A white wedding gazebo, adorned in red roses and gently curling vines, rests next to the beach of Monterey Bay, Calif. In the center, the bride and groom embrace for the first time as husband and wife.

My wedding picture is proof that long-distance relationships can work. I was with my husband for seven and a half years before we got married in May, but we spent our first four years apart. It wasn’t easy, but it is possible.

We got together in high school long before internet dating was prevalent. I lived in D.C., while he lived in Georgia. A mutual friend from our middle school in Georgia introduced us through e-mail because we had the same hobbies and interests. We talked to each other every day through e-mail, instant messaging and phone, and became really good friends.

I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, but one day he confessed his love. Scared that a long-distance relationship wouldn’t last, I broke up with him after a month. He told me he still loved me and would give me all the time I needed. It took me a couple months to realize that he filled something in my life that had always felt empty. We got back together, and have been together ever since.

Only a handful of people supported us. My dad once told me he’d bet his entire bank account that we’d never be together. My friends thought I was nuts having a long-distance boyfriend, saying he was probably just a stalker or faking everything. But there was a level of sincerity I’d never felt before; there was no need for show online, and we never prejudged each other by appearance. I loved him for him and knew he was everything I wanted. It was just an added bonus that he was insanely attractive.

I got to visit him once or twice a year through high school. It hurt not being near him. It hurt seeing other couples. But I never dated anyone else because I knew the wait would be worth it. He was there for me for 9/11, my parents’ divorce, all the good and bad in my life. I wanted him to be in my future.

I was finally able to be with him during college. While other high school couples were breaking up and moving away for college, I moved back to Georgia to live near him. Then we moved in together when I transferred to Athens in my junior year. They were the best years of my life.

Now we are facing another challenge. When the economy plunged and he realized his degree wasn’t getting him anywhere, he decided to join the Air Force. He left in January, and we’re living apart another year while I finish college. It’s a major sacrifice, but I know our decision will help us be successful in the future.

As I look forward to year eight with my husband, I know the wait was worth it.

One friend told us we’d worked a miracle to stay together in a long-distance relationship. But it’s not a miracle.

Anyone can do it if they truly love someone.

- Christine Lines is a senior from Monterey, Calif., majoring in newspapers