Thanks for the quick replies. I'm having my good days and my bad days (with my sister leaving and with my depression). My mom and I did get the chance to have an 'outing' with my sister yesterday. It actually made me feel a little better. We went shopping in Chicago and had a nice lunch together. I have dealt with her being far before when she was in college, but never for such a long period of time. My sister, my mom, and I are kind of like the three musketeers and hopefully we can all be strong and get through this. I like your idea of sending little gifts every month (ECHOES), I think that will help me adjust to the situation easier.