I've said goodbye in many places. Wal-Mart parking lots, driveways, at my door, at your door, inside a car, at the MTC... Being in a long distance relationship, you end up saying a lot of goodbyes.
I remember at the end of your first visit. I had no idea the kind of impact you would have on my life. I said goodbye briefly at my door, not even giving you a hug.
And I remember our last goodbye. Full of tears and feelings of my heart being broken, wanting to comfort you but not being able to.
You would think after so many months of goodbyes, that they would be getting easier.
But being in a long distance relationship makes me cherish our moments more. Every time we have an entire weekend together, I savor every moment, knowing that we may not have moments like these for a while.
I've been in long distance relationships before this. But never one that left me feeling secure and loved no matter how far away you were.
The nature of this kind of relationship calls for a lot of goodbyes. A lot of moments apart.
But the nature of this relationship welcomes so many hellos. Hellos that mean so much because of the time spent away. Hellos that are cherished and longed for and looked forward to.
I would say a thousand goodbyes to have the change to say just that one Hello.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Oops
So, obviously, my plan to post a self-portrait every week failed after just two weeks. Apparently I'm not good at committing myself to posting unless I'm travelling and have exciting things to update you on. But, I have excuses ready to explain why I never posted/finished that project...
Excuse #1: I was taking 17 credits at school. (And it kinda sucked/overwhelmed me)
Excuse #2: I was working two part time jobs.
Excuse #3: I was in a long distance relationship.
I feel bad for stating the last one, because I make it seem like an inconvenience. The only reason I can get away with this post is because said boyfriend just left on a mission, and he won't be reading this post. So ha!
I debated with myself a lot on whether or not to write this post, because in the past, this blog has been to discuss topics that are interesting/talk about travelling, and I didn't really use it to just give updates on my life. And then I remembered that this is MY blog and I can post whatever I want.
But if you're not into me posting all about my missionary boyfriend, I get that, and you don't have to read.
(Also, I promise to maybe start posting more, and I also promise that not all of them will be Seth-related. #sorrynotsorry)
This semester was a whirlwind and I loved every second of it.**
**That was a lie. My bad.
I'm gonna start from the beginning and this may be boring and I'm sorry and really, you don't have to read the whole thing.
Fall of 2013, I started living with Bonnie Doughty(seriously one of my favorite people on this planet!!). I am an avid tweeter, and so I ended up mentioning her a lot on my twitter profile. Because of Bonnie's contagiously outgoing personality and adorable innocence, essentially every guy that meets her falls head over heels at some point. A boy from Bonnies past(who had crushed on her hardcore when he was 14-15) started favoriting all of the tweets I posted concerning her, and he eventually just started following me, occasionally replying to me to express how hilarious he found me.
I hate admitting that our relationship budded online, so I'll just mention that last October, when I worked at Forever 21, Seth came in and bought the ugliest shirt I've ever seen, and he remembers me very well. So. We met in person first(ha!).
Towards the end of my stay in France, Seth reached out to me and started talking to me a lot, and we got to know each other and became really good friends. Once I was back in Orem, he borrowed his sisters car and drove up to take me to lunch, and we hit it off better than I could have ever imagined or anticipated, and we've essentially been inseparable ever since. Despite the fact that he lived in Southern Utah, a 4 hour drive away from me, we would find ways to see each other almost weekly.
Seth left on his mission this last Wednesday, on January 7th, and I couldn't be more proud of him. I am honestly so excited for him and the experiences he'll have over the next two years, and I'm also excited for me and the experiences that I'll get to have.
I feel like the topic of "Missionary Girlfriends" is somewhat frowned upon, so I want to discuss it a little bit.
Before I met Seth, I was one of those people that would roll their eyes every single time I saw someone post anything about their "missionary boyfriend". My older sister once started waiting for a missionary, but ended up getting married to someone different right after the missionary got home(**Which is great, the guy she married was perfectly matched for her and it was the person she was supposed to marry). It's definitely been a humbling experience, dating someone who is on a mission. And I've been getting a lot of support from my mother, my roommate, and the various facebook groups for Missionary Girlfriends that I'm now a part of.
Everyone waits for missionaries different ways(even though I'm not "waiting") and I feel like there is a lot of negative energy towards both the girlfriends and the missionaries. The purpose of my post isn't to debate which way is right, or to discount anyone's methods or feelings, but it slightly makes my blood boil when someone says that "as soon as you find another guy to kiss you'll forget about him" or "a lot can happen in two years". A lot happens in two years, a lot WILL happen in two years, I am not limiting myself while Seth is gone, I'm open to any experiences that happen to me, etc. However, even if I DID chose to officially wait and I didn't date anyone while he was gone, would that be anyone's place to judge me? No.
Sorry, I digress.
I mean, I feel that this post didn't really have a point other than the fact that I've read enough blog posts discounting "Missionary Girlfriends" that I was getting mad. The decision for a girl to wait for a missionary is the same as a girls decision to date someone that is physically present with them constantly. They're different methods, but they have the same purpose and the same end goal. You never know what the relationship or connection is between two people, so don't judge or discount any other persons decisions or relationships because it's different than yours or how you would handle the situation.
Rant over.
Excuse #1: I was taking 17 credits at school. (And it kinda sucked/overwhelmed me)
Excuse #2: I was working two part time jobs.
Excuse #3: I was in a long distance relationship.
I feel bad for stating the last one, because I make it seem like an inconvenience. The only reason I can get away with this post is because said boyfriend just left on a mission, and he won't be reading this post. So ha!
I debated with myself a lot on whether or not to write this post, because in the past, this blog has been to discuss topics that are interesting/talk about travelling, and I didn't really use it to just give updates on my life. And then I remembered that this is MY blog and I can post whatever I want.
 |
| Proof that I can post whatever I want! |
(Also, I promise to maybe start posting more, and I also promise that not all of them will be Seth-related. #sorrynotsorry)
This semester was a whirlwind and I loved every second of it.**
**That was a lie. My bad.
I'm gonna start from the beginning and this may be boring and I'm sorry and really, you don't have to read the whole thing.
Fall of 2013, I started living with Bonnie Doughty(seriously one of my favorite people on this planet!!). I am an avid tweeter, and so I ended up mentioning her a lot on my twitter profile. Because of Bonnie's contagiously outgoing personality and adorable innocence, essentially every guy that meets her falls head over heels at some point. A boy from Bonnies past(who had crushed on her hardcore when he was 14-15) started favoriting all of the tweets I posted concerning her, and he eventually just started following me, occasionally replying to me to express how hilarious he found me.
I hate admitting that our relationship budded online, so I'll just mention that last October, when I worked at Forever 21, Seth came in and bought the ugliest shirt I've ever seen, and he remembers me very well. So. We met in person first(ha!).
Towards the end of my stay in France, Seth reached out to me and started talking to me a lot, and we got to know each other and became really good friends. Once I was back in Orem, he borrowed his sisters car and drove up to take me to lunch, and we hit it off better than I could have ever imagined or anticipated, and we've essentially been inseparable ever since. Despite the fact that he lived in Southern Utah, a 4 hour drive away from me, we would find ways to see each other almost weekly.
 |
| The whole family(plus me) dropping him off at the MTC! |
I feel like the topic of "Missionary Girlfriends" is somewhat frowned upon, so I want to discuss it a little bit.
Before I met Seth, I was one of those people that would roll their eyes every single time I saw someone post anything about their "missionary boyfriend". My older sister once started waiting for a missionary, but ended up getting married to someone different right after the missionary got home(**Which is great, the guy she married was perfectly matched for her and it was the person she was supposed to marry). It's definitely been a humbling experience, dating someone who is on a mission. And I've been getting a lot of support from my mother, my roommate, and the various facebook groups for Missionary Girlfriends that I'm now a part of.
Everyone waits for missionaries different ways(even though I'm not "waiting") and I feel like there is a lot of negative energy towards both the girlfriends and the missionaries. The purpose of my post isn't to debate which way is right, or to discount anyone's methods or feelings, but it slightly makes my blood boil when someone says that "as soon as you find another guy to kiss you'll forget about him" or "a lot can happen in two years". A lot happens in two years, a lot WILL happen in two years, I am not limiting myself while Seth is gone, I'm open to any experiences that happen to me, etc. However, even if I DID chose to officially wait and I didn't date anyone while he was gone, would that be anyone's place to judge me? No.
 |
| Also like how you shouldn't judge this picture. |
I mean, I feel that this post didn't really have a point other than the fact that I've read enough blog posts discounting "Missionary Girlfriends" that I was getting mad. The decision for a girl to wait for a missionary is the same as a girls decision to date someone that is physically present with them constantly. They're different methods, but they have the same purpose and the same end goal. You never know what the relationship or connection is between two people, so don't judge or discount any other persons decisions or relationships because it's different than yours or how you would handle the situation.
 |
| The day he went into the MTC. Also wearing the same shirt as on our first date, cuz I'm cheesy that way. |
Rant over.
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