Week 11: Something Unusual

I didn't really know what to do with this challenge so I decided to write a list of things which are unusual about me. And my life.

1) I was born with club feet. One of my feet was turned around 180 degrees and the other was squashed up against my leg with my toes pointing up. (Mom and Dad, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this positioning.) I had to wear casts from the time I was six weeks old until I started to walk. Then I had to wear special shoes. I think I remember Mom saying they cost $30 in 1973, which might be more than I've ever paid for shoes for my kids now. Mom saved my first set of casts, but I don't know where they are now. I remember asking to look at them as a little kid.

I have no ill effects from this now, except my ankles are a little weak. This is my excuse for why I can't really ice skate. (Although I did play hockey in university and got an award for playing on our residence's men's hockey team one summer. Don't take that to mean I was good at it though. Ha!) Also, I have small feet for someone my height. I'm 5' 8" and wear size 7 1/2 shoes.

2) I got my nose slammed in the trunk of a car when I was about two. It's one of the first things I remember in my life. I was looking into the trunk to see if my dad had gotten all the groceries out, and my dad, whose arms were full of groceries, and who thought I was up ahead with my mom, slammed the trunk. I remember where my mom and little brother were when it happened and I remember some of the drive to the hospital with my dad. I used to have a more pronounced scar but, except for a small ridge in my nose, you can barely see it now.

3) I am a Christian who is married to a Jewish man who also happens to be ten years younger than me. I don't know anyone else who is in this kind of a relationship although I am sure they are out there. Dave and I are raising our kids in both faiths and so we celebrate Chanukah, Christmas, Passover, and Easter, just to name a few. We go to church and synagogue. Sam and Rachel had both baby dedications and baby namings (the Jewish ceremony). Unusual thing 3b) I am technically a member of both my church and the synagogue!

The "ten years younger thing" has not been a big deal thus far and we've been together for nine years. It mostly comes up when we're talking about the past ("What were you doing in 1989?") or when we are celebrating our birthdays.

4) I've been a vegetarian for fifteen and a half years. I eat fish and seafood, and the occasional piece (or three!) of farmer's sausage, but other than that I haven't had meat since Lent of 2000. I am not fussy about it. For instance, we were at a special family dinner on Friday night and they served matzo ball soup made in chicken broth. I didn't intentionally eat the chicken, but I can't say that I didn't ingest a small piece or two. I became a vegetarian for health reasons, and what I'm doing works for that. (And I'm willing to say more about those health reasons in a private e-mail but don't want to write about them here on the (somewhat public) blog.)

5) I woke up at 6 this morning to go grocery shopping. Our grocery store opens at 7am and so I want to be there when it opens. I'm not sure I've ever gone grocery shopping this early before but I was too tired last night and we're out of all the staples -- milk, bread, bananas, chocolate chips -- so off I go. This is the fifth, and final thing, rounding out my unusual list.

Feel free to share your own "unusual thing" in the comments. Or write a blog post about it :)