A Little Bit of History

Before diving into giving a bunch of long distance relationship tips, I would first like to give you my story. Try to follow along, as I know it can get a bit confusing. Seventh grade, six years ago, I met Matthew for the first time at Greenwood Lakes Middle School in Lake Mary, Florida. He had just moved from Scotland. We hit it off, and spent almost every weekend together, playing mini golf in the Disney Resort area, or eating at Golden Corral. We spent time together at school when we could. We became really close, and I then fell into a bad friendship that was manipulative and it didn’t end well for any of us. That being said, Matthew and I grew apart, we weren’t, as close, and I completely understood if he never wanted to see my face again. I found out that I had to move to Colorado in 2007. I would be starting eighth grade in Colorado, and had to start all over. We said our goodbyes, and I moved away, and contact was lost for some time. After a bit, we found each other on Facebook, and I added him, and sent him a message. We talked a little bit, trying to reconnect, and in March of 2010 I had plans to surprise my best friend for her birthday in Florida. We met up one night at Downtown Disney, a special place to both of us, and ate dinner at Rainforest Café. We spent the night talking, and reconnecting, and dinner ended with Matthew having to pay for a candle that staff members put into the dessert! That is really when we began talking again. After that, he surprised me for my senior homecoming. We went to the dance, he had gotten me a beautiful necklace, and he then went back to Orlando. It was shortly after that when things began to drastically change.

                            

          A few months after homecoming, Matthew, his mother, and grandmother got word that they were being sent back to Scotland through no fault of their own. Matthew’s father had passed away, and immigration seemed to have some mix-ups in their file. Matthew and his family had to pack up, and go back to Scotland where they had no one. Jacqui, his mom ran a successful business, and things were going pretty well for them in Florida. Matthew thought it would be a possibility to come back to the States to finish high school, and visit me for my senior prom. On his flight over, he was told he was good to go, but was then told he was not entering the U.S. and they sent him back to Scotland after keeping him essentially detained for hours, and he had no one to talk to. I did not find out until he had gotten home, and I received an email stating he would not make it to be with me for prom. He finished high school online, and I graduated in May of 2012. My parents surprised me with a trip to Scotland to see Matthew, and spend a month touring Europe, and ending our trip in London before returning to Scotland. The trip was absolutely amazing, and it sounds corny, but I fell in love in Paris. The city of love really does work!

        

         We ended the trip in London, because Matthew had an appointment at the embassy to get a visa to come back to the States to study. They kept him for hours, in the embassy, Jacqui, his gran, and I had no idea where he was, as he could not have his phone with him, and time was getting tight as we had a reservation for afternoon tea. He finally came out, and after not seeing him for several hours, I wanted nothing more than to hug him and make sure everything was ok. He walked out of the embassy, tears welling up. As he walked towards me, I knew right then what the answer was. No words were exchanged, we just hugged, and I ensured him that we would get through it, and nothing would ever come between us. On June 29^th, 2012 we made our relationship official, but there was the lingering thought in my mind of how we would make it work being on opposite ends of the world. The next plan was to study in Canada. He was quick to make arrangements for Canada, and moved out there in October of 2012. He was studying at DeVry University, until we were told the campus was shutting down. However, in order to stay within the visa requirements, on-campus classes must be taken. Thankfully, everything was worked out; he got to participate in graduation, which I was thankful to be able to be there for. He is now finishing his degree online, and still in Canada. I have fallen in love with Canada, and long for the day I get to go back. I have visited three times, and every time Matthew and I have to say goodbye to each other, it gets harder and harder. The place we stand in the airport to say our goodbyes is an image engraved in my memory, and I have to try hard to not see it everyday we are not together. But it makes our relationship stronger, and being away from each other is so difficult, but we are in it together and work through it. And it makes the time we have together so special. So this is my love story, and throughout my time blogging, I will post tips, and have a theme each week. If you would like to share your story, type it up and email it to hannahplyons@gmail.com. Thank you so much for reading and enjoy!