Silver Linings: Kids Live Far Away? Go Visit Them

I just spent the weekend with my daughter Amie, who lives near Santa Barbara, California. It's our annual mother-daughter get together at her place. Yeah, during the rest of the year, we email and text all the time, and I probably talk to her twice a week. But nothing beats hugs in person. When she got her dream job 10 years ago (since she was a kid, I knew it was coming), I made up my mind I'd make the best of it. Since then, I've seen a lot of Southern California, and also Yosemite, Monterey, the Sierra Nevada, and more. This weekend we picnicked at our favorite winery (Sunstone) in Santa Ynez, lunched in San Luis Obispo, hiked along the coast near Morro Bay, and visited the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. We ate in, ate out, watched movies, popped popcorn, got some exercise, and went wine tasting. I had more time to myself than I had had in a while and she got a break from work. My son-in-law, Todd, joined us on many outings; it was such fun to have him along. Yes, my kid lives far away, but the silver linings are terrific...