Last night was the first time in a long time that Adam and I have had time to really talk. We obviously talk everyday all the time, but it has been a long time since we have had time to have deep conversations about life and the future. During that time, we talked about how much our relationship has changed. When we first started dating about a year ago, we used to talk to each other 24/7--despite the circumstances, we'd always make time for each other. Whether it was texting each other through class/work, hanging out every day, or going on dates frequently, we were spending a lot of time and money on each other. As time started to fly by, we started to spend less time talking or seeing each other and focusing on school and work.

This may seem bad for our relationship, but as we continued to talk about it, we realized there is so much goodness in our relationship. We noticed that once we realized and admitted that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, we stopped spending as much time together. As most couples would worry about this, Adam and I embrace it.

The truth of the fact is that regardless, we want to spend our lives together and we want a good future. We realize that without hard work and an education, we will not have the money to sufficiently provide for each other and for our kids, in the future. So once we discussed that we wanted to spend our lives together, we started to spend more of our physical time in working to make money and going to school to get an education. Despite it looking like we under-prioritize our relationship, all that we do is done with the main intent of creating a good future for each other.

Even though we do not have as much time to see each other, hang out, talk on the phone, text 24/7, and play video games with each other as often as we used to do, we show our love by working hard to make a great future for our relationship.

Nevertheless, when we do have free time, we reserve it for each other; but usually that free time is short. Adam works 5 days a week and I work 4 days a week plus am still in school. It is little things like an hour visit after work/school, our mornings, and our saturdates that really make the hard work worth the while. We may not see each other as often as we'd like to, but if working hard to make money for our future and spending time doing school work and going to class to get an education is what we are doing in the meantime, then it is totally worth it.

I love our relationship because we have shared goals we want to meet. We evenly work hard to make the relationship work, while working hard to plan for our future. It is reality we find that many couples do not realize. A relationship is not only about going on dates, spending time together and mutual feelings; if you want to make it last a lifetime, you need to realize that it is about learning to work together to provide for one another. All the dates and hanging out is fun and all; but if you do not have the means to provide in the future, the relationship will not thrive. If you want to have a future together, move out one day, have a luxurious wedding and have all the means to provide for children one day, you need money and a good career.

Sometimes it may seem difficult, especially when you are a teenager who is balancing working part-time, a relationship, school, family life, and a social life; but it is possible. We hear so many people say "I don't work during the school year because I am too busy with school" or "I don't want to work because I want to spend more time with [insert significant other's name here]" but personally, we do not believe in that. We are both full time students who go to school in the morning, work in the afternoon, and do homework after we get home from work. It all depends on your time management and how willing you are to work hard. Is it stressful? Of course it is, but no one said a good future would just come to you. You have to stay motivated and work hard to get what you want.

For us, what we want, is a good future where we have good jobs to build our own house, have a beach house in the Philippines, nice cars, and enough money to not worry about finances to provide for our family in the future. If we have to work hard now, that is what we'll do. We have our whole lives together--we have plenty of time to go on adventurous dates, spend time together, and talk to each other; but we do not have our whole lives to try to make a good living. We realize that if we fail to do it now, we may not get a second chance in the future and will regret it. Because of this, we mutually give up time together to try to work hard to plan for the future. This does not tatter our feelings for each other because we have enough trust in each other to know feelings will never fade. We are both working for each other--to bring stability and finances.

We do not feel insecure about the time not spent together because we know that in the end, it will benefit this relationship and our future. That is the best feeling--to know there is stability. If anything, working this hard for one another makes our love grow stronger. We are no longer looking out for just ourselves, but for each other. A lifetime relationship with another person is about protecting, loving and providing equally. We are just starting early, to show each other that we are serious about the future and this relationship.

Its an amazing feeling in a relationship.
We are not too busy for each other; but we make ourselves busy for each other.