i've been with my girlfriend erm...7 months today! I love her more than anything and I think there's a real chance that we could go the distance, but there's no way either of us are ready for anything like engagement/marrige, at least not this side of uni, we're both young and anything could happen in the next few years, I'd love to think we'll still be together in 5-10 years time...but I'm realistic and there IS a chance that we might not be, as much as I can't ever see us breaking up at the moment...
I would like to have lived with someone for a reasonable amount of time before anything like marrige too...
it's not something you can put a proper time scale on, but all i know is i'm sure as hell not ready yet!