The Emotional Roller coaster of Distance.

With a distance relationship, you start to notice that there is a mental and emotional cycle we go through when we are apart;

it starts right when we leave each other. The first 24 hours are the absolute worse. That night after leaving going to sleep not seeing their face as the last thing, and then the next morning having to text to person good-morning instead of telling them face to face. its the hard realization that just hours ago you were with them and now your alone.

The next couple days are in no way "easier" but we do get over the initial hump of leaving each other. We're still upset about not being together but we stay optimistic about being together again soon.

About 3 weeks before we see each other next, we start to become optimistic again. We frequently say we're excited to see each other soon and we can't wait. It does make the time go by much much faster when we can look at the situation in a positive way.

The day before always seems like it draggs on foooorever! It's like we're so close and time is just messing with our minds. I always think, "this time tomorrow i'll be with him" which adds to the anxiety.

And then the day of it obviously full on anxiety. It just seems like everything is moving in slow motion when all we want it to do is speed up.

After over two years, this has been perfected as a science. Dustin and I know the emotions and their cycles and how to help each other. Its difficult sometimes to deal with the emotions alone but we always stay optimistic about the future and know that soon we won't have to worry about the distance.

Missing Gina and Oregon Trip

Seeing Gina again was much needed, especially after not seeing her since the summer. Every moment was enjoyable and I couldn't ask for more. The hardest is the day after she leaves. It is just weird waking up or going throughout my day not seeing her. It's amazing how one minute she is her and the next she is gone. Since Gina has been gone I have been working with Purdue Football. We just got back from Oregon playing the Ducks. The whole thing was an amazing experience and I had a lot of fun. This was the first time that I was in the same time zone as Gina but not with her. That made things really weird and was different. I remember landing in Chi-Town (Chicago) and looking at the departures and the one next to our gate was leaving for PHX (oooooo how bad I wanted to hop on that flight). I think that friends and family are very important in long distance relationships because they give you support and relieve the feeling of not having Gina here with me. I miss her a lot already and only 1 month till I get to see her again :) (yes we do spoil eachother a lot). I Love You Babe!

My Trip out to Indy

So it's been a little while since the last blog, I went out to visit Dustin in Indiana and was too busy spending time with him to actually write about it :).

It felt so good to see him, after what felt like soooo long. That first moment when we see each other is indescribable, all I can do is smile and run into his arm and once I'm there nothing else matters. I am so thankful to be with someone and to have such a strong relationship that no time or distance can affect.

So a little bit about what I did while in Indiana with Dustin...

I got in super late Wednesday Night so headed straight up to Purdue. Dustin got me a present a digital picture frame ;) I love that he is just so thoughtful and just does the most amazing things with no explanation at all. The next morning I took Dustin to his bowling class (yes that's right a bowling class) and after wards we got to have lunch then I spent the rest of the day at the local mall while he was at football practice. That night we went out to dinner to this delicious Sushi restaurant at Purdue. We have to go there every time I'm up at Purdue. You get to take your shoes off and sit on the ground and eat and OMG they have this New Spider Roll that is covered in the spicy soft crab meat...so good. I want one right now.

The Next day Dustin had football practice again in the afternoon so I did some more shopping. Then that night we went out with a couple of his friends to a local bar @ Purdue. You could get free hot dogs at the bar as long as you told the guy "please" I think I ate like 3.

Saturday was the Purdue football game. Dustin obviously had to work it so he left early in the morning and I stayed back and waited for his mom and sister (and sister's new BF) to come up to go over to the game. Game was good, they won which is a plus and afterwards we all went out to dinner.

Sunday Dustin had practice again in the afternoon and later that night we went back down to Lebanon to go to his mom's for a cookout. Some of his cousin's were there and I got to see his new ( I guess it would be 2nd cousin) Dakota who was just born. We sat around ate, made smore's and just talked. I really enjoy spending time with his Family. Like he said about meeting mine, they've always made me feel very welcome and are some of the funniest and most down to earth people. I feel as if they've already accepted me into the family.

So the next morning we went out to breakfast with his Dad then went off for a day of outlet shopping (see a theme here?) Got myself a new Coach at the outlet down there, my new toy ;) We then ate dinner then headed back up to Purdue.

The next day was the day I was leaving. I hate that day because i feel like a dark cloud is just hovering all day and no matter how hard you try to stay happy and optimistic, all you can think about is leaving each other. I took Dustin to his class, picked him up then met up with his mom for lunch. Dustin then had to go to football practice to I went with his mom for a little bit to do...(what else???) more shopping. Then we went back to Purdue so I could say my goodbye to Dustin.

It was the first time in our relationship that he didn't take me to the airport. It was hard still being there but not being with him, but it was good to have his mom there after we left each other for support. No matter how many times we've done it, I still hate leaving. I know I need to look at it positivly that we will see each other again soon, but like I said it's just so hard to part ways.

I am set to fly back out to Indiana Oct 14th. it seems like such a long ways away but we've found ways to make it go by fast. I am glad I got to spend time with him and wish that I never had to leave but I know soon we wont have to worry about distance and that is the most important thing. I love you always and forever.

Meeting the Amadee's

Meeting Gina's family for the first time (back in 07') was a great experience. Gina always told me things about Judy, Lou, and Meredith (which were good things) and to meet them put everything in perspective. I remember flying in that day and was really nervous but excited. I flew in late that night and by the time I arrived at Gina's house they were all asleep. So when I woke up the next day, Judy was in the kitchen and I introduced myself (because Gina sleeps forever :)). At first I didn't know it but Judy has become a mom away from home, just like their whole family has. That night we all had dinner together and I really got to know them very well, as they did with me. They all were very welcoming, nice, care-free, and made me feel right at home and they still do to this day. I am very lucky not only to have a beautiful and loving girlfriend, but to also have the same from her family is a plus.

Later in our relationship I had the honor to meet Gina's grandparents in PA (Judy's mom and dad). That again was an amazing experience and I was lucky to have meet them. We spent a lot of time with them while we were there and enjoyed doing a lot of things together, such as shopping at some clothes store that I can't remember the name of but Gina is obsessed with it, Golden Corral (haha), running, food (which was very good), learning about winery, and of course playing on the Wii. Watching Gina's grandparents playing the Wii was worth the drive to PA and needless to say they were pretty good at Tennis.

I also got to meet Lou's mother, which was very entertaining as well. As the whole family knows she likes her pictures and there is nothing wrong with trying to capture the moments. Lou's grandmother was full of energy and excitement and whenever she was around there was never a dull moment.

Then there is Meredith (just kidding). Meredith and Gina are sisters and both are very close even though it may not seem like that at times. Meredith is like a sister of mine too and she is probably the person with the most energy that I have ever seen, again even though at times it may not seem like it (again, just kidding Meredith). It's funny to hear Gina or anybody in their family to tell me about her life and her boy situation. What I mean by her boy situation is that I remember one time she was going to meet up with some guy who is a friend of a friend and Judy and Gina both wanted me to talk to Meredith about it and let her know the risks of going to see someone she really doesn't know. The situation wasn't as bad as it seems because the person that she meet was a good guy, but knowing Judy she was being protective over her daughter and I admired that. Needless to say Meredith came back alive and OK. But in all honesty Meredith is someone who I am glad that I meet, she has given me a different perspective in life (even though she doesn't think so) on how to live it and enjoy it.

Lastly, I had the pleasure in meeting some of Lou and Judy's closest friends (Chuck and many others) and siblings. They all were very friendly and again, full of excitement. They all are amazing people and have something unique about every single one of them. I have a lot of memories with them that I will never forget and I'm sure there will be more to come.

Most people don't look forward to meeting their significant others parents or in-laws but that's defiantly not the case with me, I would see them everyday if I could just as if they were a family of my own.

The Day Before and The Day Of....

Gina is flying into Indy tomorrow and the day before is always filled with excitement, anxiousness, and makes for a long day. The day before either of us go to see each other, it seems as if the day just draaaaaags on. All I can think about is seeing her and how close we are. I always get nervous and butterflies in my stomach the day before and especially when I do see her, it's like the first kiss feeling all over again. Everything around us is mute and doesn't matter, also some of the feelings are indescribable. When we do see each other all worries are taken away from school, social life, personal problems, and knowing Gina is OK. Once we are together for about a couple of hours the excitement is still there but the nervous feeling and being shaky all goes away and then the time we spend together (however long that may be, from two days to two months) is unbelievable and I couldn't ask for more.

Another reason why I know Gina is the one because every-time we are together it's perfect and 100% love. Some people say oh well when you guys are together for awhile (2+ months it will get old) and that is completely false because we spent a summer together (basically with each-other 17 hours a day) and never got in one argument and fully enjoyed being together. I am very excited to see Gina again (as I always am) and tomorrow couldn't come any sooner. I Love You!