Key Takeaways
- 1Little, messy moments tell the truth about a relationship.
- 2Shared food runs and coffee orders help long distance feel steady.
- 3When plans fall apart, you can still choose each other.
- 4Quiet time off your phone makes room for real connection.
- 5Love can grow in parking lots, discount aisles, and late night car talks.
Why I Even Brought The Camera
Long distance love looks cute on TikTok, yet real life feels a lot less filtered. There are flight delays, wrong turns, weird lighting in hotel rooms, and that moment outside his house where you sit in the car for a second like, “Okay, breathe, we are doing this.”
This trip to Virginia was not some perfect couple retreat. It was me, in the rain, nervous in a hoodie, pulling up to see my man after weeks apart, already tired and still hitting record. I filmed this visit so you can see what love actually looks like for us: sleepy hotel naps, grocery store runs, Dollar Tree chaos, late night prayers, and a whole lot of laughing at nothing.
If you ever wondered what happens once the camera stops, this is the closest you are going to get without sharing the hotel room.
Hotel Life, Real Life
We checked into the hotel after a wait that felt way longer than the front desk promised. By the time we dragged our bags in, both of us were done. No cute slow motion entrance, just two people knocking out on double beds like we had just finished a tournament.
Here is what you do not really see in couple vlogs: small annoyances mixed with inside jokes. The room is on the wrong floor. The lighting looks strange. One of us forgets something at home so now we need a Target run. We keep messing up each other’s “cinematic” shots and then burst out laughing.
That is the part I love. Real connection sits inside those tiny, imperfect moments. Not just the Instagram story recap, but the way you move around each other when you are tired, hungry, and still trying to be kind.
Teaching Bae How To Vlog
My favorite unplanned segment from this trip is “Alyssa trains her cameraman.” He wanted to help with filming, so I started giving mini YouTube lessons in the middle of Walmart and the hair aisle.
Tip one: change the angle. Nobody wants to stare at one stiff frame for five minutes. Move around, catch the hands reaching for hair oil, the cart turning the corner, the facial expression when you spot the last pack of scrunchies.
Tip two: show, then explain. If I am grabbing oil, you see it first. Then I tell you, “This is for my hair.” That flow keeps the story going without that robotic “Now we are here. Now we left. Now we are here again” energy.
Watching him learn in real time made the vlog feel like a team project, not just my job. It felt like he was stepping into my world, camera jitters and all.
The Dollar Store Roast Session Of My Life
If you made it to the Dollar General scene, then you already met Skip. I walked in for snacks and walked out with my entire life read by a stranger in the beverage aisle.
He talked about Nectar like it was holy water, told me I needed more sun, guessed my age wrong three times, and somehow slid life advice in between jokes. It felt like getting roasted by an uncle you just met.
As funny as it was, that moment reminded me why I like filming in public, even when it feels awkward. Real people with real stories cross your path every day. When you stay open, you walk away with random wisdom, an inside joke for life, and a clip you will replay for years.
Food, Coffee, And Little Rituals
Now let us talk about the true co-star of this trip: Kadobies. Think big bowls, free queso, fresh toppings, and two people sitting across from each other in shock that something out-pizza’d their usual spots.
We turned food into a ritual. Long prayers before eating, playful “rate this bite” commentary, sharing bowls across the table. Coffee runs at Seven Brew turned into experiments. I picked drinks, he rated them like a very serious food critic, and we argued in the car about which one deserved a ten.
Those small rituals give long distance relationships structure. Every visit has a “spot,” a drink order, a favorite corner of the room. It gives the time together a rhythm that feels familiar even in a new city.
When The Game Gets Canceled
One of the biggest reasons for this trip was his home opener. First game of the season, crazy crowd, my first time seeing him play in person. Then the sky opened up, the field flooded, and the game disappeared with one text.
He was disappointed. I felt guilty, and weather is not something I control. In my head I kept thinking, “I came all this way for you to play, and now what?”
Here is where real life kicked in. We sat with that feeling for a second, then shifted. Extra practice popped up. We turned that night into movie time, snacks, and quality time instead of sulking on separate phones. I decided to extend my trip so I could still watch him on another day.
That is something long distance love will teach you quickly. You can plan the moment, the fit, the lashes, the camera angles. God still has the final schedule. Flexibility keeps you from letting one rainstorm ruin a whole visit.
Beach Walks, Coloring Pages, And Quiet Time
Some of my favorite clips are not loud at all. They are from the beach, the park, and the coloring book under that tree.
We stood in the sand at night, freezing, trying to take pictures as the wind bullied my hair. We watched dolphins that you can barely see on camera, but you can hear us reacting. We spotted random cats and geese like it was a nature show.
Later we set up outside with coloring books and pencils, just sitting on the grass with snacks. No Wi-Fi, no ring light, just two people slowing down and being kids again for a second.
That kind of stillness feels rare when life is packed with content, school, work, and notifications. Yet that is where you actually hear your own thoughts and remember why you like the person sitting next to you.
What This Trip Really Meant
By the end of this visit I felt sun-kissed, tired, very caffeinated, and grateful. Not for perfect footage, not for “couple goals” comments, but for the mix of it all.
Missed games and new games. Random strangers in Dollar General. Rainy drives where the windshield wipers can barely keep up. Prayer over takeout bowls. Long talks in parked cars. Little style lessons in the mall. Quiet coloring sessions on the grass.
Love at this age does not need a private jet or a five star resort to feel real. It needs effort, presence, and two people who can laugh when things go left. If you walk away from this video with anything, I hope you remember that the soft life can include rain, late arrivals, and Dollar Tree runs.
You can still create gentle, beautiful memories in the middle of regular life. You can fall in love in parking lots, grocery aisles, cheap coffee drive-thrus, and messy hotel rooms. That is exactly what we did here, and I would not trade it for a polished movie version for anything.
