Closeness

How do you define closeness? I often struggle with this question since my parents live in Missouri and I, obviously, live very far away. My mother and I have a very close relationship. We've always talked every day and recently it's been several times a day. She is really one of my best friends and it is so hard when I talk to her and she says, "oh - I wish that you were here. If you were, we could go to get some coffee and catch up" (as if we really have anything else to 'catch up' on, but that's another story).

My younger sister, Kelly, lives here in Atlanta, too. It's nice when my parents drive here (yes, they drive the entire 11 hour trip without any complaints) because we can all do things together - with my parents, Dennis, and my sister. Echo gets to hang with us, too. The Griswolds do Atlanta.

My mom and I often talk about how it would be nice to live near each other. Obviously that would make the whole going-out-to-get-coffee-thing a lot easier. I can tell that she is jealous when I tell her that Dennis and I saw the Martins or that we dropped by their house for a few minutes. So I came up with a solution that makes me feel a little bit better, and her as well.

It's all about the minutes. The minutes we spend on the phone together. The minutes we spend together when they stay with us for an entire weekend or when Dennis and I stay with them in Missouri. There are tons of minutes that we spend together each day, really. So we are both trying to focus on the minutes and not the miles.

Dennis and I have talked about moving closer to my family, but I don't think that is in the cards for us right now. We need to do what is best for us as a couple and right now there isn't a good reason to move. Plus, I love being close to Dennis' family, my sister, and all of our friends. We're in a very good place right now and who knows what the future will bring. But, for right now, we'll just focus on the minutes and enjoy the 11 hour drive.