I have been batching it for the past five days.

My wife is in Arizona, attending a writer's convention. It's the first time away she has had with no children (and without me) pretty much since we were married in 1982. Whereas I get a break for two weeks every year, when I go to Ohio to do my annual Reserve duty, she has never had that luxury. Every time she takes a "break" and goes on vacation, she has the kids in tow.

Vacations are nice – but when you have six kids with you, they're more like work in a different venue.

Don't get me wrong. We love our children very much, and can't imagine life without them. But sometimes it's just nice to get away for a while. And this is the first opportunity she has had to do so in a long time.

And I suddenly realized, today, just how nice it is to have your own personal Web site, where you can write pretty much whatever you like and not have to worry about if someone likes it or not.

So I though that I would take this opportunity to publicly let my wife know just exactly how much I appreciate her. And how much I dearly love her.

It's not that I can't function without her. The house is reasonably clean, the kids are fed, and I haven't gone crazy yet. It's just the little things. Like the garbage disposal that quit working. It's the one she installed six years ago, and is now awaiting her return to be fixed or replaced. And then there is the ceramic tile flooring we haven't finished in the kitchen, and the molding she still needs to cut on the table saw I bought her two years ago for our anniversary, so that I can install it. (I do do some things around here, you know!)

The handle has come off the inside of the door on the Suburban, and I need her here to take care of that. Also, the girls have basketball camp next week, and Scout committee meeting is next Wednesday, and since she is the treasurer, I will need her financial report, since I am the committee chairman. The CPS person is coming out Monday to look at hooking up additional power in the garage, the satellite TV system keeps dropping out and needs to be looked at, and of course the back yard needs mowing.

Hmm…maybe she might just decide to stay in Arizona, after reading all this!

As you can see from the above, I need her back here, stat!

But above all, I need her because I love her. Because she is my good right arm. She is the love of my life, mother of my children, and woman of my dreams. Because I can't sleep as well at night without her by my side. And because someone has to take Danielle to her doctor's appointment on Monday!