, never-ending to-do lists, and  the everyday squabbles of life, they just pass me by, unnoticed.  But His gifts and grace surround me, they whisper His love to me.  And so each day, noticing them has become kind of like a little treasure hunt for me. It opens my eyes to His presence in our lives and brings me joy.

I love what Jesus says in Matthew 6  “Your eyes are windows into your body.  If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light… If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!”.  In another translation, it says, “A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul.”  And so I can choose what I focus my eyes and my thoughts on each day. And my choices will determine the well-being of my heart and soul. Of course, some days are harder than others to keep my eyes focused on the pure and the lovely.  But each day, I do have a choice.  So with my “Instagram a day” project, I am hoping to become more purposeful in filling my soul up with sunshine.

My iphone did not arrive until after the New Year, so I got started a little bit late on my daily Instagrams, but here we go… this is our life in Instagrams.   

1/11/12  I love that Peyton is “reading” to Hudson (who is actually sitting still and listening!).  I love her curled up, painted toes, and wrinkly feet.

 

1/12/12  All bundled up for an afternoon walk on a blistery cold winter day.

 

1/13/12  Peyton got bangs cut in her hair.  Pretty cute, huh?  Love that smile!

 

1/14/12  Our faithful dog napping in the sunshine.

 

1/15/12  Family Shadow

 

An afternoon hike through the woods next to our house.  The sun flare was amazing.

 

 

1/16/12  Two little monkeys jumping on the bed.  Joyful moments.

 

1/17/12  All three happily playing together with blankets and pillows.

 

1/18/12  A trip to the library, gathering a treasury of new books to read.  Some of the best moments of our days are spent snuggled up on the couch reading through our stacks of library books.

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world.  Love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy

 

1/19/12  A new day; the break of dawn.

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.” Ps 143

“His mercies are new every morning.” Lamentations 3

 

Our new couch and freshly painted living room.

 

My silly, happy boy.  He makes me laugh.

 

1/20/12 It was a rainy day, so we stayed inside and everyone enjoyed playing together with Tyson’s marble rollercoaster.

 

Are any of you guys on Instagram?