CURRENT MISSION

To work enough to keep travel in the retirement picture! To help people along their journeys whenever I can. To provide travel opportunities for my grandchildren and help them feel at home anywhere they find themselves in life. To be grateful for all the good in my life!

ABOUT ME

I grew up as an army child, and I never lost my wanderlust! I treasure the experiences of travel that I have had so far and hope for many more. I have lots of interests like books, the arts, dancing, spiritual growth, being a helpful and involved parent and grandparent as well as an active citizen who cares about fixing what is wrong in my community and nation and the world. My husband and I have been married for 49 adventurous years!

PHILOSOPHY

I can trace a lot of what I have worked to accomplish in my life to understanding that racism and sexism must be eliminated, that equality is imperative, that education is vital and must be supported so that all children have choices in life no matter the position they were born into. I try to see others as Divine Love sees them and to treat them as I would like to be treated.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have invited guests to my home, and I have stayed with hosts in several European cities. My daughter and I have stayed with CS hosts in Oslo, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. We enjoyed meeting CS folks in Budapest, and had a wonderful CS guy as a tour guide for a day in Istanbul. We have wonderful new friends as a result.
COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In 2011 my daughter and I couch-surfed without knowing what it was called or that an organization existed! I emailed people in Australia and New Zealand whom I found online and hoped would be interested in why we were coming there. Two wonderful hosts answered and offered us free lodging! We made new friends and it made the trip so much more special to have a personal connection in those two cities--Auckland, NZ, and Brisbane, AU. Since joining this website I have offered to host here in St. Louis, MO many times.

Interests

Reading and book club; exercising including pickleball; ballroom, ballet, zumba, line dancing; cooking; grandchildren; music; art; my flower gardens; spending time with daughter who lives near and daughter who lives far away; church volunteer work and growing spiritually; working in and on our home with my great husband; friends and entertaining; being an active citizen who is an informed voter, signs petitions, rallies, works on campaigns, and has recently lobbied in our capitol to decrease the wage gap between men and women. I have had a lifelong love of traveling!

• arts
• books
• dancing
• ballet dancing
• education
• cooking
• exercise
• zumba
• clubbing
• flowers
• reading
• traveling
• volunteer work
• music
• teaching
• tourism
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I loved reading "The Art of Racing in the Rain" for book club. We alternate fiction and non-fiction.
If you are interested in the subject of what has been happening to education in the U.S., I recommend "The Three-Legged Woman". Economy? "That Used to be Us" by Thomas Friedman.
Love all kinds of music--but picky about movies. I enjoyed quirky "Salmon Fishing in Yemen". Very inventive and well-done! Meryl Streep is a favorite of mine in movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I took a service trip to Costa Rica and worked in the Children's Eternal Rain Forest there for two weeks. Wow!
I saw an active volcano erupt all night on my first night in the forest--had a great view across the water. I spent time alone in the forest just being quiet, watching, listening--then wrote about the experience and shared it. It was wonderful to hear others' individual alone time experiences. I also did the zip line day trip which was scary as we climbed
tall towers 11 times and launched ourselves out more than 500 feet above the ground!
We delivered school supplies we all brought to donate to children and got to observe their school day, and planted trees and fixed paths in the rain forest as well.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you to dance, to cook, to read, advice on children, things financial...Share art collection and music...Learning more about new technologies is something I don't do well by myself!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to help my hosts in any way that is needed.
I cooked all the dinners for a host in Amsterdam at his request.
Whatever my host is interested in, I am happy to share.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Japan, United States