Happy December everyone!
As the time draws near that Kim & I will be together again, I am reflecting on our “time together” over the past 3 months and how we have kept our relationship strong and built an incredibly strong foundation, even though we find ourselves thousands of miles apart.
If you, or someone you know, are also experiencing the pains AND joys of a long-distance relationship, I wanted to share with you some of Kim and my favorite ways to spend time together.
Read to one another!
One of the ways Kim and I first started communicating was through audio messages (which was soon followed by daily FaceTime conversations). Despite speaking different “mother tongues”, we quickly developed a love for hearing one another voices. We very often will surprise one another with sweet or funny audio messages, however, one of our favorite audio clips we leave is us reading to one another.
So, my suggestion would be to choose a book, you and your partner would love to read and “grow through” together – and develop an even deeper intimacy by reading it back and forth to one another.
2. Get in the kitchen!
No, this is not some sexiest joke! BOTH of you, man or woman, get in the kitchen and “cook for” each other. Coming from two vastly different cultures, Kim & I have really enjoyed sharing with one another different foods and meals that we each enjoy. There have been some nights we prop our phones up on the counter, and show off for one another what recipes we are trying. Come on, there’s a reason why they say the easiest way to a man’s heart is to his stomach!
Find a fun new recipe or an old favorite to cook while on the phone with your sweetie! Then, y’all can plan out a time to enjoy it when you are both together again. Kim is absolutely going to have lots of crock pot goodies from me!
3. Teach each other something new!
Something so completely thoughtful and intentional my man’s amazing “teacher’s heart” has done for me is helping me learn his language. After I shared with him I was curious and interested in learning, he began sending me videos of breaking down the Dutch language and teaching me the basics. I too have begun doing this with him with the Christian faith. We love learning from each other and absorbing & soaking up all we can like sponges from our time together.
Find something your partner is an expert at, that you are curious learning about, and allow them to teach you through photos, videos or FaceTime conversations! Have fun with it!
4. Add the ones you love into the mix!
One thing that’s been a GOOD challenge for us, across all these miles, is introducing one another to each other’s families! We have yet to meet each other’s loved ones in person (YET!), but we’ve been intentional with adding them into our FaceTime conversations, so they can get to know one another (as best as possible) for themselves. For Kim, this has meant being passed from family member, to friend, to church family, to even random friends of friends who wanna see the HOT BELGIAN, and he’s handled it all SO graciously!
We both also intentionally send one another videos and photos from the time we spend with our family. Whether it’s a simple selfie from having a pint with Mom, a video from screaming on a roller coaster, or enjoying a large American/Thanksgiving family dinner, we share these moments with one another as often as possible so we can FEEL like each other is there.
As hard as it is to be away from your sweetie, bring them into as many opportunities and situations as possible! Most often, the highlights of my day aren’t when Kim sends me sweet messages that sound like poems or sends me quotes that let me know he’s thinking of me, it’s the photos and videos he sends me in his everyday life that warm my soul the most.
5. Break a SWEAT together!
The couple who sweats together stays together – no matter HOW MANY kilometers separate you! Kim & I have a mutual passion for health and fitness, and often talk about how we can’t WAIT to do workouts together.
BUT WHY WAIT – RIGHT?! Even though we aren’t in the same room, we have often shown each other different moves, encouraged one another, and sent each other exercise ideas. We REALLY look forward to doing these type of things together, but we don’t want the distance to be an excuse if it doesn’t have to me.
Chat with your honey & create moments where you can “spend time” together just doing the simple, every day stuff, like you would be, if you were in the same city. That way, when you ARE together again, it’ll feel natural and intimate.
Do you have OTHER ideas of how to build intimacy and keep a relationship strong across the miles? We’d LOVE to hear them! Contact us on here or find Chey on Instagram: @ImCameraChey – XOXO!
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