Snow Fun--All in the Lens of the Beholder

Back in September, I finally joined the world of smart phone users, after a great deal of intentional avoidance. All in all, I must say that I love having so much convenience at my fingertips. Connecting with faraway family is great, since texting has become fun instead of a tedious chore. I like being able to access important information anytime, anywhere. I use my phone to log my exercise, schedule my calendar, keep track of my grocery list, and so much more.

With that said, there are definite downsides as well. I have to discipline myself not to check my email, like, all the time. I've set personal boundaries to control what I know could be strong temptations for me: no using the phone for Facebook or Youtube videos. Even so, I know there are moments the kids have to compete with the phone for my attention.

And then there's the camera, with all of its wonder and horror combined. It is SO convenient to have a good quality camera everywhere you go, right in your pocket. We take tons of pictures, which I suppose is a plus, but then we have to sort through gazillions of photos, which can definitely be a minus. And then there is Annika. That girl is so vain! She wants me to take her picture all the time, and is totally obsessed with watching her own videos over and over. Every time we get into an argument over whose phone it actually is, I wonder if I should revert back to my ancient flip-phone.

Perhaps the biggest downside is that I very rarely take photos with our digital SLR anymore. Since the iPhone pictures are good enough, it rarely seems worth the effort. A couple days ago, I ran across this lot of photos, taken during our Christmas Eve snowstorm. The differences are subtle, but photos taken with a great lens just sparkle in a way that a phone photo can't. Enjoy!