Coffee at Nordstrom: Long Distance Loving!

Hi, I'm Stephanie from The Midwest Prep! I seriously could not be any happier that Crystal !!!!! asked me to guest blog for her while she is whisked away on her honeymoon. So happy for one of my blog BFFs!!!

Crystal and I first began talking because we have so much in common. First off, both of our boy's names is Matthew. Weird right? The other big thing is that we have both been battling long distance relationships for years. I am the first to know how difficult it is to be miles away from my boyfriend. I've actually been doing it for almost 5 years now. It is absolutely crazy that we've made it work for that long. It's not easy not being able to end every night with your boyfriend and just have them there physically for you. I'm so so so glad Crystal can finally end her long distance trek with Matthew and spend the rest of her life next to his side.

So that leads to me giving y'all some tips about how to handle a long distance relationship. Let me remind you, I am no expert and you can take my advice at face value. :)

1. Trust, trust, trust.

It is so very important to trust one another. Your relationship will fall apart very quickly if you don't trust that the love you two have will keep you strong. I'm so guilty of this and have driven myself crazy when I was younger by creating all of these crazy situations in my head. I have learned that you just have to trust your man. I know it's hard to trust those other girls out there and whether or not they are 'hitting' on your man but trust me, men turn down those type of women for a reason. :)

2. Communication is key.

This is very trivial. You probably think I'm pretty darn stupid for even having to state it but it's important! You don't get the luxury of seeing him everyday so the next best thing is talking, texting, skyping, face-timing, anything! I often struggle with what is enough talking and what's not enough but I have realized that it doesn't matter day-by-day. Talk enough to make each other happy. Since you don't get to physically see one another every day, communicate so you can be as much of a part of each other's lives as possible!

3. Be positive

I find this extremely important. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I tend to bring down Matthew with me which usually leads to an argument of some sort. And we all know how fun those are when you're miles apart. (THEY SUCK!) So staying positive can really keep both of you happy as well as your relationship. :)

4. Keep the future in mind

I know the future can be very scary but in a long distance relationship, it's extra important. You want to make sure your time apart is worth it. Don't spend time miles away from someone who you don't see yourself with for the next few years. You're wasting your own time as well as your significant other's. Make sure that you see yourself living with this person down the road and destroying the distance part of your relationship! It's important to have a similar "end goal" of your relationship which usually leads to one partner relocating to be with the other. :)

5. Live your life!

Make sure you still have fun when your partner/boyfriend isn't visiting you. Keep your friends and family just as close because you'll need them to lean on when you're having a bad day and your man isn't around! I've seen far too many girls who wrap themselves up in a relationship and ruin so many friendships over it. It's not worth it! Plus it's totally possible to have the best of both worlds. Heck, long distance relationships specifically allow you to do that! You have plenty of time to yourself/with friends yet still are able to have intimate time with your lover. :)

I know a lot of readers are in LDR so please feel free to contact me over at my blog if you ever need to talk. It's so great that so many bloggers are in LDR because we have each other to lean on/vent to when need be for an unbiased opinion/advice.

Have a great day y'all! :)

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