maple syrup? sorghum? corn syrup? nah, just plain sap

know I said I was going to write about New Orleans today, but I changed my mind. I have something else I've been wanting to write about for a while. Last night, while driving back to Hattiesburg from New Orleans, I called to speak with the landlord of the duplex welfy and I have had our hearts set on in Frankfort. He assured me that we could move in definitely on June 1^st. Of course, we had been shooting for the beginning of May and Welf has already made the 28th of April her last day of work. There's the saying about when life gives you lemons.... So Welf is going to come ride in the truck with me for the month of May.

But that's not why I'm writing this entry.

I want to say how thrilled I am that Welf is moving to Kentucky. I also want to say how much I appreciate that she's uprooting her life and all she's ever known to come be with me. If it weren't for the circumstances of my children, I would gladly pickup the burden of a move to be closer, if nothing else because I know how hard this is for her. But I know it wouldn't solve anything as I would still be splitting my precious time between somewhere else and central Kentucky. All I can do is try to make the move as easy an experience for her as I possibly can. In the past year she has become my best friend, my confidant, my lover. For me, this move means a chance to build on what we have, to make it grow; to see where the journey takes us and hopefully enrich both of our lives even more. We'll not only be friends and lovers, but partners in a life together. Even now, as I sit here reflecting on my feelings, I have this little knot that builds in my stomach when I think of how I feel about her.

A love knot.

Growing up in rural Kentucky, we relied heavily on wood-fueled heat. Every autumn, my brothers and I would head into the forests with my dad to cut and split wood for burning. Knots in wood are the bane of any would-be tree cutter; they dull saws and defy axes. They are virtually impenetrable and can only be cut around, but not cut out. In lumber, knots are what give furnishings character and distinction. This is how I feel about my knot. It has become inseparable from me and defines me.

I love you Erin. Daily I find myself dumbfounded with the immeasurable happiness you bring me. I'm the luckiest guy in the world and only getting luckier.