it's all rosy.

Happy Wednesday! I have another incredible story of survival in my {distance makes the heart grow fonder} series for you today! Marc and Caley {from Mrs. Rosie Posie} are a South African duo who conquered four years and two continents while they were long distance. Read on to find out how they made it work and what they're doing to celebrate now that they're reunited...and married!

Name: Caley Jade Rosenberg

Significant Other's Name: Marc Rosenberg

When did you start dating? We started dating in September 2006 (the 26th to be exact!). Our relationship began after having a 'virtual' relationship via text and email for 3 months. It is amazing how getting to know each other via lengthy emails and sweet text messages makes such a difference. It sealed the deal before we even spent time in person! This virtual relationship allowed our first date to be that much easier. It all happened a few days after Marc arrived back in the country--and that long awaited kiss was worth the wait!

At what point did you begin dating long distance? Not counting our ‘virtual’ relationship, we dated for six months in the same country before our long distance started again. For four years, we dated long distance between South Africa and the United Kingdom, with swaps along the way.

How did you fill your days when you were apart? I threw myself into my career most of the time--working late nights, early mornings and most weekends, but I also had a great support structure in my friends, family and in-laws. I spent plenty of nights with my special girlfriends, enjoying movies, dinners, picnics, disco dancing and lots more.

What do you find most difficult about being long distance? The intense feelings of heartache! There is nothing worse than the physical pain of missing someone and wanting to be with them so badly. I found it horrible to attend functions and events alone. You crave everyday normality, like watching movies, going for a run, cooking dinner, or washing dishes. It was so difficult trying to argue or work on issues over the phone, skype or texts. There truly was nothing worse than not being able to give Marc a big tight squeeze!

What do you enjoy most about the time you have together? Absolutely everything! We appreciate every moment spend together and we make the most of it. These days, we hate being apart--even day apart is heartbreaking. Above all, I think our best moments are waking up and going to bed at night together.

What sacrifices have you made in order to make things work? Even though we sacrificed four years of being in each other's company, we made a pact in the beginning that we would only make decisions as individuals until the day we got engaged. As difficult as this was at times, we both agree it was definitely the best promise we made. We now know we will never have any regrets or resent each other for any reason. In the end, getting married made us realize every second apart was worth the wait to finally being together!

How has your life changed now that you're in the same place? Life is just so good! We have only been in the same place for a year now, but we have loved and cherished every moment.

Many thanks to Caley and Marc for sharing their story with all of us! Their story truly 
does sound rosy after all their years apart. I hope your Wednesday passes quickly...
we're one day closer to Friday ;)

P.S. Be sure you're ready for this week's Friday's Fancies--email me if you'd like more details!