Be creative. That basically sums up what the last six months of being in a long-distance relationship has been like for me.

When I moved to Utah, away from my boyfriend Tyler in Laramie, Wyoming, the parameters of having a “normal” relationship greatly shifted, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. The first few months were the roughest and while we were able to see each other, it didn’t make our time apart any easier.

Our dates have turned into dinner and a movie over Skype and our nightly conversations now occur over the phone. Instead of just rushing through details, we make sure we tell each other what is occurring in our lives. We learned rather quickly that we had to show each other every day how much we cared for each other. Because of the last six months, Valentine’s Day has taken on a different meaning for me.

I’m a firm believer that you should show your partner you love them 365 days a year and not on just one holiday, but it still makes it hard when you see other couples in love while the person you care about is so far away. I also believe it’s still a day you should celebrate your relationship, but you could do it any day of the year and it would hold the same meaning.

For the last couple of weeks, my boyfriend and I have started discussing how we should celebrate Valentine’s Day while being apart. We knew we didn’t want to make too big of a deal out of it because our anniversary is a week later, but we still wanted to celebrate. If I’ve learned from being apart, it isn’t the cost of the date, it’s the quality time you spend together talking and laughing.

The first thing I knew I wanted to do for Valentine’s Day was send him a care package. As I planned what to put in Tyler’s care package, I got even more excited knowing how happy he would be once he received it.

The second thing Tyler and I agreed on was to do a Skype date with each other the day of Valentine’s Day. Our Skype date will consist of us cooking dinner together, since that is one thing we loved to do together in person, talking while we eat and watching a movie together.  If you’re not able to Skype with your partner on Valentine’s Day, I would suggest writing a love letter for them to read later or create your own type of Valentine’s Day with them at a later date.

Lastly, while it is suppose to be a day of love, it’s important to grow your relationship every day. Whether you are able to talk or not, keep doing the little things because they go the farthest. Even just asking how their day was or giving them encouraging words during the hardest times is very important. Whether serving in the military, going to college or whatever the circumstances, being a support for your significant other what’s really important every day of the year.