Ten Things You Never Knew About Us

I thought we’d deviate a little from our usual simple/green living and surviving a foreign country topics today.  Well actually quite a few of you have been urging me to take on the 10 Things About Me post topic.  Don’t you go thinking I’m about to reveal all by myself over here.  Oh no.  Martin, you’re up, too. Here we go.

1. I didn’t get 100% on my hunter’s education test in 7th grade because I missed one question: can you shoot livestock? I said yes.

2. I’ve only cooked meat once. And I burned it.

3. Martin and I met my first friend in Germany online. She’s an American named Katie; her husband is a German named Martin.

4. Both of my parents had grandparents that spoke German. The language was lost on both sides of my family, as everyone wanted to be American as possible back then.

great great grandma

5. Yet the German food culture was not lost in our family. Since living in Germany, I’ve started discovering just how German my mom’s cooking is – from potatoes to sauerkraut. A couple of years ago, Martin and I couldn’t agree. I said Germany has to have potato sausage (which is basically a sausage that’s stuffed with meat and potatoes). He’d never heard of it. Sure enough, I was right.

6. So it’s no wonder I look so German… even if I don’t sound German and rarely eat like a German today.  Tofu bratwursts?  Tea over beer?  Sheesh.

7. Martin first kissed me in a small airplane. Most people aren’t shocked by this fact.  In fact, people usually assume we fly to Germany in a small plane (especially now that we’re both pilots!).  As cool as that totally would be, there’s the whole issue of the ocean and carrying enough fuel.

small-plane-flying

8. We’ve never lived in the same place for more than 13 months.  We’re bouncing all over the place like ping pong balls for school and work and, in the case of Germany, experiences.  It gets tough moving so much, so we’re beyond thrilled to have a place we love calling home.

on the road

9.  My family teases me for being short. I am the shortest person in my family.  I am 5’9″.  (See what I mean about the whole German genes thing through-and-through?)

10.  I was probably the only kid at school who asked the cafeteria ladies for “white” milk instead of chocolate. What kind of kid freely does that?!

So there you have it.  Anything total surprise you?  How about #1?  There’s a party stopper for ya.  I’d love to hear what random thing you have to share.  Seriously – spill the beans.  I can’t be the only one out there who grew up with potato sausage.  (Oh and bloggers, if you’ve written a 10 Things post, please share the link below.  I’d love to see.)