love is: changing together.

After a long hiatus, I'm back with a new spin on my long distance series. This one features Megan {from Semi-Charmed Kind of Life} and Jonathan, a pair of high school sweethearts who weathered their college years apart. They are now reunited in the same city and engaged! Their story is definitely worth the read...

What one piece of advice would you give yourself at the start of your long distance days? 

Talk on the phone more. I’m not a big phone-talker, so we usually only talked on the phone right before we went to bed to say good night. We texted and emailed throughout the day, but I wish I would have set aside more time to have a genuine conversation on the phone and not just “love you, good night.”

How did your communication change over the years?

The frequency of our communication depended greatly on our school schedules. Between our classes, part-time jobs, our extracurriculars {football for him, sorority for me}, there were times we didn't actually talk on the phone for a week or more. As we got older, we discussed what means of communication worked better for us. We found times that worked for both of us, even if I had to write "Skype with Jonathan" in my planner. Our communication definitely became more of a priority as we matured and grew in our long-distance relationship.

Because you attended different schools, what helped you survive the "3/5/7-wheel" situations?

Luckily, I have pretty cool friends, so they dated pretty cool guys. They would always be sure to include me in conversations and activities when I was the odd woman out. It also helped that my friends all loved Jonathan and wanted to introduce him to their boyfriends when he visited. There was always plenty to talk about when Jonathan was in town!

Anything else you'd like to add? 

Many people have said that high school sweethearts can’t work because people change. They say that no one is the same person they were in high school. Of course, Jonathan and I have changed since we began dating at 14, but we’ve changed together--and that’s what makes it work.
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A big thank you to Megan for sharing her story with all of us! I love the concept of changing and growing together. After eight years with {cv}, I can definitely echo this sentiment :) If you would like to share your story, you can submit yours by clicking here and it just might end up here on {long distance loving}. I'll keep sharing stories in the coming months :) See you all tomorrow for some football--I mean, Friday's Fancies! xoxo {av}

love don't know what distance is.

I'm the first to admit I have a rather eclectic running playlist. From rap to country, my running tunes run the gamut. Even though I've heard the song a number of times, one particular line from Hunter Hayes' "I Want Crazy" caught me off guard on my run yesterday: love don't know what distance is. Even though {cv} and I have been in the same place for a few years now, the line hit close to home.

When I started this blog in November 2010, {cv} and I were newly married. Long distance was still fresh on my mind. The name {long distance loving} came to me that random Wednesday night and I went with it. As time passes and the hardships of our long distance years fade, I've thought more than once about changing my blog name. The bottom line is that I'm not ready yet. For as often as I get requests to bring back my distance makes the hear grow fonder series, I realize the need is still there. Long distance may be over for me, but it may be just beginning for you.

Though I won't have long distance features every week, I want to give hope to those of you who are wading in the long distance waters. I will be bring back features on couples who are currently long distance {or survived it themselves}. If you'd like to be considered, click here to submit your information. I'll be calling this the "Love Is" series--as an ode to the song from Hunter Hayes which reminded me to go back to my roots ;)

If long distance doesn't apply to your love life, never fear. The content you've come to expect from {long distance loving} isn't going anywhere.  I just want to give some love to the distance folks--because goodness knows I needed it when we were long distance. Have a great start to your week! xoxo {av}