Instagram #98

I've experienced a tremendous amount of growth in the past few years. Mind you, it isn't any sort of deeply personal spiritual growth earned through good works, meditation and fasting. No, my growth is more of the shallow and superficial kind earned through having way too many social media accounts.

From someone who didn't even have a Facebook account until about two years ago, I find it astonishing that I've grown my social media presence and also have Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube accounts. So far, I've resisted Twitter. For some reason, it just doesn't appeal to me. Probably because there aren't any pictures.

I like pictures. Sometimes, words can get in the way of your imagination - they try to funnel you down a predetermined linear path. Pictures are far more relaxed about life. They're happy for you to just look at them and think about whatever you want. Go ahead, they say, get lost in us and daydream.

Maybe that's why I'm loving Instagram now. It's my latest social media obsession. What could be better than just getting lost looking at pretty pictures all day on your phone. Well, I'll tell you what could be better - having unlimited cellular data so that you can stare at pretty pictures all day long on your phone without worrying about how much it's going to cost you in extra data. {Sorry, one of my dock neighbors was telling me about his unlimited plan. I'm a wee bit jealous.}

I actually started an Instagram account last year, but I got distracted with other things. My friend, Jessica, got me back into it a couple of months ago. {By the way, she's got an amazing Instagram account, you can spend hours daydreaming while you're looking at her pictures.} I just realized that I've been so obsessed with Instagram that I've got 98 pictures posted up there as of today and should be on track to hit 100 this Friday.

Yes, that's shallow and superficial growth in a nutshell - I'm excited because we hit #98 on Instagram.

I know some of you follow our Instagram account (thank you!), but not everyone hangs out there, so I thought I'd share a few of our favorite Instagram pictures so far. Sit back, grab an iced tea or a cup of coffee, have a look and do some daydreaming of your own.

If you have an Instagram account and I'm not already following you, please leave the details in the comments so that I can get lost daydreaming in your pictures too.

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National Parks

By far and away, pictures from our travels to our amazing National Parks are some of our most popular. {And, yes, I'm a latergram kind of gal.} The one on the left is from Joshua Tree National Park in California. I love the giant boulders and cacti throughout the park. The one on the right is from Arches National Park in Utah. The contrast between the mountains in the background and the crazy rock formations in the foreground is a good reminder of how awesome Mother Nature is.

The Water

It probably comes as no surprise that we've got some beach, seascapes and other water related pictures on Instagram. The one on the left is from the Florida Keys and the one on the right is from Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos, Bahamas.

Sunset & Moonrise

Everybody loves a good sunset shot, like the one on the right from Shell Mound in Florida. But, moonrises are pretty spectacular too, like the one on the left from Death Valley National Park.

Critters & Wee Beasties

I love when animals pose for the camera. Like this rooster from Key West and this armadillo from Manatee Springs State Park in Florida.

Crazy Cat Ladies

For some reason our pictures of cats aren't super popular. Where are all the crazy cat ladies on Instagram? The adorable kittens on the left are feral boatyard cats. They're now all grown up, but they're still darn cute. The cat on the right is Francesca, my sister's cat. She was my very first Instagram picture. Sadly, Francesca has now crossed the rainbow bridge. She was a good cat. If you have a cat, dog, hedgehog or other kind of pet, go give them an extra cuddle and plenty of treats.

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