Loving From A Distance

People in long distance relationships can have a hard time staying connected, because couples are limited in what they can do together.  Many are limited to  phone calls, emails, instant messaging, and texting which can become a bit humdrum over time, if you ask me.  It is important to keep things interesting.  Here is a list of things you can do with your boyfriend/girlfriend as well as things you can do for them from a distance.

 Much love,  Michelle :)                

1. Watch things simultaneously together!  Watch the same movie or TV show at the same time.  Frank and I have used these sites: Sidereel.com.  It has a ton of TV shows that you can watch online commercial free.  We especially loved watching the show Dexter together.  We would make a date night and watch a show online and have our webcams going at the same time.  It's not the same as cuddling up on the couch, but it's as close as we could get!  This is a good idea if you find yourself running out of things to talk about on the phone... doing this takes off the pressure of talking since you'll both be into the show/movie, plus it gives you something to talk about afterward!  Also try WatchTVSitcoms.com (a smaller selection of TV shows and movies, but it has very reliable working videos.) 

2. Send your boyfriend/girlfriend flowers!  There are lots of websites that will deliver flowers for you, but if you don't want to spend money sending a real bouquet,  you can send a virtual bouquet using this website.  I just got done sending Frank some roses myself :)  Flowers2mail.com.  Another website that lets you send either real or virtual flowers is Virtualflowers.com

3. Play a game together.  Here are a couple links to multiplayer games: 

• Yahoo! multiplayer games
• Pogo games (you'll have to search around for the multiplayer ones.  My favorite to play with Frank is High Stakes Pool.)
• InteracTrivia is a multiplayer, interactive, online trivia game allowing users to go head-to-head against other players around the world in a battle of knowledge - all happening in real time.  You don't get to play with each other alone, but sometimes the rooms are empty, so you might just be able to.  Just sign-up for free to have chat capabilities.

4. Get a webcam.  If you don't already have one, get one!  Frank and I use SightSpeed (it's free).  It's a great way to stay connected.  Skype offers similar services but also allows free Skype-to-Skype calls as well, with cheap Skype-to-phone calls too.

5. Send an e-card!  I know you've probably seen this suggestion before.  Tired of lame e-cards?  You'll get a kick out of Someecards.com (Thinking of You section).  These e-cards are hilarious!  If you're easily offended by vulgar language, this site isn't for you.  Want something a bit more romantic?  Check out these LDR e-cards.

6. HoochyMail!  Okay, so maybe Frank doesn't like this one so much... HoochyMail is a website where you enter information and it automatically generates a story with your names in a MadLib type fashion.  You choose the story level: sexy, x-rated, or off the wall.  I did this for Frank, and cried laughing reading the story the website generated.  I think Frank just stared at his computer with his eyebrows bunched up. 

7. Say cheese!  Before Frank and I had webcams, I would occasionally take a picture and email it to him so he could see me.  He always loved it :)  If he was having a bad day they would cheer him up.  Here are some other picture related ideas:

• I wish I had this or that Frank had this...  I found this website: Estarling.com.  They sell WiFi photo frames that you can email pictures to.  You control the frame from miles away!  You can make playlists and set the time and day you want the pictures to display on the frame.  How neat is that?

• Create online photo albums for each other.  A great site is Webshots.com

• Get creative and edit your pictures with this free imaging tool (tons of awesome effects!)  Picnik.com

8. Share a journal.  I wanted to do this with Frank, but he's lazy.  I had this brilliant idea for us to share a journal.  I would keep it for a couple weeks or so, and write in it everyday with my thoughts, and then mail it to Frank, and he could keep the journal and write in it, and it would just keep going back and forth.  I thought it was a good idea.  Maybe your boyfriends/girlfriends will be more willing participants than Frank!  Other journal ideas?  You could also each have your own journals that you can exchange.  Or have an online journal.  Here are a couple sites:  Xanga.com and LiveJournal.com.  These both have privacy controls so you can control who sees your journal.

9. Write a letter.  You've probably seen this one before, but it is really a good idea.  Handwritten letters are really nice to get and can be fun to write.  I love seeing Frank's messy handwriting, haha, so much character.  Letters can mean so much more than an email.  Here are some sites with free printable stationary!

• Canon Free Stationary (you can make your own cute envelopes too!)
  
• FreePrintableStationary.net

10. Learn new things about each other.  Think you have run out of everything you could say to each other?  Try this....  When it's one of those days where you guys just can't think of anything to talk about, try asking questions.  Here's a good site with 100 questions to ask your love:  100 Questions to Know Your Partner.  These questions are great discussion starters.  Also check out 276 questions to ask before you get married.

11. Make a website!  Make a website about your relationship that you both can work on.  It is a great way to track your progress in your relationship, and what a great idea it would be to add a timeline.... I might just do that.  Webs.com, the webhost that we use for this site, offers free websites with blogging, photo album, and video functions.  Be creative together!  You could also make a website for your boyfriend/girlfriend for your anniversary or any random day and surprise them with it by sending them them the link!  Use the tool below to make a unique domain name for your special website:

1&1 offers the lowest prices on domains and webhosting and is who we bought our domain from.  Consider getting a unique domain name for your website.  We bought ours from 1&1 for $6.99 (for one year).  Use this tool to see if the domain you want is available:

12. Sing karaoke together!  This is a neat idea I've come across.  Haha, I'm not sure Frank would do this with me... But for you die hard karaoke singers out there, this might be some fun, and something you can do online with your love!   You will need a webcam and mic for this one.  Try this site: Ronan's Free Online Karaoke. 

13. Read a book together.  A great idea is to read a book together.  This is great for those couples who have limited time together, and need to find something to do together when they can't be.  Find a book you think you both would enjoy and agree to read a chapter every night.  Reading together, can open up lots of discussion, and can help boost a relationship in which both people feel they have run out of things to talk about.  Check out Half.com.  They sell books at very discounted prices, new and used.  Also, be sure to check out our LDR bookstore for LDR advice books as well as novels based on characters who are in LDRs.

14. Join a virtual world!   Some may cost you money if you want extras, but Second Life, Kaneva, IMVU, and There have free basic membership.  You can socialize with other people in these virtual worlds with both voice and text chat.  Programs like these are great for those in long distance relationships because they can allow you to go on virtual dates, and can be more interactive than just talking online.

15. Get a KissPhone?  A little bit creepy, but somehow I picture myself having tons of fun with it and spending way too much time using it, a KissPhone is a gadget that allows you to kiss your significant other from afar.  It allows you to send and receive kisses.  You kiss the lips on this device and it detects percussion speed, pressure, temperature, and sucking force of the lips when you kiss it, and somehow is able to reproduce these when you send your kiss to another KissPhone.  Strange?  I don't know, but I'd like to try it :P  It isn't currently available, but may be in the future. 

Check out these other crazy long distance inventions that may one day be available:

• Long Distance Pillows
• Long Distance Cups

16. Listen to music together.  If you're online a lot with your boyfriend/girlfriend instant messaging, why not listen to music together as you chat?  There are tons of free online radio stations online.  Here are a couple sites to get you started:   Live365.com and RadioTower.com.

17. Send fun coupons so they can redeem them the next time you see them.  These are great to include in care packages along with other nice items they may enjoy.  You can make your own or print out these ones from GiveCoupons.com

18. Get married.  Haha, not for real, but if you're feeling a little silly this website might be fun.  Have a virtual wedding.  You do everything online: propose, fill out the marriage certificate, have the wedding, invite guests, wedding photos, and you can even divorce.  Virtual Wedding Chapel.

19. Send an E-Kiss.  VirtualKiss.com has a kissing booth where you can create a custom kiss to send to whomever you wish for free.  You choose lip shape, color, and texture.  Include a message, and it's all set to go!  :)  This website also has a lot of other interesting content all about kissing. 

20.  Send a Hip-Hop gram.  You can send a song to your love with their name actually in the song.  And it's free!  All the lovey dovey type songs are only meant for sending to girls for some reason... Hip-Hop Grams

21. Create an email time capsule!  Write an email to yourself and your boyfriend/girlfriend to be sent in the future. By using this website: FutureMe.org. This is something you can do for them or something that you can do together.  Write about how much you love them.  Include maybe some recent things you have done and fond memories you have now that you may not remember in x amount of years.  Maybe include current problems in your relationship, so when you receive the email in the future, you can see if you still have the same issues you did back then or be pleased that you've made it through some hard times in your relationship.  You choose when it gets delivered.  How neat would it be to send it on your anniversary??  :)  This website lets you send it all the way until 2037!  FutureMe.org.   To send an email to another person besides yourself you just have to register.  It's free.

22. Take an online compatibility test.  SimilarMinds.com offers a compatibility test that you can take with one or more people.  Fill out the form and they will send an email to whom you choose so they can take the test.  Once you have both completed the test, you'll get an email that tells you your results.  Want to know our results?  Frank and I are 75% similar and 81% complementary.  I hope that's good! 

23. Make them cookies :)  It's always nice to receive things in the mail, especially when they're edible.  I've baked cookies for Frank a couple times and he loved it.  A website I always use is Allrecipes.com.  You can never go wrong with their 5-star recipes!  Just make sure that when you send them, that they'll get to their destination within 2 d