So what is life like for a long distance wife? It is lonely. Normally, I get up in the morning and he is already halfway through with his day. With the six hour time difference, Pieter and I have to carefully plan out our days together in order to be able to talk at all. I am so grateful for the invention of skype and webcams. When we talk, I usually want to spend that time making plans for our future or talking about us, while he usually wants to spend it watching tv together or having a light conversation to enjoy the small amount of time we are able to spend together. It is always good to see his face, even if the webcam makes it look blurry.
We try to catch up face to face daily, but there is quite a difference between the months we spent dating long distance the past two years and the months we are now spending as a married couple long distance. On September 13th, 2014 I vowed to be "by his side no matter where life took us". As his wife I have a role that is difficult to fulfill from 3,000 miles away. It is beyond stressful to not be able to take care of him and to not know when we will have a normal life together again.
There are financial troubles as we work together from a distance and communicating through emails is not easy or convenient. Due to the unexpected financial obligations of this process, I have had to learn to live an even more frugal life than I did before.This spring is the first spring since I graduated high school that I have not taken any college classes. Although I was never the academic type, I miss doing college assignments very much. It is defeating to me to have this burden of an "unfinished degree" on my back.
Not a day goes by that I do not think of the long timeline we have ahead of us. A countdown normally just makes my somber mood worse. Saying "150 more days" is just not comforting. Both of us spend a lot of our time trying to distract ourselves. Netflix has become like a companion. Cleaning, eating, and exercising are also options to make time pass by quicker. But at the end of the day I am still surrounded by too much empty space in my bed, dozens of pictures of the two of us happy together, and thousands of memories in my mind of days spent with the man that I love.
There have been times when I have longed for support_ to hear of anyone else who has had to go through a dark time similar to this. I search on Google for articles about 'long distance marriages' and there is no good advice. The reassurance of this situation 'only making us stronger' only comforts me for so long. My faith, patience, and trust in God is tested everyday.
There are financial troubles as we work together from a distance and communicating through emails is not easy or convenient. Due to the unexpected financial obligations of this process, I have had to learn to live an even more frugal life than I did before.This spring is the first spring since I graduated high school that I have not taken any college classes. Although I was never the academic type, I miss doing college assignments very much. It is defeating to me to have this burden of an "unfinished degree" on my back.
Not a day goes by that I do not think of the long timeline we have ahead of us. A countdown normally just makes my somber mood worse. Saying "150 more days" is just not comforting. Both of us spend a lot of our time trying to distract ourselves. Netflix has become like a companion. Cleaning, eating, and exercising are also options to make time pass by quicker. But at the end of the day I am still surrounded by too much empty space in my bed, dozens of pictures of the two of us happy together, and thousands of memories in my mind of days spent with the man that I love.
There have been times when I have longed for support_ to hear of anyone else who has had to go through a dark time similar to this. I search on Google for articles about 'long distance marriages' and there is no good advice. The reassurance of this situation 'only making us stronger' only comforts me for so long. My faith, patience, and trust in God is tested everyday.
The lyrics to the Audio Adrenaline song "He Moves, You Move" stuck out to me as I listened to the song on my way to work the other day. It says "He's the Author of your story, so let Him take you on the journey of your life." I will continue to follow my Guide.
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| Webcam pictures_ maintaining a sense of humor through it all! |
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