optimism wins the day.

Another Wednesday, another sweet story of long distance survival in the {distance makes the heart grow fonder} series. This week, you'll read all about Tom and Sara {from What's On My Mind...}, who navigate long distance despite school and work. Their foundation is built on strong communication and, of course, love. Her optimism will definitely brighten your day! Be sure to read on...you'll be glad you did :)

Name: Sara

Significant Other's Name: Tom R.

When did you start dating? January 30, 2009

At what point did you begin dating long distance? Our first experience being apart after we started dating was Spring Break of 2009. I went home to Dallas for the week and he stayed in St. Louis with his family. I remember thinking that it was the longest week of my life. It really seemed like the end of the world! Summer break of that year was just awful--we only got to see each other for one weekend the whole summer. We couldn't have been more excited to go back to school that fall and get back to "normal". We dealt with a few weeks apart here and there, but, at the end of that school year, I made the difficult decision in May of 2010 to transfer schools. We have been consistently long distance ever since.

How do you fill your days while you're apart? We are both full-time students and have jobs (he has three!), so we're busy most of the time. Keeping busy helps to make time between visits go by a little faster, which is definitely a good thing in my book!

What do you find most difficult about being long distance? I feel like we're missing out on little, day-to-day activities, like spending a lazy evening watching movies, cooking dinner together, and just being able to hang out. It is easy to get caught up in worrying about how long it's been since we last saw each other, how expensive a plane ticket is, and the logistics of seeing each other for big events. It makes me sad that we don't get to experience "normal life" together very often, but we hope that will be changing soon!

How has long distance changed your relationship? We have always communicated well, long distance has shown us the importance of good communication! When all you have are text messages, bedtime phone calls, and Skype, the majority of the relationship becomes all about verbal communication.We have really gotten to know each other better through it all! We have also proven that we can face anything thrown our way, that we can survive long distance, and that, most importantly, we will be just fine.

What do you enjoy most about the time you have together? I love that I still get nervous before I see him after we have been apart, but, as soon as we're together, it's like nothing changed. We usually spend our time together just doing normal things, which is so important. Tom explained it best when he recently told a friend that our weekend together at the end of July was "just another weekend with Sara." It is so comforting and reassuring that we're still "us", even after months apart.

Is there any end in sight to your long distance days? We both graduate from college in December, so school will happily no longer be a factor in our relationship. We have talked about what the future holds for us, but we haven't made any concrete decisions just yet. I am confident that our long distance days will come to an end in the next year or two--and I can't wait!

I love hearing the confidence which oozes from Sara's answers. It is clear she and Tom have built an incredible foundation for their future together, even though they are apart for the time-being. I'm so grateful she shared their story! Be sure to give Sara some love today :) 

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday and are busy concocting your Lilly-filled get-ups for Friday!