Moving Cards!

Yesterday we talked about friends moving, and how it is difficult to stay in touch. When my old friend David moved to Texas, I wanted to show him how much we would miss him, since he left when things were a little hectic and we didn't have a full out goodbye. Instead of buying a generic card (which are great if you need a quick card!), I decided to put my free time to some use and make a moving card. This way, when he got to his new apartment, there would be mail waiting for him. And who doesn't love getting mail?!

YOU WILL NEED:

1 pad water-color paper (8 X 12 in)

Set of watercolors

Package of greeting card envelopes (approx. 4 X 5 in)

Sharpie Fine Point permanent marker in black

Pencil

Extra strong eraser

Ruler

I traced a square that was 4 inches by 5 inches. Within the bottom left section, I free-handed a generously rough outline of a U.S. map. (By no means is this exact!) Using a black fine point Sharpie, I retraced lightly to ensure no bleed-through, and then erased over the entire square to get rid of any lurking pencil marks.

 I then watercolored Texas (the state to which David is moving) and also watercolored Wisconsin (the state he is leaving). David has always said he is going to live all over the place; he wants to see more. This way, as he travels, he can fill in every state. Kind of a color by number of where he has lived.

 The final product is pretty cute, with Hawaii and Alaska on the back. Now, I won't be doing this every week, but it's a great little gift that shows you care. Bonus, it's pretty low on time commitment, and you'll have plenty of leftover materials for future cards!

When Friends Move

One of my best friends recently moved all the way to Texas for an internship that has the potential of becoming a job. Of course, I'm incredibly proud of him, but I'm also a little saddened that he is so very far away. While we were at different colleges for several years, there was always that comfort of knowing every break we'd be in the same hometown; if we really wanted to get together, it was feasible. Now, flying down to Dallas just to talk about "Arrested Development" over hoagies is not the most practical plan.

So my question is this: When friends move, how do you stay friends? Does your relationship change dramatically? How does this logistically work? Do you call, Skype, send letters, text? I'd love your suggestions.

Obviously, we can't just meet up for tea anymore. I sent him a fun card for moving, but in all honesty, I will not be sending things by post every week. We also Skype occasionally, and are Facebook friends like everyone in the world, but I'm hoping to figure out this whole long distance friendship thing.

I'd appreciate your advice here. As friends graduate, is it natural to just drift apart? How do you continue those strong bonds from high school and college?

P.S. I found this photo on Pinterest, but can't seem to find the source. Anyone know it's origin?