A little more than three months ago, something awful happened: My beloved iPhone became irretrievably lost. 

We were on vacation in Ocean Isle Beach, NC with my family. This was Lucy's first beach vacation, and we were excited to document it all, so we invested in a Lifeproof waterproof iPhone case so we could get some good photos and videos. And we did. The case worked great, and if that's something you're in the market for, I recommend it with one small caveat: If you're going to invest $50-80 in a waterproof case for your iPhone so you can take photos and videos out in the ocean, you might want to splurge and spend the extra cash and invest in the floating case that goes with it. Because let me tell you something: That ocean can be a bastard. All it took was one particularly nasty wave and it's the last you'll see of that multi-hundred dollar piece of electronics. In memoriam, here is the last photo ever taken by that phone, of Lucy going for a ride with cousins Emma and Will.

Needless to say, I was pretty upset about this loss. When I had purchased it only six months prior, I was pretty certain that was going to be my phone for the next 2-3 years. I have typically upgraded each year, but I felt that the iPhone 4s was finally at the point where I would be content with its features longterm. So when it went into the drink, there was absolutely a mourning period. Despite offers, I couldn't bring myself to use the older model iPhones that some friends kindly offered, instead opting for an old-school, circia 2007 non-smartphone to tide me over the three long months until the next iPhone model would surely be announced. I also justified it by recognizing that the $30 I would save each month on the iPhone data plan would put me that much closer to saving the amount necessary to buy the soon-to-be brand new model.

A funny thing happened over the course of the past three months, though. I've kind of enjoyed not being as connected as I once was. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of features that I still absolutely love about the iPhone -- especially when travelling -- like the maps, Facetime video chat, and having my music collection on hand at all times. But I've equally enjoyed not getting notified immediately whenever I get a new email or feeling the need to document my meal on Instagram. In fact, the date nights that January and I have been out on since losing the iPhone have been some of the most enjoyable in years, partly due to the fact that I wasn't nose-deep in technology half of the evening.

That said, I'm pretty conficted about today's Apple event, presumably announcing the new iPhone. The rumored features don't really excite me all that much, but that's never really stopped me from upgrading in the past. With the absence of my iPhone, my first-generation iPad has taken on a new level of importance as my portable connection to the Internet.  I think I'm going to take a "wait and see" approach to see if the rumors about a smaller "iPad mini" being announced next month pan out. In a perfect world, Apple would release an updated iPod touch with a decent camera (at least 720p video, please) and at least 3G data capabilities. I don't really need the phone part of the iPhone, but the data connection and camera are a must if I'm going to spend that money.

Until then, I'll be carrying around my dumb-phone, texting T9 style, and rocking my circa 2004 iPod Photo for my music needs. I'm just old school, I guess.