Zack and I met on vacation, in the Dominican Republic. Our families were playing volleyball on either sides of the net and we couldn’t stop staring at each other. Eventually, he came and talked to me and started drinking with me and my family.
After awhile, we had to split up and I said goodbye, thinking I would never see him again. That night, I wandered around the resort and magically ran into him at the bar. He walked me back to my room and we hugged, all he had was my name and where I was from because I was too nervous to think about giving him my number.
When we returned to the states, I forgot about it mostly until I received a message on Facebook from his sister, saying that he wanted my number so that we could talk. From then, the rest is history!
We met again for the first time in March 2014 when he visited South Dakota for the first time and the spark was still there and I fell in love with him even more than I already had. In 27 days, I’m visiting him and meeting his family and friends in Pittsburgh. We have hopeful plans for the future, as we are both young college students and are starting to think about those things.
How Distance Has Shaped Our Relationship
We have had to learn how to try hard. It takes so much effort to make it work, because you’re trying to make that connection happen from 1,000 miles away and it can be very difficult. For this reason, it has made us stronger and gives us an idea of how much we are truly meant for each other.
Obstacles We Face Together
We were lucky to have a lot of support from both our friends and family, but money has definitely been an issue from time to time just because of the amount it costs to visit each other.
We also have had moments where the pain of being apart has made us say things we don’t mean, and the distance and not knowing exactly what the other person is doing takes a lot of trust and commitment.
We overcome them by keeping in touch as much as possible and showing the other person your love as much as you can through the phone.
Things We Love About Our LDR
I love that we are different than your every day relationship. I have always been a romantic, and this story is right up there with the best of them. I also love that I take nothing for granted.. every time I get to see his face, hear his voice, etc. is exceptional.
Getting to see him in person is even more of a thrill and the happiest feeling of all time. Also, I love proving people wrong when they told me it wouldn’t work, because we have overcome so much that nobody thought was possible.
How We Stay Connected
We text constantly, call throughout the day, and FaceTime at night when possible. We like to have at least one day a week where the whole night is dedicated to just talking, catching up, and staying updated on every little thing happening in our lives.
Apart from that, we both have a countdown app that counts down the amount of days we have left apart until our next visit. We also send each other care packages full of goodies and love.
Our Advice to Other Long Distance Couples
Trust one another and keep the other person smiling. Don’t think of only you, because LDRs can be time consuming and ask a lot of you. It is a love that is painful, but wonderful at the same time. Your ordinary love does not compare, and that’s something to keep in mind when the distance seems like too much.
Also, don’t blame each other when someone messes up. Working on things is key. Don’t make the other person feel guilty or smother them, let your relationship breathe and try not to control. It’s easy to fall into the urge to control when you’re so far away, and you feel so helpless. But the other person will thank you when you just let them go out that night with their friends and enjoy themselves instead of guilt tripping them into staying in for the night. Compromise and never stop trying!
June 9, 2015 at 11:13 pmI’m from Dominican Republic !!! i absolutely loved your story , hope you guys stay together for a loong time !