The American / Irish Connection

My fiancé and I met online on a social networking Web site in February of 2007. We started talking more frequently as the days passed and we realized that we had a strong level of compatibility. We decided to make ourselves officially a couple on April 3rd, 2007. A lot of the people who knew about us were supportive of the relationship, but of course there were those who were skeptical because it was a long distance relationship; I lived in Florida and she lived all the way in Ireland. After two and a half months of being a couple, we wanted to put all our hopes into a reality by meeting in person.
On June 21st, 2007 we finally met, and it was a day I’ll never forget. She made the trip all the way from Ireland with her friend and was staying at a hotel down the street from me. A walk of only 10 minutes separated us—much different from thousands of miles and a vast ocean. I walked to the hotel with a knot in my stomach and heavy anticipation of what our time together would be like. I eagerly waited outside the hotel doors for her to come out. When she emerged from the doorway and walked over to me, all I could think about was how amazing she looked. All the features I saw in pictures of her immediately sprung to life as I gazed at her with a smile on my face. To see her face and hear her voice at the same time for the first time in person made the whole idea of a long distance relationship seem worth it. There was no awkwardness at all; we held each other, we kissed, we did all the things that real time couples do. From that point on we were as real as it gets. It was such a happy moment in my life and I knew we would have an amazing time from then on.
Our relationship may be far from conventional, but we realize we’re not alone when it comes to long distance relationships and making it work. A motto that we have adopted over the years is “if you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen.” This applies to relationships of all types. Love is something that has to be built naturally over time. It’s something that has to be worked hard on from the start and kept fresh. Recalling the memories of our first time together and seeing how far we’ve come since then always helps me keep that perspective.

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