Meet Our Team

Fun Facts

• Have been to 25 countries, including four that no longer exist (Czechoslovakia, East Germany, West Germany, and the Soviet Union)
• Narrated the German voiceover for the self-guided audio tour at Elvis Presley's Graceland in the mid-1990's
• Still play competitive, fast-pitch, wood bat league baseball
• Hit a double at Minute Maid Park during the Houston Hardball League's All-Star game
• Love Golden Retrievers! Here are my current two, Ranger and Liberty
• Won a study trip to Germany as a junior in high school

Faux Pas

I spent the entire summer of 1989 at my German girlfriend's house in Nürnberg, Germany. I already spoke very good German at the time, but there was still more to learn apparently. While cutting an apple in her parents' kitchen, I accidentally sliced my finger with the knife. Instead of saying, "Ach, ich habe mich geschnitten!" (I cut my finger), I thought I needed to use the present perfect form of the verb "beschneiden" (to cut a part of one's body) instead of "schneiden" (to cut). Well, "beschneiden" does mean to cut a part of one's body. Unfortunately, it means "to castrate". Her dad laughed hysterically, and I learned a new word the hard way...well, not the hardest way, but still...

Fun Facts

• Have lived and worked in five different countries (UK, Russia, Poland, Canada, US)
• Hold two nationalities, British and Canadian, am well on my way to a third (US), and am married to an American
• Have been singing in choirs since the age of 5, and have a tenor voice
• Love cats! Here's our current kitty, Claire, a rescue cat
• Lived and worked in Siberia for a year and experienced temperatures as low as -40°F!
• Won a UK German poetry recital competition in high school and the prize was a week long trip to Berlin

Faux Pas

I was actually a witness to a linguistic faux pas :) While I was working in Russia, I was in a very high level government meeting where we were signing an important contract. My British boss thought she'd asked very politely in Russian if the other party had already signed the contract: Вы подписали контракт? (Vy podpisali kontrakt?). In fact, due to the wrong stress on the word, she'd actually asked if he had peed all over the contract! The normally very serious gentleman started giggling, and I whispered in my boss' ear what had happened. The meeting ended very well with us all drinking champagne and eating cake together after signing the contract! We both learned how subtle differences in language can make a big difference in comprehension!

Fun Facts

• I once owned the 2,000th Chevrolet Vega made
• I have road tripped through 29 of the 50 states
• There are only 899 people in the world who have my maiden name
• I love history and museums

Faux Pas

I was at Texas Roadhouse with some of my kids and their spouses. We were ordering drinks and my favorite there is the "Jamaican Cowboy". I ordered one, but the waiter thought I wanted a "Naked Cowboy". Of course the jokes went around the table and I really don't remember if I actually said that, but they all said I did, and the waiter said he could try to find me one!

Fun Facts

• I believe you should give out what you want to get back. So, I live my life everyday, happy and positive!
• All of my kids are grown and I have a granddaughter that I spoil every chance I get!
• I have a “phone voice.” Any time I am on the phone, apparently my voice changes to a proper/professional tone regardless of who is on the other end, or so my kids say!
• I’m an artist/creator - in my free time you will find me painting, sewing, re-purposing something or working on one of my many DIY projects!
• I have a vegetable garden that started out with only 3 different things a few years ago but has grown to over 20 vegetables.

Faux Pas

I used to work for a non-profit organization. Soon after I started working there, our bookkeeper emailed me to say that she hadn't received a file because it was too large. In a hurry, I zipped the file and sent it to her again with the short note, "I resent you." The next day, I could tell she was not herself, and I asked if something was bothering her. She confessed that she was upset and had no idea why I would resent her. Totally confused, I told her I did not resent her and had no idea why she would think that I did. She said because I told her in my email to her the day before. Still confused, I asked her to show me what she was referring to, so she opened the email with my hastily written reply. It became clear immediately that I should've proofed my message before sending it, and I explained that I had meant to convey that I was sending the file a second time. She couldn’t believe it, but then realized that she had been so taken aback by the words she read that she had not noticed my message was a response to her and what I might have actually meant. After a few seconds, we both laughed at our mistakes. Today, many years later, we are great friends and have turned it into a running joke. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Many words have more than one meaning, and, depending on how they are used or pronounced, they can change completely and you might resent sending an email or text that you didn't proof!

Fun Facts

• Received an award of excellence ribbon on a piece of art for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in high school
• Once sat across from Tim Robbins on a subway train in NYC
• Wanted to be a homicide detective when I grew up
• Would love to hike the Continental Divide Trail
• Have never met another Sally my age