90 Day LDR Challenge: Day 15

Day 15: What are your favorite things to do together when you’re apart?

Cat: I love it when we get to Skype with each other. I’m sure that’s a typical answer for a lot of people in LDRs, but it makes my day when I can see him! We still haven’t watched a movie together or played a game online together. Things have been so crazy in our lives lately that it’s tough to have anything like a date night go on. But I’m happy just being able to see him. 🙂 

Richard: Hmm, well we keep in touch a lot via text, but I like it when we get to Skype since I get to see her. I did buy us both DS so we could play mario kart together, but the time difference and everything being hectic for both of us means we haven’t quite got round to it yet, but I hope we will at some point. I really liked playing the DS with Cat when we were living together.

90 Day LDR Challenge: Day 14

Day 14: What was your first kiss like? If you haven’t kissed yet, what do you think/hope it will be like?

Cat: It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. 🙂

Richard: It was really nice haha. We were sat in Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester at night, and I remember lots of football (US friends, read: soccer) fans going past. So, that was a bit surreal, as well as the fact that we had been speaking for a good few months with Cat all those thousands of miles away, and all of a sudden we were together. I remember walking Cat back to her hotel where we kissed again, and then some guy driving past said “Get a room!” Haha! Unfortunately, Cat was staying with her mum at that point so that wasn’t an option 😀

90 Day LDR Challenge: Day 13

Day 13: What are some things you two have in common?

Richard: Overall, although we can come from different view points on quite a few things, we actually tend to come to the same conclusions. 

Cat: For example, I was raised Catholic, but I’m much more spiritual than religious now. Richard is atheist. While we basically come from opposite ends of the spiritual spectrum, haha, we both agree on the same moral values. Our different POVs make for great discussions, and it’s really fascinating to me because it’s pretty cool to see how our conversations can start from opposite ends of the spectrum to finding common ground and agreement.

Richard: On a less philosophical note, haha, I’d say – We both love going to restaurants. We love pets (although I prefer cats, and ironically Cat likes dogs!). We both really like musicals. We love city breaks, and we generally have the same political views.

90 Day LDR Challenge: Day 12

Day 12: How did you tell your family and friends about your relationship? Were they supportive? What about your partner?

Cat: The night before I met Richard for the first time, I remember telling my mom about him. I was really nervous because my mom is a traditional woman, and I was waiting for her judgment to rain on me about online dating, etc. But she was surprisingly really cool about it! She really had my back the night that Richard and I went out. In retrospect, I’m glad my mom was there when I met Richard.

Throughout our relationship, Richard has made such a great impression on the rest of my family and friends, and all of my friends are actually happy that we’re going so strong. And while a couple of my aunts had silly comments to make about our LDR, I took it all with a grain of salt. One of them has become bitter about love since forever, and the other has been with the same man since high school, never having to deal with distance or any other kind of obstacles. Sometimes, understanding where the negativity comes from is 80% of the battle.

Richard: My mum and I are really close so I did tell her that we were going on a date. I told her how lovely Cat was and she was really happy when I told her that we were in a relationship. They actually met relatively early on, my Mum and I had booked tickets for a band that we like (she’s cool, what can I say), and we all went to a latin american restaurant and they really hit it off. My Grandma really liked the sound of Cat, and I was so glad when they met for the first time at Christmas when she was visiting in London for my graduation. And yes, they hit it off as well!

My best friend Ste was really happy for me when I told him about Cat, and everyone loved Cat whenever we went to parties together. So yes, nothing but good things. 🙂

90 Day LDR Challenge: Day 11

Day 11: Name 5 random things about your partner!

Cat on Richard:

1. He loves cinnamon, especially if it’s incorporated in anything sweet.
2. He loves playing scary games on his PS4.
3. He has an incredible memory – he will remember something I tell him casually months and months later. It makes his gifts/gestures that much sweeter. 🙂
4. You know those random facts on quiz shows that make you go “How would anyone know that?!” Richard is the kind of person who knows those insanely obscure facts. #nerdalert #hesmynerdtho
5. He’s an incredible baker and cook!

—///—

Richard on Cat:

1. Cat loves Otters
2. Cat has a strong relationship with cheese and cheese based dishes, especially Mac N cheese.
3. Cat loves Harry Potter (and loved it when I took her to the Harry Potter experience for her birthday in 2013!)
4. One of Cat’s favourite places to visit is Virginia Beach, especially because she has so many good memories with her Dad there.
5. Cat ironically isn’t a big fan of cat’s (although she makes an exception for Mrs. Whiskers*)

*yes, Mrs. Whiskers is Richard’s cat, ha!

90 Day LDR Challenge: Day 10

Day 10: Write a little letter to yourself about what you hope for your relationship in the next few weeks.

Dear Cat,

I hope your relationship with Richard keeps growing day by day. I hope you keep learning new things about him and from him. I hope you keep laughing – even at his horrible puns. I hope your love for him keeps growing. Not long until he comes to visit. T-minus 64 days!!! 

Love,

Cat

—///—

Dear Richard, 

As we’re nearly in September I don’t have any particularly dramatic hopes. However, I hope Cat and I stay as strong as we have been and can spend some time planning what we’ll get up to when I come to visit. By the time I visit, it will be 8 months since Cat left to head back to the States, but I know from the moment I get there until the moment I head back, it will be as if we have never been apart.

– Richard

Life Update

Hey, you guys!

I’m sure you’ve noticed that we’ve been a bit quiet with the 90 Day LDR Challenge as of late, and I wanted to explain why.

Don’t worry! Richard and I are solid. 🙂 but recently, Richard has been dealing with a strong stomach bug, and he hasn’t been feeling 100%. We love doing the challenge together. So, we decided to take a pause while we get his health sorted out. We thought that he would be okay last week when he got a course of antibiotics, but they weren’t strong enough. But just today, his doctor gave him stronger antibiotics, and we’re hopeful these should do the trick!

We’re keeping our fingers crossed, and I would appreciate any positive thoughts you could send Richard’s way!

We really do love you guys, and we just wanted to let you know we have not nor would we ever forget about you all!

Lots of love,

Cat

90 Day LDR Challenge: Day 7

Day 7: What was it like the first time you two talked?

Cat: Well, while we were still messaging each other OkCupid, our messages flowed really well. And luckily, that carried on into our first date! We talked about all the things “they” tell you not to talk about, ha! But his intelligence and expressiveness just made him even more attractive to me, haha!

Richard: From what I can remember, it was really fun and relaxed. 🙂 I specifically remember we talked a lot about American things, haha.

90 Day LDR Challenge: Day 6

Day 6: How often do you see each other in person? What about over video chats?

We haven’t visited each other yet, but we will be seeing each other for our 3-year anniversary! T-minus 84 days!!! I can’t wait!

We try to Skype every other day, but it just depends on our schedule. Sometimes over the course of a week, it could be more than that, but other times, depending on what we have going on, it could be less. We really try to be open-minded and flexible with it all!