CURRENT MISSION

To experience the world

ABOUT ME

I grew up in MN, taught English in Japan after college, taught English in MN for a few years and am now working in communications. I love being creative in many ways, cooking, knitting and writing. I am a very curious person, I love to learn! I love having new experiences and I want to learn everything I can about the world and live life fully. I tend to be a very active traveler and like to explore as much as possible. I like to try the unique foods and visit the historical places, and I think the best part is just getting immersed in the atmosphere. I'm always up to meet couch surfers for coffee or show them around town. My friends and I are constantly exploring the Twin Cities--the restaurants, the parks, the historical sites and other fun places and I would love to include CSers on these excursions.

PHILOSOPHY

"The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving." --Albert Einstein

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." --Winston Churchill

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

"There is no great loss without some small blessing." --Caroline Ingalls (Ma Ingalls of the 'Little House' books)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I go to CS events, meet people for coffee or drinks and have hosted a couchsurfer, as well as friends. My sister and I couchsurfed in Europe in 2010, and it was a wonderful experience.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I went to coffee with one CSer, went to a local CS event and surfed during a recent trip to Europe. I have hosted too! Every experience with couchsurfers has been truly wonderful. Everyone we have met has been so generous, kind and a lot of fun to spend time with. Couchsurfing definitely enhanced my trip--I loved meeting real people who live in and love their cities and opened up their homes and hearts to me and my sister. We loved hosting and sharing our city with others. With couchsurfing, you enter people's lives as a welcomed stranger and leave a true friend.

Interests

Tango and West Coast Swing dancing, knitting, cooking, croquet, traveling, being creative, having adventures, art, history, and reading.

• arts
• writing
• books
• dancing
• tango
• swing dancing
• cooking
• coffee
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• knitting
• backpacking
• zip-line
• communications
• history
• historic sites
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

I love Jane Austen's novels, biographies, and stories from different cultures. I am inspired by Rita Golden Gelman and her nomadic traveling. I love listening to many types of music. I like all movie genres except for horror.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Seeing the ancient Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Pompeii ruins and medieval tapestries were incredible experiences. I was awed to see in person things I had before only seen in my history books. Zip lining in Hawaii was a blast and I'd love to do more eco adventures around the world.
I loved my one month backpacking trip through Europe!
Living in Japan was a wonderful experience. I would love to live there again!

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach knitting, cooking, and swing or tango dancing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States