My day without technology started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after one of my best friend's wedding.
The picture above on the left is me and some of the other bridesmaids and the picture on the right is the bride, my sweet friend Madeline.
I definitely used technology to get ready for the wedding but once the reception was in full swing and I had already instagramed a picture or two :) I did not need technology because we were having so much fun. There was a live band that played music the whole night and everybody just danced and danced.
Me and my husband, Stuart (pictured to the right), were staying at Madeline's family's house, which was also where the wedding was. After all the guests had left we sat on the couch with Madeline's siblings and some other friends just recapping the night. We talked and laughed for a couple of hours until we realized we were starving, so my friend, Davis, went to get us some food. After we had eaten, most of the girls headed to bed and the boys went outside to talk. I wanted to check my phone but found that it was dead. So I quickly fell asleep on the couch.At around 2:45, I woke up and moved to an actual bed... and then magically woke up at 7:40 without an alarm, because my phone was dead and because I was trying not to use technology ;)
After waking up we packed all of our stuff in the car, said our good-byes, and hopped in the car for our long drive home. On our way out of town we stopped at Starbucks for some caffeine and then hit the highway.
For the first hour or so, Stuart and I just talked about the trip, the wedding, and our friends. We talked about the school we had skipped and the homework we had put off in order to go to the wedding. We both decided it was worth it!
After a while, we did turn the radio on... I know that that is technology, but I couldn't do that to Stuart for thirteen or more hours.
While he listened to the radio and drove, I read a lot of books.
I took this picture on a different day, but here's a picture of Stuart driving.
I did not have a signal for much of the drive, so I was forced to not use technology (besides the radio) for those thirteen hours.
Around two o'clock, we got Subway for lunch, which we ate in the car.
Stuart drove for twelve and a half of the thirteen hours, which means that I only drove about an hour and a half. He used his phone for the GPS and when I drove he read the directions to me.We also got snacks at a rest area vending machine, I am pretty sure those were not invented yet, so he used the machine for me.
The drive was pretty uneventful. The only traffic we encountered was while we were driving through Atlanta, which is common for the area. We also saw a beautiful sunset. I didn't take a picture of it and Stuart couldn't while he was driving, but the one below I took a couple days earlier.
When we got home, we unloaded the bags we would need for that night and the next morning, but didn't grab anything else because we were so ready to go to sleep. The first thing I did when we walked through the door was check to see if the plants I had planted right before we left were still alive (they were) and make sure the shelf we had hung was still hanging (it was).
I dropped my bags on the floor, dug for my toothpaste and toothbrush, brushed my teeth and climbed in bed. I did plug my phone in before I fell asleep because I needed it charged for the morning, but it was still dead so I couldn't use it. For the rest of the 24 hours I slept soundly without the help of technology :)
Although, I was driving for most of the 24 hours and wouldn't have been able to use much technology anyway, I enjoyed spending a day without the pressures of technology and social media.
Spending time with Stuart without the distractions of technology was really great. We have always tried to limit the use of technology when we're together, but I can still feel it's pressure sometimes. On week days by the time we get home from school and work and are done with our homework, we are usually so tired and drained that watching The Office or Parks and Rec sounds more appealing than having a deep conversation or reading a book. So having time where the easy option wasn't available to us nice.
I enjoyed having the radio on while we drove, because even though it is considered technology, it doesn't seem to be as detrimental to human interaction as other forms of technology does. In fact, I think that the radio can bond people and bring them together. Growing up we always had the radio playing on road trips and some of my fondest memories are singing in the car with my siblings on the way to somewhere fun.
I also really enjoyed reading on the trip. Since I knew that I would be in the car for most of the weekend, I pack 5 or 6 books to keep me entertained. I have always loved to read and am usually reading 3 or 4 books at a time, however, with school and work I don't take the time to read as often as I should. Having all of that time to read in the car has made me remember how much I love to read and made me realize that taking the time to do it everyday should be something I do because it is important to me.
Not using technology for 24 hours was a nice break. Not having something like social media trying to grab my attention the whole time was nice, and I will probably limit my use of those social media outlets as the semester ends and Christmas break begins.
Although, I was driving for most of the 24 hours and wouldn't have been able to use much technology anyway, I enjoyed spending a day without the pressures of technology and social media.
Spending time with Stuart without the distractions of technology was really great. We have always tried to limit the use of technology when we're together, but I can still feel it's pressure sometimes. On week days by the time we get home from school and work and are done with our homework, we are usually so tired and drained that watching The Office or Parks and Rec sounds more appealing than having a deep conversation or reading a book. So having time where the easy option wasn't available to us nice.
I enjoyed having the radio on while we drove, because even though it is considered technology, it doesn't seem to be as detrimental to human interaction as other forms of technology does. In fact, I think that the radio can bond people and bring them together. Growing up we always had the radio playing on road trips and some of my fondest memories are singing in the car with my siblings on the way to somewhere fun.
I also really enjoyed reading on the trip. Since I knew that I would be in the car for most of the weekend, I pack 5 or 6 books to keep me entertained. I have always loved to read and am usually reading 3 or 4 books at a time, however, with school and work I don't take the time to read as often as I should. Having all of that time to read in the car has made me remember how much I love to read and made me realize that taking the time to do it everyday should be something I do because it is important to me.
Not using technology for 24 hours was a nice break. Not having something like social media trying to grab my attention the whole time was nice, and I will probably limit my use of those social media outlets as the semester ends and Christmas break begins.
