I woke up around 5am and checked my phone. F.B. finally sent me a text message!

He said: Sorry didnt txt.bad signal & no recharge.we're ok but house is nuts.flood pretty much half d house.dunno if comps ok.stayin at house nxt door.i miss u.i love u

I decided to try calling him again and it finally went through & he answered. He said they are still without power, so I didn't keep him on the phone for a long time. I heard sirens in the background. He said sometimes the water in the pipes comes on & other times it's off. They are still staying with the neighbor, He said the house is a mess. And they are still staying with the neighbors next door while they are cleaning up. The neighbors have a 3 story home. (Their home is 1 story.) He said during the flood the 1st floor of the neighbors house was completely flooded. He sounds okay, better than I expected. But I think still in shock somewhat at everything that is happening.

I know he's upset about the computer. He told me he doesn't know if it's going to work. The thing about our relationship is we rely on technology so much that when everything fails for us, we feel cut off from each other. It was so hard not hearing from him for several days because every day we are in contact somehow, email, chat, text, phone. He says he may try emailing me from an internet cafe in the mall at the end of the week. If his PC is shot, we may have to just rely on that communication for awhile until they are able to afford a new one. It won't be as nice as being able to chat with each other in real time but it's something. And I've already recharged my phone card so I can call him frequently. It was just nice to hear his voice and hear that he is okay.

F.B. & I have been in our long distance relationship for nearly 4 years now. April 1st will be our 4th anniversary. It is a 12-13 hour time difference between Philadelphia & the Philippines. (Depending on daylight saving time in the USA.) Keeping in touch has never been difficult for us. On weekends we have our "dates". We will meet on Yahoo Messenger or AIM and chat for several hours. If it is 12pm here, it is 12am there. Even with the drastic time difference we've always managed to make time for each other.

When I'm at work during my lunch breaks F.B. will get online. I have AIM built directly into my cell phone and we are able to chat while I have my break. We also email during the week. We don't email on Tuesday's or Thursday's. And we don't email on weekends since we get to spend time together online. This schedule works for us and also gives us some alone time as well. We also stay in touch by text messaging each other.

Phone calls are expensive. We usually save them for special occasions. He has a prepaid cell phone. And I usually buy a phone card. Sometimes we will surprise each other by calling out of the blue which is nice. And occasionally we talk on headsets through Yahoo Messenger which is completely free but it has bugs where your voice will sound like a chipmunk, interference noises through the headset or dropped calls.

We send cards & letters frequently. And packages for special occasions. It's about $50.00 to express mail a package to the Philippines or to the USA. We don't use any other service besides express because mail service in the Philippines isn't perfect and sometimes mail is lost. I've had quite a few letters get lost in the mail.

And of course we get to see each other yearly! It takes about a year to pay the balance of the plane ticket off on my credit card, which is why there is such a space of time in between our visits. But it's so nice being able to know when we'll be together again. And it's motivation for the year, something to work towards. I'm thankful we'll get to spend 8 weeks together this October. And maybe the trip after I'll be able to stay even longer.

Despite the incredible distance, we make it work! Sometimes it's tough, but we manage make it work. We are in touch every single day, thanks to technology! Long distance relationships can work. They takes alot of sacrifices, time & money but they work. You have to be able to trust each other. You have to be willing to make sacrifices. You have to want to be with each other, to make time for one another. But believe me, they can work!

I wanted to recommend a book that both F.B. & I have read. It was so good I purchased a copy for each of us about 2 years ago. It's called: The Long Distance Relationship Survival Guide: Secrets and Strategies from successful couples who have gone the distance. By, Chris Bell & Kate Brauer-Bell.