You know we love handwritten notes here at The Traveling Journal so when we saw this incredible story of a teacher who remembers each of his students with a handwritten letter on their birthday, we were seriously impressed! Watch this story and you’ll see why Dan Stroup, an eighth grade teacher from Indianapolis, is our hero!

Are you thankful for your long distance friends? Then prove it this holiday season by starting a new tradition– the tradition of The Traveling Journal! To encourage long distance friends to get going with their journal journies we’ve slashed the price on our most popular product just in time for Cyber Monday! The Traveling Journal Starter Kit is now just $17.99! Get everything you need to start this fun friendship tradition in one cute package! Give a gift that really means something this holiday season– give your long distance friends a Traveling Journal!

Earlier this summer four of us (minus Morgenne) met up at Dawn’s new home just outside of Tampa, Florida. It was a special time to reconnect, laugh hysterically and make lots of new memories. We managed to fit in a trip to Sea World, some beach time and three movies while we were there. Dawn somehow flushed her car keys down a movie theater toilet which made for an interesting evening! At another theater (which was in the middle of nowhere!) we were the only ones at the showing, but the fire alarm kept going off! It was all quite funny and I’m sure we will be laughing about it for years to come.

Since I am expecting my first baby in a few short weeks I knew this would be my last girls trip for quite a while. Even though the girls haven’t been able to see me on a regular basis I’ve tried hard to keep them involved in this exciting time. Each week I text them photos of my growing bump and it’s nice to know that they can be a part of this experience even though they are in different states.

While we were in Florida they also threw me a little baby shower complete with yummy cake and a sweet present! It was so special knowing that they planned ahead and organized this event since they aren’t able to come to my official baby shower in South Carolina. I guess that’s what long distance friends do– they find other ways to be a part of each other’s lives and special events when distance gets in the way.

Are you planning any great girl trips for 2012? Or have you taken any so far this year?

There seems to be a day for just about everything– so why not best friends? Best Friends Day officially falls on June 8 every year. This year that happens to be next Friday! It’s a great time to devote your attention to your best friend– or best friends if you’re lucky enough! And as we know very well here at The Traveling Journal, best friends don’t always get to share the same zip code. So if your best friends are long distance I suggest honoring that friendship by kicking off a new tradition, one of the shared Traveling Journal.

I’m happy to report that I’ll be spending Best Friends Day with my best friends! That doesn’t happen very often and in fact I haven’t had the chance to see most of them since last summer. I did get the opportunity to see Dawn back in November for a quick double date, but that’s definitely not enough girl time.

On Saturday we’ll all be descending on Tampa, Florida from our corners of the world. Tonya will fly in from California, Melly from Iowa and I’ll be driving down from South Carolina. We have a fun week planned that includes a lot of relaxing, eating and even a visit to Sea World! Since I am entering my third trimester of pregnancy the girls were nice enough to choose a less adventurous theme park for our excursion! Thanks girls!

So tell me, how will you be honoring your friendships on Best Friends Day?

Have you caught the new NBC show Best Friends Forever? It’s about long distance friends Jessica and Lennon. When Jessica is overnighted divorce papers, Lennon convinces her to move back to Brooklyn into the apartment they once shared. Soon they are back to their old selves, with the exception of Lennon’s live-in boyfriend, Joe.

The show has been on for a few weeks, but I just caught it for the first time last night. One of my favorite characters in the show is the precocious nine-year-old neighbor, Queenetta who is not shy about handing out dating advice including the Jessica’s need for Spanx. I’ll definitely be adding this to my list of Wednesday night must-watch shows since Jessica and Lennon remind me of my own long distance friends.

I read an interesting article a couple weeks ago. It was about 29-year-old Rachel Bertsche’s search for a best friend. She moved to Chicago in 2007 with her husband. They knew very few people and relocated to the city for jobs. Bertsche tried different ways of finding friends through friendship websites and yoga classes. Every week for an entire year she made dates with potential BFFs with hopes of finding “the one.”

She writes about the experience in a new book “MWF Seeking BFF: My Year-long Search for a New Best Friend.” She told the Chicago Tribune “Friendship is such an important aspect of our lives. But we tend to think of friendship as a luxury– something we fit into our lives if we have time after career and family.”

The world may be preoccupied with romantic love, but it’s friendship that is often just as coveted. While our spouses are seen as the main entree, our female friends are seen as a decorative garnish. What do you think? Does the world put too little emphasis on the importance of friendship?

You and your girlfriends probably have your fair share of crazy stories. Those nutty times are what create your friendship history. They’re what you laugh about over glasses of wine. They’re what remind you that you haven’t always been a mature adult. They serve as a gentle nudge you that you’re human and interesting. One of those stories for me happened during one of our first girl trips in Las Vegas. My friends and I were in a hot air balloon crash. I could try to relive the experience for you, but instead I’ll direct you to Travelated.com, which recently ran a story on our high flying experience. I thought writer Rachael did a great job– she had me laughing about the unforgettable (and somewhat unbelievable!) experience all over again.

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Welcome to 2012! Plenty of people resolve to drop ten pounds, drink more water or take up a new skill. Those are great goals for your personal health and well being, but so is resolving to stay in touch with long distance friends. Did one of your pals move away in 2011? Perhaps a job took them to another state or maybe they decided to study painting in Paris. Don’t let the distance destroy your friendship. Resolve to be a better friend in 2012.

One way to do that is by starting a traveling journal. We promise if you start this tradition in 2012 when you’re toasting the arrival of 2017 or 2022 you’ll be so glad you did! You’ll be creating a handwritten memoir of your friendship– something you will forever cherish.

Experts say that the key to achieving those New Year’s resolutions is to put simple steps behind them. Rather than vaguely promising to be a better friend create an action step of starting a traveling journal. Grab a Fernanda or a Jessica Journal, pick out some fabulous accessories, and by the end of the year you’ll be looking back at all you’ve accomplished. You’ll have a journal that’s well on its way to becoming a treasured heirloom and you’ll have a dear friendship. And few things in life are worth more than that.

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We are once again participating in Free Shipping Day! This year it is held on Friday, December 16. Shipping is free with every order over $25, no coupon code required. Please keep in mind that we can’t gaurantee delivery by Christmas on our Jessica or Edwina journal lines. However, all other products are ready to ship. Please let us know if you have any questions and Merry Christmas!

I just had to share this with you. If you’re looking for a cool way to connect with your long distance love you’ll definitely want to check this out. Pillow Talk is is currently in development, but the idea is that each person would wear a ring sensor to bed at night. The ring then wirelessly communicates with their partner’s pillow, no matter where they are. When one person goes to sleep, their partner’s pillow begins to glow softly. When you put your head on the pillow you’ll actually be able to hear your long distance love’s heartbeat. Isn’t that cool? Would you buy one?

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