Introducing myself and my "family"

Me on a beach in England


As you probably already noticed, my name is Stephanie. I was born and raised in a small seaside town in Northern Germany. Both of my parents are teachers and love to travel, which is something they passed on to me.

We went on vacation four times a year and would also go on short breaks and day trips. I have to admit I didn't really enjoy being dragged to all corners of the earth back then - I would have preferred to stay at home and spend some more time with my friends.
But this is how you see it as a kid. Now that I'm older, I really appreciate my parents doing this and I've already seen quite a lot of the world.

Having this background, I didn't hesitate picking my major when it was time to go to college: I chose Tourism and Events Management because I knew that this is what interests me most and where I see myself working for many years to follow.

Something else also greatly influenced my decision to work in the tourism industry: I had the opportunity to spend my Junior year of high school as an exchange student in the US (Washington State to be exact). Despite having troubles with my host-family, I really enjoyed my time there and met many new friends and I'd go back any day if I had the chance.

Let's fast forward to today. I recently graduated from college here in Germany and I will continue my studies in England soon to get my next degree. I already spent a semester in England in 2008, but that's a story to be told another day.


Right now I live in Hamburg, which is in the North of Germany. I share an apartment with my fiancé Joerg and our cats Boo and Elvis.


An old pic of the both of us - my fiancé used to have long hair back then


Joerg and I have been dating for 3 years now and we've been engaged for 1 year. Originally we wanted to get married in August 2010 and had even booked a venue, but had to cancel it for financial reasons. We're still saving money for our wedding and I'm constantly looking for inspiration, so it will be a topic in this blog from time to time.

My fiancé is 6 months older than me and works as an electrician, he's the main breadwinner for now. He's a homebody and likes trips to Ikea and building supply stores to buy stuff to make our apartment more comfortable. We're on a budget, so we always have to figure out ways to make improvements on the cheap.

Joerg is obsessed with two things: growing our own food and wearing hats. You'll see his hats once I share more pictures with you and I'll also talk about our plants and his gardenining projects.


Now I'd like to move on to our "kids" - our cats Boo and Elvis.


Elvis on the windowsill in our previous apartment


We got Elvis from a shelter back in 2007. He's about 3 1/2 years old now. His previous owners hit and abused him, which is why he's still shy toward strangers and usually hides when people come over.


Boo as a kitten


Boo is the most recent addition to our family. Joerg and I decided that Elvis needed a companion because he appeared to be lonely. We adopted Boo in May 2009 and those two get along great! Boo is 10 months old now and a little bundle of Energy. He loves playing and cuddling with everyone.


This is it for now, I hope you liked getting a glimpse into my life!