Time Zoning Out

Part of why Melissa and I are doing this blog is to connect with friends and family, but also with each other. We haven’t spoken on the phone in many, many months…I dare say we’re coming up on a year. We try to call, but inevitably, it goes to voice mail. When it’s naptime here, it’s dinnertime there. When it’s after bedtime there, it’s dinnertime here. When it’s after bedtime here, it’s just too late there…and so on and so on.

So, this has made me think about how I connect with my other friends and family. Of course we find the time to call our parents, that’s a given. Besides, they’re genetically predisposed to tolerate a whiny grand-kid for at least a few minutes.

Here’s a run down of the rest of the zones:


Hawaiian: Pretty much Facebook only. I love that my Hawaii friends are always the first to comment on a late-night photo or post. We have a few missed phone calls here or there, but Facebook is pretty much the main mode of communication.

Pacific:
As far as local friends go, it’s strictly texts to plan the next meet-up or say that you’re running late. No need for in-depth conversations as we usually get that in person.

Mountain:
Meredith and I have to good fortune (or not) of having kids exactly the same age and we’re only going from Pacific Time to Mountain Time. Her day mirrors my day somewhat, so we are actually able to talk quite a bit. A rarity but also somewhat of a necessity for our own sanity, given the task at hand.

Central:
Heidi and I leave long voice mail messages for each other about once a month, even though our husbands talk several times a week (seriously ridiculous, those two). Our husbands keep us in the loop with each other, which is so not fair. Cameron, also Central, and I send each other quick messages during our Words with Friends games (I still don’t know what “qi” means, but it’s my favorite scrabble word this week) or grab an occasional ten-minute chat on her drive home from work. I think her kids accidentally call me sometimes, but hey, I’ll take it! 

Eastern:
My brother and sister-in-law are in the same time zone as Melissa, so it’s lots of texting and maybe an occasional iChat on the weekends.  We talk about plans to get together in the future, but then we each get caught up in the cross-country travel logistics with our very, very small children. One more year and I think it’ll be easier for a lot of reasons.


I know communication has changed in general, with texting, Facebook, Skype, and email (although, I use email mainly for online shopping receipts now), but I’m also curious how other families  with really little kids and friends stay connected with each other across time zones and generations when visits are few and far between. I’m hoping this blog will help me keep in touch better, but I’d love to hear what you all have to say...