Dumb Phone.

A month ago, I came to terms with my smart-phone and social media addiction. The day after I posted my blog, J and I went all around town trying to find a place that would give us a dumb phone, and in almost every place our desire to go dumb was met with shocked faces, and a hefty price tag for the dumb phones. Thankfully, Amazon always comes through. We were able to buy AT&T ZTE GoPhones for about $15.00 a piece and added them to our Christmas list for each other. Once the phones came in, I called customer service and was able to switch SIM cards over easily.

At first, I missed my iPhone. I hated not being able to waste time playing catch up with everyone’s lives. I hated not having the perfectly captured moment on my camera roll. I hated the fact that my phone didn’t bing and buzz as often, making me feel less important.

Yet, I noticed a change in my focus. Instead of being distracted with the photos and statements of others, I have been able to sit down without distraction. I have been able to study and observe each way our daughter is growing, without a screen in my way. My house is kept cleaner, and I am not running as behind. I can interact in conversations that I would have missed otherwise. My husband isn’t asking me to get off my phone on a daily basis to focus on him. And in many ways, I have been much more productive than I have been in years.

As far as my mood is concerned, I am at peace. I am at peace with myself. I am at peace with my husband. I am at peace with the development of our daughter. I am at peace with our home. I am at peace with my things. I am simply at peace. I don’t know if that would have been possible without making a drastic change in my day to day life.

My day looks a little different now. Instead of waking up first thing to check my phone, I wake up to my daughter’s bright eyes saying “HI!” over and over again. Instead of checking out the latest gossip over a bowl of cereal, my daughter and I pray together, and even after we pray, I watch my daughter hold my hand for just a little bit longer as she fills her mouth with cheerios. I am no longer worried about crafting the perfect photo, because I am learning that no camera can capture the beauty of a moment the way God designed our eyes to. In the car, my phone is in my purse, and my mind is thinking on the conversation my husband and I are sharing. At the dinner table, I often don’t even know where I set my phone last. I don’t take pictures of my food. I don’t allow for my husband to talk to a head looking down, and I don’t allow for my focus to be anywhere but in the moment. In the evenings, we actively watch a show together, or we work on our newest project, or we simply talk. And before bed, I read and read until I’m too tired to read anymore.

As each day of this journey has passed, I have noticed some changes in the way my family reacts to me. My daughter has been much more affectionate than she has ever been. She comes to give me kisses and hugs in the middle of her playing, because I am right there. She is learning a new word each day, and we spend a lot of our day staring in each other’s eyes jibber-jabbering and laughing. There are less tears, moments of frustration, and more moments in which I thank God for allowing me to stay home with her each day. My daughter finally knows she has her mama’s attention, which is all she wanted in the first place. With J, we have shared more pillow talk and laughs in the last month than we have in the last few years combined. My mom made the comment that she believes we are at the best place we have ever been in our marriage, and I truly believe a big part of that is due to the lack of distractions and comparisons that no longer fill our home. We are happy, content, and more unified than we have ever been. Our communication is at it’s best, and for the first time in a long time, we aren’t having to fight a phone to get the attention we desire.

The Lord is continually showing me new areas of distraction and selfishness that I need to address. But He is also, encouraging me along the way with each positive reaction I gain from my family. Getting your life back on track is never easy, and I know it will be a daily choice, but I long to be present and available for those I love most. I long to be filled with beautiful moments and memories not found on a camera roll. Most of all, I long to honor God with every aspect of my life, even if it means dealing with and giving up some pretty major things in my life.

When I began this journey, I knew things would change, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle the changes or not. Looking back over this past month, I feel in many ways that I have gotten my life and my joy for this life back. I don’t know how things will change in the future, but I do think that living life a little dumber is here to stay, and I couldn’t be more excited!

If you’re looking to make a change like I did, but in a not so drastic way (at first), I highly recommend the book, Hands Free Mama, by Rachel Macy Stafford. You can check our her blog and books here: http://www.handsfreemama.com/hands-free-mama/.

If you would like to make a phone change, there are a lot of great options on Amazon! You might be surprised at how much you love going “dumb”.

*In case you wanted a few numbers, J and I paid $110.00 a month for cell phone service with our iPhones. In February, our contract will be up, and our bill will go down to $45.00 a month for cell phone service.

photo credit: Arianna Randle at http://arianarandlephotography.com/

SB & K // Proposal

If you know me at all, then you know that I am very proud to say I have a baby sister, and not only is she my sister, but she is my best friend. Sabe and I share a bond that cannot be easily explained, and can never be touched by anyone else. In so many ways we are as opposite as sisters can come. She is a natural beauty who can model for a Pantene Pro V while shooting a buck with ease. She is the type of girl whose smile is warm and inviting, yet there is a fierce loyalty and will seen in her eyes. If you were to spend any time with SB, you would quickly learn that not just any guy would do for her precious heart. While there were some noble suitors, no one could quite match the strength of Sarah’s heart with his own…that is until Kyler came along.

When we first met Kyler, he had very kindly obliged to dress up for our big family Halloween party. He was quiet and confident, yet I kept noticing that my sister was always smiling around him. About three weeks later, Kyler called and told my sister she had been gone too long and he was on his way to see her. That is when I knew he’d started falling for her. Another few weeks passed, and I kept watching the smile on my sister’s face seem to grow and grow. While driving home from Lubbock at the beginning of December, I looked and J and said “I feel something is different between Kyler and SB.” To which he replied, “I do too, but let’s not say anything to mess it up.”

When we returned just two weeks later, the love between Kyler and SB could not be denied. While they may not have said it to each other yet, the spark in their eyes told everyone what we needed to know. On Tuesday, December 22, Jordan and I heard a knock on our bedroom door, soon after, a beaming Sarah-Brooke walked in telling us she and Kyler had proclaimed their love for the other and that they desired to get married in June. None of this alarmed or surprised us because in the Newman family, that’s just how God works. We each share a similar story when it came to finding the love of our life. However, the reality of how fast things would have to happen quickly set in. On Christmas Eve, Kyler and SB went to look at rings, and by the 26th, Kyler had asked for Daddy and Jordan’s blessing, bought the ring, had it sized, and was waiting to ask my sister to be his wife…All of this without Sarah knowing!

On the 26th, we set out to have a girls day before J and I had to head home because of a storm. After getting our nails done, SB came home to find an outfit, her makeup, perfume, and shoes laid out for her with us telling her to get ready in 45 minutes! During this time, Kyler and his family showed up, the finishing touches were placed on the small gazebo out back, and Kyler eagerly awaited the moment my sister walked out.

With Tale as Old as Time playing in the background, my daddy led my sister to the man worth waiting for. As they exchanged a few sweet words, Kyler got down on one knee and asked my sister to be his wife…To which she replied, “Yes!”. After a million pictures, the two families celebrated Kyler and Sarah’s engagement with cider, cake, and many laughs around the Christmas tree.

Words could never fully express the joy I have for my sister. Kyler and Sarah already display such a confident, joy-filled love. Together they pursue Christ, together they laugh, and I have no doubt that together, their love story will be one for the books.

Thank you, Kyler, for allowing this over-bearing, older sister be a part of such a special day for my sister. Thank you for the love you have shown her and will show her. To my dear sister, we dreamed about that day for so long, and now we’re dreaming of your perfect wedding day. I have no doubt you will be the world’s most beautiful bride, for no one can touch the beauty of your heart. It will be a highlight of my life to stand by your side in June. I love you so very much! Congratulations to you both!