long distance relationships
long distance relationships
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shirt

Original Poster:

25,395 posts

230 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
do they ever work out?

been with the OH 2.5yrs, she moved 200miles away in the first week.

until recently she was at uni and i have had a long term house renovation on the go. was easy not to have to think about the realities of how things would work long term - career plans, where to live etc.

the other night we had 'a talk', the upshot of which is that she doesn't know whether there's any point continuing. she thinks having to commit to a relationship over such a distance is killing the spontaneity and romance and its too much having to juggle it round work/life etc.

its not over yet but am pretty damn gutted. the worst part is that i have recently largely abandoned my planned career move abroad and was thinking about renting my house out when its finished and finding work a lot nearer to the OH. now i'm afraid it just sounds like i'm trying to apease her to stop the relationship breaking up.

i guess i don't really have a point, just that i think i'm losing the most wonderful woman in the world and its the most terrible feeling i have ever had. been in and out of love before but if it comes to an end i will carry this with me for a long time frown

anyone been through similar? has anyone made a LDR work?


<awaits the usual response to this kind of thing >

V8mate

45,899 posts

218 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
She's been banging all the foreign students for months and now can't contain the guilt any longer. You're dumped.

Move on.

Penny-lope

13,645 posts

222 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
Tried it...
It just hurts frown

lawrence567

7,507 posts

219 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
Did you meet her on the internet?

Adenauer

18,982 posts

265 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
V8mate said:
She's been banging all the foreign students for months and now can't contain the guilt any longer. You're dumped.

Move on.
Either that or she's started drinking from the furry cup.

Don

28,378 posts

313 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
shirt said:
<awaits the usual response to this kind of thing >
It's sad but it's true. If you both have things to do with your lives and distance makes them incompatible then it would be WRONG to ruin your futures by trying to stay together.

Eventually there will come a time in your life when nothing matters except to be with the woman. You'll compromise EVERYTHING else to make it happen. There will be no "moving nearer". There will be getting married and moving in together and the only future that matters is the one together.

If either of you aren't ready for the latter scenario? Treasure what you'be had. Move on. Be long distance friends.

Super Slo Mo

5,374 posts

227 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
shirt said:
do they ever work out?

been with the OH 2.5yrs, she moved 200miles away in the first week.

until recently she was at uni and i have had a long term house renovation on the go. was easy not to have to think about the realities of how things would work long term - career plans, where to live etc.

the other night we had 'a talk', the upshot of which is that she doesn't know whether there's any point continuing. she thinks having to commit to a relationship over such a distance is killing the spontaneity and romance and its too much having to juggle it round work/life etc.

its not over yet but am pretty damn gutted. the worst part is that i have recently largely abandoned my planned career move abroad and was thinking about renting my house out when its finished and finding work a lot nearer to the OH. now i'm afraid it just sounds like i'm trying to apease her to stop the relationship breaking up.

i guess i don't really have a point, just that i think i'm losing the most wonderful woman in the world and its the most terrible feeling i have ever had. been in and out of love before but if it comes to an end i will carry this with me for a long time frown

anyone been through similar? has anyone made a LDR work?


<awaits the usual response to this kind of thing >
Yes, did similar for nearly 4 years. It's tough, there's no getting away from it. Work still takes me all over, often at short notice, so we don't see each other as much as if I had a 9-5 mon to Fri job. Managed more than 12 years together though.

Unfortunately, it requires give and take from both parties. It sounds like you're making changes to your career and life to be near her. Tell her that's what you're wanting to do, and see how she responds. If it works out, great, if not, unfortunately that's life.

It's difficult to provide an answer to this, only the two of you know what you need to do to make it work.

HOpe it all works out for you.

NDA

25,614 posts

254 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all

Depends how old you are.

Long distance would probably work in your 30's because you or she 'might be the one'. But in your 20's? Forget it, would never work. Your GF is absolutely correct to point out the problems.

I'd try one last sympathy shag and then move on. Try and photograph or video it if possible to remember her by.

Steamer

14,179 posts

242 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
shirt said:
... i think i'm losing the most wonderful woman in the world and its the most terrible feeling i have ever had...

<awaits the usual response to this kind of thing >
Never a good time for a conversation like that - but believe me - there'll be another one that comes along and decides to ruin you soon enough.


...by which time you'll be having fantastic EX-SEX with the not so current girlfriend, so its not all doom & gloom.

Ikemi

8,610 posts

234 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
I don't see why not, although long distance relationships require much more effort and a lot more trust. As long as both of you are willing to travel, then there is no reason why you cannot see each other every 2-3 weeks for a weekend - Maybe book some time off work for important occasions etc?

My OH recently moved to Southampton, 70 miles from where I live. I usually see her at weekends and occasionally in the week, driving back the following morning at 5am to get to work on time! However before this I had to travel 225 miles to see her! Usually every two weeks to a month at a time. You'll have lots of telephone conversations, but it'll still be difficult in between not seeing each other.

Must be worth a go, shirley?

ETA: Moving in together in July - First house! smile

Edited by Ikemi on Friday 19th December 11:21

Mc Lovin

5,588 posts

250 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
Steamer said:
shirt said:
... i think i'm losing the most wonderful woman in the world and its the most terrible feeling i have ever had...

<awaits the usual response to this kind of thing >
Never a good time for a conversation like that - but believe me - there'll be another one that comes along and decides to ruin you soon enough.


...by which time you'll be having fantastic EX-SEX with the not so current girlfriend, so its not all doom & gloom.
Agreed.

john_p

7,073 posts

279 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
My mum and her OH have been together for 3 years and live ~150 miles apart. It does work, if both want to make it happen.

As Don said, if both of you wanted to make it work, you'd never have had the conversation in the first place.

Penny-lope

13,645 posts

222 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
john_p said:
if both of you wanted to make it work, you'd never have had the conversation in the first place.
But sometimes it is very hard to admit that one person has more feelings than the other

Boozy

2,427 posts

248 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
If she's at Uni, I'm guessing that you're onto a loser - maybe a bit different if you were older and more settled. Time to move on my friend I'm afraid, hard as it may seem, great time of year to be single, loads of partys and pub time! good luck!

shirt

Original Poster:

25,395 posts

230 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
no i met her in a bar. she was working there over summer, it was a 2nd job for me to save the deposit on the house.

i am not making sacrifices just to be with her. i am at a career crossroads in that i had always intended to move to europe with work - i.e. house bought off me, full relocation deal etc. - but that has fallen apart under the present economic climate. my other option was to leave the company and change industry - with just so happens to give me a lot more opportunities nearer to her [london]. i wouldn't move for a realtionship alone.

we have been through a lot tbh, but the hardest things has always been the distance and that my house has taken a year longer than i thought it would. she has take nthe view that it'll be another year at least before i am free to move on and she doesn't want to wait that long.

this is a big change from a couple of months back when i went for an interview in france and she said we;d make it work if i wanted to go, just take it one day at a time. seems she has thought about it a lot since then frown

i'm still of the opinion to take it a day at a time and to improve the communication on my career / building plans so she can see an end date to the LDR.

would love to stay friends if thats all thats possible but that never works now does it?

you really don't know what you've got til its gone. its not even final and i feel like crap.

only spoke about it the other night and said i'd call tonight. feel like jumping in the car and driving down but feel its the wrong thing to do.


frownfrownfrown

Eddh

4,656 posts

221 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
How old are you?

Jonny671

29,897 posts

218 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
I'm currently in a Relationship with a girl who lives in Manchester, I live in Guildford.. It's about a 250 mile journey but we make it work.

I'd rather live closer but we're both quite young, i'm 18 and she's 20.. And we met a few years ago online and after that met up in Manchester etc.

I miss seeing her as much as other people do with their partners who live with them or close by but if you want it to work it will smile

(Excepts loads of abuse too but ah well)

DickyC

58,432 posts

227 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
Apart from when she was giving birth, my first wife and I spent every night together for 20 years. Then I had to work away for three months.

One Friday when I got home she said, "I like you being away, stay away and just send the money."

Nice.

I hope this helps. wink

bored-of-coding

1,292 posts

226 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
shirt said:
the other night she dumped me

V8mate

45,899 posts

218 months

Friday 19th December 2008
quotequote all
Jonny671 said:
I'm currently in a Relationship with a girl who lives in Manchester, I live in Guildford.. It's about a 250 mile journey but we make it work.

I'd rather live closer but we're both quite young, i'm 18 and she's 20.. And we met a few years ago online and after that met up in Manchester etc.
You may be in a relationship, but I doubt very much whether she is. At least, not with you.

If she met you on the Internet and you are rarely together, pretty much goes without saying that she's realising every benefit Internet-dating offers.

Edited by V8mate on Friday 19th December 11:33