Xazy, you rock... way to inspire me and my SO.
Cierah, have you done a search on this topic? I have a feeling there's 1-2 other threads on the topic. I couldn't give much better (or more succinct) advice than Xazy has done... my SO and I are bound to be long-distance for another year or two at least, after already having been apart for 6 months (half of that was a stretch of me being overseas and not seeing him the whole time), and there's so much to learn.
IT SUCKS, no doubt. But it's not insurmountable. Work hard on making things feasible (see each other as often as you can), and definitely develop phone/MSN conversation skills! LDR's are a really good opportunity to work on communication skills, believe me.
If both people are totally committed and believe 100% in the viability of the relationship, it does work. Anything less and I think it would crumble.