.ldr.

being in a long-distance relationship was never in my plan.

I've considered the concept of ldr's in passing before, but not with any need to commit to one or taking it into serious consideration.

we entered into one without even meaning to.

our first date was supposed to be a one-time thing, just an easy hangout, especially since I wasn't looking to date anyone seriously with my impending washington move and he was recently out of a serious relationship and about to head back to the east coast. all it was supposed to be was fun conversation and a game of pool.

then we met.
then we talked.
then we clicked.
then we met up for dinner the next night. and the next.
...then he left california.

it wasn't supposed to turn into anything, but as I left the second date, I stopped myself from saying:

"bye, love you!"

🙈

I had no idea what to expect. 

we continued talking, texting, facetiming. became linked on facebook and instagram. 

two weeks after we'd met, we both realized on our own: we were in trouble. we liked the other person so much.

he came back to california in march, a little over a month since we'd gone on our first date. he was back for about three weeks. I wasn't sure if this is where things would end. 

things continued progressing and we discussed staying together and trying the long-distance thing for real. 

we've taken trips across the country over the summer to see each other. a week in florida. a weekend in florida. a weekend and a couple days in california. a trip to hawaii together. an upcoming trip to califonia in december. 

at the time of this post, we've been together eight and half months. I make the cross-country move two and half months. I've never been happier. 

michael is my best friend. he's my biggest supporter and comforter. he's got the kind of weird that melds with mine. his heart is so genuine. he knows how to make me smile and laugh (like, ugly laugh so hard). he's my life partner. he's the brightness in my life and encourages me to be the best version of myself just by being himself. he's the best thing that ever happened to me, the best gift from God that I've been blessed with.

(which is saying quite a lot, 

since I've been blessed enormously with 

long-time best friends, a great family, an amazing niece.)

long-distance isn't easy. 

every day, I wish I could hold his hand, have a hug, just look at him in-person. 

facetime and phone calls glitch often, freezing on funny faces, cutting out words or whole sentences, which can be frustrating, especially at the end of a long day. 

photos together help a little, until they don't, because all you want is to be next to your person again. 

time apart feels like years, dragging along.

it does make the time together sweeter. 

cherishing every moment together. 

a weekend can feel like two weeks with all the fun-packed days. 

reminding us why we choose each other, how we work well - even with almost 3,000 miles in between.

it makes the future feel so much brighter.

when we'll actually be together consistently. 

living life near each other and seeing how we are as actual people in our every day lives. 

planning for all the adventures we'll have, all the meals we'll make. 

a long-distance relationship wasn't in my plan, but the person on the other end makes it all so worth it. I'd choose this every time. I'd go through everything I've gone through before just to get to him again. I want to go anywhere, everywhere with him.

here's a couple tips to surviving an ldr:

• intentional conversations (what you looking for; what are you feeling now; how do you want to go about making this work; what do you want from this)
• scheduling time together (phone calls, facetime: dates, watching movies and shows, streaming and playing video games, and sleepovers)

mike & emily, est. february 3, 2019

only a few months until forever.

well, if that's enough mush for you, congratulations! you've made it to the end of the post. 

until next time, 

emily renee