keep in better touch with friends & family

And I’m a day behind in posting here, but not a day behind in touched bases, I’m pleased to say!

Already this week I have phoned both my mother and my younger sister, and spoken with Lizzy. I called Tami, too, but got her answering machine. I will try again.

During the rest of the week, I must remember to update my LJ (only once this week, because on Friday, directly after school, we’re picking the boys up and going camping for the long weekend—hurrah!)

I will also email Erika, actually speak with Tami, and really, honestly, this time, email Ravi (I found something to write about!)

Emailed Tami and Angelle.
Spoke with my mother again.

Did not connect with older sister.
Dug out Post Cards, but Saturday came and went without a visit to the post office. Gotta fix that next week!

This week so far I have

Updated my LJ once (goal is 2)
Phoned my parents twice (goal is 3)
Called my kid sister several times, but connected once (goal!) and called my older sister, but got her voicemail (fail.)
Emailed Erika AND phoned her (goal was to email.)
AND CONNECTED WITH LIZZY!!! (YaY!)

Still need to email Tami and Ravi and Angelle, get ahold of Tara, send those postcards, and fill in those last couple of calls/posts.

So, I am pleased to report that I accomplished almost ALL of my minigoals for last week’s keeping in touch. I called my parents and younger sister MORE times than I’d told myself I had to. I spoke on the phone with my older sister and Tami and Erika. I did email Angelle (multiple times.) I also called Kitty on the 5th to wish her Happy Birthday, but Lizzy wasn’t home to receive similar salutations. I keep crashing into her voicemail pouts but I did leave a message.
I did not update my LJ 3 times, only twice. Still, that’s pretty darned good for a week we have the kids. I did not email Ravi, but I did finally read the entire email that he sent (the one that, upon receiving it, I read the first line of, got mad, and logged out.)

This week’s list:
Email Ravi.
Call my parents 3 times.
Call my sisters both at least once.
Call Tami.
Email Erika and Angelle.
Attempt to connect with Liz during the week.
Send Kelly a post card. Send Gramma a postcard.
Update my LJ at least twice.

Called Tami last night, and we talked for AGES. We had much to discuss, it turned out, regarding our respective educational futures and current events in our lives.
I DID update my LJ yesterday, too. I have to update it again today to be able to complete my goal of three times this week, though.
Called Erika today (she called me back last night, but I was on the phone with Tami and she was about to head out, so I promised to call today.) We talked for an hour, during which she was integral in helping me do some problem-solving think-throughs regarding some issues to come up his summer. She also gave me the greatest idea for Mother’s Day laughs as I’d been struggling with what to buy for my mother since I’d already picked something up for Dad for Father’s Day, and already mailed their anniversary gift.

I’m still struggling with writing to Ravi. Our last correspondance was not on a good note. I still have… 9 more hours to do it, though.

Called Erika today, but got her answering machine.
Called my kid sister last night, too, so she’s taken care of according to my goals, though we intend to try to reach eachother on Saturday.
Will be updating my LJ as soon as I’ve done a bit of tidying in my livingroom (MUCH to update!) I’ve sat down to do it a couple of times, then been distracted by something else pressing.
Still need to call Tami and email Ravi, but otherwise seem to have done most of my week’s contact goals.

addendum to goals for this week: this weekend May 5 is my friend Kitty’s birthday, and Sunday the 6th is my friend Lizzy’s birthday, so phone calls are in order!

Yesterday, my older sister phoned me. We talked for an hour, catching up and discussing how busy our lives were and that we needed to phone eachother, still. We agreed that phoning is the better choice, since writing (although it can be done in snippets and bits, and as lovely as it is to get letters in the mail) is difficult for me these days with the tendonitis.

It was a great catch-up.

We talked about all the lists we have, all the things we have to do, and how incredibly busy a person gets running a household. No one understands that ‘til they try to do it.

My mother phoned me in the late afternoon (because we hadn’t been able to finish our conversation from Monday), and I 3-wayed in my kid sister (connected, hurrah!) and we all chatted for about half an hour before Blair and his mother and the kids all got home and it was time for me to go and serve dinner (which I’d been cooking during the phonecall. Handy to have someone else to watch a clock for ya when there isn’t one hanging in your kitchen!)

I updated my LJ last night, so that’s one of three for the week taken care of.
I emailed Angelle (YaY!)
I also commented in Tami’s LJ, which is sortof like an email.
I wrote the draft for the letter to my older sister, but the tendonitis in my wrist insisted that I couldn’t write out the good copy quite yet. I’ll be getting on that today.
All of these are good things, positive, and moving in the right direction.
I tried phoning my parents, and even connected, but the 10 year old decided to throw a temper tantrum, so I had to cut the call short.
I phoned my kid sister and got her answering machine.

Still, it’s only Tuesday. A lot can get accomplished in a week.

This is something I’ve been struggling with since I moved to the Yukon. I have a fiance and two step-sons to take care of now, and I’m finding it difficult to maintain the level of contact that I used to when living away from friends and family before.

I need to get back into writing letters, calling people, and updating my livejournal ( http://gategypsy.livejournal.com ) ... but where to find the time??

Today is Monday. This week I will make it my mini-goal to phone my parents at least twice, my kid sister once, write a letter to my older sister, write an email to my friend Ravi, phone Tami and Erika, and email Angelle. All that AND update my LJ THREE times.

Now, let’s find out how much of that gets done, eh?