long-distance lovin'

So by now you know that my handsome man and I are in a long distance relationship. You can read our story here. He is in the Air Force and currently lives in Germany (boo!) . I recently visited him and it was the most amazing two months of my life! He's the best thing that has ever happened to me and I love every single thing about him! I just wish he was closer. It's hard on both of us being apart, but it also has made our relationship very strong and very special. We're getting pretty good at this long distance thing, and so I wanted to share a few tips!

But first another picture of my honey because I just can't get enough of him!

mmm! :)

Alright so first of all, there are a few benefits to a long distance relationship.

• You don't take anything for granted. I believe that when you are with someone you care about every single day, you forget to appreciate the small things. Whenever my handsome man is away, I miss the small things the most. Holding hands, kisses, going out to dinner, cuddling on the couch watching TV, falling asleep together, cooking together...all that good stuff! It's always the things that we don't think twice about when we're together that I end up really missing. So I've learned to appreciate them much more when we do get to spend time together. I am thankful for every kiss. I never get bored just being in his arms on the couch. I hold his hand whenever I can! Being apart sometimes is a good way to not take each other for granted. If you are with your loved on every day, make sure you do your own thing sometimes too! It helps.
• "The longer the wait the sweeter the kiss." We love this saying. It couldn't be more true! Being apart builds up so much anticipation. We talk about kissing and being together all the time, and when we finally are, it's always far beyond our expectations! That first kiss after being apart for months is probably the most amazing feeling in the world. The first moment that I am finally in Dj's arms makes every hard second of waiting 100% worth it!

[Note: Check here for a super cute "The longer the wait the sweeter the kiss" shirt and many other military-related clothing!]

Now for some tips.

• Skype often. Even when I've had the hardest of days, being able to Skype my honey and see his handsome face really makes everything better. We text all the time and he calls me often, but nothing really compares to being able to look at each other while we talk. It's the closest thing to being together, and it definitely makes being apart much, much easier!
• Still do things "together". A fun way to connect with your long distance lover is to still do things together. See the same movie, read the same book, play the same games. That way you can talk about it and still share the experience. My love and I are currently watching the TV series Prison Break together right now! It's so good! We're on Season 4 (the last season) and I don't know what I'm going to do when it ends! We're thinking about watching Breaking Bad next, I've heard its great! Any suggestions? :)
• Send things to each other. There's nothing more exciting than getting something special in the mail! Whether its for a special occasion or just because, I think it is important to send your special someone something they can physically have from you. My handsome man has sent me care packages, a 20 pounds stuff animal (crazy!), flowers, and all kinds of goodies. My birthday was a few days ago and here's what I got!

Aren't they beautiful?! And the note was so sweet! He makes my heart melt ♥

• Always remind them. Remind them how much you love them. How much you miss them. How much they mean to you. Dj constantly tells me all of this, and it definitely helps. Sometimes when you're away from your loved one it can be hard to feel their love across the distance! It's definitely an adjustment going from showing someone how much you love them to only really being able to tell them. So never let them forget it!
• Use Couple. There's a great free app out there called Couple. Dj and I use that since we can't text (he's in a different country). Couple allows you to text, send voice messages, pictures, videos, drawings, and all kinds of great stuff! You can even enter important dates and it'll remind you when they're coming up (so he won't forget your anniversary!) My favorite part is the "thumbkiss." You and your partner both enter the thumbkiss and wherever you touch the screen, your thumbprint shows up. When you align your print with your partner's, the app vibrates, and you've just thumbkissed! Some of you might think it all sounds so cheesy, but I love cheesy! Here's the promo video for the app:

Basically, when you're so far away from your significant other, the best way to handle it is to do everything you would do together, just differently. Still talk about the same things, give each other gifts, show him how much you love him, do activities together, and all that fun stuff! Keep yourself busy. I've been crafting a lot to help keep my mind off of missing my handsome man. And most importantly think positive. Dwelling on the bad and the fact that your apart can only make things worse, so try to focus on the positive! Plan activities for when you are together and think forward. It really makes a difference!

If anyone has other advice, feel free to comment below! To everyone that's missing someone tonight, remember that you're a day closer to being together, and remember that you're not alone! 

my long distance fairy tale ♥

This is something I'll post about quite often for two reasons: a lot of people can relate to it and because it is my life. I currently live almost 6,000 miles away from the single most important person in my life. He is my best friend, the love of my life, the sweetest man in the whole world, and the man I'm undoubtedly going to spend the rest of my life with! My boyfriend, Dj, is stationed in Germany right now, and as hard as the long distance thing is, we're pretty good at it. We met when we were young- like so young that your parents choose who you hang out with haha! Our moms have been close for a very long time, and we used to play together all the time. I have a bunch of pictures of us at my birthday parties! Its cute :)

Anyway, we lost contact as we grew up, and then reconnected through Facebook. He was already living in Germany at the time, so right from the start we were doing the distance thing. From the first time we talked, I knew he was a special guy. I never really thought that pressing the "Add" button on his Facebook page would lead to my happily ever after! He came home about two months after we started talking. From that first day, we had pretty much talked (Skype, texting, on the phone) all day every day. I already felt like we knew each other so well before we were even together. We had told each other things that no one else knew- and we knew pretty much everything about each other.

He came home, and everything I felt for him was solidified. We got to spend a couple days a week together when he would come visit me at school. It was magical. He was just as perfect as I imagined. A true gentleman! He holds doors for me. He opens the car door for me every time! He calls me "pretty girl" (which I love!). He tells me I'm beautiful every day. He says the sweetest things. And he's just so damn sexy! :)

He only got to stay for a month before heading back to Germany. That was in February. He wasn't due to come home again until August. When we said goodbye, we thought that we weren't going to see each other again for six months. It was a tough goodbye as he dropped me off at the airport so I could head back to school. He later told me that was the moment he knew he was in love with me! ♥ I knew it too. I knew that he made me feel like I had never felt before, and I was head over heels in love with this man! I knew that I was absolutely the luckiest girl in the world.

The next few months were hard. Of course, he did everything he could to make it easier on me. I got a lovely package from him with Belgian chocolate and all of my favorite goodies. I told him I wanted to get a puppy and he sent me a huge stuffed dog!

The T-Shirt says "I love you THIS much!" Isn't that sweet?! You should've seen me try to carry the box to my third-floor dorm room! (excuse my messy bed)

I tried to keep busy and I made sure I could hear his voice often, which helped with not being able to see him. I'll do a post soon on ways to make a LDR work. But I knew that our love could withstand the distance no matter what!

I'm truly blessed. I got the opportunity to go visit him. Instead of waiting out the six months apart, I was able to visit him in Germany after only three. Read all about my trip here! It was truly the most amazing summer of my life. We got to spend more time together than ever, and it couldn't have been more perfect. Living with him was everything I could've asked for and more (just like him!) :) Leaving Germany was heart breaking. We sat in the airport for 45 minutes crying before I worked up the courage to walk away!

Now were back to the same routine- texting, Skyping, talking on the phone. I just got off of Skype with him tonight, and it still amazes me that we can sit and talk for hours and hours- about absolutely nothing- and every single time we hang up I have a huge smile on my face and I feel like the luckiest girl ever. Just seeing his smile makes my heart melt! I love that man!

He's supposed to come back to the states in about a month (thank goodness!) and then he'll be a little closer to home. Once I graduate I finally get to move in with him and start my forever with the love of my life!

We talk about our future all the time, and it's really all I think about. I can't wait to live with him and marry him. I just want a simple life. I want to come home from work every day and share stories about our day, have dinner together, cuddle by the fire place, watch TV, and just enjoy each other's company. I want to share everything with him. I want everything to be ours. Our home. Our family. Our life. It's so close, and I can't imagine loving him any more than I do, but my love for him grows every day!

This song is perfect for the way I feel about him!

It amazes me. I'm so lucky. I'm experiencing a love that every girl deserves. This is my fairy tale. He's my Prince Charming and I'm his Princess. Now we just have to wait for our happily ever after!

I absolutely adore everything about him! Can you tell?! :) I could go on about him all day!