There's been something I've been meaning to say...

And this probably isn't it.

But bear with me anyway.

We were in the desert, feeling the rush of the wind as it carves its manic arc into the depths of the canyon and out before us to high above.

We enjoyed some great sushi just before the champagne was brought out and I got on one knee.

We stood in a particularly wet evening mist outside of Portland, while I did my usual "let me entertain you" mumbo and she looked on like I was nuts.

We sat at a very small table at a dive bar & grill in Ocean Beach, down in San Diego, drinking... a lot and laughing our asses off.

We got up WAY before the ass crack of dawn, walked down to the shore, dragged some beach chairs to the water, and waited and waited, and watched the sun rise over the serene Atlantic.

We hiked through a very youthful primeval forest on the central Californian coast, careful to avoid banana slugs, holding hands.

Dressed in plastic, we dashed through torrential rains in Hawaii, hurrying back to our hotel, splashing and laughing like little kids.

We've fought at the very worst times.

We made out like teenagers... very recently.

After you've been with someone a while, it becomes difficult for "I Love You" to sound any different from "I'm on the phone" or "Can you do the dishes". There's nothing special about it. And shouting it from the rooftops or saying "I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY LOVE YOU!" seems kind of silly; you already got her.

Vicky is a horribly frustrating bitch at times. She's crude and she's insensitive and she's picky and... well, she doesn't get my jokes. It's really hard to explain how someone who pisses you off can be someone you care about more than anything. How someone who can downright embarrass you is someone you are dying to kiss. But I've spent a lot of time lately, thinking about just how lucky I've been to find her and how very much I love her. And I just wanted to let her know...

I think a few of those memories might help.