the bright side to long distance

I think its safe to say that its not secret around here that I'm in a long distance relationship. But if you're new (welcome) or if you've been living under a rock or something: I'm in a long distance relationship. Sometimes it really sucks and I complain about it. I mean, who wouldn't, right? But in the spirit of staying positive I want to share with you some reasons that long distance relationships don't suck.

you appreciate each other a little more. I'm not saying that if you're together all the time you don't appreciate each other, don't get me wrong. But being away from each other eight months out of the year makes you realize how much someone means to you. It makes you cherish your time together and not take the little things for granted. Being in a long distance relationship ended up building such a strong foundation for my relationship with Handsome.

it keeps things interesting, exciting, and fun. Living away from your significant other means you get to travel a lot. Traveling is fun. I got to go all the way to Europe to visit my sexy hunk of a manfriend. And now I'm in Montana where its snowy and cold and you can't go outside without your nipples waking up to say hello. Even better, when you're together you always get to do something fun. When you're only together a few months a year you don't spend your time together sitting around doing nothing. Well, Handsome and I do but I feel like most people do fun stuff. We might go snowboarding tomorrow so that'll be interesting. Lastly, you have to be creative. Its hard to show someone you love them when you never see them, so you have to think of creative ways to express your love!

i don't have to shave my legs. Self explanatory.

the anticipation. Every time we say goodbye, I immediately start a countdown until the next time I'll see him again. Sometimes that sucks (when the countdown is at like 60 days) but once it gets close, it's so exciting to see that number start going down. We always have something to look forward to. Then, when that beautiful day is finally here, we have the sweetest reunions. I love airports. I love walking off the place and freaking out hoping I look okay. I love the butterflies I get in my stomach. I love turning the corner and seeing his handsome smiling face for the first time in months. I love the way kissing him for the first time in months feels. The thought of it makes me so excited to come back already again! Airports can also be the devil though because that's also where we say our goodbyes. Which I'm not looking forward to on Monday. But hey Brianna THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A POSITIVE POST. Sorry.

we get "me time." Some people that see their boyfriend every day only see their boyfriend every day. They neglect time with their friends, and they neglect time to focus on themselves. I am 100% totally completely one of those people. And I'm okay with that. But I know that I need to focus on school and myself, so sometimes its good I don't see him every day. I would literally skip class every day if he was here. Yolo.

Well, there you have it. Being away from the one you love sucks but sometimes its not that bad.

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keeping busy.

People always ask me how I do it. How do I handle being away from my handsome man for months at a time. So many of you go through this as well, and I'm sure you know we all have our little tips, tricks, and methods of staying sane when our loved ones are away. I already did a post here on some tips for keeping a long-distance relationship strong. But this is different. That post was more about what to do as a couple. This is how to cope when you're alone.

Sometime, the loneliness and the longing to be with my handsome man is overwhelming. It's hard when there's nothing you can do. There have been so many times I wish I could just drop out of school and go live with him. But needless to say, that's not an option. I hate that we can't be together, but at the same time, I'm so proud of him for everything he does. He's so good about doing everything he can to make it easier on me. But sometimes, when I'm just sitting around, it's so hard to not just think about how much I miss him- and it hurts. Isn't he sweet?! I love him. So anyway, I try to stay busy.  Right when I came home from Germany (read about my trip here), I knew that it would be really hard. I went from spending every day for two months with him to not seeing him at all. So like the day after I came home, I went to Michael's (my favorite store on earth) and bought scrapbook materials. I LOVE scrapbooking, and so I thought it would be a fun way to display my trip!  I just used pictures and items that I collected throughout the trip and made it super cute :) I also put some of these in there. Before I was in Germany, I ordered these "I love you because..." notes from Paper Doll Printing. Aren't they the cutest?! So every day while I was in Germany, I wrote him a note- a reason I loved him- and stuck it somewhere in his house so he would find one every day :) They made him so happy, and he asked me to put a few in the scrapbook! He's so cute. So I've done about six pages in that scrapbook, and he wants to help me with the rest so we'll finish it when he comes home! (Hopefully soon- we still don't know) You can see the other scrapbook I'm making here. I also just started watching Army Wives. I'm addicted! I think I cried like 6 times in the first three episodes. Its a little dramatic and overwhelming, but I definitely think everyone should watch it :)

I can already tell this is going to be one of those shows that I lay in bed and watch all 7 seasons in like a week. Oh well :)

I also love to craft. You can check out the painted and distressed mason jars I love making, as well as LDR coffee mugs here.

School also helps keep me busy. I'm taking 18 credits this semester and it's a lot of work.

 

And it's only the first week. You can read about how my first week went here!

 A little wine never hurt, either. I LOVE this Barefoot Moscato. MMM:)

I also really love to cook. This is a green chile omelet with rosemary potatoes! It was so yummy :)

Cooking, crafting, school, working out, or whatever it is- I just try to stay busy. These past few weeks have been the hardest, especially because I don't know when he's coming home. It'll be in the next couple weeks for sure, so it might seem crazy that I'm so upset, but it doesn't feel real. Not having a set, for-sure date makes it seem like it's not going to happen.

But, I'm trying my best to keep my head up and stay strong- for both of us. I know it kills him that he can't make it easier on me, and sometimes I wish I could be stronger.

I know so many of you are going through the same thing, so does anyone have any suggestions? What do you do to keep your mind off of missing your loved ones?

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