I’ve never been good with equations, but I know that Love > Distance

I still remember the day  that Courtney found out he had gotten into Virginia Tech.  It was 2007, just around this time of year.  I made us a nice dinner (probably a pasta) and served it with a nice bottle of wine (probably a Chianti)… and once that was all said and done, proceeded to break down in tears (what a buzz kill, right?)  I couldn’t pretend any longer that I wasn’t worried.  I still had another year at Emory and Courtney was moving to a college town, that I knew could never live in, for three years – twice as long as we had been dating (this was pre-talk of co-ops).  Long distance relationships had never appealed to me, and I honestly wasn’t sure what would happen to ‘us’.  Where I had any doubt, Courtney had nothing but confidence in our relationship, and in this case I don’t mind saying “honey, you were right.”

On Saturday, Courtney will graduate again, this time magna cum laude with the chemically engineering degree he’s worked so hard for.  I could not be more proud of him for not giving up on his longstanding goal, despite set backs and challenges, and for pulling it off with flying colors, while simultaneously working the full time job of keeping Jo happy.

And four years later, here we are: excited to finally be together, both in living and working in the same city, and in starting the next chapter of our lives together.  We’ve both grown, but we’ve grown together, not apart.  The distance was a challenge, but ultimately it was a true testimonial to our strength.  So I finish with this:

Dear Distance,

You have nothing on us.

Sincerely,

Courtney & Jo

Johanna