CURRENT MISSION

Lovin' life!

ABOUT ME

I used to work seasonally for NPS but am now just having fun as a full time EMT. I also volunteer with the local fire department. A couple of years ago I moved from Montana and miss it very much but am trying to explore what Washington has to offer. I have a 6-year-old daughter and she seems to share some of my wanderlust so we take weekend trips to neighboring mountain ranges to camp and hike. We are just trying to live simple (but enriched) lives and hope to make a few friends along the way.

Por que estou no Couchsurfing?

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've hosted a few people so far, and been hosted a couple of times, too. It's all fun!

Interesses

Getting lost, hiking, camping, rock climbing, knitting

• chickens
• photography
• wine
• running
• clothing
• blogging
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• agriculture
• languages

Uma Coisa Incrível que Eu Fiz

I spent a few weeks in the Philippines and I wrote this bit for my blog. In the spirit of David Foster Wallace, I give you a summation of my trip:

I have used a banana leaf as an umbrella. I have consumed coconut wine at 8 in the morning. I have been for a ride on a tricycle (a sort of dirt bike with an attached sidecar). I have risen to the call of a rooster (which speaks Tagalog in the Philippines). I have come within snorting distance of a caribou. I have paid the equivalent of 3.5 cents to use a public toilet, which did not include toilet paper. I have showered in my clothes in the rain simply because it was the most convenient option. I have been utterly disgusted by the endless dirt under my fingernails, but eaten with my hands anyway. I have had juice and pulp from both young green and mature orange coconuts and decided that I prefer the green. I have learned the word for ‘good’ in at least 5 new languages. I have chased chickens out of my bed and witnessed a bonafide cock fight. I have worn the same underwear without washing 3 days in a row. I have run 5 miles in the land of a thousand smiles. I have woven pouches for steaming rice from the leaves of a coconut tree. I have seen larger cockroaches than exist in Florida. I have spent 59 out of 74 hours in some sort of vehicle, including a plane, a ferry, a taxi, and a jeep. I have seen a double rainbow after a hard mountain rain. I have seen cd-roms used as washers. I have concealed a collection of plastic bags and water bottles with the fear that someone else would come by and appropriate them for their own use. I have watched my rather unsightly ankle sock tan evolve into a sexy flip-flop tan. I have accidentally asked my mother whether she would like ‘a penis’ (when trying to be particularly clever and referring to my Tagolog-English dictionary) instead of ‘fish bones’, to which a large fit of laughter was followed by anyone within earshot. I have seen more uses for bamboo than I ever thought possible. I have climbed to the craters of two volcanoes, one of which is still active. I have jogged 172 steps up a hillside to a statue of the Virgin Mary where one is expected to leave a donation and make a confession, left a donation, did not make a confession, and returned feeling a little breathless and dizzy (which I will equate with feeling spiritual).

O Que Posso Compartilhar com Anfitriões

I have a wide range of talents from clothing repair and bread-making to deep conversation and floor-tiling.

Países que Visitei

Canada, Philippines, United States

Países em que Morei

Japan, United States