In three days, I will once again be on an airplane for the second time this year. This time, my destination is not South Park related - but love related. For this time - I am going to see Mary.

I have to admit that not seeing her for the last thirty-five days has been really hard on me. I have never experienced a "long-distance relationship" before and as a result - never before realized how tough it can be. Sure we speak every day and sometimes spend hours on the phone each night - but to have to go to sleep every night in an empty bed despite having a girlfriend is really hard to do. Sure there are days when, after speaking on the phone and hearing her say some wonderful things, I go to bed with a huge smile on my face. But there have also been some nights where I have missed her so much I can't even look at her pictures - because what good is looking at her beautiful face when I cannot touch it?

The great news is that all of the missing each other we have done for the last month since we saw each other in Chicago will come to an end on Thursday when I get off of Delta Airlines Flight 2555 and run into Mary's arms.

I am so excited about this trip that I could scream. From what she tells me, we have plenty to do during the four days and four nights that I will be there. From driving to Orlando to go to Islands of Adventure, to meeting all of her close friends she has mentioned to me and spoken so highly about - to going to Busch Gardens - I am lucky if we have time to breathe. But while I look forward to all of that and can't wait to spend some time during chilly October in the Florida sun - the only thing I care about is being able to see Mary again.

I saw her two other times this year, the weekend she spent with me during the "Blackout of 2003", and in Chicago for SPIL 2003 Labor Day weekend. During the two weeks that separated those two events - I missed her like crazy. To have her in my home, sleep next to her and be able to hold her in my arms was wonderful - but watching her head to her terminal and away from me was very heart wrenching. Even though I knew that she would be in my arms just two weeks later, it was really hard to be without her. So was the last month since I saw her in Chicago. From lonely nights to empty weekends - absence may make the heart grow fonder - but it also makes living without her even harder.

But in just three more days - we will be together once again.

The coolest thing about this trip is that I will get to do what she did when she came here - meet her friends and family as she met mine. I have heard so many nice things about her father and her friends, that I feel as if I know them. From James and Chris to Becca and Ron to Amber and Christian - it will be nice to put faces with names. And if Mary's father thinks of me as highly as my mother thinks of Mary - then I will be very happy. When Mary, my mother and I went out to dinner one night while she was here, I vowed to not be too affectionate in front of my mom - and wound up feeding Mary artichokes right in front of her - much to the unbelievable delight of my mother - who told me after Mary left that she is very happy that we are together and that she thinks we make a great couple. I really hope that Mary's father feels the same way.

So as I count the hours until Mary and I can look in each other's eyes again - I look forward to stop having to resort to e-mails and telephones to tell her how much I love her. I can't wait to feel her arms around me once again and be able to have her take me through her hometown and show me the cool things about Largo as I showed her the cool things about Brooklyn. But most importantly - I look forward to the next time I see her after I leave Florida - because that next time will be one month later when she comes to Brooklyn, New York - to move in with me...

...and then our relationship will no longer be distant.