loads of sparkle.

Where is this week going?! I can't believe it's Thursday already! I've loved sharing more {distance makes the heart grow fonder} stories this week. I don't think they will ever get old in my book...reading about couples who understand what long distance taught them reminds me of what {cv} and I endured. Today, I have S and Alex {from Things That Sparkle}--a pair of high school sweethearts who survived long distance of many varieties over the years! You will love their story...

Name: Alex

Significant Other's Name: S

When did you start dating? We started dating in May of 2003--we met at our high school prom!

At what point did you begin dating long distance? S and I started dating long distance just three months after we met. He was leaving for college in California and I had another year of high school in Chicago.

How do you fill your days while you're apart? Luckily, we both were extremely busy with school for the first year. Once I headed off to college and he transferred schools, it got so much tougher even though we were a little bit closer to each other. Since we were only a two-hour drive away from each other for three years, I was always so tempted just to jump in the car and see him!

What do you find most difficult about being long distance? The hardest thing about long distance while we were in both in Colorado was resisting those car rides. We were both in college (at different schools) and had to really commit to making our own lives. If we had visited each other every single weekend, we never would have made friends or settled into our own routines.

How has long distance changed your relationship? Everyone says it, but it definitely made us appreciate our time together. We used to go a month without seeing each other when we were in different states. And now... if we are gone for a weekend, it feels like a lifetime. We love every single second we have together. I work from home and S is done with work everyday at 3, so we spend LOTS of time together--and I love it! We are certainly making up for five years of long distance. Long distance also helped us grow up, separately but together. Since we started dating when we were so young, we truly grew up together. Instead of hindering one another’s growth at the same school, we allowed each other to flourish in our own environments. In retrospect, it is something I would never trade.

What do you enjoy most about the time you have together? I love how much fun we have together. We are two of the most different people, but together, we make a perfect match. We balance one another in every way and it makes for an amazing relationship. 

What else is on the horizon for you two? After fives years apart, we have now been in the same place for three years. Now that we live together, every single day is so much fun and I am so thankful we made it through the time apart. Next September, we are getting married and I can't wait to start our life together as husband and wife. It really makes each day of those five years apart worth it!

I can't thank Alex enough for sharing their story with all of us--perseverance truly paid off for this pair! Spread some holiday cheer in her direction today :) I'll see you all back here tomorrow for a winter white {Christmas} round of Friday's Fancies tomorrow!