

I especially understood what Paul Young was singing about today as I puttered around the kitchen: "Every time you go away, you take a piece of me with you." Whenever you go away you take a piece of me with you, too, because wherever you go, my heart soon follows. I don't know if it makes it easier or harder to sleep without you when I listen to those old love songs on Classy 100, but I keep coming back to them, and one song or another is always on my mind. It will be so great to have you back I've been alone in the house for too long now. Rick and Pamela want to get together with us next week, too, and have a game night at their house next week-we bring the treats. Also, I told you I haven't been doing much cooking, so I definitely want to prepare your favorite spaghetti and meatballs dinner with toasted garlic bread on Friday evening.

First of all, there's that new documentary at the mall cinema that's causing so much stir on the Entertainment Report on CNN. There are so many things I want to do when you get back. Luckily, you'll have the weekend to adjust your sleeping schedule before you need to go back to work again. I'm sure you'll be exhausted! How many hours of time difference are you dealing with where you're at-three or four? I'm sure it will take a couple of days to get back in the swing of things here.

Although I don't have a lot to tell you, I want to hear all about your trip and how the business end of it went, too (I know your promotion is dependent on that!). I thought we could grab a bite afterwards at Sizzler and then spend the evening at home relaxing and catching up on the past few weeks. The weather is a little unpredictable this time of year, so you never know about scattered showers. It will only take me about 45 minutes to get to the airport to pick you up, so I'll call the airline an hour before your scheduled arrival on Thursday to make sure your flight is running on time. The day you left, I marked the day on the calendar when you would be coming home and providing us with our own happy ending. I've learned to avoid the tear-jerkers and usually stick to romantic comedies that have a happy ending. I rent a lot of movies from Blockbuster, too, and that helps pass the time, as well.

With only one person eating pizza, though, it takes three days to finish it off! I've also started going for long walks in the evening, listening to heart-breaking love songs on my homemade CDs. I have no desire to cook for myself, so I'm eating a lot of take-out and a delivery pizza once in a while. Consequently, I don't have enough to distract me and I'm left to my own devices. What in the world did I do before I married you? Well, I did have a circle of single friends then, but they're all married now, too, or have moved away. That's actually my social life now-going to work and going shopping. I'm lucky I still have a job to go to-even though it's only part-time, it takes up a good part of the day. The house is empty without you and sometimes I begin to talk to myself. You've been gone for more than two weeks now-not very long in the grand scheme of things, I suppose, but the longest we've been separated in over three years. When I did, my anxiety subsided and I just felt that lonely feeling that is starting to become familiar now. It took a minute or two to clear my head and remember where you were and why you weren't in bed with me. I woke up this morning confused and disoriented.
