Long-distance relationships can be trying at times -- even for the strongest of couples. So one girlfriend came up with an adorable and thoughtful way to ease some of that heartache.
Mikki Miller, who lives in Minnesota, and Tyson Noel, who lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, have been dating long-distance since May 2015. While Mikki was in Canada visiting Tyson over New Year's, she hid a special briefcase full of envelopes and other small packages in his bedroom with instructions about when to open them.
Three days after Mikki returned home, she instructed Tyson to look under the side table in his room where she had left the briefcase. When he opened it, he was "overwhelmed" by the gesture, Tyson told The Huffington Post.
"After seeing her, it's always the first week that is hardest. It was during one of those conversations that she let the cat out of the bag and told me about the surprise," he said. "It really was a unique and extremely thoughtful way for her to show her love for me."
The contents of each envelope are designed for a specific purpose -- like when Tyson is feeling nostalgic:
Or lonely:
Or when he's in the mood for something mushy-gushy:
When he's feeling frisky:
Or when he could use a laugh:
Last week, Tyson posted photos of the sweet gesture to Imgur, where they were viewed more than 280,000 times. Some users have asked Tyson about the contents of the letters and packages, but he told HuffPost he would prefer to keep that private.
"I have only opened a couple at this time as I'm trying hard to follow her instructions on opening them on days I need them," he said.
Tyson and Mikki first began talking seven years ago after connecting on the art site DeviantArt. Over the years, they kept in touch and planned a trip to meet face-to-face at Yellowstone National Park in May 2015.
"We spent the week learning about each other and exploring the park," Tyson said. "We hit it off instantly."
"These days it's hard to find acts of romance and surprise like this in relationships," Tyson added. "I look forward to the life we build together."
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