You know quite a bit about us from OWWR Pod, but there are still quite a few things we keep to ourselves. But no more! Here are some random facts about each of us!

Laura

Laura was on a meat and livestock judging team. You have all heard me mention my goats on the podcast, but animals/livestock have been part of my life for a very long time. I grew up raising cattle, goats, sheep, and chickens on my family’s small farm (my husband and I still raise several of these species on our farm today). When I went to college (where I met Hannah!) I was an Animal Sciences major and participated in Collegiate Meats Judging and Livestock Judging teams. These were teams that were dedicated to understanding the confirmation and breed standards of beef cattle, swine, and sheep, as well as teaching students to determine quality and yield grades of different carcasses and cuts of meat. These teams were a really great learning opportunity and allowed me to travel the United States and develop my public speaking skills. I still get the opportunity to test out my judging skills every now and then as I judge a handful of 4-H Goat shows and Meats judging competitions each year.

Laura was involved in musical theater. Hannah and I love musicals. I mean, who doesn’t? As a kid, I participated in community theater and had so much fun. The time spent at musical rehearsals, singing/dancing, and hanging out with my fellow castmates/theater kids are some of my most precious memories. Some musicals I was in? Guys and Dolls, Annie, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Damn Yankees, Meet Me in St. Louis, and I even played “Peter Pan” in our community production of Peter Pan when I was in fifth grade! Today I mostly sing at the top of my lungs in the car or at home while I’m playing piano.

Laura is a bird watcher. One of my hobbies is having hobbies. Kidding. But seriously, I love trying new things and learning. Within the past couple of years I have taken up bird watching and I really enjoy it! I’m not hard core, yet, but you can definitely catch me pulling the car over to try and get pictures of birds or listening to a CD of bird songs/calls in my car. Some of my favorite birds native to Illinois are Eastern Meadowlarks, Belted Kingfishers, Gray Catbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, Common Yellowthroats, and Cedar Waxwings. Also, all owls.

Hannah

Hannah loves starting random writing projects. Seriously, the night before my cousin and I moved into our new apartment, she and I wrote an outline for an HBO-type show where season one is about a girl who is in grief after losing her mother and moves in with someone so she has someone to be around. It’s based loosely on the last year of my life. We have plans for season 2 and 3 that are wild and we really wish we were TV writers. I have also recently written an outline for a jukebox musical on Sara Bareilles songs based on a women returning home the weekend her high school sweetheart is getting married and the issues that arise after it. I have the songs picked out already. My brain does not stop and I try to do these while working on a blog, a podcast, and a novel that I have written 100 pages on.

Hannah has always lived in Illinois but not always. My entire immediate family grew up in Illinois and all reside there now. And I have always technically lived in Illinois. But I did spend a semester in undergrad in D.C. working for an agricultural lobbyist and writing a term paper on linguistics in presidential debates. I loved living in D.C. and have tried to move back a few times but it never panned out. I also lived in Texas for a year after law school for a specific legal position. I was open to moving and had the mindset of “I could live anywhere for a year.” I lived in a town where you could only buy wine and beer in stores but could drink liquor in a bar. It felt very unsafe to drive there.

Hannah loves running but has weird habits while she runs. I was in cross country most of high school, and developed a love of running (although I am not very good at it). I still try to run and use it as a type of therapy almost. Some people can listen to podcasts but that always just lets me know that I am definitely running. Instead, I trick myself by listening to upbeat music. During this time I will either: 1) make up random scenarios in my head and play out how I react (i.e., what if I run into my crush from college? what if I move next year? what if I said this out loud?) as a weird catharsis and it distracts me; or 2) make up music videos to the songs I’m listening to. Venus Fly Trap by MARINA? Thanatos by J. Maya? Wanted Woman by Anna Akana? All have music videos on a loop on my head.

Are these shocking? Do you feel like you know us better now?