How 'Bout Them {non} Apples?

After church last Sunday night Les noticed something wrong with his iPhone.  It seemed to be swelling and coming apart.  We don't upgrade our phones very often and our current phones for well over three years old.  His was an iPhone 5, mine was a 4.  I checked our online AT&T account to see what our upgrade options were and was hit with sticker shock!

Our mission on Monday began at the Apple store.  The problem with Les' phone was the battery was swelling.  The best they could do was to replace Les' phone with another iPhone 5 for $80.  I would keep my old one. Upgrading both of our phones would be about $60 a month for two years (roughly $1400) in addition to our current bill of $90 a month.

Stop number two was the Verizon store.  They could switch us over to an identical plan for $75 a month.  They had Motorola phones that we could get for another $10 a month per phone for two years ($240).  The switch was looking pretty compelling.

Stop number three was Best Buy.  A friend had recommended we shop there.  We were greeted at the door and said we needed help with mobile phones.  We waited and waited...  There were other customers in the area and an employee finally came and helped them.  When he was finished with them he didn't even acknowledge us, but walked away.  Bye bye, Best Buy!

Stop number four was Costco.  They also had the $75 a month Verizon plan but they had a promo going and we were able to get two Samsung Galaxy J3 phones for FREE!!  There was no reason for us not to switch.

We are super happy with the decision and are already enjoying the Android experience.  We're really not anti Apple, but they did not give us a compelling reason to stick with them.  The phones came with 16GB of internal storage but Les was able to get SD cards with an additional 128 GB and install them on our phones himself.  Our biggest challenge is getting our music from iTunes to Google Play.  How about them {non} apples?!

What kind of mobile phone do you carry?  Any great Android apps I might be missing?

New Favorite iPhone App!

A couple months ago Les and I were talking about being able to track each other via our phones.  If he was out riding or I was out running, it would be nice to know where the other was.  Many times while on Hawaii, Les would send me text messages that said, "I am here" with a map that looked like this:

The blue dot was where he was at the time.

Those were good, but there were a lot of miles between blue dots and text messages.  A quick search in the app store found "Find Friends."  After adding Les as my friend, he did the same and we were connected.

Here he is out on a bike ride.  I can check on his progress during a long ride and know he's moving along.

The blue dot is me - driving to meet Les.

And here he is yesterday - a layover in the Atlanta airport before heading on to Providence, RI.

I think my Mom would have loved this!  She never went to sleep until all her chicks were safely tucked in.  It's a nice way to know where someone is, especially when they are driving, so they can keep their hands on the wheel!

Do you have a new favorite app?

One More Feature

One more feature on the Pts. Plus Diary is the scanner. 

Hold your phone up to any item.  It will scan the barcode...

 

Then calculate the points for you!

This is SO cool! I was having a blast seeing how many items I could scan that were in my pantry!!

Cool iPhone App

I am definitely not a power user when it comes to my iPhone.  Phone, email, text, a little blogging.  I check the weather and use the maps.  And take lots of pictures!  So recommending an app is not going to be a regular feature here.

Since my marathon, my activity has dropped, we went on vacation, we had company, and my eating has been atrocious!  Of course that means I'm not liking the number on the scale these days.  I knew I needed to get back to tracking, but didn't want to write stuff down for some reason.  I searched the App store on Saturday and found many Points trackers.  The only freebie was Weight Watchers, but it's not truly free.  You use part of the site, but must pay a monthly fee to use the tracker.  I finally installed Pts. Plus Diary by Frippware for $1.99 and so far I really like it.

Here are a bunch of screen shots with some of my favorite features, in no particular order:

The Home Page.  10 buttons on the top take you to various other screens.  The four at the bottom show where you are for the day.

 

Basic points calculator.

 

Food search.

Activity points calculator.

 

Restaurant search.  Just start typing the restaurant name, choose your restaurant, then go through the categories.

Settings.  Lots of options here.  You can use the current PointsPlus or the old Points system. I also setup a daily reminder that pops up on my phone reminding me to track for the day.

Recycled items.  Because anyone who has ever tracked their eating knows you use the same foods over and over and over!  (Even if you don't track, you probably eat the same stuff a lot!)

What's your favorite app?

30 Days of Thanks - Day #20

Can you believe it's already November 20th?? Thanksgiving is just a few days away and I haven't run out of thanks yet!

Today I am thankful for modern technology.

We learned, via email, on Tuesday that Elder Becton was in the hospital and not doing well. Wednesday morning we learned of his passing. Wednesday night Les got online and made plans to fly to Dallas. Friday morning Les flew to Dallas to honor his former pastor and will fly home later today. Thursday morning Les received an email from his parents stating that they would be flying from Atlanta to Dallas to attend the funeral. With just a phone call, plans were made to meet at the airport and attend together. I was able to track his flight as it departed and arrived, knowing he got there safely. We've stayed in touch via telephone and email (on our iPhones) while Les has been gone.

None of those things could have taken place 100 years ago. IF somehow we received word of Bro. Becton's passing, via telegram or maybe the neighbor's telephone, the chances of owning a vehicle that could travel the nearly 1500 miles in a couple days time would have been slim to none!

I know technology can be a headache at times, but I'm thankful for it today!

Celebrating 35 Years!

What a day we had yesterday! I think I've said something similar the past two Mondays - but we've just been having great church lately! Yesterday we took the time to honor Pastor and Sis. White as they celebrated their 28th Pastoral Anniversary and 35 Years in the Ministry. Both services were full of surprises, kind words, and special guests.

Bro. David Abbott from Scottsdale, Arizona preached both services. Of course in my mind, Bro. Abbott is not complete without Sis. Darcy Abbott! Not only was Sis. Abbott with him, but their youngest daughter, Danae, came too. Their singing blessed both services. From new songs that Danae has written to oldies like "He's My Lord and My God." Bro. Abbott preached about "The Mighty God in Christ" and "The Precious Gift of the Holy Ghost." There were souls in the altar both services feeling God's Spirit.

The highlight of the day was when we presented our final gift. Anyone who knows Pastor White, knows he has a heart for souls. Bro. P.J. White told the story of his grandmother, Sis. Gloria White, who also loved souls. Many times Granny White would take P.J. to McDonald's and while praying for her food she would pray for the "children of Africa." That prayer was part of her daily prayer life. So in honor of Pastor White, Victory Tabernacle of Burbank, along with our three daughter churches, is building The Gloria J. White Memorial Church in Liberia, Africa! I honestly cannot think of a greater gift - there is no car, house, or trip that would mean more to Pastor White.

After service we had a potluck. I forgot to bring my camera to church - I had food and choir music on my mind, but I did snap this with my iPhone. Isn't she a cutie?


As Les and I climbed into bed around midnight last night, we were exhausted but so thankful for such a great day. Once again, I have an overwhelming thankfulness for my pastor and his wife! I love these two and thank God so much for putting them in my life.

Maybe It Really Was an Apple...

There has been much said about the fruit that was eaten in the Garden of Eden. For some reason, it is often depicted as an apple. We have no proof that it was truly an apple that Eve bit into. Maybe it was an apple or a peach or a plum. It wasn't the actual fruit that caused the problem anyway. It was the act of disobedience that got Adam and Eve in trouble.


I hadn't worry too much about this until last week... Last week when Apple announced that the iPhone 3G was now selling for $99. I felt like Eve when I saw "the phone that it was good for phone calls, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a phone to be desired to give access to email while traveling" (iGenesis 3:6). My current phone is about 6 years old and doesn't even take pictures. I haven't been deprived, but I have been "eyeing" the fruit. In my mind it was difficult to justify the purchase - I don't use my current phone that much... but then a voice (was it the serpent?) said ye shall save money if you and Les are on a family plan instead of two different carriers....



So I am now the proud owner of the Apple iPhone 3G. Email or leave a comment on my blog and I can respond from anywhere. Is this truly a good thing??