This week, I was reminded about the only thing worse than being on the road and away from your family; being at home when your family is all away.

For those of you who haven't been introduced (so to speak), I have two young sons. Nicolas is 7 (going on 17), and Drew (who is just a couple of weeks shy of 4 and trying to catch up to his older brother every minute of every day). I am also lucky enough to have been married to my wife of 11 years, Melissa. I won't give out her age; I care to live a bit longer. All three family members left this week for a trip to South Florida to visit my mom, stepdad, family and friends.

While I enjoyed the first couple of days of "temporary bachelorhood" (as I am often reminded by most everyone), the house quickly became a very quiet place. I did not even have the comfort and entertainment of our family dog, Sarah.

You see, even Sarah had a vacation, spending the week with friends at a lovely home with another dog to play with. I was left with the 2 birds, 2 fish (1 in each of the boys' rooms) and 1 cat (NOTE: I am considering a career in zoo management, if anyone is interested). The other animals are a bit on the quiet side, though.

While I did get a fair amount of "spring cleaning" done, it basically only created a minor distraction. I've already started counting the hours until their return on Monday afternoon. The moral of the story - absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

P.S. - I picked up Sarah from our friends last night. At least there is a little comfort, although she too seems to be missing the family.