It's Gonna Be Rough

Due to a busy start to the year, I was rarely at home and I was rarely with my family.  School had become my home and ASB had become my family.  On those occasions where I was at home, I didn't spend my time with my mom or brothers.  Instead, I occupied myself with my abundance of homework that was piling up or I slept because I was extremely exhausted.  Although my family wanted my attention, they understood that I was busy.

Just last Thursday, my great grandpa passed away.  He was 94 and his health was becoming worse, so we knew the time was coming soon.  He had been in the nursing home since the beginning of this year and at first, my mom would force us to go every weekend to visit him.  However, my brothers would complain about being there because it was boring.  They made the time spent with him not very peaceful.  My mom then decided to let us have the option of seeing him so that our visits would be more enjoyable and relaxing.  My schedule started to get more full and I didn't have time to visit.  I missed out on a lot of opportunities to spend time with him.  I regret not making more of an effort to see him.  Although we knew his death was coming soon, we weren't prepared for all the tears.

School for me has significantly calmed down, I caught up on grades and now I have the holidays to look forward to.  For some odd reason, I was in the holiday spirits much earlier this year than previous years.  While doing homework, I would put on the Taylor Swift (Holiday) station on Pandora.  I was already telling Jake about all the upcoming events we could go to.  Such as attending December Nights or taking a walk on Christmas Card Lane.  I was so excited to be able to spend time with my family again.  But with the recent event that happened, I really don't know how the holidays will be this year..

73.8 miles, 1 hour and 12 minutes away

A long distance relationships (LDR) is an intimate relationship shared between two people who are far away from each other.  According to "Long Distance Relationship Statistics" on statisticbrain.com, there are 14 million couples who are currently in a long distance relationship.  

If you are honest, trust, and communicate with your significant other, being in a relationship shouldn't be difficult.  Occasionally, there may be a disagreement that leads to an argument, but that should be manageable.  However, even if there is honesty, trust and communication, being in a relationship while being miles apart isn't easy.  I would know because my boyfriend, Jake, and I are one of those 14 million couples.

I thought I would be okay when my boyfriend left for college.  I would busy myself with school and ASB, living my life normally, just without him..  However, there are "things that trigger memories" that cause you to miss your significant other or "randomly cry." (buzzfeed.com)  For me, the topic of college was a trigger, when mentioned, I would instantly become sad.  When we discussed it in AVID, I would put my head down, thinking about him.  It was a constant reminder that he wasn't here when I would see couples walking together, holding hands.  As Jake said goodbye to me on his last day, I attempted to fight back tears, but my emotions won and I sobbed.  When he actually left, I realized that I was not emotionally prepared.

Being in a long distance relationship makes being with each other extremely difficult.  Before, if I was craving Wings N Things or Frozen Yogurt, he would take me out later on that night.  Now that he isn't five minutes away from me, we have to schedule a dinner date for the next time he comes back.  If I told him I was bored and had nothing to do, he would visit me at home.  However, if I ever have free time, I have to hope that he isn't busy so that we can have a FaceTime date.  It's frustrating when a simple activity becomes a hassle.

I live in San Diego while Jake dorms in Irvine.  Although we live in two different cities, Mira Mesa is both of our homes.  One of the best feelings ever is when you finally see your partner back at home, after waiting for what seemed like forever.  I'll admit it, long distance relationships aren't always easy and sometimes you question yourself and your relationship.  Some days are definitely much happier than others, however, there are many days where you want to isolate yourself from the world.  Despite the distance, the love for each other remains the same.  It makes being 73.8 miles or an hour and 12 minutes away, worth it.