How to do Long Distance: Buy Him Cheese

No couple begins a relationship hoping to date over thousands of miles. Candlelight dinners and walks along the beach don't exactly happen when the primary contact you have is through a telephone. I can't say that I ever expected to be in a long distance relationship, but alas, here we are.

My boyfriend and I met in law school in March. He had a strict don't-date-fellow-students policy and I had a strict don't-date-anyone-who-will-leave-Michigan policy. His reasoning was pretty simple: don't complicate things by mixing your personal and your academic lives. As for me; I always wanted to settle down by my mother. When I moved back to Grand Rapids, I never expected to leave again. Falling in love with someone who didn't live in Michigan would potentially threaten my plan (and I don't like to change my plans.) Needless to say, one thing led to another and when he moved back to Texas, the only feasible solution was to begin our long-distance relationship.

It's been hard but nice. I went from seeing my boyfriend every day to seeing his face on the computer for a few hours a week. The adjustment was a roller coaster and things are just now becoming my new normal. When he first left, we would FaceTime for hours everyday. We spoke on the phone every single night and I would get upset if he wouldn't respond to my texts. I tried to compensate for his physical presence by pushing the communication. I wasn't sleeping enough and every other area of my life was taking a hit for being neglected. Talking to him became my number one priority.

After a few weeks, we both learned how to show each other that we care without putting our lives on hold to do it. We talk about our future and we communicate when we can. I don't talk to him unless it's convenient to my schedule. That being said, I've come to learn that showing someone that you care, especially when you're doing long-distance, is so important.

On to the cheesy part (see what I did there?),
The boyfriend and I have quite a fondness of cheese. We would frequent a small cheese store in Grand Rapids and make fondue. Our wine and cheese nights became a regular thing. He loves cheese, I love cheese. Ironically, I have quite a bit of family in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the cheese state. Are you seeing the connection?

I was in Wisconsin this past weekend and was able to learn about all of the favorite cheeses from my family (who, as Wisconsin natives, also love cheese). The place that my Grandma goes to for her cheese is able to ship packages to Texas. Thus, my brilliant idea was born. Why not send my cheese-loving-boyfriend a package of cheese from the Cheese State?  My order included cheese curds and cheese whips, salami cheese and other flavored cheese. He hasn't gotten it yet but I'll let you know how it goes.

Here's the link to the website in case you want your own cheese curds:
http://gibbsvillecheese.com

The Awkward First Post

In my experience, the decision to start a blog involves many different emotional stages. First is the excitement and ideas of what you want to talk about. Your mind is just consumed with topics and website layouts. You become convinced that through the blog, you'll be able to change the world. I'm not even joking; you feel so empowered by your hypothetical blog and it's hypothetical success with humanity. Then the excitement dwindles and you hit the second stage: realization. You begin to question how these ideas will actually come to fruition and you realize how difficult the process might actually be. Finally, and because it's all just too difficult, you hit the point where you give up. I'm here to tell you friends, for the first time in my blogging career, I was able to pass the point where I gave up. 

And thus, The Bailey Chat was created. 

So here's some information that you may or may not care to read. I grew up in West Michigan. I'm a proud graduate of The University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and now I attend Western Michigan Thomas M. Cooley Law School. I grew up with four brothers, my mother is my best friend and I can become friends with anyone I come into contact with. I'm in a long distance relationship with a Texan. I love to stay active and workout as well as eating healthy and trying new recipes. I'm a compulsive organizer when stressed out and my roommate is insane (in a good way...I love her. )

This blog will more or less be about the crazy, unique, and insane life that I'm living and the things that I do to not only handle it but excel in it.