I'm a writer by nature. I find it much easier to put my heart and soul into words than to try and express them in obvious ways. I love to read the stories of great romances that have dotted the shelves of all great bookstores, but somehow I feel my own story would read much like one of those novels. So many twists and turns in the path of life have brought me to the place I'm at. I would like to think that if I could I would go back and do some things differently, but I'm quite sure I would not. I met my soul-mate at the ripe age of 16. I was a broken young woman, quite literally. Having just endured the second of two reconstructive knee surgeries, I was immobile and bandaged from hip to toes. We fell in love anyway. There was a burning passion of the new, the unexpected and the unknown that kept me running back to him. I wanted to spend each day with him and each night in deep conversation. He quickly became my world. We were inseparable until we became a little too independent and my parents became much less fond of him. We were told we couldn't see each other and it was for my own good. The heartbreak was the worse thing that I could have ever imagined. He made the effort to speak to my family, apologize for upsetting them and promised to change things if we could still see each other. It worked and we were in each others arms again.

I begin my story with the basic only because that is where we are today. He's still my entire world. I'm engaged to be his wife and could not be more thrilled. It's been 7 years since our story began and what a journey it has been...

I turned 18 and left him to go to college. He had a good job back home and we just knew nothing could break us not even the distance that separated us. My freshman year went by quite well. I made that ling 2 hour drive home almost every weekend to be with him. The thought of being in his arms and the joy of being out of the dorm room and away from my roommate with the nasty smelling feet kept me on the road every Friday. The summer flew by way too fast. We spent everyday together. Then sophomore year came around and things became a little less grounded. Everything started to fall apart when I decided to enjoy college, spend weekends at my apartment with my friends, party a little more, and be with him a little less. I loved him dearly but I didn't know any other way. I was curious and college opened so many doors. By the spring I was ready to try my wings, be independent and know what it was like to be single. Oh the fun I had...

But I never could shake him, even after getting engaged to someone new. Somehow we always managed to reconnect and that burning passionate spark would reignite. For a few months he would come see me and then I would make excuses to go see him on the weekends I was home. It was wrong but felt so right. I still loved him with my whole heart and I didn't know how to change it. We fell apart again...

He started dating other women and I "fell in love" with an amazing man. I thought he was the true guy that I was supposed to spend forever with. He swept me off my feet, broke my bed and left my head spinning. I was completely and totally infatuated. After 6 months we were engaged. Then 2 months later it was over. My heart was broken and I was devastated. I could no longer trust him and I had to move on before I got swept up into the cycle of pain without commitment.  I moved home that spring after I graduated from college. I was in romantic hell. Quite a few guys were interested in hooking up with me or reconnecting but I wasn't interested. I was ready to enjoy a carefree summer with my family and close friends then move to the beach to begin grad school. As fate would have it my plans changed...

After about a month at home he called. We enjoyed some small talk, caught up on each others lives and shared our current relationship status. He was dating someone and I was happy for him and I was single and he was happy for me. Both seemed quite right for the places we were at in our lives. Then his girlfriend became less of what he wanted and more of an unwanted attachment. They broke up and the months that followed were amazing...

We spent many days in the warm sunshine and many evenings enjoying cold beers and hotdogs on the grill. After a few weeks he decided that he wanted to give our relationship another chance. I had long before convinced myself that if our paths ever crossed again it was destiny and we were meant to be. That was last summer...

In August I moved to the beach, began a new job and started working on my Master's degree that fall. He came to visit when he could and I went home on the weekends that I could. We worked hard to make the distance work. It's June now and two weeks ago he asked me to be his wife in the most perfect way. He knows my to my depths. After having dinner at my favorite restaurant that requires reservations weeks in advance, we walked along the beautiful beaches that surround my new home. In the twilight I became a bride-to-be and have never been more sure of something in my life. Now I sit at a crossroads...

He's 200 miles away with an good job and our amazing families. I'm here trying to to finish this degree and being lucky enough to have a good job to make ends meet while I do it. I would love nothing more than for him to move here to be with me. Finding a job for him with the present state of our economy is like finding a needle in a haystack. The stress of planning a wedding, being 200 miles apart and searching for a job for my future husband is wearing on us. I hate that we argue for no reason. I hate that I'm snappy and easily upset. I hate that it's summer and he has a busy schedule and is often quite tired after his day. I hate that communicating is difficult because our schedules are a little off and we're both quite busy. I just hate missing my other half, my best friend and the love of my life. I know when it's all said and done this will just be a tiny blip in our forever together but right now it seems like an eternity and it's disheartening.