If you’ve been around, you know who I am, you know my story. I’ve blogged for close to 14 years *gasp* and it seems silly to write an introductory post, but my readership has considerably changed over time (and so have my posts) and I haven’t really introduced myself (or updated my ‘About me’ page, ahem) in quite a while. I am also part of a new blogger group on Facebook, so when I saw Jessie’s post a little while ago, I thought it would be a great idea to jump on the bandwagon (especially because Jessie is one of my newer blog friends, too) and re-introduce myself to any new readers.
You probably know already that my name is San, which is short for Sandra, and only people on the Internet really call me that. You’re welcome to call me San oder Sandra, but not Sandy. That is a no-go.
I grew up in Germany, but have lived in California for almost 15 years. I have a (fraternal) twin sister and I am super-close with my family. How I have managed to live so far away from them for such a long time is still a bit of a mystery to me.
I studied geography, English and Physical Education in college. I then spent an exchange semester at a UC school, met (my now-husband) J and got ‘stuck’ here in the US of A. Voluntarily, I might add. J and I live in Northern California and have been married for 10 years now. And this, my friends, seems crazy-unbelievable. No kids and not pets in our house (as of yet).
I love running, the outdoors, reading, baking + cooking, and doing things with my hands (knitting, crocheting, crafting – you name it.)
Now let’s have some fun with some very random questions!
Q : Can you recommend a good wine?
A : You wish! But no. You’ll be appalled to hear that I am not really a wine drinker or beer drinker for that matter. (And I come from the land of good beer – so, what does it mean!!?). Unfortunately, I can’t give you any good recommendations (unless you want me to get my Dad involved, who is a wine connoisseur. Let me know.).
Q : Do you enjoy shopping?
A : If you are talking about the fact of acquiring new things, yes. I do like to shop occasionally. If you’re talking about the act of going to the mall and multiple different stores, nope. I do like grocery shopping, though (which I hear is a rare thing).
Q : How do you take your coffee?
A : ⅓ of milk and a splash of (original) creamer. That is pretty much the only way I will have coffee. I mean, besides the occasional fancy drink from a coffee shop that I won’t try to replicate at home.
Q : Which would you rather do: wash the dishes, mow the lawn, vacuum the house or clean the bathroom?
A : I prefer to do the dishes. Everything kitchen-related doesn’t bother me when it comes to chores. The rest of the house, meh.
Q : Which of the five senses would you say is your strongest?
A : I’d probably say my eye-sight (J would agree). I often spot little details that go unnoticed by other people. I also spot – without fail – any cats in our neighborhood.
Q : What was your first job?
A : My very first job was babysitting (whose wasn’t?), and then I worked at my neighbor’s veterinarian practice during the summer breaks. I loved working with animals and always thought I wanted to become a vet, but I learned pretty quickly that I wasn’t cut out for the job (too much heartbreak).
Q : What’s a random factoid about yourself?
A : I am sort of ambidextrous. I can’t really write with my left hand, but I will randomly eat with the spoon/fork in my left hand sometimes. I also trained long jump in college consistently using my right leg as the takeoff leg and then – on exam day – I used my left leg (without really noticing) and achieved a better result than in training. Funny how that works. I also had a stronger backhand in tennis and would switch between right and left hand hitting in softball.
Q : What did you want to be when you were a kiddo?
A : I wanted to become a vet. I never had a pet growing up, but I always loved animals and wanted to work with them. As mentioned above, though, I wasn’t cut out to work with sick animals. It was too much heartache and performing surgeries was not something I wanted to do full-time. Then I wanted to become a teacher. I actually got my degree in teaching and then changed my mind when I moved to the US. But did you notice how everything I studied is represented in my life: I work as a geographer, live in an English-speaking country, and still pursue sports (in my free time).
Q : What’s something you wish you could change about yourself?
A : I wish I could let go of things (and people) more easily. I am not someone who holds a grudge for very long, but I have a very hard time to come to terms with rejection, fall outs, or disagreements with other people, especially when I feel I was unfairly accused of something I didn’t do or intended. I keep thinking about it over and over and try to figure out why things went sour.
Q : If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life?
A : Fresh bread with gouda, tomatoes, and onions.
Now, its your turn – ask me a question and teach me something about you I didn’t know!
And also, welcome new readers!
Karen H.
April 5, 2017 at 10:10 amNew reader here! My one meal is similar to yours except it would be Irish cheddar instead of gouda. I’m happy that you’re able to live in one of the most beautiful states in the country…there is a reason why it is the most populated.
san
April 5, 2017 at 11:10 amHello, and thanks for stopping by :) CA is definitely a lovely place to live!
Tanja
April 5, 2017 at 10:28 amI love your re-introduction – I could totally do the fresh bread with gouda and tomatoes for the rest of my life. Have to try it with onions tho.
san
April 5, 2017 at 11:10 amHello friend :) you definitely have to add the onions (and salt + pepper) to that sandwich :)
Heike
April 5, 2017 at 10:38 amNo kids and not pets in our house (as of yet).
:)
Heike
April 5, 2017 at 10:41 amI love Tennis too, I studied at SporthochHSchule Koeln too.
And I guess you forgot to mention your love for our home town KOELN! :)
Ne Halve Hahn ….I could eat that ANYDAY. :)
Halve Hahn= Rye Roll with a THICK slice of aged gouda and mustard! Yumm Yumm…
san
April 5, 2017 at 11:11 amDid I know that you studied at the SpoHo??? I miss playing tennis… and yes, I should have mentioned my love for KÖLN! <3
Heike
April 5, 2017 at 11:18 amI can’t recall if I have mentioned that to you about SpoHo. I ended up like you:
Studied Biology ( the field I am working in), and teach Tennis and tutor on the side. :)
jenn
April 5, 2017 at 11:50 ami LOVE LOVE LOVE that picture of you and your sister. :]
san
April 5, 2017 at 12:57 pm:) :) :) Me, too. Thanks for stopping by!
Beth
April 5, 2017 at 11:52 amSo nice to learn more about you as I’m one of your newer readers! I think that bread with gouda sounds amazing, gouda is one of my favorite cheeses. I wanted to be a vet when I was young too. I’m also terrible about holding grudges. I’ve been trying to get better about that!
san
April 5, 2017 at 12:57 pmLook at how much we have in common :)
Kristi @ Mi Vida Ocupada
April 5, 2017 at 1:17 pmHello San! Nice to meet you! Thank you for the introduction, I am new to your blog. I have also been blogging for a very, very long time but sporadically for the past couple of years since having kids. I’m getting back to it on a regular basis though, yay! I’m with you on the beer & wine ;)
san
April 5, 2017 at 7:01 pmHi Kristi! Thanks for stopping by :) and glad to hear you’re getting back to blogging!
Eli@CoachDaddy
April 5, 2017 at 2:10 pmHey, San – great to find you through the Peaceful Posse. My daughter is going into a vet tech program in college. What advice would you give her?
san
April 5, 2017 at 6:58 pmThanks for stopping by Eli!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
April 5, 2017 at 5:24 pmThis was fun to read! I knew pretty all of what you shared in the post, but the q&a part always reveals new things! I love wine but I can’t recommend anything because I’m not picky enough to have a favorite wine – I’ll drink any sort of pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc and I never pay attention to the brand!
I would prefer to do dishes as well. My leave favorite chore is cleaning the shower. I’m so glad we only have one!!
san
April 5, 2017 at 6:59 pmHa, that’s how I feel about wine… if I do have a glass (very rarely), I usually don’t know much about it.
ShootingStarsMag
April 5, 2017 at 6:25 pmFun post! It’s great to get to know the blogger behind the blog. :) Umm…question: what’s your favorite book?
Something random about me? I have a Master Degree in Library Science but I’d also love to work for a website doing writing or social media someday.
-Lauren
san
April 5, 2017 at 6:59 pmThanks for stopping by Lauren. I think my ALL TIME favorite book is Outlander. Have you read it?
ShootingStarsMag
April 6, 2017 at 12:37 pmNo, I have not. My sister got a copy recently so I’ll have to see what she thinks!
Charlotte
April 5, 2017 at 6:25 pmAs one of your newer readers, I loved getting to know more about you, too!!! Okay, that pic of you and your sister is too cute :) also I’m German! My mom was born and raised in Germany and I’ve spect many summers there (and a semester abroad in Heidelberg). It will always have a special place in my heart.
I could live off of gouda, so that bread sounds delicious to me :)
Wonderful to have *met* you and excited to continue following your adventures!
san
April 5, 2017 at 7:00 pmNo way you’re half German! So, if your Mom was born and raised in Germany and you spent a semester abroad there, I assume you speak the language? Schön dich kennenzulernen, Charlotte!
Charlotte
April 6, 2017 at 6:11 amDanke, San! Ich kann ziemlich gut Deutsch sprechen, aber schrieben? Furchtbar! HA! Do you know Chrissy (The Brave Wanderer)? She’s also in our group–she lives in Germany!
XOXO
san
April 6, 2017 at 7:54 amThat is so awesome that you speak German!! :) And of course I know Chrissy, she is the one who invited me to the group! We’ve known each other since the time when she lived in Chicago!
Charlotte
April 6, 2017 at 7:56 amawww, how fun! I didn’t realize she was the one who invited you into the group and that you know each other :) XOX
Kimberly G
April 5, 2017 at 6:46 pmLove this blog post! I’m a new reader to your blog and I enjoyed getting to know you a little more!
san
April 5, 2017 at 7:00 pmThanks for coming by, Kimberly! I’ve been enjoying your blog!
Lindsay
April 5, 2017 at 7:12 pmLoved reading this and getting to know you better. Great idea, actually. I went and read Jessie’s, too. I should do one of these too.
If you could have a pet, what would you get? Cat? Dog? Something else?
:) Lindsay
san
April 6, 2017 at 7:51 amHi Lindsay, thanks so much for coming by! I think if I could get a pet (maybe someday!!), I would get a cat! :) I love dogs too, but I think a cat would be easier to handle with work and stuff.
Trish@ The Trish List
April 6, 2017 at 4:24 amThese are fun posts to read. I’m a new reader and I loved getting to know you! Both of my parents have fraternal twins. Not sure what that means for me if I have kids. Eek. I also have a hard time letting things go. I’m slowly learning, but it’s a hard process.
san
April 6, 2017 at 7:52 amHi Trish! Thanks for coming by! :) That is so funny that BOTH your parents are fraternal twins! My sister had two kids and would have loved to have twins, but you know that usually skips a generation! ;)
Gretchen
April 6, 2017 at 4:37 amThis was so interesting to read! I had no idea you’ve been blogging for so long, as I’m a new reader. I also wanted to be a vet for a while, mostly just so I could play with pets all day long :)
san
April 6, 2017 at 7:52 amI think that I wanted to be a vet for the same reason… ;) being around sick and dying animals was tough though.
Shann eva
April 6, 2017 at 8:14 amSo fun to get to know you! I’m a new reader, also from the new group. I am a mother to identical twin boys, so I always love seeing and hearing about other twins. That picture is adorable. I look forward to reading more!
Kate
April 6, 2017 at 9:01 pmI laughed at the idea of anyone ever calling you Sandy – it does NOT seem like a name suited to you, for whatever reason – & I don’t think I realized that you’re a professional geographer. Very cool! I may have to borrow this idea from you… :)
Maribeth
April 7, 2017 at 10:58 amHi San,
15 years, has it been that long? I’ve been reading you from the start. I love the picture of you and your sister. Super sweet!
I’ve been watching a Veterinarian show called “Dr. Jeff, Rocky Mountain Vet” , on the Animal Planet Channel and I love the show. But I learned early on that I could not take the heart break. I wish I could because I really do love animals.
Isn’t it amazing how fast the time has flown for you and J!
Susie @ Suzlyfe
April 7, 2017 at 6:23 pmI’m slightly ambidextrous as well! Also, my right eye is worse than my left, so I shoot a gun with my left :D
Happy National Beer Day! You better be celebrating!
suki
April 8, 2017 at 1:15 pmWow, 15 years. And you’ve been so consistent! :) Love this re-intro. What a cute photo of the two of you.
Feisty Harriet
April 10, 2017 at 3:16 pmI also super love grocery shopping, by myself. Ha! Loved reading the rest of these!
xox
Marcia
April 10, 2017 at 3:45 pmThis was fun to learn more about you! My ambidextrous tendencies surface when I’m putting on mascara. I can do that (all makeup really) and put in contacts with either hand. I’m headed to Berlin in September so if you have any tips on what to see/do I’m all ears!
Anya
April 12, 2017 at 5:55 pmWow! We’re so much alike in a lot of ways. Both from Europe (although I’m from the other side of the wall), long term marriage, to an American, and no kids (never!) but we do have 5 dogs, love running, hate shopping, and give me fresh bread and gouda and I’ll be happy. Question for you: what possessed you to settle down here in the US? I personally love Germany, even the language, so I don’t get it. Lol