Dear Michael,

It took me a lot of agonizing to figure out what to give you for Valentine's Day. I went through all the ads in the newspaper looking for ideas, but mostly they consisted of boxers, which you don't wear, and cologne (I have no clue what you like). So I had to go hunting through my imagination for something else. Flowers and candy are nice, but I wanted to give you something more original. You're not especially fond of chocolate, anyway.

I thought about ordering one of those make-it-yourself CDs over the Internet, but none of the sites had the songs I wanted to use. No Vince Gill, no Richard Marx. Nothing that reminds me of us.

Then it came to me. I could build you a Web page -- it's unusual; it's something I'm pretty good at; and you can go into it anytime you want. Of course, this isn't the only thing I did for you, but it's the only thing I can give to you before I get into town.

So right now, I'm sitting at my computer in my plaid pajamas on a Sunday afternoon. I've got Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette and Buffy in the CD player and a package of Chips Ahoy cookies on the desk. And I'm thinking about nothing but you. I can't wait to see you.

I don't have any particular plans in mind for this weekend. I'm just excited that I get to spend three days with you; that seems like such a treat considering our situation during the past four months.

Through everything we've gone through, though, I still have faith and hope. I do believe that we're going to make it together. We just have to wait a little bit longer. In the meantime, thank goodness for e-mail -- just think how much more difficult this would be without computers. They make it so we can talk to each other everyday, so we're never really apart.

You know, I look forward to going into work each day just so I can e-mail with you. I look forward to getting that first message from you, just so I can know what you did that morning, what you're thinking and how you're feeling. And when I read your messages, I can hear your voice in my mind, saying the words.

I hope I didn't overdue it with the hearts and stuff in your page. I also hope you're not getting strange looks from John or Will or whoever is there tonight; I can just see the little wheels turning in their heads, wondering what in the hell you're looking at. LOL! Oh, maybe I should have backed off the hearts a bit.

OK, I'm really rambling now. So, I'll stop so you can go in and explore the site. Mostly I put together some photo montages and links to other cool sites. I hope you enjoy it, sweetheart.

I love you!