My Julie,

As I did with our wedding vows, I will start this column and open Valentine’s Day card to you with a famous quote. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, from a published work in 1939 entitled, Wind, Sand, and Stars, once wrote, “Loving is not just looking at each other – it’s looking in the same direction.”

Thanks to you my love – that is exactly how I feel today.

For here we are – eight months into our marriage and one day away from our first Valentine’s Day together as husband and wife. I distinctly remember writing a column on February 14, 2005 called, “Better Never To Have Met You In My Dream…Than To Wake And Reach For Hands That Are Not There” that said:

Am I saying that I will never touch another woman again? Of course not. But I am saying that from now on, I will make it clear to any woman that intends to be more than friends with me, from the initial handshake, that if she is looking for a serious relationship – then she is looking in the wrong place. I will alert her from the get-go that I in no way want to be someone’s boyfriend. I will explain to her that I am single and plan to stay that way for a long time – and that if she wants to fall in love – she better look elsewhere.”

Thank you so much for making me realize that true love and happiness still existed – and that the only problem was that I just didn’t know where to look.

From that first kiss you ever gave me – it was like a transfusion of love passed through my veins like a man who was on the brink of death without much needed blood flowing through him. You stood in front of me and saw behind me a trail of women that were soulless, hurtful, manipulating – and downright evil – and chose to be with me nonetheless. You saw past my issues and looked forward toward our future. You saw past my then current situation and knew we together could turn it around. And you saw a bright wonderful future that we now live in that at the time I did not see…

…no wonder I married you.

While our life has not been without our share of issues: me having to travel for work; occasional financial concerns; “spats” here and there – we have stood fast in the light of love and proven that we could get past anything – as long as we believe in each other.

I can’t wait to take you out to a lovely dinner tomorrow night to celebrate our first Valentine’s Day as Mr. and Mrs. Wein, to Las Vegas in June for our one year anniversary…

…and to the ends of the Earth for the rest of our lives.

I love you Julie – I love you so much. Happy Valentine’s Day.