June 11, 2002 - 11:40 p.m.

i have been sick-ish for the past few days now. it's the usual wintertime sequence:
1. sore throat
2. runny nose / sneezing
3. stuffy nose that you wish would run so your head would stop hurting
4. cough, cough, cough

i am currently somewhere between stages 2 and 3.

i was feeling particularly terrible last night, after having taken an australian version of sudafed - called, surprisingly enough, sudafed - on an empty stomach. (i usually spend a good half hour trying to explain to someone what i need before they figure it out. brand names are rarely the same here.)

i nearly fainted at the dinner table, and simon quickly escorted me to the bedroom. i'm sure his parents were wondering why i was so spaced out.

i sat on the bed and tuned out, while simon gave me kisses and started talking in a very soft voice:

hello arm. {kiss}
hello tummy. {kiss}
hello shoulder. {kiss}
hello ear. {kiss}
hello eyelashes... etc.
hello everything: i love you.

i don't know how he comes up with this stuff, but it's why i love him. the next person who asks me how i know i'm ready to be married, i can easily say i just know.