turning over a new leaf.

I just deactivated my facebook account about two minutes ago.

Sad thing is, it was a hard decision for me to make. It took me a couple of minutes to actually hit the "deactivate now" button. But now that I've done it, I feel so much better.

Before deactivating my account, I went through all of the pictures on my page and saved several I love.

I had some favorite profile pictures . . .

and a few favorites from the Shanty reunion . . .

Some favorites of dear friends I made while single and living in Boise . . .

Some scanned pictures taking me way back . . .

And a few from the adventures of my single days . . .

For several months now, I've pondered the necessity of facebook in my life. I've thought a lot about the hours I have spent {wasted} perusing status updates, pictures, and the events of my 'friends' over the past couple of years. I've wondered if it has been a positive, neutral, or negative influence on my life or the lives of others . . . and I can't really decide. For so long I told myself facebook had been a great tool for me to reconnect with old friends from high school and college. But then I had to ask myself how often I actually take the time to talk to them, send them a message or do something as simple as post a comment on their wall. And really folks, the answer was never. Instead, I regularly stalked their pages and pictures and pretended like I knew what was going on in their lives.

All I do know . . . there has been a nagging, anxious feeling inside of me every single time I have logged on the past couple of months. And it's not a good nagging. It's one that tells me so much more could be done with my time.

So many friends and family members could use a phone call and a real voice to talk to. They could even use a personal email, letting them know I've been thinking about them and love them. I could spend my time on the internet learning about my new calling as the Ward Family History Coordinator and do my part for my family, meanwhile strengthening my own testimony of temple and family history work. I could go on a walk, work on my messy office, or visit my new neighbors. I could spend a little (not too much!) more time on our blog, writing the history and daily happenings of our little family. I could find a new book to enrich my brain and entertain myself at the same time. Or maybe just pull out my scriptures and finally accomplish the goals I seem to reset each and every single Sunday.

What it boils down to is, I spend too much time 'plugged in' and filling the hours of my day with unnecessary distractions. And for me, facebook was one of them.

I've felt the need to be a little more charitable and much more willing to serve. I need to be better prepared for motherhood and able to teach my children the proper way of communication. I want to be more tender, more responsive to the spirit, and much more patient with those around me. And for some reason, this simple step seems to be one way to help me get where I want and need to be.

DISCLAIMER: For any of you that use facebook, I don't look down on you. I'm not trying to stand up on my soapbox and preach what is and isn't good. It's just what I need. Let's face it . . . you probably have much more discipline than I do!