Seeing is Believing

After going on hiatus for a week for my sister's wedding in Arizona, I returned to the "Valley" with a large amount of stress off of my back and a pit in my stomach. I only have one sister and this past weekend she became the most beautiful bride I have ever seen in my life. As the older sister, I still feel like she is 10 years old. Maybe I am in denial. At times I don't want her to get old because then she might no longer be that sweet little girl, my best friend and side kick who laughs at all of my silliness and can still cry on my shoulder.

Regardless, I learned so much on our trip and was pleased to find that no matter where we are in our lives, my sister and I can still be as silly together as we were when we were little and cry on each others shoulders as much now as we once did or even will when we are 75. While I might have had to say goodbye and leave her back in Arizona (hence the pit in my stomach), knowing that I am leaving her with a great man (aka my new brother-in-law) is comforting. Additionally, if we are being honest, most of the stress stayed in Arizona as well as the wedding came to a close - particularly dropping about 95% of it following my matron of honor speech! But it still didn't make leaving any easier.

If you have a relative or best friend who is living far away, you can understand the heartache that can accompany leaving them. It can be like in the old movies when one person gets on the train and there is that dramatic goodbye scene of the train pulling away and the person at the station running down the street after the train waving goodbye. For me, every time I say goodbye to her is like that. You just want a few more seconds together - even if it means running after the train! To make this whole dramatic goodbye easier, especially since I believe that you cannot really get the full sense of how a person is feeling by just talking over the phone, the Skype program has been a life-changing discovery for me.

Really, all you need is a computer with a web cam and an Internet connection and voila you are talking face-to-face. The best part is that it is a free service! If you have an Internet connection, all you need to do is register, find other friends and family who have Skype accounts and then give them a call! If you do not have a web cam, it also works as a free Internet phone service. I can be fairly good when it comes to technology, however this service is extremely easy to use... even my Grandmother has an account!

As the technology improves, other applications are now available through Skype such as the

application for iphones - which can be used for those who have the iphone with video camera! Skype also provides chatting (my mom uses this a lot) and photo posting and taking abilities.

On another note, many media outlets are now using Skype to assist in providing video feeds quickly and efficiently when a camera crew is unable to get out to the location. Oprah even has been using it lately with some of her guests! Since there are minimum requirements and the service itself is free, Skype offers the media a very affordable option particularly when needed at the last minute for news coverage, interviews, etc.

Overall, I find Skype to be an amazing program that helps keep me in tune with long distance relationships and is great at helping me keep tabs on what my little nephew in Arizona is doing since he is changing so much everyday! Want to check it out for yourself? Go to http://www.skype.com/ and sign up! Its only takes a few minutes but just remember that when you do call someone that they will see you so please do us all a favor and make sure your decent before hitting the call button! My sister and I might not be able to see each other in person often but now with Skype I can "see" her as often as I want. Just another little thing that helps break down the distance and the hard parts of saying goodbye.