I’m Back! January 9, 2008

Hi Everybody!
Happy New Year!

Can you believe it’s been almost a whole month since I’ve checked in with you guys?
I feel so super guilty about that but I promise I will be better about writing now that I am back into a regular routine.

The holidays really threw me for a loop schedule wise…
then I was out of town for the past two weeks.

But now I am back and slowly getting back into the swing of things. Have you ever taken time off from work and then felt out of whack when you eventually came back? Yep. You know exactly what I’m talking about then.

My husband and I spent Christmas here with his family and then we went overseas to visit my younger brother.

I’ll tell you more about that in a minute but first I have to tell you about something one of my best girlfriends said to me yesterday that ties in perfectly with my visit with my brother.

I think I may have mentioned to you before that I have a younger brother and we are very very close, best friends in fact. I am of that age where it seems ALL of my girlfriends are having babies and now most of them are already on baby #2. I was the last one to get married and no doubt I’ll be the last to have babies too…I think I’m just a late bloomer! Anyway, my one girlfriend who is pregnant with baby #2 said to me yesterday that when she found out she was pregnant with her second she immediately thought about my brother and I as it relates to her children. She said that no matter what happens she was thrilled that her two children will always have each other to lean on and always have a best friend. That made my heart melt.

She’s so right. My brother and I are exactly 5 years and three days apart. His name is Randy. My family calls me Sandy. Get it? Sandy, Randy. Randy, Sandy. I know it’s totally geeky but that’s what my mom wanted. As kids we were inseparable. Then like most other siblings we fought like cats and dogs through the awkward years and then came around full circle to being best friends again. Last year he walked me down the aisle. I’d be lost without him.

I’ve been really thinking so much about this for the last couple of days. I think as we all get older, our siblings and family matter more than ever.

Last year my brother took a job overseas in London. To see him move that far away broke my heart. I know he has to live his own life, but I was just so sorry to watch my best buddy move so far away. I knew I wouldn’t be able to just pick up the phone to call him at any time of day or night no matter what, or hop on a short flight to see his face or just have dinner with him then fly back.

So after Christmas my husband and I zipped off to London to see him! We hadn’t seen him in more than a year! It was an incredible visit that I’ll never forget. I’m a total shutterbug…I snapped more than 800 pictures.

The whole time we were there I couldn’t have been any happier. Until we left. My heart just broke. For those of you who don’t live near your family, your brothers and sisters, you know exactly what I mean. It’s just heart wrenching. I cried the night before our flight Then the morning of our flight. Then on the plane home. I felt so bad for my husband he didn’t know how to console me. He tried his best to cheer me up.

It’s so hard to be apart from family and friends. I am always looking for new ways to cope with being apart from loved ones. It’s never easy.

That’s why I was curious to hear from you and find out what you think.

How do you cope with being apart from your loved ones? What sort of ways do you keep in touch? I can’t wait to read and post all of your responses. It’s good to be back.

Sandra