Letter to a Man in China

Dear Sir -

I hope your flight to China wasn't too awful.  I am sorry for your four hour delay in Lincoln, and for your hour delay in Chicago - all of which resulted in you missing your flight and spending the night in Chicago.  It is crazy that they wanted you to fly from Lincoln to Chicago to Denver to San Francisco and THEN finally to your actual destination.

Who plans these things?

We are doing well around here.  We had a fire in the backyard and roasted hot dogs for dinner, and then of course we roasted marshmallows.  Hallie and Hanna insisted on calling their root beer "juice".  I think it is clear we don't drink very much of either soda, or juice.

The weather has been so nice, and my mom is so willing to let me take advantage of her that I have been going running the past few days.  I think to myself, "I wonder if he runs on this same road?"  And I imagine you there, running with me.  The things we would see and point out to each other, and how I would know you were terribly bored with our pace but staying with me anyway because you are so sweet, and then  I would say, "You can just go" and off you would zoom and I would be so proud of you.

Last night Hanna fell asleep on my shoulder because she was having a hard time falling asleep.  I was nervous about tonight because I wanted to go to the store with my brother.  She had left her bear somewhere while playing, so I told her I would go get it - by the time I came back guess who was snoring?  Hallie has gone to bed every night like an angel.  When did she get so big and grown up she practically puts herself to bed?

At the store with my brother I saw these huge boxes in the aisle, proudly proclaiming from the sides, "Fresh!  Nutritious!  Delicious!"  with large pictures of watermelons splashed all over.  I was sort of curious, seeing as how we were in the hardware/sporting section and nowhere near the produce.  Can you guess what was inside the boxes?

Large black bean bags.  I wanted to show them to you and we would laugh and say "You wouldn't think they'd sell bean bags in boxes clearly meant for selling watermelons, but you'd be wrong."

You and I are often wrong.

We miss you.  Hallie and Hanna talk about you in China all day long, and we look for airplanes in the sky, just in case you might be in one of them.  And who knows, with that flight schedule you almost might have been.  Heather doesn't say much about missing you, but I can see when I look into her eyes the daddy-longing is evident.  Or perhaps that is my own longing reflected back at me, it is hard to say.

I love you.

Buy me the prettiest thing you can find.

Don't actually do that.

Just come home safe.