rearview mirror.

This {distance makes the heart grow fonder} post is an extra special one: After only two weeks together during a study abroad program, Dom and Robin {from Sunshine State of Mind} embarked on a long distance journey which finally ends tomorrow. Robin will be moving to Florida to join Dom and start their new life together and putting the distance in the rearview mirror :)

Name: Robin -  Significant Other's Name: Dom

When did you start dating? Dom and I began dating on June 11, 2010. We were in the same study abroad program in Sydney, Australia. Toward the end of our semester, a group of people were heading to Fiji for a week before finals started. Even though Dom and I didn't know each other well, we both went on the trip, which would be an adventure of a lifetime.  We have been together ever since!

When did your long distance begin? We started our long distance days on June 28, 2010--just two weeks after our first "date". Our program in Australia ended and we had to go home to our separate cities. Luckily, we are both from New York, so the distance was only a few hours. It was still scary to start being apart when our relationship was brand new.  We weren't even official yet! I was nervous what we had might not withstand the distance, but I'm so glad I was wrong.

How did you manage to fill your days apart? When I was still in school, my days were filled to the brim with classes, my job, my internship, and all of my sorority events. My best friend and I scored a townhouse and spent lots of time decorating it to make it a home. Dom and I joked that even if we were at the same school we would never see each other since we were both so busy! Keeping busy definitely made it much easier. After graduation, I worked full time and took classes in the evening, so I really didn't have time to dwell on missing him!

What did you find most difficult about being long distance? Without a doubt, it was coming home after a long hard day and not having Dom there. I'm not the type that needs to be attached to my boyfriend 24/7, but sometimes you just need a hug! It would make me sad to see friends doing normal things, like grocery shop or go out to lunch with their boyfriends, while I had to wait three weeks in between visits and then try to cram it all in during our visits. Luckily, my best friend and roommate was also in a long distance relationship, so I had someone who understood acutely what we endured.  On the upside, there was always ice cream in the freezer for the rough nights!

How have your long distance years changed your relationship? I attribute our amazing communication skills to the long distance. Talking is all we have, so we learned early on to be upfront and honest with how we are feeling. You certainly can't read someone's body language over the phone! We are also very mindful of how we disagree. There is no silent treatment because it is complete torture when you are apart. If something is bothering us, we talk about it before it grows into something more. We have also developed a deep sense of trust. {In my opinion, there is no way to survive being long distance without it!} We choose to trust each other 100% and, as a result, we don't get into petty little fights about small details. We learned to genuinely appreciate and love each other as individuals, which made the long distance years more worth it.
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I can't even imagine how excited Robin is today! Be sure to send your love her way :) If you'd like to see your own long distance story featured here, click here to submit it!