Question: So I met this guy two years...

I'm getting ready to start a long-distance relationship with my boyfriend, and we've been making plans to keep in touch pretty much constantly. Since we both have smart phones, we got a shared flickr account, and take three or more pictures a day to put on there when we're away from each other. We text a lot as it is, so I assume that will continue. I plan to be on Skype pretty much every time I'm at home. We're also going to send care packages, filled with crafts or little homemade gifts for each other. I like to pick shirts out for him, because he's picky about it, and I like the challenge, so I'll be sending a lot of those his way. I am leaving a lot of good friends here, so I'm hoping he keeps me up to date with what is going on with them.

Even thinking about being away from him so long is making me sad. Taking a 10-day trip without him is hard. But we can do it.

Aww thank you so much! Those are some great ideas and I do need to work on the "positive energy". Some days it gets to me worse than other, and often time I can't help but say something. I really appreciate your advice!

Number one, make sure you both have enough trust to be able to do this, and two, make sure you can both be faithful. Not being around the person you love can be hard to handle, emotionally and physically, but if you both acknowledge that the wait is worth the prize at the end, then you can do it.

To make it easier you could try to talk as much as you can, obviously. But talk in more ways than just the phone. Texts and e-mails are nice if you're up late and just want to send a cute "i love you" note to them. Skype is also AMAZING with this. I know it's not the same, but when I moved away from my friends I Skyped with them and that helped. My fiancé is joining the Navy, and I know that whenever he's gone, and we can use Skype, we're going to live on there together.

Try not to dwell on the distance when you talk. You both know it's there, and both wish it wasn't, so why bring it up in your conversations to bring you down? Definitely say how much you miss him, and you saw something and it made you think of him. But don't just get sad and say "This distance sucks!" You want all the positive energy possible in this relationship. Possibly think of things you can do with him whenever he moves down, if that doesn't depress you too much. Take pictures of interesting places you both go, and share it with the other one. That will help you feel more together, since you can see what he sees and vice versa.

You could also try to come up with something you guys do consistently. I know some Navy couples will always kiss their wedding rings before bed, because it's comforting to know your loved one did the same. You could both just say "I love you *name*" or something else if you think that's cheesy. :] Cheesy works though! Haha. Or if you can't Skype all the time because of school, set a time and day of the week to have like a 30 minute Skype conversation, and make sure to stick to it! Call it your "date night." Both enjoy your dinner together, maybe try to even eat the same thing to make it like you're more together. Or possibly watch a movie via Netflix together, so you can talk together while watching it and then have something to talk about after it. Me and one of my friends used to watch Netflix movies all the time over the internet together. It was nice to have someone to talk about it with.

Just try to stay positive while talking to him, and talk often. Make sure you both have the drive to trust and stay faithful, and keep your love strong. Make habits of doing something special together, date night or saying something to yourself at night. And don't get downtrodden that you guys are apart now. Think about how good it's going to be when you're together. Good luck!