Hello from Manila and London: Our Story Begins

Hello, and welcome!

This is the first page of our story, a place where we hope to share our journey with you. We are Ashley and Eddie—a couple connected across continents. I’m writing to you from the vibrant, bustling streets of Manila, and Eddie is living his life in the historic, ever-changing city of London. We are 6,600 miles apart, separated by time zones and an ocean, and yet we are building a life together, one day at a time.

Eddie is also autistic. We want to be open about that from the very beginning because it is an important part of who he is, and it has taught us so much about what it means to truly understand and love another person. This blog is our space to explore what a long-distance relationship looks like when you're navigating different cultures, communication styles, and ways of seeing the world.

How We Found Each Other

It wasn't a movie meet-cute or a chance encounter in a coffee shop. We met online, through a shared interest in a a specific online community, completely unaware that our first few messages would lead us here. Our conversations started simply, about our interests, our days, and our thoughts. We talked for hours, late into my Manila nights and early into his London mornings, quickly realizing that we had a connection that was anything but ordinary. The distance was a reality from day one, but it never felt like a barrier. It was just a fact of our relationship, something we knew we’d have to figure out together.

Building a Bridge

Our lives are different in so many ways. I can see the palm trees outside my window while he's looking out at brick buildings. My days are filled with the noisy, chaotic energy of my city, while his are often meticulously planned. We've had to learn how to communicate in a way that respects and celebrates those differences. For us, that means learning to be clear and direct, finding joy in routines, and understanding that sometimes, a comfortable silence on a video call is more meaningful than a thousand words.

Our blog is an invitation for you to join us on this journey. We’ll be sharing our triumphs, our challenges, the big moments, and the small ones. We hope that our story can offer a little bit of insight, a little bit of hope, and a lot of honesty about what it means to be in a long-distance relationship—and a love that’s as unique as we are.

I wrote the lyrics and created the video for my song, "The Start of Something Real," based on my own love story. It's for anyone who feels like they've given up on love or life. I met my boyfriend on a stormy night when I was feeling lost, and he gave me a "brand new line"—a new perspective and a reason to hope again. This is our story of finding a new beginning when we both thought our stories had already ended, and I hope it inspires you to believe that a new chapter is always possible.

Ashley

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