Happy Birthday Rick!

Today is Rick's 35th birthday!  After knowing Rick for more than ten years I've gotten to know him pretty dang well.  So in celebration of this occasion I put together a list of 35 things, in no particular order, that you may or may not know about him. 

1. His favorite food is a chocolate chip cookie dough milkshake.
2. He doesn't have a permanent favorite color.  Right now it's blue.
3. He doesn't like milk except with cereal, or sandwiches except hot ones.
4. Though he's right-handed he brushes his teeth and eats with his left hand.  He may wash dishes left-handed too, I think.
5. He likes nice clothes and shoes.  His tastes have improved more and more over the years.  He dresses better than I do and I think I may embarrass him sometimes.  He has more clothes than I do and they cost a lot more too.  I think one pair of his Hungarian Vass shoes costs more than my whole wardrobe.
6. He loves making sure his girls looks cute.  He enjoys picking out adorable clothes for Piper, and me too.
7. He's an awesome dancer and fancies himself quite the rock star.
8. He likes to sing, and loudly too, and make up new words to songs.  He enjoys good concerts.  He tastes range from Elton John to Rihanna to Guns N Roses to Jack Johnson.
9. He loves to travel and plans great trips.  I've never gone on a trip with Rick that wasn't awesome.
10. Piper has him wrapped around her finger.  He has a hard time disciplining her sometimes because she's just so cute and charming. 
11. He gives nicknames to everyone.  I think that the more nicknames he has for you, the more he loves you (I'm biased though).  At different points in our courtship and marriage he has called me: Punch, Mistress, Kinsey, Kinseybear, Kins, and Mist.
12. He is a great gift-giver.  He may not get you your gift on time but when you get it, you can tell he put a lot of effort and thought into it.
13. He's quite the world-traveler and has lived on four continents.
14. Whenever he goes swimming or wears sandals he wears a Band-Aid on his big toe.
15. He's seen Les Miserables on stage five times.
16. His favorite movie is So I Married an Axe Murderer.
17. He is a great and loyal friend.  He still stays in touch with several friends from high school and college.
18. He's not much of a book reader.  He will read travel and food books occasionally.
19. He's a ginormous Jayhawk fan.  If you've ever met Rick, especially during March Madness, this fact probably surfaced at some point.  He suggested the name Pierce when Simon was born, after Paul Pierce a former Jayhawk.
20. He has a high tolerance for pain.  He hardly ever gets sick and has taken maybe five Tylenol during our whole marriage.
21. He likes good food.  He loves checking out new restaurants.  He doesn't cook though, as Piper has pointed out.  He can be a picky eater, eschewing mushrooms, salad dressing, and peppers while ordering sweetbreads and fois gras.  He likes fancy food but craves simple food like Kraft mac n cheese with hamburger from time to time.
22. He would have made a great attorney.  His mind is very logical and he expresses himself well.
23. He and I share similar tastes in TV shows and movies.  He does favor action movies more but I can't complain too much about what he chooses to watch.
24. He's a true Idaho boy in that he's a sucker for mashed potatoes.  He asks for them almost every Sunday.
25. He likes to tell impromptu, long, and detailed fairy tale stories to Piper on occasion.
26. He is a fan of Brian Regan.  We can get laughing together just re-telling his jokes.
27. He loves Jujyfruits.
28. Some of his favorite sitcom reruns to watch are Seinfeld, King of Queens, and the Simpsons.
29. His favorite golfer is Phil Mickelson.
30. He is more familiar with the geography of L.A. than I am, and I'm from L.A.  (I can't say that I'm that familiar, so this may not mean a lot.)
31. He does not like to be tickled and almost considers it to be torture.
32. He can be adventurous and inspires me to be more adventurous and willing to take risks.  He is spontaneous too, like when he surprised me in France when we'd only been dating a month.
33. He once worked as a bag boy at Albertson's.
34. His Spanish is so good that some Argentines have mistaken him for a native.
35. He loves me.  I love him.

Happy Birthday Wick.  Thanks for all you do for me and for our family.  You put up with a lot and I'm thankful for all of your sacrifices.  Thank you for being my best friend, my partner, and my "favorite person in the whole world."