Hello my love,

It's me, your hot mess of a girlfriend. I'll try to make this short and to the point because, let's be honest, I'll burst out in tears if I don't, but that's why you love me, I'm way too sensitive for my own good. We don't have the privilege of being with each other every day, and we don't have the privilege to talk every day, and as I write this letter to you, we are thousands and thousands of miles away from each other, you're on a different continent and, for now, I have to be OK with it. But there are some things I need you to know before we begin yet another long time away from each other.

Thank you.

Thank you for letting me in. You have been trained to be a strong, independent, tough man who shows little to no emotion, but you still manage to show me your vulnerability. Thank you for giving more long-distance love than some couples have that get to see each other every day. Thank you for making me a priority in between your busy days, and when you are in the field. Thank you for letting me be the only thing besides your family you show your emotions for. It never goes unnoticed the way you take care of me while you are away.

I'm not leaving.

No matter the distance, no matter the amount of days that go by without hearing your voice, I am not leaving. I have so much respect for you, serving your country, running on an hour of sleep, having no free time to do anything you want — you are a superhero. You deserve to have someone here waiting for you, to love through all the chaos and craziness — you are endearing. You're my superhero, and I will never leave.

You give me the world.

We're not a normal couple, and I don't think people outside of the military will ever understand that. We go weeks without speaking, and we've gone months — almost a year — without seeing each other, but still, our love grows every day. I don't need to hear you tell me you love me every day to just know you do, I don't need to see you to know you are the hottest man, and you are the only man I want. We're not normal, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love us; I love where we are. It's perfect for me — you make me feel special across the world, you make me feel wanted and cherished more than you know and I couldn't ever thank you enough.

This will be worth it.

Here's another night going to sleep without hearing your voice but wrapped up in your favorite workout shirt that I stole from you. Here's another day that I won't see you, but I can hear your voice in my head telling me you love me. Here's to our imperfect perfectness that I wouldn't change for anything. Dating is such a wonderful thing, but dating a man in the military opens up your world; it opens up your world to the strongest and most hard working men. And even though they're beat, they're tired and exhausted, they still have the time to make their girlfriends feel beyond special.

I love you.

Saying I love you doesn't do it justice, but I wouldn't trade our relationship for the world. Saying just a simple "I love you" does not wrap up the memories I hold so close to my heart while you are away from me. I love the man the military has made you, I love the man that you have always been and I love your strength and determination in everything you do. You work so incredibly hard, and it is an honor to be able to call a Corporal like you mine. You're my boyfriend, you're my marine and you, my darling, are my superhero.

Some people only experience superheroes in books, and how lucky am I to get to call the love of my life mine.

XOXO,

Your Girlfriend