Stephanie attends MSU, while Dustin lives in Arizona

The Couple: Stephanie Neidlinger and Dustin Standridge

Been dating since: December 4, 1999

Location: She lives in McDonel Hall at Michigan State University . He lives in Arizona

How they m et: When Dustin was the T.A. for Stephanie’s freshman—in high school—English class

Who made the first move? Dustin

How they spend their couple time:
Stephanie: Watch movies, porn—just joking! We hang out with our families and go out to dinner.

Shared interests: They love the same kinds of music.

Favorite memory as a couple:
Stephanie: When he surprised me for Valentine’s Day in 2005. I was visiting him. He said he had to work and left me to hang out with his mom all day. When I came back later, I didn’t expect him to be there. There were candles, flowers and it led outside to a fire in the firepit and a candlelit dinner.

Struggles they’ve faced as a couple: Distance has presented the biggest challenge to their relationship. Stephanie said the hardest part is “trusting each other. It’s hard to go so long without seeing eah other. But it makes our visits that much better and we take advantage of every moment we have.”

Celebrity couple they are most like: Like Nick and Jessica on Newlyweds. Dustin is the buff guy who loves sports and Stephanie is the dumb blonde (not that dumb—she’s pre-med). Like Jessica, she gets jealous when he’s around other girls, and, like Jessica, Stephanie said, “And of course she’s richer than he is and I’m gonna be richer than Dustin!”