Every long-distance relationship begins (more or less) the same in terms of the intentions. They are the best. Both parties believe the relationship will not suffer the casualties of time and space, both parties are certain their love (or like) is enough to get through it all, both parties don't dare question the fact that over 68% of long-distance relationships end in heartbreak. 

There's no shortage of horror stories out there about things going awry when meeting your significant others' parents for the first time. Although many of them can be counted on for a humorous anecdote years later, sometimes it can make things seriously awkward for years to come in your relationship. Or days, depending on how bad that first impression really was.

One time, long ago, I was in a relationship that was hilariously boring. It wasn't that he wasn't an interesting person per se, it was that we couldn't quite figure out why we belonged together.

What is "squishy" you may ask? It's a word that my significant other had to add to his lexicon in order to understand certain aspects of me. It's a word that was passed to me from my mother, it basically means: extra comfy. Used in a sentence:

"oh man that was  a fun party, I can't wait to go home and get squishy and watch tv with some popcorn!" 

In the end, it's a pretty common word used in a slightly unique way that both me and my boyfriend can understand. Word choices, however, are the easiest things one must adapt to when getting to know your significant other. More complex things that one must adapt to is habits, fears, values, and motivators. This is not an opinion-frought post about asserting yourself in the relationship (that's for more advanced users). Rather, this is a simple guide to getting to know your partner so you can get to a deeper level of understanding at the outset, and build a relationship that lasts.