Don’t ever settle. 

No matter what.

Just don’t do it. 

You can settle on where you live. Where you work. The restaurant you eat at. The GPS route you choose. The phone you have. The workout shorts. Whatever.

Don’t settle on who you choose to spend the rest of your life with. Get that shit right.

My wife, Rachel Buffa, turns 35 years old today. Here are 35 reasons I love her.

35) She really likes to talk with her hands. She’s Italian, but when those tiny hands come in my face when a conversation is happening, I feel like I am talking to a very short yet potent general. She takes it to another level. Real mime shit. 

34) Her eyes pop when she gets excited as she talks. That’s nice.

33) She is a sophisticated wine drinker. Place a sweet wine in front of her and she will smile…and then cut you.

32) She is a sweetheart. The world is full of assholes and bitches. Rachel isn’t one of them.

31) She loves the Dave Matthews Band. That’s where it started. I walked into a woman’s dorm room at Mizzou and saw a Dave poster on her door.

30) She steals my t-shirts and makes them smell really good. Seriously, do guys not like this? Get your head examined.

29) She likes flowers.

28) She likes to eat. Pardon me as I’ll explain. I don’t want to be with a girl who thinks half of a bagel and a scoop of Greek yogurt is a good breakfast. Rachel will kill a breakfast sandwich like a football player destroys a buffet. I love that.

27) She knows how to cook a steak.

26) She watches Bravo, but doesn’t narrate the entire fucking series as we watch.

*Yes I watch, and really enjoy, some Bravo.

25) She is handy. I mean, put together a table, cabinet, and book shelf without breaking a sweat handy. I look at directions and I see a Rubik’s Cube; Rachel finds answers and builds shit.

24) When it comes to computers, she can fix a problem with six right clicks, one full click, and a quick search. I would have already thrown the computer a full ten yards.

23) She will watch movies over and over with me. If Heat comes on, she is in it for the three hour long haul. That’s special.

22) Without hesitation, she tells me that she loves me when I tell her.

21) Without an ounce of makeup, I find her hot as fuck.

20) No matter how much money we have in our account, Rachel finds a way to decipher a survival code. Finding out which bills need to be paid or whatever, she’s got it.

19) When you think a trip to the grocery store is needed, my wife could go into your pantry and find a meal. Maybe two.

18) If we are sharing an order of fries and she thinks I am being greedy with the portions, her eyes find my hands every time I pick up a single fry. I find that adorable.

17) Big boobs. I mean, come on. Self-explanatory.

16) Big butt. The world will be won by women with big brains and big asses.

15) Rachel has impeccable taste when it comes to interior design and pretty much anything having to do with rooms that need to be rearranged every six months.

14) She’s a boss at her work. Literally. That’s just sexy.

13) She knows what I like. T-shirts, sunglasses, music, whatever. If she sees a preview with a cool song, she will show it to me. The lady won’t buy me a heavy cotton t-shirt.

12) She likes a man with a beard and has never asked me to trim or shave it.

11) She rescues pets. Sure, I bitch and moan about this, but in a world where people leave their dogs to drown during a hurricane, my wife takes dogs and cats in.

10) She has to get up on her tippy-toes often to get stuff sometimes. I never get tired of watching those tiny feet play ballet.

9) When it comes to Vin and his homework, Rachel is PATIENT with him. Patient when I have no patience in me.

8) She tolerates my obsession with sports and movies. She gets into the games, wants to know player names, and learns the game.

7) She’s not a Chicago Cubs or Blackhawks fan.

6) She’s brutally honest all the time.

5) When it comes to her close friends or family, it’s whatever needs to be done will get done.

4) She really knows how to rock a sweater, tight jeans, and boots look-but a tank top and yoga pants suits her just fine.

3) She lets me be me. No questions.

2) More often than not, she knows what to do.

1) She loves me at my worst.

Rachel is a great mom and wife, but all around, a beautiful person. And she’s mine. Back the fuck off.