On June 29th, 2007 I stood in a very long line—hours long. I actually paid my cute nanny, Jenna to stand in line for me for the first several hours. I later joined her and brought my kids. I wanted to be in the very first wave of iPhone owners (in Spokane) and I was. On July 4th, 2007 I took the above photo of me and this new wonder of technology—I guess you might say this was my first iPhone selfie! I of course knew very little about this hand-held device or what it could do (then) and I had no clue about what it would come to be able to do or how it would change my life. 

In celebration of the iPhone's 10th birthday this week, here is my list of
10 THINGS I LOVE (TODAY) ABOUT MY iPHONE. 

1. Instagram. I definitely DO NOT love everything about Instagram, but it is my most often used app, and I love that I can use this social media platform to SHARE my life, SEE what my extended family is up to and CONNECT to and follow other people that inspire me. 

2. Alarms and Reminders. I'm being totally honest when I say that I've become quite dependent on the dings, rings and buzzers that keep me on track and on time—or at least as close to on time as possible. For example, I'm currently using the "illuminate" sound to help me stay on an eating schedule ... 8:30am breakfast, 11:30am lunch, 2:30pm snack, 5:30pm dinner and 8:30pm snack. I am a much happier person when I eat every three hours—a post for another day!

3. My camera. In the beginning, I thought it was so cool that my phone could take decent pictures. I now think of my iPhone as a great camera that also takes calls. I used my camera at least ten times as often as I make a call. It's hard for me to believe that I used to lug a big, DSLR camera around, but I did, almost everywhere. I remember the first time I read about photographer Chase Jarvis and what he was doing with his iPhone camera. He said, "The best camera is the one that's with you!" I knew he was right, and I began to get better photos with my phone. 

4. Pictures on the go. I LOVE that I can access my iCloud library of images anywhere (as long as I have WiFi) I love that I can purge, edit and use my photo collection on the go. Having my pictures and as an extension many of my memories 100% accessible is AWESOME beyond words. And AirDrop? Best thing since sliced bread or Ziplock bags or maybe even both!

5. Anywhere learning. I'm a listener. I really like to be listening and my iPhone allows me to do this. I can listen to my scriptures, or podcasts or my latest Audible book, as I drive, walk or do laundry. I often recommend a book to Geoff and then we listen more or less together ... added bonus!

6. Shopping. What did I do before Amazon Prime on my iPhone? I. Don't. Know. Because, I honestly cannot remember. I also love that I can organize my apps and that all of my "shopping" apps are together. When I go to Michaels or Hobby Lobby, I have digital coupons ready to scan. And, Apple Pay?! My local grocery stores accepts it, which means I can ride my scooter to the store, sans wallet. FREEDOM! 

7. Lists. As in the Reminders app. I have a Family list that I share with Geoff, a list for Costco, Fred Meyer + Yokes (local grocery stores), Target, Books/Movies, YW (my church calling) and Story (my new brand of products with Close To My Heart) I can empty my brain and keep running lists of to-dos. This is a very healthy and productive thing. 

8. Notes. That's all. Just notes—about anything and everything and I can't imagine NOT being able to copy and paste or capture a brainstorm or now, even DOODLE in my Notes app. 

9. Siri. Or Sir in my case, because he is a very attentive gentleman with a great Australian accent, ha! He is always at my beck and call to answer questions, get directions, set a timer or a reminder, send messages or play a favorite song. 

10. Yikes, I'm running out of room. I'm going with Apps for #10. And, how can I possibly summarize my most used apps? There's Pic-Tap-Go and Rhonna Designs that use to edit and have FUN with my photos. There's DropBox, Keeper, Cash and Keynote that help me get things done and be more productive. I have access to this blog via the Squarespace apps and I can look up anything on YouTube or relax with my favorite Netflix or PBS shows. 

I'm assuming I'll still have an iPhone tens years from now, but who knows for sure. I know that *almost* everything about my daily life and HOW I function in it is connected to technology via my iPhone. At least now I have my top 10 list so that in 2027, I can look back and compare. And for the record, here's the updated photo ...