transatlantically.

With the London Olympics in full swing {remember my obsession in yesterday's post?}, I thought it was only appropriate to share a story about a couple navigating the waters between the US and the UK! Betsy {from Betsy Transatlantically} and Jon met when she moved to London to study in 2008. She soon found her forever love...but I'll let her tell you that story!

Name: Betsy | Significant Other's Name: Jon

When did you start dating? Jon and I were set up by a mutual friend, Amy, in October 2008, when I moved to London to pursue a graduate degree. (Coincidentally, Jon had introduced Amy to his flatmate Harry a few months earlier, and they ended up dating for three years. The moral of the story is: play matchmaker and you could be rewarded with your own love story! ) To be honest, I wasn't too keen about Jon at first, but his persistence paid off and, when I let down my guard and stopped focusing on what I thought I wanted in a boyfriend, I fell hard.

At what point did you begin dating long distance? We were together in London for ten months--Jon is English, complete with adorable accent--but I moved back to my hometown of Washington, DC after I finished my MA in August 2009. We dated long distance until June 2010, when I moved back to London to be with him. We lived happily in London for the next two years, but visa issues forced me to return to DC in late May 2012, so we're long distance again. This time though, we're not dating--we're engaged!

How do you fill your days when you're apart? Jon and I are both good about staying busy when we're apart, which is helpful for a couple of reasons. One, it means that we're too distracted to miss each other too much. Two, it means that we are both living full lives even when we're not together, which allows us to explore interests the other might not share. It adds much more dimension to our relationship. As a funny aside: before I left London in May 2012, Jon bought an XBox and told me it would keep him out of trouble while I was away! ;)

How has long distance changed your relationship? When you're apart, it's hard to share the little gestures which make a relationship so lovely when you're together. You have to learn to express yourself, in terms of both the quality and quantity of communications, because those small attentions simply can't be paid physically. So much more of your relationship becomes about words when you're long distance. This has especially been a challenge for Jon, as he's not great on the phone, but I have to say that I'm incredibly touched by the effort he's making. It's also been a struggle for me to not freak out if the internet is on the brink when we have a Skype date or if he's delayed in returning an email!

How do you envision the rest of your long distance to go? I haven't seen Jon since I moved to DC in May 2012, but I imagine our visits between now and the wedding will be much like the times we were able to spend in the same place when we were last long distance. We indulged in the simple pleasures of being together. The best part of reuniting was falling back into the routines we loved sharing, like cooking dinner for each other or meeting friends for a few quiet pints. Of course, much of our "together" time in the next year will be taken up by wedding planning, but I think it will be important to remember to enjoy the moments we're together. We must savor the present and look toward the future! I also love the Love Actually reunions we have at the airport! No matter how many times we say hello and goodbye at Dulles and Heathrow, there are always fireworks.

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I simply can't thank Betsy enough for sharing their story here today! I'm sending much love and patience your way as you navigate long distance wedding planning. She's a rock star, wouldn't you agree? 

If you'd like to submit your own long distance story, please click here. If you'd like to read past features, go here :) I know many of you have been waiting for the return of this series, so thank you for your patience! It will likely be a bi-weekly feature moving forward. I hope you found courage in Betsy's story--and I'll see you all tomorrow!