I’m notorious for losing my iPhone. I’ve left it in restaurants, jacket pockets, friend’s cars, parking lots, and more.

Sometime ago I nicknamed by iPhone “Lassie,” because I always need him to come home.

On a recent trip to L.A., Lassie went on his own adventure.

I’m not quite sure how it happened. I remember tossing Lassie into my purse as Leif dropped me off at Orange County Airport. Lassie must have made a run for it. He was gone, gone, gone.

I searched. I scoured. I hunted. Zilch.

While sitting near the departure gate, my name echoed over the loudspeaker. I returned to security in hope they had found Lassie.

Instead, they’d found my driver’s license.

Leif and I used to feel bad for these kinds of everyday oopsies!, but a few years ago, we realized such self-defeating attitudes weren’t helpful. We decided to celebrate our everyday slip-ups by saying, “I’m awesome!” (A tactic to Fight Back With Joy)

In a matter of a few minutes, I was so awesome, I’d lost my iPhone and driver’s license—not even realized the latter.

Leif and I held out hope that maybe the phone had slipped in our checked luggage.

When we arrived home to Colorado, we checked every bag. No luck.

On the drive home, Leif said we should try to use the “Find My Friends” app to see if we could locate the phone.

This is what we saw:

The screen revealed Lassie playing hooky and drinking a caramel macchiato outside of Starbucks… in LA.

I called Orange County Airport and they sent out multiple officers to go track down Lassie. They found him at Delta Baggage Claim.

We called UPS to have Lassie shipped home. I screenshotted photos using the Find My Friends app along the way.

Lassie swung by Party City.

He must have had a hankerin’ for Papa John’s.

After a long night, he landed safely at Centennial Airport in Colorado.

On his way home, Lassie stopped to play a round of golf.

And explore a nearby neighborhood.

Then this sweet woman brought Lassie home.

Lassie’s energy lasted until the moment he arrived home. That’s when his battery died. But it was fun to track his adventures.

The secret to finding your phone before you lose it is to download the “Find my Friends” app.

Connect with your roommate, best friend, spouse, Then you can know when your Lassie has run off and what kind of shenanigans he might be getting himself into.

Thanks UPS.

*Original Photo Source

What’s your favorite app on your phone?

Has Find My Friends ever helped you get your phone home?