Cute, Dreamy, and 2,400 Miles Away

It is always great when you can stumble upon a person that takes your breath away. A person you want to spend every second with is so special... but what if you're miles away from them?

This is Daltyn, my #boyfriend.

We met in 2015 during our freshman year of college and really hit it off. Truth is, it all got started pretty quickly. I mean, look at him, I couldn't help it.

We both came to Arkansas to play soccer, and that's basically how we met. Both men's and women's soccer teams got placed on the same floor in the same dorm, so we all became pretty great friends. I won't get too into how I started falling for Daltyn in this post, but I really was starstruck. The more I got to know him, the more I couldn't believe he was real. Smart, kind, funny, cute... You name a good quality and he has it. It wasn't long until we started dating early in 2016 and kicked off this great #relationship (scroll to the bottom for a video that captures our personalities perfectly).

We became each other's biggest supporters.

Since we both have a love for soccer, dating was pretty easy. We were used to #busy schedules and had basically the same type of lives between practices and #school. Having somebody to relate to in basically every aspect of my life was really exciting, and I became invested in his endeavors and successes. I guess you could say it was fun to not have to always worry about how I was doing all the time and instead cheer somebody else on who was going through the same exact things. We always could talk about why we had a bad day at practice or a game and fully understand each other's struggles.

The more time passed, the more time we spent together.

It was great. I mean, how cool is it to be able to have a #1 fan, best friend, and boyfriend all in one?! But enough about the mushy stuff. You get it, I'm in love. Once we moved out of the dorms, time came where we lived further away from each other. That didn't stop us from hanging out... In fact it made us hang out more. We really enjoy the #bond that two people can have face-to-face in comparison to over the phone, so our time together was always valued. I can't tell you how many times people have told me that we are "weird" because we don't call or text a ton whenever we are apart.

Now, I could see how no calling and texting could be weird... But it is so nice.

Think about it this way: if you are always texting or calling somebody to update them on what you are doing during the day, what do you have to talk about once you are together? There is a sense of excitement when you make mental notes that you can't want to tell somebody else when you see them in person. The hard part of this? When we would go home each summer.

Summers were hard, I will admit. Every summer I go back home to California and Daltyn goes to Texas, so we really don't see each other for about 3 months. When you're a couple that doesn't really call and text, communication is sparse. Each summer we would get better and better at trying to communicate while apart, but it is hard to compare communication over a phone to communication in person. It just isn't the same.

We were still able to make it work every time. Honestly, I couldn't agree more with this quote that I'm sure you all know:

"Sometimes you have to be apart from the ones you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes it makes you love them more."

Seriously Camille? Nicholas Sparks? Yeah... Sorry. But I really think it's a valuable point.

#Distance is hard, but it makes you remember why your significant other is so easy to miss.

Whenever Daltyn and I are apart, it have a lot of time to think about all of the things he has done for me. Sometimes I will stay awake at night literally naming off sweet gestures he has made for me, and it makes me so excited for the next time I see him. We can get so content and stagnant in our relationships when we are together 24/7. A little distance can cure that in an instant.

It was always easy to leave for the summer and know that we would be back in the fall, but our relationship has now taken a turn.

This winter, Daltyn signed a professional contract out in Georgia. I was obviously excited for him, but I couldn't help and be worried about what was to come. We had always conquered distance for the summers... But this was different. He would be moving to Georgia and I would be in Arkansas still. Not to mention, once I graduated I was planning on going internationally to play soccer. I was concerned because I didn't know where we would end up and when we would see each other next. I had expressed to Daltyn that I was sad and stressed, but he assured me that we would be fine.

Three months have already passed since he signed his contract and I have already been out to meet him three times!

I think distance is a huge motivator to make an effort to visit your loved ones. For me, I was always planning on the next time I would see him. I actually used my graduation gift from my parents to fly out and see him one last time before I moved out of the country. I hold personal relationships and communication so close to my heart, and face-to-face conversations are so valuable. Last week was my last visit with him before I am gone for a while. The next time I will see him will be in November. I know it's not going to be easy but I think this journey will be something that makes us grow.

I hope that by sharing our experiences I can touch the lives of others that may be going through the same kind of situations. In future posts, I will touch on a lot of struggles as well as great moments that happen in our distance relationship... So stay tuned!

"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." Proverbs 10:12