Kareen & Jenny's love story

CEBU, Philippines - This story is for everyone who believes in love. This is the ultimate story of the saying “Distance is so little when someone means so much.”

If not all, many of us are doubtful on the success of a long distance relationship. In our generation, having that kind of relationship is a complete strain. But for Kareen Ynclino and Jenny Tiopes , it is a kind of sacrifice that nurtured their love and built their relationship even if they were 8,7773 miles apart.

It all started with a simple "Hello" in a social networking site that progressed to being chat-mates, text-mates and phone pals. Yet, the two were having different lives and interests -- Kareen was a fresh nursing graduate, and hopeful to pass the December 2008 Nursing Licensure Exam while Jenny admittedly was a happy-go-lucky guy also hopeful to find the girl who would inspire him. Their getting-to-know phase led to the great love for each other.

Then Kareen flew to New York on January 2009 to give birth to their son. It was the most challenging moment of their lives, most especially for Kareen because she had to be very far away from her baby's dad, her mom and the rest of her loved ones. Not to mention those big adjustments when she was self-reviewing for NCLEX while taking care of her baby every day. But it wasn't hard for her to face all these as Jenny was always there for her through constant communication. He would text whenever he got home from a stressful day, and right after, he could see his two inspirations via web cam. (Thank God for technology!) But being a cyber dad did not give any sense of fulfillment at all. He was miserable not being able to hug and kiss his loved ones when he wanted to.

Yet pain can be the price of a valuable thing. That simple "Hello" ended with a genuine "I Do" when Kareen and Jenny tied the knot last August 16 in the historic San Fernando Parish church with close relatives, friends and loved ones.

A few weeks from now, Kareen will be flying back to New York since her job is waiting for her. This time, she will be away from her two boys -- her son and husband -- for quite a long time, and the pain will be a hundred times more than the first. But she really doesn't mind if it entails a better future for her beloved family.