Long Distance Relationships are very hard-not impossible-but hard none the less. Whether it be with friends, family, or significant others, a lot of time and energy goes into these relationships (typically unnoticed by the people who have never been in this type of situation). Before having been in a long distance relationship, I would have had no idea the strength and sincerity it takes to actively stay connected in correspondence. Recently, I have moved several states away from all my closest friends (Ohio to Alabama) and my lovely family at the same time has moved from Ohio to Australia (yes, down unda!). Crazy as it may seem, I am still really close to my family and my old friends while maintaining my new friendships.

For those who understand, and those who would like to, this is what it’s like in a Long Distance Relationship:

1. You will miss them. All. The. Time.

It sucks. That is the best way to put it. There will be times where you will be doing something and you will think "wow, so and so would absolutely love this!" But they cannot be there. It hurts to love someone and be so far away from them. You try not to think about them, but end up doing so anyway AND ITS OKAY TO MISS THEM!! Some people forget that and hate calling home or their loved ones saying they miss them, BUT IT'S OKAY! It is natural. They were a huge part of your life and suddenly it feels like something is missing when you don't see them every day. They will miss you and you will miss them and you may not tell them, but that doesn't make it any less true.

2. Try though you may, you will not end up talking every day.

I am pretty sure my first week of college, I long distance called my parents in Australia every day. Then it was every few days and I began to get busier. All of a sudden I hadn't talked to them for two weeks. While I love them, sometimes I am just way too busy to find time to catch up. But, it makes our phone calls a real treat when they do happen.

3. Time Differences and Conflicting Schedules are the bane of your existence.

My family is around 14 hours ahead of me, time wise. So while I am getting up in the morning to go to class, they are heading to bed and vice versa. It’s kind of funny, but hey they get to celebrate holidays a day early! My best friend and I have become increasingly busy-between my theatre schedule and his sports, it’s amazing how close we still are. But when a friendship is that close, you could not talk for weeks and then have a couple hour phone call to catch up and feel like nothing has changed. Time differences and conflicting schedules make maintaining these relationship really hard, but also these differences give you something to talk about when do get the chance.

4. Birthdays and Holidays are Weird.

Weird with a capital W. They are bittersweet reminders of independence and growth, but also a true reminder of the distance that is between your loved ones and you. Normal family events that you are not able to attend make you feel more "Adult" than doing your laundry ever will. At the same time, it’s wonderful what new experiences and adventures you might have, without being thrown into your old traditions. You miss some things, but as long as you make an effort to wish "happy birthday" or reach out, home feels a little closer.

5. You are tempted to make and buy all the cute Long Distance Relationship pins and crafts on Pinterest.

I want to make all my friends all the cute little care packages and send them all these cute letters but #brokecollegestudent so a girl can only pin.

6. When you hear "your song" on the radio, you know it will be a good day.

There are like 5 or 6 songs that can come on the radio or my playlist that instantly make me in a good mood because of the great memories associated with it. I usually hear it and then like text my friend "OMG OUR SONG CAME ON THE RADIO!" and while their response is more of an eye roll, I know they are glad to hear from me.

7. Snapchat becomes your "Best Friend."

I snap a good deal of friends’ messages like "have a good day" or "thinking about you" random things like that. And while that's great to hear sometimes, it’s nice to see a 10 second snapshot of that persons face or life or reaction you may not always be there for. In this digital age, I adore snapchat to keep in touch with my friends more than any other app because it is faster and sometimes silly-which is just what my friends and I are. Snapchat just becomes an easy communication that doesn't involve a whole lot of talking, but brings a little laugh through those random dog filters.

8. Random texts or "thinking of you" messages are the best thing on a bad day.

Those types of messages make my day. Whether you are hundreds of miles apart or you live in the same dorm as me, getting a happy random text just makes me feel cared about. Hence why I also like sending them. This happened to my brother in Australia the other day....he has not contacted me for two months and then out of nowhere he messages me about a Hamilton bootleg on YouTube. He saw something we both loved and had to share it with me almost out of the blue. It was just nice to know he was thinking about me, even if it was in reference to a hip hop rap musical about a founding father. Him sending something that I cared about, just overwhelmed me with a sense of joy and pride that my little bro was still looking out for me.

9. mail. Mail. MAIL.

Maybe this is just like a college student thing but going to the mailbox and seeing I have like a real handwritten letter makes me do a little happy dance (usually a disco-ish move). Not only is it a cool way to stay in touch, but it’s really fun to actually scribe or draw a picture and send it out into the world hoping it finds its home(yes, I did in fact just romanticize letters). This past summer I started writing and sending letters to people and honestly I think that type of written communication is something everyone should try. Receiving mail no matter where it came from in the world is just fun! Writing and receiving hand written letters just brings you back to those days when you passed notes in Chem class behind the teachers back(even if it was just lyrics to Phantom of the Opera).

10. Phone calls become necessity.

As easy as it is to slack off and forget, your friends and family that are far away should be one of the first people you talk to when something truly amazing or absolutely abhorrent happens. Letting them find out over social media slowly backs you out of the close friend department. Sharing things with them first is very important to maintain a successful and healthy relationship. They may not be there to celebrate or mourn with you, but at least you know that they support you and care about you no matter what. And that they are only ever a phone call, text, or email away.

11. After a phone call or conversation, the world feels a little bit smaller than it did before.

No matter how far away one is, just hearing that person’s voice can make a huge difference in your mood. The world can just feel a little closer together even when you're a great distance apart because of a small conversation.

12. You constantly bring up stories about your old friends to your new friends.

If I had a penny for every time I started a story with "So, back in Ohio..." I could probably pay for a plane ticket straight to Cincinnati. It’s bound to happen...not only are you just trying to share with your friends great memories you've had before, but you want an excuse to talk about those great people you know.

13. You end up planning trips and visits, but never actually take them.

I have about 10 or so road trips planned with random people. I won't end up taking most of them, but they sure are fun to day dream about. In a LDR, you are always going to want something to look forward to in your relationships and sometimes something really fun like a cross country road trip is the perfect(maybe not realistic) plan for you and your best friend. But who knows, maybe I will be lucky enough to go on all those daring trips, just to catch up and reconnect with my loved ones.

14. It is never completely the same when you are with them.

This one is a bit hard to think about, but it’s true. You each have all these new experiences away from each other, changing you as people. The phrase goes, "for better or for worse" and it applies here--stronger or weaker, you will be in a different place with your friends, family, or significant other.

15. But no matter what, you would still go through heaven and hell, cross deserts and part seas, all to make them happy.

It’s certainly a struggle being in any type of long distance relationship. I have felt like I have been kind of "homeless". I haven't had my old friends of family as an anchor these past few months and it has been a real wake up call. I realized that it’s not a place that makes the home, but the people. Instead of having no place to call home, I have so many through all the people I love and that care about me. I even have a new set of caring loving people to support me, making my web of love and connections even greater and more wonderful than before. I would do anything for my friends and family(old and new), and home is wherever they are and whenever I am with them.