Munchkin's family does not live in the same town as our family. While they lived in the same state when we placed, it was on the opposite side of a very, very wide one. To top it off, I moved another hour away, into the middle of Ohio. That means our visits aren't as simple as picking up the phone, saying, "Want to meet for lunch," and getting in the car.

There's the looking at the calendar, two or three times. Rescheduling because you forgot that x-kid has y-appointment on z-date that falls, of course, directly in the middle of initially planned visit. There's deciding whether to fly (much quicker but more expensive) or drive (muuuch longer and, depending on gas prices, not always the cheaper option... if you have a gas guzzling Jeep). Of course, there's also the decision of who is going in what direction: are we going there this time or are they coming here? And packing. (Side note: I hate packing and will put it off until the last possible minute which only creates, you guessed it, more stress.)

Sounds complicated, doesn't it? And it is. But even though it involves saving money for trips, a lot of communication back and forth and a good deal of planning (and some, gulp, patience), our trips are always worth it. In fact, I enjoy the planning phase. (Not that I'm obsessive about planning or anything... ) I enjoy trying to figure out what meals I can make, for an entire week, that will feed the lot of us, that everyone will enjoy. (I'm making enchiladas this time around. SO GOOD!) I enjoy trying to think up things that will keep three young children occupied during the day. I enjoy thinking of how D and I should spend our (minimal) free time together (you know, at midnight when all the kids are finally asleep).

What I'm trying to say is that even though long distances can seem too difficult to handle when it comes to open adoptions with visits, it can be done. In my next post, I'll give you some tips on how to make it seem a bit easier and less of a "chore." Some of it is simple travel advice. Some of it is specifically open adoption related advice. But together, it should help those of you who lives a good distance apart in planning your visits.

(PS - If you have any recipes, kid-friendly, that feed a lot of people, hit me up!)