Warning: Long.

Are there any stables around? The barn where I used to work accepted volunteers. It was basically unpaid barn work, but it was a chance to be around horses. You could also contact the county 4-H and see if they could use volunteers. I don't know your money situation, but if there are barns in the area maybe you could share board?

I only read the first page, so hopefully others gave you some good advice. All I can do is commiserate. I was in something very similar with my husband. He worked and paid the bills. I quit my job and moved where his employment was, ended up being pretty far from my family. I couldn't find a job, had nothing to do but stay home with the dogs. I actually had my dad living with me, but my mom and other important members of my family were way far away. I felt useless sitting home while he worked. My dogs were happy and well-worked, but it wasn't enough for me.

Long story short, he is now my ex-husband. I was so bitter and in denial about my situation that I took it out on him without realizing it. My thoughts are that maybe staying with him at the expense of what you want will eventually be what erodes your relationship away. I hope you are able to find a happy medium where you both benefit and become stronger.

Is there any reason you and TJ can't go camping together? Maybe gathering things and planning for a camping trip would help...

It can take quite some time to adjust. When I moved out here a few years ago, I knew essentially no one and it was extremely hard. Compound that by the horrid breakup I was attempting to deal with and yeah. I hated living out here. It was terrible.

But it got better.

You have to get out and find things to do. The job will come, make sure you are making a life for yourself independent of that.

That's a really tough call. The first thing that crossed my mind is that you really haven't been dating all that long. But, if you're really happy with him then you'll have to find a compromise. It could just be the crazy hormones, I've been there too. But, you don't want to find yourself bitter and unhappy 5 years down the road because you sacrificed what was important to you.

What if you tried moving with him back to your hometown? I know you said he's close with his family, but guys can be less sentimental about things so maybe he would adjust easier to being away?

Honestly, it does take time. I've been living in the UK for a few months now and I still have moments where I miss home and friends and everything I know. I'm totally out of my comfort zone here and I'm sure you are too. At least for me I know it's temporary (I'm moving back home to Canada in the summer), I can't imagine how hopeless I'd feel if it were permanent (plus, not to mention I'm here for a university course, so it's not like I'm stuck at home all day which would be terrible). It sounds like the two of you need to sit down and have a good talk and sort everything out. It sounds like Macon might be a good compromise if you're able to find work there.

My best advice .. think for yourself. It might sound selfish, but it is YOUR life, and these years really are crucial in determining what you're going to do and who you're going to become. You might end up resenting him more if you feel like he's holding you back. Not saying that you feel that way now, but you just never know.

Yeah, you just never know. Especially if you wait it out now, and a couple years down the line you feel like you could have done a lot more with this time. I mean it is your youth, right? (I assume so anyway, I'm not quite sure how old you are, but it sounds like you're probably around my age. I'm 21)

like many others here, it just took time.

I moved down here to PA and that was the first time that I'd been away from my family, heck I didn't even live on my own before that. I lived with and took care of my dad. That was REALLY hard for me. I would cry my eyes out at night thinking about how my dad must be home all alone eating baloney sandwiches and wearing dirty clothes cause he can't do the laundry or something like that lol. I wanted to go back SO badly. To be honest, I don't know how we made it through that first year because I was so depressed and all I did was sit around the apartment in my pajamas barely even showering and I was moody and all over the map. I didn't know at the time that I was depressed.

Then I did go back without Brian. I lived back up in Canada for a year (I had an apartment and my dad rented the extra room for me) and it was then that I realized how much I missed PA. I didn't want to live in harrisburg anymore... but I also didn't want to live in London Ontario anymore.

Now? I couldn't IMAGINE being anywhere else. Lancaster, PA is my HOME. I love it here and I could never go back to my hometown... it's not the town I grew up in anymore. Now it just seems run down and the neighborhood I grew up in is now one of the worst areas in the city. it's just not the place from my childhood.

So it could be that it just really takes time. being away from your family (especially if it's for the first time) is really hard but it does get easier. To make it easier on me I started calling my mom every single day just to chat. maybe you could call your dad everyday and make it a routine to call just to chat about your day. even if it's just a bunch of "well we didn't do much so uhhhhh I don't have much to add"... it doesn't matter just hearing their voice helps.

Thank you, this made me feel so much better <3

I call my dad everyday as it is, I just haven't seen him since TJ and I moved in together when he brought my furniture down on Nov 4th and before that I haven't seen him since late July/early August. I'm just not use to being away from him. Being a daddy girl can suck sometimes lol

yeah it was the same with me. I'd lived with one of my parents my whole life and I wasn't ever planning on moving out of my dads house because I was convinced he couldn't take care of himself lol turns out he CAN he just didn't WANT to lol.

Now the most difficult part is being away from my mom. now that I am a mom, I want my MOMMY lol. it's always going to be hard to be away from your family but, in my experience, it gets easier with time.

The key may be getting out of the town you are currently in and moving to one more suited to you guys and your lifestyle, things you enjoy, etc. If you find a place you love it makes it that much easier.

Let me also just add that after moving away from my dad and then moving back to canada for that year and living with him again... OMG.... I LOVE my dad but I couldn't live with him again lol. I think I could live with my mom quite easily but my dad would drive me bonkers. I never noticed it when I lived with him because it was just what I was used to but after being on my own those little idiosyncrasy started to drive me CRAZY lol.

We had three years where we lived sixty miles from Jon's family, and 15 hours from mine. Now we're 6 hours from my family and 15 from his... It sucks on both accounts.

Could you find like, a midway point and move there so its only two yours for each of you to go home when you can?