Let's Stay in Touch!

After graduation, my friends scattered to the winds. So when I saw this article on 10 Ways to Stay in Touch with Your Long-Distance BFFs, I was understandably stoked.  Shortly thereafter, I was frankly disappointed!

"Write on her Facebook wall/Twitter page"?  "Leave a voicemail"?  "Remember her birthday"?  Really? We're assuming that we're actually friends with this person, right?  Okay, sure. You do need to do these things to stay friends from afar.  But let's get more creative!

Here's my list of (Fun) Ways to Stay in Touch with Far-flung Friends:

Say it with a song.
Sure, you can spam your favorite gal's wall with enough "I miss yous" to keep the bonds of friendship alive.  But why not go Broadway musical on her? Record a video of you singing My Heart Will Go On ("far across the distance and spaces betweeeeeen us...")/500 Miles/her favorite jam and post that on her Facebook/Twitter. Much better.

Send a care package!
I'm shocked this one didn't make the original list.  I like to fill up a box with Lisa Frank stickers (available on Etsy if you aren't still hoarding your 4th grade collection), mix cds, used books, nail polish, baked goods, and whatever other bits and baubles catch my eye.

Theme it up.  Only purple items?  4th of July theme (complete with sparklers!) for a patriotic pal? Stress relief in a box with homemade scrub, bubble bath and scented candles? The possibilities are endless. Never forget the most important part of any care package-- a handwritten note!

Set up a private blog.  
Our group of ladies from college share a password-protected blog.  It's excellent for sharing life updates and hilarious links en masse.  And that cutie you kissed at the bar last night?  Thank goodness for a safe space to spill all the juicy details with the girls.

Long distance book club.
Self-explanatory?  Pick a book, read it, talk about it.

Sisterhood of the Traveling...
I don't have any mystical every-body-type-fitting pants.  Do you?

Never fear.  There's plenty of other non-magical items at our disposal.  I'm a fan of passing around a funny little figurine (a la Amelie's gnome).  Friend A takes a picture of your inanimate comrade in an interesting place, pastes the photo into an album, and mails both to Friend B. B to C; C to D; D to A.You get the idea. The stranger/more clever the settings, the better the game.

Host virtual movie dates.
Set up a Skype conference call.  Put on your favorite movie (or t.v. show or whatever) and watch together.  All the commentary and giggles you love through the miracle of video chat.  

And dance parties.
Two options. Numero Uno: video chat in on a real-time dance-off. Easy. Or, two: pick a song, everyone makes a video of getting down with her bad self, share.  Hilarious either way.

Establish a ritual.
Email each other a song a day.  A favorite quote each Monday morning.  Every April 15th (or October 4th or January 26th) is Besties Day-- your time to get together and finally hang out in person (My dad and his best friends have met up at the Indy 500 every Memorial Day for at least 15 years. An awesome tradition!).  Whatever suits your relationship and tastes.  But make something regular and worth looking forward to.

Twin day!
Remember how cool it was in elementary school when you and your girl wore matching outfits?  Megan and I always topped off our Limited Too ensembles with a chic friendship necklace. It was a metal cartoon cow on a black cord. We swore to never take them off. Not even in the shower. We were awesome.

Bring back the awesome!  Plan a twin day, chose your outfits, and share some snapshots.  And, since your friend is now your long distance friend-- no awkward moments!  Twin Day is your little secret.

What about you guys?  How do you keep it close across the miles?