A WEEK OF FRIENDSHIP | MY BESTIE LIVES FAR AWAY

ave a best friend that lives far away, or out of state? I know this all too well with my bestie in Oregon. Once all my friends and I graduated high school, we all went our our ways for college, which has been extremely hard. Life is busy, and it's easy to let distance come between friends. However, it's important to maintain wonderful friendships no matter the miles in between, or the busyness of life. And oh boy is it hard to cope with the reality that your best friend isn't around to meet up for coffee, sleep overs, movie dates, nor girls night out on the town. This past year I have been able to learn how to cope with it, and create some tips and ideas that have helped me during freshman year of college while all my friends were living out of state! I hope you've enjoyed this mini series on ABH I loved putting it all together. If you wish to see any other mini series just leave a topic suggestion down below.

SNAIL MAIL: I am a strong believer in some good old fashion snail mail. Being able to express my emotions, and life happenings on a blank canvas to my friends is the perfect way to stay in touch and make it more special than a quick meaningless text message. It always brought joy to my girlfriends knowing their mail box had something waiting for them to pick up!

GO VISIT THEM: So glad I was able to do this in the spring semester! I visited Emily in Oregon, hence all my Portland travel diary posts on the blog, and it was so amazing. It was a much needed girls weekend, and I was able to make wonderful memories with her. The best part of being able to go visit your friend is being able to have a peek into their life. Meet their new friends, see their dorm room, walk on their college campus, and perhaps join their weekly clubs such as choir, art, dance, football, or bible study. Visiting Emily's college really made me understand where she was coming from, and it was another thing we were able to connect and bond over!

SCHEDULE A HANGOUT: Just as you plan for a coffee date with a friend, so should you plan for a phone call or Skype chat! This is everything. Trust. Me. And if your friend lives really far away time changes can make a difference too. I love being able to text because it's no inconvenience to respond, yet it's important to make more of an effort of talking in a more personal way! Keeping in touch is key in a long distance friendship!

SPOIL THEM: Have a college friend? Nothing is better than receiving a package full of goodies, than actually purchasing them for a friend and surprising them with a special gift. For my college friends I put together a freshman surviving kit filled with essentials, food, chocolate, pamper items, and hygiene products that works perfect for the dorm life. This sweet idea isn't about the items, or money spent on your friends, but about the time, effort, and thought that goes into it. Let your friends know how much you love them, and make them aware of how much you miss them!