Absence makes the heart grow fonder. - Eleanor Roosevelt

I can totally relate, Eleanor.

Since I left home when I was 18 years old my life's constantly been about catching airplanes.

It would be funny to know the total number of air miles I've made so far.

To me it has become normal to catch an airplane in order to see my family and friends. Of course, the time spent together then is extraordinarily intense.

They are living all over the world, but...

Distance means little when they mean so much!

@surfermarly on her way to the neighbour island

Fly me to the moon!

Actually I'm afraid of heights.

That's surely not the very best point of departure for somebody who needs to travel by airplane frequently.

However, since catching airplanes has become part of my routine, I somehow manage to forget about that detail.

After changing my home base again last year, currently I don't have any of my best friends close to me.

That's surely a considerable sacrifice, and of course there are moments when I challenge my own decision.

But sometimes we can't have it all.

The joy of being reunited is priceless 💗

@surfermarly with her buddy for life named Tommy

I've been afraid of dogs all my life since I made a bad experience at the age of 2.

Our neighbour's dog attacked me when I was very little.

It seemed that this moment was safely stored in my memory. I was unable to come close to any dog, I was full of fear.

So I kept them on a certain distance.

A couple of years ago my mom decided on having a dog. It was a strange feeling for me.

I knew that visiting my mom from now on would include having a dog around.

But then something really magical happened. Golden Retrievers are some of the most friendly dogs in the world, and I really fell in love with him from the very first moment.

Since then we're inseparable and I really enjoy being with him.

So funnily a dog is part of my inner circle now, something I wouldn't have ever imagined a couple of years back.

My mom keeps me updated on how he's doing. However, sometimes talking on the phone isn't enough. Every 2-3 months I just can't stand the yearning anymore. That's when I book another flight.

When I need to hug them, I take an airplane 😍

My very best and longest friend - since 27 years (that's the moment when I notice I'm getting old, haha)

The guy with the white shirt in the back is my best friend's husband, singer and band leader.

This was last Saturday, and that's actually my favourite way of being a groupie in the front row 😆

It was one of these wonderful summer nights. We listened to the music, talked, danced, had some beers and simply enjoyed being together again.

The concert was the high point of an already perfect day. In the morning I went shopping with my mom which is always a lot of fun, too.

You know that it's summer when you try these 👡👡

@surfermarly shopping some new sandals

I don't spend much money on shoes since I wear flip-flops almost all the time 😃

When I was living in Germany I wore high heels at the office. Weird! Because now I don't even know how to walk one meter in these, haha

The afternoon was much fun, too. I came to my best friend's house where her two-year-old son was supposed to entertain me in a special manner - like he always does.

What he taught me is that ice cream needs to be earned, haha!

First we did a great painting session - well he did and I tried to somehow control the situation (however most of the colors ended on our t-shirts 🙄🙄🙄 - LOL).

YES we love getting dirty, haha!

Ice cream for the hard working artists mmmmmh

Family time is quality time, and I always enjoy every minute of it.

Since I don't have them close all the time, I'm like a sponge absorbing every second of our shared time and filling my memory with beautiful impressions.

Probably that makes our connections even stronger. We know how to appreciate the moments we have.

I'm grateful for every day of these 27 years of friendship.

True friendship isn't about being inseparable, it's being separated and nothing changes.

I hope you're having your besties closer than I do.
Have a great day, steemians 💗

Marly -

Original content, pictures taken with my iPhone 6.