JoJo & Cameron: Long Distance Relationship Update

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Distance means so little when someone means so much. 

I had the title of this post drafted for many months with no content written and a “sorry for myself” attitude. I had grumbled and cried and prayed (and probably grumbled more than prayed) and cried myself to sleep and got on my knees by my bed like a little girl and pleaded. And I can’t believe I finally get to write this story out and that it’s real. Before I go any further, God is good. If you don’t know me personally or haven’t followed me for very long, you might need a bit of background before jumping into this update.

Cameron & JoJo & the PA Turnpike

I met my boyfriend of 6 years at Gettysburg College in the fall of 2012. His name is Cameron. We are only a few months different in age but we were a year different in school. Cameron is younger 🙂 We spent two years at school together, summers were spent apart in our hometowns, and we have carried on for the last 4 years in a long distance relationship. After graduation, I moved back home to Wallingford, PA (near Philadelphia) and when he graduated a year later, Cam moved back home to Carlisle, PA. 100 miles apart. A 2 and a half hour drive on the PA turnpike (our favorite road). 

I work in marketing in Philadelphia and Cameron quickly excelled in a medical scribe company near Harrisburg, becoming a manager and totally taking in all that his job had to offer. But there was clearly something not 100% great about it, we only saw each other a few days out of every month. (Side note: We recently realized that we only see each other about 50 days out of the year and nearly burst into tears.) SO… a job hunt began.

We’re Goin’ on a Job Hunt

Cam had interviews. He had months of silence. He had great interviews, followed by more silence. He sent dozens of applications out. He kept up his persistence, was always positive and so encouraging, and he never got down and out about the process. And finally a few months ago, a response came from a company in Media, Pennsylvania… less than 2 miles from my house. It was perfect! I could not believe it. He had a phone interview and then an in-person interview that went incredibly well. And then he got a call and found out that they had budget changes and couldn’t hire right then.

I cried some more. A woman in the train station handed me a tissue as I heard the news from Cam on the phone. We were just so close and then this. There were no other prospects at the time and it felt so incredibly hopeless. But then…

The Good Good News

As you might have suspected, about 2 and a half months later, Cameron got a job offer from the company in Media and moved 3 miles away from me on December 1st. The offer came exactly one year after his very first interview back in November of 2017. But the offer didn’t come without first waiting some more, going through a whole new interview process with another company, and then being surprised when the Media company came back into the scene. Cameron began a new sales position with Unbound Medicine right before Christmas.

I can’t begin to describe the joy in my heart. Not because of the job offer, but because of the process. I have seen Cameron grow in every way over the last year. He has shown perseverance, joy, faith, and love through this journey and I love him even more for it all. Additionally, he looks damn fine all dressed up in his interview best.

Long Distance Relationships

A quick google search of “long distance relationships” will leave you in a state of complete confusion and horror. One article, titled “Signs Your Long Distance Relationship Will Last”, offers “they ask about your day” and “they tell their family about you” as reasons that your relationship might last….. *PAUSE*….. If you are in a regular relationship in which you are kept a secret and they do not ask about your day… get out now. Another article called “21 Best Tips On Making A Long Distance Relationship Work”, puts “visit each other” as #9 on the list. Not even at #1… and I’m sure everyone who read that article thought to themselves “wow, never woulda thought of that”.

Good, wise counsel on long distance relationships is pretty much non-existent. I should know. I’ve looked it up. I would never change the last 4 years for anything. As much as I prayed for a change, we have learned the most amazing lessons that can only make us stronger moving forward. These are qualities that any couple looking towards marriage should be cultivating in their relationship. And these lessons will not be any less important when we live in the same town, house, room, etc.

1. We have learned to communicate.
2. We have learned patience and the art of waiting.
3. We have learned to work harder at our relationship.
4. We have learned to put the other person first.
5. We have learned how to go through heartbreak, uncertainty, and disappointment together.

We are overjoyed to be moving forward as a couple to this new phase now that the holidays have come and gone…and learning how to live near each other again. We can’t wait to see what this year holds 😉 For now we are embracing lots of nights cooking dinner together, mid week hugs and laughter, hand-written notes left around Cam’s apartment for each other, having in-person book club meetings (our current read), and….real life, normal dating. I am simply grateful. We appreciate your continued prayers for us as a couple and for wisdom for our future.

xoxo,

jojo

p.s. more posts about relationships: 1 | 2 | 3

Cam’s Cute Apartment