It's 11:27PM and Christie is in the background shushing Leo to sleep. Once he goes down to bed I'll get to talk to my best friend and figure out where we're going next in life. Christie and I have been fortunate to have each other since high school. The first day I saw Christie I couldn't even make out her face, I was literally blinded by her. In the coming weeks I developed such a crush on her and it was evident to everyone, which made me feel so vulnerable and embarrassed. She made it known to me that she wasn't interested and I always held her dearly as a friend for being so gentle about it. Closer towards the end of high school Christie's friendship grew closer and we eventually became involved. We shared many innocent firsts together, stayed together while I went away to school. She was loyal and always and we visited each other often. When time came to enter the housing lottery at Pratt, I decided I didn't want to be a creative write anymore and decided to enroll at a community college. Many judged my move as infatuation with Christie, I'd like to think that Westchester was a financially driven move. We were lucky to travel together to Italy and I knew that I could become a part of her on that trip. I saw her curiosity and sense of wonder for the world. Fast forward to 2009…Christie felt called to being a nun and I felt like I was falling apart. I took Christie to my room and asked her to close her eyes as I measured her finger. That summer I left for Italy to complete an internship, Christie joined me and I proposed while on a carriage ride along the Lungarno in Florence. The following year, we spent countless hours planning our wedding and getting ready for the next the big day. Around May of that year Christie and I decided that we should move to Italy. Three days after our wedding, with no apartment or job prospects, we moved to Italy, mainly for school. Next to marrying Christie, it was the best decision I've ever made. Our life together has always been about learning, discovering and being grateful. We've survived a horrible job market, we've supported each other through terrible jobs that sucked, we've encouraged each other to take the plunge and work in fields we love, we've raised two kids in a small attic apartment 41 steps above the street level (no elevator), we've not had a guaranteed salary in years. All of our experiences have taught us to live in modesty. I can't boast of having a beach bod, being a gym rat or supplementing quinoa for my rice and beans--- frankly all that stuff bores me but waking up at 7AM every morning next to Christie while hearing Victoria yelling "Daddy, morning! [Where is] brother Leo?" is a new start for me and it pushes me to be the best at everything. I owe it all to Christie. My wife, my friend and my better half.