RELATIONSHIP TIMELINE
Pre Relationship
We first met around the 2nd week of October 2023 on the dating site OK Cupid. Initially we started out talking as just friends and took things slow as we are both very cautious online not to trust immediately. But already from the start we had an amazing connection, whilst we weren't officially dating yet, we both started exclusively messaging each other almost right away.
When I first checked his profile on the app, he had every quality I looked for in a man. He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, he doesn't do drugs, he doesn't like parties, his religious values aligned with mine and he stated in his profile that he's looking for a person who communicates. This caught my attention immediately as I believe that communication is one of the most important things in a relationship. Especially long distance.
Additionally OK Cupid has a compatibility rating between each user and I was amazed when I saw we were a 98% match. When I went to check his answers to the OK Cupid relationship questions, the few things we didn't agree on were irrelevant things like "Ice cream vs Pizza" and all the most important values we aligned, especially the relationship questions.
We quickly bonded over how similar our mindsets are. We spent hours messaging each other every day and it started becoming very obvious that we were growing deep feelings for each other. Then on December 28th 2023 we decided to move things to Instagram so we could send photos, video call & communicate easier. We both also wanted to get off the app as we were exclusively talking to each other so we figured it made more sense to talk elsewhere.
Unfortunately we don't have many screenshots or timestamps during the time when we were talking on OK Cupid as we both deleted our accounts on the app when we moved to Instagram & during that time we weren't taking many screenshots of our messages as things were still early between us.
 |  |  29/12/24 |
|---|---|---|
 31/12/23 |  01/01/24 |  01/01/24 |
 08/01/24 |
Relationship Evidence
On January 8th 2024 at 8:18pm in the Philippines / January 9th 1:18am in New Zealand Jonty asked me to make things official and become his girlfriend. This has become a running joke with us now that we get the pleasure of having 2 anniversaries as we first started dating across two time zones, however officially we celebrate on the 9th every month.
Despite the physical distance between us, we have created a genuine and resilient relationship through consistent communication. Each day, we exchange hundreds of messages and engage in regular calls, most lasting several hours. We start our mornings with heartfelt video calls as I prepare for work, we message throughout the day during our breaks and we end our day with intimate video calls, talking about how our day went. We also discuss our families, work stuff, hobbies and everything else, we never run out of things to talk about.
Our conversations also tend to revolve around planning for the future and finding ways to continually strengthen our relationship, even with the distance between us. We often discuss the things we need to do to make our bond even stronger, whether it's setting aside time for regular video calls, planning visits, or finding new ways to express our love and support for each other.
It's this little details that make our talks special and strengthen our relationship. One of the things we both really love about each other is our level of communication. When one of us is feeling sad or stressed we'll always talk it through together & figure out ways we can help each other.
 09/01/24 |  09/01/24 |  09/01/24 |
|---|---|---|
 09/01/24 |  12/01/24 |  12/01/24 |
 13/01/24 |  13/01/24 |  14/01/24 |
 20/01/24 |  20/01/24 |  23/01/24 |
 25/01/24 |  26/01/24 |  27/01/24 |
 28/01/24 |  30/01/24 |  03/02/24 |
 08/02/24 |  08/02/24 |  09/02/24 |
 11/02/24 |  11/02/24 |  14/02/24 |
 14/02/24 |  20/02/24 |  23/02/24 |
 25/02/24 |  27/02/24 |  28/02/24 |
 01/03/24 |  02/03/24 |  04/03/24 |
 06/03/24 |  06/03/24 |  10/03/24 |
 13/03/24 |  16/03/24 |  19/03/24 |
Gifts & Letters
Even though we're miles apart, making each other feel special is always a top priority in our relationship. We shower each other with thoughtful gestures, like sending surprise gifts and heartfelt letters, to remind one another just how much we mean to each other. It's these small acts of love and kindness that keep our bond strong and remind us of the deep connection we share, no matter where we are in the world.
In February Jonty surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Valentines Day, a gift I've never received before. At this stage we had only been dating for just over a month and even through the distance he still wanted to go the extra way to make sure I felt so loved on Valentines Day. It was a beautiful gesture that I'll never forget.
Additionally I was treated to countless restaurants & smaller gifts such as chocolates, a hand woven bag & activities while Jonty was here in the Philippines with me.
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Philippines Visit
March 19 - April 16 | 2024
In February Jonty was able to take some time off work to book a trip to come meet me in the Philippines for a month so we could take our relationship further. For the first week we stayed in my home town Palo where he met my friends and family. He even planned and paid for a trip to take my parents, brothers, sister, aunt and uncle to the island 'Canigao' in southern Leyte. There my family was able to get to know him more.
Throughout this month we were able to experience life living together, sharing responsibilities, cleaning, cooking, laundry & more. Throughout this shared time together we grew closer than we've ever been before, being able to spend every second of the day together we had the time of our lives.
We both expected that we might be a bit awkward around each other at first as we are both big introverts however when we first met & the whole duration of our time together we felt so natural together. There was never a moment where we felt awkward, it felt like we had already been living together for years. We never ran out of things to talk about and even though both of us have very high social anxiety, we felt so comfortable with each other. When Jonty sent photos of us together to his friends, they said this is the happiest they've ever seen him.
 Photo with my uncle on our first night 19/03/24 |  Our first night together in Palo 19/03/24 |  Taking Jonty to my favorite park 20/03/24 |
|---|---|---|
 Our first restaurant date together 20/03/24 |  Family van ride to Canigao 21/03/24 |  21/03/24 |
 21/03/24 |  21/03/24 |  Jonty treating my family to a Filipino lunch at Canigao 21/03/24 |
 21/03/24 |  Visiting a monkey reserve with my family 21/03/24 |  Jonty spending time with me & my parents 21/03/24 |
 Introducing Jonty to my close friend Vanessa 22/03/24 |  Jonty spends time with my brother & sister 23/03/24 |  Jonty teaching my brother to fly his drone 23/03/24 |
 24/03/24 |
After spending time in Palo with my family, we spent the remaining 3 weeks travelling around the Philippines together.
Throughout the duration of this time we were able to form an even closer connection as we had all the time in the world to dedicate to one another & live life together. This month spent together was the best month of my life & I've never felt more loved & cared for before. He always took every opportunity to make sure I was doing okay, feeling comfortable & even checked up to see how my family & friends were doing.
Spending that month together was one of the best things we possibly could have done for our relationship. We already knew that we had a very strong bond through our calls & our messages, but being able to see each other in person added a new layer to our relationship that we hadn't experienced before & it was truly a dream come true to finally get to be together in person.
 25/03/24 |  26/03/24 |  26/03/24 |
|---|---|---|
 26/03/24 |  27/03/24 |  27/03/24 |
 28/03/24 |  28/03/24 |  29/03/24 |
 29/03/24 |  30/03/24 |  30/03/24 |
 30/03/24 |  30/03/24 |  30/03/24 |
 01/04/24 |  01/04/24 |  02/04/24 |
 03/04/24 |  03/04/24 |  04/04/24 |
 05/04/24 |  06/04/24 |  07/04/24 |
 08/04/24 |  09/04/24 |  09/04/24 |
 09/04/24 |  09/04/24 |  09/04/24 |
 09/04/24 |  09/04/24 |  10/04/24 |
 11/04/24 |  11/04/24 |  11/04/24 |
 12/04/24 |  13/04/24 |  14/04/24 |
 15/04/24 |  16/04/24 |  16/04/24 |
Post Philippines Visit
After his one-month visit, we've transitioned back into our routine of video calls and messaging. Though physically apart once again, our bond remains as strong as ever, fueled by the constant exchange of laughter, stories of our daily activities, and affectionate messages.
Recently, as we eagerly plan my visit to New Zealand, our conversations are filled with excitement at the thought of being together again once more. We talk about the paperwork needed for my visa, making sure everything's sorted. But it's not all about paperwork – we also talk about the fun stuff like the beautiful places we'll visit & reminisce on our memories shared together in the Philippines.
 18/04/24 |  22/04/24 |  23/04/24 |
|---|---|---|
 25/04/24 |  26/04/24 |  26/04/24 |
 26/04/24 |  29/04/24 |  30/04/24 |
 01/05/24 |  02/05/24 |  02/05/24 |
 06/05/24 |  08/05/24 |  09/05/24 |
 12/05/24 |  14/05/24 |  17/04/24 |
 18/05/24 |  18/05/24 |  19/05/24 |
 20/05/24 |