love

5 Tips For Long Distance Relationships

Hi guys, I hope you're having a great weekend so far. I'm feeling pretty motivated and inspired right now, so I'm hoping that feeling is here to stay! A lot of you already know of my boyfriend Gary (he's usually that weirdo in my Snapchats with me!) and some of you may already know that he's originally from Plymouth. When we first met he still lived down south, and with myself here in Liverpool it was impossible to date 'normally', and so we had to get creative. We did long distance for the first 18 months of our relationship, which is pretty impressive I think. Especially because we did it as a new couple, not an already deeply committed relationship that then deals with long distance. So yeah I'm pretty proud of us to be honest, and I think we did brilliantly considering the challenges. So I thought today I'd share with you my top tips for doing long distance successfully. Now obviously I can only speak from my own experiences, but I hope this might help one or two of you if you are currently going through this. It doesn't have to be the worst thing ever! :)

With Valentines coming up, it got me thinking about relationships and dating. Sure, Gary and I go on dates, and regularly make an effort to keep that loveliness there even after almost five years. But I no longer describe us as 'dating'. We live together, we have a cat, we've met each other's families; we're a lot more serious than what 'dating' would imply.
Truth is I haven't been single in a long time now, and I honestly think I'd be hopeless at it. Dating apps weren't reaaallly a thing the last time I was single, for starters. Now everyone and their mum is using them.
So today I thought, for the lolz, I'd share with you some of the things I do and don't miss about dating. Let me know if you can relate to any!

Remember a few days ago I was spouting about making Valentines for everyone this year? Well, I weren't kidding guys, I really am determined to spread some love to everyone close to me this year. For starters, obviously Gary and I are gonna be like Cupid on crack, as per usual. But I'll also be gifting some of my friends wherever I can (even if it's just a card, some chocolates, etc!) and making sure my nearest and dearest feel loved.
With that in mind, the glass token above from Getting Personal was the perfect little addition to my little pamper hamper I'm creating for my Mum. I really want to make my mum feel special this year, and know just how loved she is. A few years ago my Dad died, and obviously this has left us feeling like we have a hole that will never be filled again. I realised that Valentines must be extra hard for my mum, with constant reminders that people are with their loves, and she's not. To be honest even just typing that has made me tear up a little, as I cannot bear the thought of my mum carrying such sadness. So this year, I hope to shower her in so much love she will feel happy and appreciated, and maybe even comforted.

Whether you're more excited for Valentines or Pancake Day, February brings new reasons to celebrate and be excited for the month ahead. Yes I'm totally on board getting excited over chocolate chip pancakes, mmm....

Valentines day though, for some people can be a right pain in the butt if they aren't loved up. And I get it, I really do. It's annoying that there's a day with annoying couple's showing off their love all over the place or seeing more PDA than is ever needed. I'm in a couple, and even I'll say that's super sickly, and I avoid Facebook on V day, as it kind of makes me hate people in general.

However, that being said - I am still a huge fan of Valentines. And not just because I'm in a relationship; but because I've always liked it! Even when I was single, I used it as an excuse to just show some extra love to the people I cared about most, and completely pamper myself. I fully agree that you shouldn't just do this once a year, but you know what? Having a reminder to treat someone nicely isn't a bad thing. I'm a very lucky girlfriend all year round, and I'd like to think I'm a romantic and loving girlfriend; but that doesn't stop Gary and I celebrating Valentines anyway. It's nice to be nice, and all that. Same goes for spreading the love to family and friends.