a few months ago i opened the photos app on my phone to look for something and got distracted when i saw how many photos and videos i had saved on my phone. at the time the number was over 14,000, and i was floored. the images saved on there go back to roughly the spring of 2014, and my brain could not process how or why i had so many files.

i decided i would slowly go through every image and video and delete duplicates, old screenshots, and general superfluous photos and see where i wound up. it turned out to be a fun, nostalgic, and sometimes hilarious trip down memory lane.

i can distinctly remember taking photos at angkor wat with my bulky nikon and wondering to myself what i was actually going to do with them. while every photo of baxter is objectively hilarious, i don’t need 35 pictures of him sleeping on the couch [or do i?]. and as much as i love maciel’s, i likely don’t need photographic evidence of every single meal i’ve eaten there in the last five years.

but it’s also reminded me of some great times, too. that time lauren, jen, and i went panning for gold in the smokies. my final final farewell pub crawl in bangalore. all the fun had at priyanka and deboo’s wedding. the ever-famous buda besties trip of 2018.

i’ve finally made it to present day and have culled the collection down to roughly 5,200. it’s still probably more than i strictly *need*, but they make me happy and it’s certainly easier to find specific photos now that i’m scrolling through significantly fewer of them.

maybe i’ll get into the habit of doing this more often, maybe it’s something i’ll continue to do once every six years. whatever the case may be, it was quite the entertaining adventure.

xx