from iowa to illinois.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Last Wednesday, I debuted the {distance makes your heart grow fonder} series and your response was incredible! This week, Cait, the gorgeous gal behind Fit, Fierce, and Fabulous is sharing more about her long distance relationship with her fiancé, Zach. This Midwestern couple is doing everything they can to juggle work and school...and an impending wedding next July! Take a peek...

Name: Cait 

Significant Other's Name: Zach

When did you start dating?  September 27th 2007 (I asked him out!) 

At what point did you begin dating long distance? May 2010--I wanted to go back home to attend grad school, while he had a full time job back in Iowa. 

How do you fill your days while you're apart? We call one another 4 or 5 times a day. It may be a little much for some, but we always enjoy talking to one another on our 'breaks' at work or my classes/studying hours. We also have our 'guy/girl' weekends where we catch up with friends. 

What do you find most difficult about being long distance? The hardest part is not being able to see one another for 3+ weeks at a time due to my class or his work schedule. We have gotten better (thank goodness for Skype!), but it can be difficult to not physically see the person for weeks on end. 

How has long distance changed your relationship? It has really brought us closer together. Our three years together while in college allowed us to build a solid foundation to our relationship before we began long distance. It also made us realize that we can have our 'own life' such as seeing our girls and guys when we need a "me night out" and not feel bad about it. As much as we enjoy being with one another, the friendships we have outside of our relationship are super important us too.

What do you enjoy most about the time you have together? We always try to make one another laugh. I can be in the worst mood and Zach will say something that instantly brings me out of my funk and replaces it a huge smile. We also try to do new things together which makes our relationship exciting and fresh. Doing things together for the first time always creates memories (good or bad). 

Is there any end in sight to your long distance days? Zach hopes to move out near Chicago, where I live, as soon as he can find a job and transfer from Iowa. Since we're getting married next summer, we're hoping that it's soon!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing another installation in this series...it's proof positive that if you put the time in a relationship {and believe it can work!}, you can make it like Zach and Cait have. If you are in {or have been in} a long distance relationship, I'd love to share your story here on {long distance loving}. Email me and I'll take it from there :) Hope you all have a lovely Wednesday! Thanks again, Cait! More tomorrow! xoxo {av}

P.S. Have you entered my Shabby Apple giveaway yet? If not, get on it--there's a fabulous 
vintage-inspired dress up for grabs! With plenty of ways to enter, it's worth it. Trust me.