I received an email from Andrew, a US Navy Sailor. I liked it a lot and asked if I could share it with all of you.

Thanks for your email Andrew, and for serving our country!

Hi Michelle and Frank!

I'm a Navy sailor who is currently involved in a LDR. I am stationed on the east coast while she, attends college in Colorado. Sure times are difficult for us with the distance, but adding a deployment makes things more difficult. No cellphones and no skype or too much form of communication. No doubt the Navy produces a hard lifestyle for LDRs while sitting in the middle of an ocean. So I really wanted to make things perfect for my girlfriend for when I leave for this upcoming deployment (our first deployment while together). So due to our inability to talk back when we started dating (or at least 6 months prior to your deployment) I bought an old school leather bound journal that I write in everyday or at least every other day talking about what my day was like, what her day was like, how we interacted and anything that is on my mind. At the top of every page I put about 3 lines of space and put "Memorable Quotes" and put something there in the day that either she or myself said to one another. I also mention what my thoughts will be once I'm on deployment ie. "About this time while your reading this I will be floating in the ocean dreaming of my lady". Sometimes I'll draw a cute little stick figures of us being together or tape pictures of us or myself in the journal. Pressed flowers or the short times we are together, keep receipts out or movie stubs and put them in there (kinda scrap book style). So the goal is whenever I'm going to deploy, I will give it to her at the airport so everyday while I'm gone she can read one page a day to make her feel like I'm closer to her. No doubt we will style write to each other but due to Navy lifestyle it takes 3 weeks to get overseas and then about another couple weeks to get out to the ship.

We also like to fulfill old Navy traditions like waiting at the pier in a dress and doing the old VJ-Kiss photo. Also a lot of music always talked about sailors hearing beautiful voices singing to them from land while they were out to sea when they missed their families. Another one I play off is the old folk story about lovers waiting on the crags for their sailor to return and them turning to stone waiting for them. So I play it off with gifts like a stone slab for her to stand on to get started or just in our jokes, she loves it. Also as most people do, she will have my dog tags when I leave which is a common thing for sailors/soldiers to give when they deploy. Also a tradition for the Navy is to give you dixie cup (the white cover traditional worn by the navy) to her before I leave. As for all deployments you will be gone for a good amount of time, so I had to pre-think (and be creative which can be difficult) ideas for gifts. So I will be gone during Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, valentines day and our anniversary. I also like to give smaller little gifts on top of bigger gifts for these holidays ie. Halloween: simple candy and vampire teeth saying I wish I could bite her or New Years giving her a party blower and a hat with a wax candy lips stating I'm still there for her to kiss me. But for all of these I basically try to buy stuff that will fit in a box and all of them are wrapped and labeled on the date when to open it. All of these boxes go in a bigger box and are shipped to her mother which will only give her them on the date shes suppose to get them. This is awesome because it's a fail safe delivery system. Also I found a floral company close by that will let me pre-order flowers throughout the year on a schedule and not charge me one huge large lump sum but, let me have an account and pay per delivery. This is great because I every other month if things have been rough overseas she will still have at least 3 things automatic: my book, her gift and some flowers.

Army/Marine/Air Force guys are allowed to tell their SO's where they are however its illegal for a Navy person to share with anyone the current position of the ship. This makes it difficult specially when we pull in port and can't say where we are/when we are going to get there (same as returning). So once you pull in port get something (can be cheesy doesn't have to be intense) that clearly states where you are, by the time she gets it, it will be weeks out and you won't be there anymore.

It's very important to to not go too overboard with gift-giving or going to ridiculously insane with it, because chances are I will deploy again and not be capable of topping it or matching it. That's why smaller, sweet things involved in the gift box are better. Shipping things can get expensive or not practical and as a guy the places I shop I don't find many cute things my girlfriend would want. I cruise sites like amazon.com or newegg.com for college stuff for her. Also as listed on your list, I actually got my girlfriend an xbox360 which has video chat as well (if you get the webcam) but if you have Netflix you can watch it on the xbox. Plus on the xbox you can watch synced together which both of your avatars sit next to each other in a theater room and watch it together. You can display emotions of love scared funny all kinds of stuff and with webcam turned on you can see each others reactions.

Sorry for such a long e-mail, I have more to share however I don't have time. I'll toss off with a couple web sites I'd like to share.

http://www.amazon.com/Boyfriend-Pill.../dp/B0012BISBY <-- its the pillow that has an arm on it, cute
http://www.mumuplayer.com/ <--- its a music player where you can invite someone after making a nickname and just send the url to someone and they can listen to what your listening to or sync up there own song, pause together play together. Kinda cute I thought.
http://www.stumbleupon.com <--- website that you put in your likes into different categories and it brings you too cool random websites that it has to do with. My girlfriend and I will stumble together and share whatever comes up.

Thanks!
-Andrew