CURRENT MISSION
Meet my global community.
Leave a smaller footprint.
Raise peace, grow love, shed fear.

ABOUT ME

I am a seasoned traveller who took a 20 yr. hiatus to solely raise my son. We did some backpacking in
Europe,, music festivals, bike trips etc. But most of my extended traveling was done before motherhood and now as an empty nester. In early 2019 I had the misfortune of being diagnosed with a rare disease "spinocerebellar Ataxia 3". This is a progressive movement disorder with no known cure. But I am still in early stages and am still walking, hiking, biking (3 wheel recumbent) gardening etc. I have just have to amend things abit. This made me start prioritizing my bucket list and now taking action and making it my " BOOK IT" list.

Travel and experience the people, cultures, places and food! Meet the WORLD

PHILOSOPHY:
I try and live by the FOUR AGREEMENTS

1. BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
Find the courage to ask questions and express what you really want.
Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one AGREEMENT, you can completely transform your life.

4. ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to being sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self judgement, self abuse and regret.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I spent 11 years travelling, and have been the guest of many (prior to Couchsurfing website), its time to give back. A happy balance :-)
It opens doors, hearts , teaches compassion and trust. I am meeting my local and global community through CS.

I participate in some local CS events, great way to meet other travelers and like minded locals.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Prehistoric CSing (before website) many couches,floors, tents, hammocks etc.
Thus far on through this site Ive surfed a few times but mainly hosted. I have tried surfing in Portland and Seattle with my son (teenager at the time) but didnt have much luck. Portland I ended up hosting from my hotel room, LOL. True story. Seattle left us sleepless pulling an all niter at a 24 coffee shop. that's a story I can now laugh about. My intentions are set to change that as I want to fulfill my dreams/ bucket list and I know there is a lot of goodness out there and I will find it!

Interests

Music and music festivals, bicycling trips, camping trips, extended travel, cultural trips, cabin in the woods weekend trips, trips, trips, trips, of all kinds!!

Slow-tourism and travel (walking, hiking or biking thru the country you are visiting)

Gardening, foraging wild foods and medicines, permaculture, sustainability, activism, indigenous cultures , nature crafts (basket weaving, ), herbal remedies, strength conditioning, and did I mention traveling :)

• gardening
• music
• travel
• sustainability
• permaculture
• mindfulness
• outdoors

Music, Movies, and Books

Documentaries, foreign films, National Geographic.

Very diverse musical taste, however most real twangy country and death metal I do not have much of a threshold for. Really digging "Young Fathers", "Rising Appalchia" and "Caamp" at the moment.

The Four Agreements , A Brave New World, The Doors of Perception, The Road Less Travelled,On the Road, One River (Wade Davies, my new fav),wanting to read Carlos Castenada, anything Nancy Turner \0/, most Dr. Suess and Roald Dahl books. I have many books on "how to" , basketry, wilderness skills, natural remedies, ayurveda, etc. I have a library that I wish I had the time to consume...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Spent 11 years travelling , living out of a back pack. 6 of those years in North America only showed me 5 provinces and 30 something states. North America is amazingly beautiful. I feel blessed to call the PNW (Pacific Northwest) my home. 5 years all over Europe. Amazing adventures where had.

Giving birth to my son (now a young adult), though it is amazing, yeah well, once was enough)! I'm glad I'm not an elephant!!!

Summer 2019 Walked 1,050 km within 2 months in parts of France, Spain and Portugal (El Camino de Santiago)

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach, learn, share...LOVING KINDNESS!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can speak English, Portuguese and Spanish (not all fluently) and can help anyone wanting to learn.
If our host has a garden, I would be very happy to jump in and get dirty. Share basics on herbal medicine, sustainability etc.
Share travel experiences over a glass of wine/cup of tea.
I am a very considerate human and will always extend my gratitude with a little gift, cook, be clean, be great company or if host is too busy to engage, I can be respectful to not disrupt their schedule.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States