What I Learned from Leaving Facebook

Hello Everybody,

So, I finally did it. I left Facebook. I went to account settings, second (I think) tab from the bottom, clicked the link for “Deactivate My Account.” What greeted me on the next page was a line of five pictures from my Facebook collection which had others of my friends tagged in them. Each of these pictures has the words "[Name] will miss you." above it and "Send [Name] a message." below it. Below the pictures you had to chose a reason for leaving.

I refreshed this page several times, once inadvertently and after that on purpose, and learned that it changed which pictures came up but the people who would miss me were the people who I tag the most in pictures. David and Mom were always on the list (and usually David’s Mom), and the others alternated between my sisters, my brother, my new sister-in-law, and two of my good friends. And the pictures that came up were always ones we two were in together.

I piddled around with the list of reasons for leaving for a little while and learned that when you click any one of these bubbles (with two exceptions: “I have another Facebook account” and “Other”), a proposed solution to your reason for leaving instantly appears below it, usually with a link to another place on the site that will give you more information about how to solve the problem. These proposed solutions stay where they are until you complete the process and leave the page.

Once you explain why in the "please explain further" box, opt out of future invites and stuff, and press “Confirm,” you have to confirm your password, and prove you’re a human before it goes through. Fine.

Then if brings you to the regular login screen, where your email address is just where it always used to be just waiting for the password. And a textbox right below this line says:

“Your account has been deactivated
To reactivate your account, log in using your old login email and password. You will be able to use the site like you used to.

We hope you come back soon.”



Yikes! It’s like a bad relationship! You think you’ve gotten rid of it and it just keeps on – and urges you in every way it knows how to get you to come back.

Call me crazy but I think this is kind of creepy stuff.

So there you have it. Farewell, Facebook!

Fast Stats About Texas A&M

Texas A& M – in College Station, Texas

To Nance House – exactly a day
The Brayton House – 1 day and 7 hours
The Butterfield House – 1 day and 13 hours

To Houston – a little under 2 Hours
To Austin – a little over 2 hours
To Dallas – 3 ½ hours
To San Antonio – 3 ½ hours
(Both Dallas and San Antonio have temples in them.)

Rent in College Station looks like about $700/mo. for a nice place according to a cursory search for a 2-br, and not loads more for a 3.

Number of Campus Wards: one (plus a Spanish Branch and a YSA spot)
Next closest Ward: Just over an hour

In A Nutshell

Friday night I called the cops on my neighbor's boyfriend for abusing her, and circumstances were such that the boyfriend knew who called them. Unfortunately for her, she seems to have denied there was a problem when they did come, so that part of the story ended and the status quo continues more or less uninterrupted. However, this incident got us thinking really hard about what we still need to be doing in Georgia anyway.

We feel like the Lord had things for us to do here, and we've done them. There are a few loose ends to tie up, but that can be done in short order. We were already feeling spiritually pulled West and were actively looking for work in Utah. David's family lives there, and we could stay with them until we're making enough to live on our own again. We've been starting to get rid of extra stuff in our lives, and otherwise preparing ourselves for our future move to whichever University he ends up getting accepted to, whenever that would be. David's only making $9/hour telemarketing, which isn't hard to beat, and had been looking for a job that fit better and paid better since before he started there.

Then, the more we thought about the possibility of moving to Utah soon more and more seriously, it became easier and easier to see how beneficial it could be to everyone. Crystal is going back to Scenic View, and I knew my Mom will sleep more easily at night knowing that I am available to help Crystal at almost any time. David's brother Brandon needs a fire lit under him to help him get onto his mission. His brother Christopher and his wife will be having a baby soon, and are planning to move out shortly thereafter. His sister Amber might be getting married in the near future. And we'd be away from the drama and heartache of this neighborhood, and safe from anyone who might want to hurt us. We were given almost all of our furniture, so we could just give it all away and not be out anything. I'm confident the Lord provides for those who give with an honest heart. We'll be closer to Texas and Arizona, where David's two favorite schools are located. The list goes on and on.

So, we've prayed about it and that is the new plan: We fly out to Utah with what we can bring and send the rest by mail in two or three weeks' time. Sad and happy too, but most importantly we know it is the right thing for our family right now.

Also, and not entirely unrelated, is a turn for the better on the University search. Professors from Texas A&M, David's top choice, emailed him Friday expressing a strong interest in his speaking with him further as they continue to consider his candidacy. We are very excited about this and could use all the prayers we can get.