Mr. PhoenixAzul and I have been together for a little more than 3 years, but we've known each other for 4. We met online through a Pittsburgh music scene website..and it's been true love ever since. I told him he's on the 7 year plan...if we've been together for 7 years and there's no motion towards a ring...i'm moving on! He's got 4 more left!

Well... it can be a long damn time.

I met Kenneth in 6th grade, he was in 8th, we were just friends, but were in the same circle.

When I was in 8th grade, he had my father for AP History, and he jokingly told my daddykins that he was going to marry me, so daddy couldn't fail his future son-in-law. Not that he was going to anyways, Kenneth had the highest average in the class.

My daddy then wrote him a recommendation to the OK School of Science and Math, so I wasn't going to go to high school with Kenneth, and was crushed. However, later on, Ken stopped me from going to OSSM, which I still thank him for.

Then when I was a junior in high school, he was dropping me off from a group Halloween party, and I kissed him on the cheek and ran away.

We flirted off and on through the rest of high school, tried to date a couple of times, actually dated for a bit when I started college (2001, he started in 1999)

I then dated and got engaged to someone else. That ended after a year and a half. Kenneth and I got together, but I got scared and ran away.

He dated and got engaged to a girl, that relationship lasted for about 10 months, when she went insane, partly out of jealousy because I was still his best friend.

We got together again shortly after that ended, and are still together. We have a little house and a puppy, and he's getting me one in summer.

So, we've known each other since Fall of 1994, and have been through all the stages together, starting with puppy love and going on.

We're not engaged. We might be by next time this year, since I've told him that I think it's getting to be time.

Maybe I'm impatient, but I just told him that I was ready, he said he was too, but wanted the timing to be just right, with family and everything. (Not to mention, he's finishing his MBA this spring and starting Law in the fall.) He already knows that I want to get married in the fall of 2008, after he graduates from Law school.

So, I would say that it can be forever, it depends on the couple: what they want and need.

I actually have a sort of similar experience to your friends. I dated this one guy for about four years during school (even lived with him that last summer), until things came apart at the end. For a year afterwards I tried to date other people, but just couldn’t get over my past relationship so just decided to stop dating until I was ready. About two months later I met a friend of my best friend and bam after only a short time I just knew (we have been dating for a little over six months now). It is really weird and hard to explain, and we both feel the same way.

I know personally after that past long relationship I really knew what I was looking for from someone, plus felt like I had everything in my life straight. In my past relationship, I was always wondering about things.. questioning things.. but with this I don't question things or worry about things.

Let's see.....do the math....5 years, 4 months and 17 days. =):D

6 years, 3 months, and one day

6 years and 6 months

it's official!

1 year, 4 months and 22 days!

i love my new ring!!