life lately in snapshots (+ thoughts on sharing)

Pics from top:  1. i wish my backyard looked like the garden store  // 2. best bag ever // 3. lunch with my mama on her birthday // 4. my favorite hotel downtown // 5. the september issue, or as robbie calls it, 'a massive catalog of ads'  // 6. picking up robbie from tour, hooray! // 7. this glass is half empty // 8. homemade ice cream rules // 9. my little sister is a mani genius // 10. my favorite old bookstore // 11. bad ass kids band we stumbled on at an art fair // 12. mr. bee, chillin' on our sunflower // 13+14. craft parties are awesome // 15. cheri's cat mosey being comfy // 16. really good mail day thanks to my pals at b.a.i.t. footwear // 17. i don't want the summer sun to ever go away // 18. my favorite insomnia treatment

I always debate whether or not to post these little peeks into my daily life using Instagram photos, mainly because I start over-thinking.  ("Do my readers really care about looking at these random photos from my everyday life? Is that lame for me to re-post images that are already on my Instagram when they can just go look at them that way?")  Ultimately, the reality is that these days most of us do capture images of life with our phones, and whether we share them on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter or online albums or keep them to ourselves, it's an easy, convenient way to record memories and share stories.  And as much as I love photography and adore my DSLR and Photoshop and all that, real life is just a little more stripped-down then polished, edited photos with perfect lighting.

Every once in a while, I'll go through old posts I've written. It's kind of fun to look back on the occasional personal posts with everyday photos taken from my phone's photo gallery or my Instagram.  I'll suddenly remember an experience or simple moment I'd forgotten.  Sometimes I'll realize how quickly life changes.  Sometimes I'll feel inspired to revisit a favorite place, or call a friend with whom I haven't spoken in a while.  And I like sharing pieces of my life with you guys from time to time - there is a real person behind this blog, and I want it to be more than just edited articles of things I like or outfits I wore.  Piecing together different shots from my Instagram collection here on the blog is a means of telling a quick story and sharing what I've been up to.   The term "lifestyle blog" can be pretty all-encompassing, but I really enjoy writing a mixture of content that includes more polished posts (DIYs, personal style) and journal type entries.  Most of my favorite blogs contain a mixture of content (with a blend of well-edited and rawer photos) as well, and I appreciate getting to see quick glimpses into the lives of the people behind the blogs.

And that, my friends, is my deep thought for the day. What's your opinion on bloggers sharing their Instagram photos on their blogs?  Is it something you enjoy or could you do without it?

If you're on Instagram, leave your user name in the comments so I can check out your photos!  You can see more of mine here or under the user name bubbyandbean.