From the moment I met her, I liked her. She's incredibly funny, smart, beautiful. She made me laugh and I saw her cry, so that equals a big protective streak in me.

And now I want nothing more than to be down there, doing anything to make this time easier for her. But that's not the way things work out.

Until I can get down there, until I can do anything in the world to make sure that great spark in her doesn't die, I just have to continue through the day.

So I'm doing that. I'm going to work. Getting finances and bills back in order. Figuring out my taxes. This, that.

I applied for four different state positions earlier this month. I just heard back on two of them. I passed the first part, so now I'm able to go take the tests for them.

After the tests comes an interview, comes waiting for an opening that I'm qualified for.

There's so much waiting to be done, so much waiting.

Last night I was cooking dinner for my parents and I had Marvin Gaye playing. I wanted nothing more than for everything to be okay and nothing to have happened and to be in my own house, wish my wife, cooking dinner, listening to Marvin Gaye, making her dance with me as the food cooked.

All this waiting, making sure, hoping everything is okay and she is finding it in herself to smile, all this waiting, it seems like forever, and I know that one day I will wake up and wonder where all the time went.