If you didn't know already I'm in a long distance relationship. Ky and I have been dating for about a year and a half now. Which is totally crazy!! He lives in Chicago-- where I'm from-- and I'm at school in Indiana. I do get to see him on breaks and I often go home for a weekend to see him and my mom! Summers are great though cause I get to see him for 3 whole months!! Since the semester just started... I'm back at school. I'm also going on a trip to Florida over my spring break so I'm not sure when I'm going to see him next since nothing is planned yet. I've been scrolling through my feed on Pinterest the other day and saw this amazing idea for long distance relationships! Open when letters!! For those that don't know what that is.. it's a bunch of letters that say "Open when... [insert feeling here]" I thought this was a great idea so I decided to make some of my own! Here are a few examples of mine!

All you need to use to make these are...

• Envelopes- I got my super cute ones from Staples
• Pen/pencil
• Markers
• Paper
• Your own words
• Anything else you think would be fun to include!!

Open when... you first receive these letters

This one is going to be the first letter that he reads. It is basically the reasons why I'm doing this because I'm sure Ky's going to be beyond confused about why he's getting a bunch of letters.

Open when... you're missing me a lot

This one is pretty important. Being away from each other for long periods of time is hard and we tend to miss each other basically 24/7. This is a bunch of reasons why I miss him and I also included a few pictures of us so that he can look at when he needs to see me!

Open when... you need a laugh

Every now and again we need a little pick me up. I included a hilarious, corny joke that I wrote on a handmade card and also included a bunch of jokes in the letter as well!

Open when... you want to know more about me

Since Ky and I have been together for almost a year and a half we know a lot about each other. However, you still learn a lot about the other every day for years! I included a long list of things that I think he might not know about me. And if he ends up knowing some of them already then he gets bonus points in my book!!

Open when... it is the day before you get to see me again!

This one is a very exciting letter! The day before we get to see each other is one of the hardest, longest days because you just want to get to the other already! The excitement is almost unbearable and this letter shows how excited I am to see Ky! 

I made a bunch of other letters as well and will probably keep continuing to think of more ideas for open when letters! I ended every letter the same.. "Love, Liv"and sealed it with a kiss. Literally. I actually put a light pink lipstick on and kissed the signature in the letter! It actually made the letter look even more adorable and personal!

What ideas can you think of for open when letters?!

xo

Olivia

Back To Long Distance

Kyle and I have been dating for almost 1 year now! YAY soo exciting!! However, when I'm at school (most of the year) we are in a long distance relationship. When I'm not at school we live just a train ride away from each other (he's in the city and I'm in the suburbs). The school year is starting up again on Monday and that means it's time for me to leave. I know super depressing. But it seriously is!
            Last night was our last night together. We had a great time! We went to Flat Top Grill for dinner. If you haven't been there before it is kind of like a stir fry kind of restaurant. It's super yummy and has these amazing Roti Prata Bread which is their signature item!! (I'm gluten-free and can't eat this but Kyle loves it)! What is also great about this place is you can keep going up for more food and only pay a flat fee!! 
           Anyways... after we had dinner at Flat Top Grill we went to see a play with his family friend. We saw the play Intimate Apparel at the Athenaeum Theatre. I've only gone to a few plays (I wish I could go to more) and this happens to be one of the plays I have seen before. I took a theatre class my freshman year of college for my gen eds and this play happens to be one of the plays that was mandatory to see. How crazy is that?! The 2nd time seeing the play was sooo much better than the first time! 
            After seeing the play that was 2 1/2 hours long (yes, it was that long), Kyle and I went back home to his apartment because it was late and he had work in the morning. I was completely fine when I went to bed... waking up was when it all hit me. Kyle had to get ready for work and we had to say our goodbyes. Let me tell you, I've never cried as much in the past as I did this morning. I literally had tears streaming down my face and Kyle just held me until he really had to leave (stayed home a little longer than normal and was getting late for work). It was a super hard goodbye knowing that I wouldn't be seeing him for 2 months!! I'm sure I'll see him sometime in between that time but that's the only planned break that I have on my schedule so far. Now that I'm back to long distance I'll start posting tips about how to make long distance work as well as other random relationship stuff!!

xo
Olivia

Surviving A Long Distance Relationship

 LDR... the relationship idea that everyone thinks will NOT work. However, those people are wrong. I am in a long distance relationship. The only difference between long distance relationships and regular relationships is the distance. Regular relationships might not work and long distance ones might not work. The key to keeping a long distance relationship is trust. While being in college it might seem harder because there are always the well known "frat boys". Then there is the well known "slutty sorority girls" (Just noting the stereotypes). If you trust your boyfriend or girlfriend then it should be easy not to worry if they are doing anything with anyone else.

Communication is one of the most important ways to survive an LDR. Texting your significant other in the morning when you wake up is a great way to say "good morning" without being in person. It also helps the other to know your weekly schedule.

Visiting each other is of course important as well. My boyfriend and I try to see each other every 3 weeks. While there are times when it is hard to travel to the other with work and school work (not to mention travel expenses), it is important to keep visitations pretty regular.

Doing things together is definitely a large part of the relationship. I know its hard when you're far away from each other. However, there are many ideas you can do while apart. My boyfriend and I watch TV shows or movies that are on TV together. At commercial breaks we call or Skype each other to talk about what is going on on the show. Its a great way to spend quality time together thousands of miles away.

Creativity is also a key aspect. Something that I have done in the past is writing letters. I know it is very old fashion to do this but it seriously is great. I would randomly write a hand written letter and send it in the mail to his apartment. It's always a great thing to read when you're really missing your significant other. I also have written letters for different situations. These are some ideas for what to write.

I hope these ideas help!! Feel free to write me for more advice!

xo
Olivia