I love being alone (hear me out, husband)

Dave went to London on a business trip this week. (Hi, honey! Miss you!)

It's been kind of awesome. (HONEY! Wait! Keep reading!)

I love my husband. I also love being alone, and I don't think these are conflicting statements or that a certain person named "Honey" should ever take offense. I just never get to spend quality time with me anymore.

So last night, after the kids were asleep, I had a "me" party.

First up, cereal for dinner. Grape-Nuts, my fave comfort cereal from childhood. (You don't even do Grape-Nuts, honey, so you didn't miss out.) Followed by fro-yo eaten straight from the carton. (I polished it off, so no worries about germs.)

Then a long call to an old friend, the kind I rarely do anymore.

Then I flipped through the Pottery Barn and Exposures catalogs. (Relax, I didn't buy anything from them, honey. But I'll be glad to explain those Zappos charges when you're home.) (I mean, I had no good fall shoes and it wasn't as if you were going to bring me back any from London, right?) (Don't forget the Cadbury Flake bars, please.)

Then I sat at the kitchen table and stared into space for a bit. I didn't even check email. (You would have been amazed, honey). I just hung out there, and it was kind of zen. Except.... (I'd be lying if I said you were on my mind; actually, it was the scale insects, and you can't blame me because they have taken over the bushes on the side of the house.) (No worries, I've got the situation under control.) (Mostly.)

Then I washed my face, ran a scrub over it and applied a face mask. (You didn't need to see that, honey, did you?)

Then I raided the Halloween candy I thought I was so clever for buying ahead of time and decimated the Mounds bar population. (That you definitely did not need to see.) (Note: The Cadbury Flake bars are an entirely different kind of chocolate, so I still must have those.)

Then I ignored the pile of bills and paperwork. (I know you would have been disappointed if I handled them all myself, honey.) (He, he, he.) 

Then I lay on the couch—feet propped up on a pillow, iced tea by my side, lights off, lavender candle lit—and I watched HGTV for two hours straight. (Far more relaxing than The Suze Orman show, FYI.)

Then I headed to bed. (I missed your presence, honey, except maybe the snoring part.) I sprawled out in the silence, did a few stretches and conked out because sleep deprivation and silence and a sugar coma have a way of doing that to you.

When I woke up, I felt so refreshed. (But honey! I really missed you then, and not just because I wished you were driving Sabrina to school like you always do and it's been a mad rush trying to make the train to work after I drop her off but anyways, Max came bounding into the room because he saw a car on the street and he thought it was you coming home from the airport in a rental and he pointed to it and said "Addy!" and I told him it wasn't you, and we were both bummed.)

(But maybe, honey, just maybe, you're a little happy to be alone, too?)

(Love you.)

(Miss you.)

Image: iStock