It has been SIXTEEN years since I have seen my niece. How can that possibly be?

On a cross-country road trip in 2010, we detoured to Illinois to get to know my middle brother's girls better. I can't believe it has been so long.They planned the outing of our dreams... time in a small town just getting to know each other. We vowed to not let so much time pass before we meet again.
Our campsite tonight is in my niece's driveway. We have said our goodbyes as we'll be on the road early tomorrow. I hope Dickens was right when he said, "The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again." Bring on the JOY.