Two nights ago I was HeyTelling with our 9-year-old niece Hunter Grace. Santa brought her a new iPod Touch for Christmas, and since texting isn't available (OK... confession. Apparently Hunter has figured it out even though none of us grown ups have a clue. I get random texts from some unknown area code that say "Hey Aunt Catherine, It's me Hunter" every once in a while and just shake my head) on that device, HeyTell is perfect.

I play games on my iPhone. I know I shouldn't. I know it's a time waster. Here's an even more embarrassing confession: some of those games aren't free. Yep, even though Luke told me when I got the phone that I shouldn't be wasting our money on iPhone apps and games, I still buy the $1.99 version of Spades instead of the free one. Ads annoy me. Ok... feel free to delete me from your contacts.

So I stumbled upon a really fun and free iPhone game the other day called Subway Surfers. After a few days of playing it I knew that my niece Hunter would like it too. Since it was free (since Hunts doesn't have a credit card yet...), I HeyTelled her and said, "Hey I know a fun and free iPhone game you should download. It's called Subway Surfers."

Instantly I get the notification that says "New HeyTell Message from Hunter."

"Are you talking about the original version or the Subway Surfers Rio?"

Well heck... I don't know. The name of it on my iPhone home screen just says Subway Surf. When I opened it up though, I did have Rio.

Hunter (apparent Subway Surfing Expert) enlightens me and says, "OK. Subway Surfers Rio is just like the original version but it has a Rio-based theme."

Two a-ha moments here. First, I don't know what a Rio-based theme is, but Hunter does.

Next... why am I downloading the same free games that my 9-year-old niece is? A feeling of shame washed over me. I mean, lets be honest. This feeling of shame wasn't anything serious enough to make me quit playing my game.

To tell you the truth, it took every bit of maturity and control I had to not immediately HeyTell back and say, "Ok. So what's YOOOOUUUUR score multiplier!"

But I just let it go. And went back to playing my game. :)

So, if you like to play iPhone games as well... I'd really recommend you try out Subway Surfers Rio. It's just like the original, but with a Rio-based theme. And by the way, at the current moment, my multiplier is 23. Beat that!

That's what I said the first time I saw someone mentioning Vine.

Vine is a new social media outlet (like we needed ANY more time wasters... really...) that is video based. At first when I heard about it, I thought it would be really weird. But actually, it's super fun!

With the app (available on iPhone) you record 6 seconds worth of video. This can be small segments of video that add up to 6 seconds, or it can be 1 entire clip. You record the video through the app itself. You can't upload videos you already recorded on your iPhone before Vine (as far as I can see.).

For me, that's great news because that means the video that Luke shot of me in the front yard the other day while he was spraying me with cold water from the hose WON'T make it on our Vine. But if you are on an elite list you've already seen that video via text message. Thanks, Luke.

So we're on Vine! If you want to be on Vine, it connects through Twitter. Since we have a shared Twitter account (@lukeandcat) our Vine is also shared. So far, all we really have is either food or videos of Wilma and Hudson. If you want to find us on Vine, you have to search by name - so to find us, you would type in 'Luke and Cat Neumayr.'

So... going along with the title of this post, so far, the video Luke and I have watched the most is a video that our friends Bethany and Dan put up, where Dan says "What is Vine?" and then he holds a pug dog and dances it around, then says, "Cool." You must find them on Vine too.

Can't wait to see you there and see YOUR videos!

One of the things that I miss most about my Indiana roots is the snow filled winters! Like we said in our post yesterday, the winters along the gulf coast are a little blah. The grass is brown, no leaves on the trees, and mild weather. I miss the cancelled school due to snow or when schools would let out early due to an approaching blizzard! Those were the days! Then we could all jump on snowmobiles and let the games begin! Even now I get excited when the school kids get out!

Or how about the times when we were snowed in and forced to replay with our new Christmas gifts that the new had worn off of.

Luckily (for my sanity) while we were up north for the holidays we got some snow! Cat may have been more nervous about the winter storm/snowpocalyspe forecast than an approaching hurricane, but I was chomping at the bit to see how much snow we would get and then go frolic in it!

Another great part of the chilly winter weather is that everyone seems to slow down a little bit. The trips to town are fewer, we stay home to eat, and everyone seems to gather in one place, usually around a fireplace wrapped in a thick soft blanket.

Since it was only tolerable to go outside for a few minutes at a time, it provided many opportunities to play with our nieces Hunter and Sophie. The expected winter storm was supposed to be a real humdinger, so my sister and her family all came to our parent's home and brought the girl's Christmas gifts! The power was expected to go out, roads close, and get pretty nasty. We all thought that we would just be under one roof and brave the storm together.

Sitting by the crackling fireplace we played with the new Lego sets that Santa brought. I must say, Lego sets have become much more sophisticated. I was both impressed and angered by the change, because I still think that the old school Legos are better.

After we finished building the dollhouse, I grabbed my new Contax and took a few pictures. This way I could relive the cold weather when the Texas outdoors turn in to a sauna.