CURRENT MISSION

Go 21 consecutive days without complaining, gossiping, or criticizing. (See www.acomplaintfreeworld.org)

ABOUT ME

I'm genuinely interested in people and in learning. I'm good-natured and appreciative and look for the beauty in life. I love to hike, bike, backpack, be next to a stream. Our two kids are recently out of the nest, so we're recalibrating what life is like these days. They were homeschooled until high school, so this is a big change - and also fun. I do really miss our family play days, which we used to have on Mondays . . . We like to play music together (mostly classical) and adventure outdoors.

PHILOSOPHY

We're all in this together. Life is about learning to love and let go of fear. We have much more in common than we are different, if we are honest with each other.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We've hosted a number of surfers and I have really enjoyed it. My daughter and I have been hosted a few times, as well, and we felt so welcomed and embraced.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We have had somewhere around 20 groups stay in our home, until a couple years ago when my main couchsurfing encourager (my daughter) left home. We'll probably get back to hosting before too long, because I really love doing that and meeting the wonderful folks who come through.

Interests

I love to hike and be in nature, especially where it's green and shady. I'm a collaborative pianist by trade, a homeschooling mom, a reader. I love to cook and bake and experiment in the kitchen. We bike as much as we can around Eugene. My husband, Rick, is a bass player and piano rebuilder/technician and has built beautiful wood cabinetry and furniture for our home. I love seeing the creative things he turns out, as well as our 2 children, who are fun to be around, too. I'm interested in hosting people who are interested enough in us to have read this and who use the word Bella in their request.

• performing arts
• beauty
• cooking
• music
• piano
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking

Music, Movies, and Books

Mutant Message by Marlo Morgan
The Book Thief
Elegance of the Hedgehog
Pearl Buck books

Princess Bride, Station Agent, Bagdad Cafe
I have a huge list . . these are the first that come immediately to mind today.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Backpacking up a foggy steep trail in the Whistler, B.C area as a teenager, unable to see anything around us, until the clouds cleared for a couple minutes and we were WAY up there -- and had a beautiful view. We couldn't believe how far up we had climbed. Sliding down the snowfields was fun, too! And the stars at night . . . like in Wyoming . . .

Playing music with a wide variety of folks -- especially young people -- is so exciting and fun, since as their accompanist, I'm never quite sure what they'll do. Working with them to make their performance experience a positive one is really rewarding.

Having both kids born at home with an awesome midwife, the second one as we were totally remodelling our house while living in it -- the day after we finally had windows and a front door after a couple months of being open to the neighborhood.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am very happy to cook or bake or bring along something yummy. I am a good listener. I can share about homeschooling and parenting.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Germany, Italy, Sweden, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States