CURRENT MISSION

Travel the World

ABOUT ME

I love travel and CouchSurfing. Surfers and hosts have each added an imprint on my life, and I am grateful for each opportunity to meet new CSers.

I live with my husband Brian Solito and our 2 cats Hampton taken in on Christmas Eve 2009 & Charley rescued from an animal shelter after our dog Binkley passed away. We are non-smokers, rare drinkers, and since we live near a retirement community where the streets roll up at 9 pm, we are usually early to bed and early to rise. We can pull off late nights out when needed.

We live full time in a 40' fifth wheel RV. We no longer have a sofa bed to host guests at the present time. I am available to meet for coffee or a drink.

PHILOSOPHY

There is about as much educational benefit to be gained in studying dolphins in captivity as there would be studying mankind by only observing prisoners held in solitary confinement -€“ Jacques Cousteau

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. - €“Mark Twain

A life lived in fear... is a life half-lived. Australia (2008), originally from the 1992 romantic comedy Strictly Ballroom

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change your attitude; Don't Complain. €“Maya Angelou

We must be the change we wish to see in the world. (and) I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man. €“Mahatma Gandhi

20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. €“Mark Twain attribution cannot be verified

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I promote the CS site on my Facebook profile.
I recruit new CSers to the site.
I attend and promote CS events.
I offer rides to CSers when possible.
I spread the word with CouchSurf business cards.
I surf, host, & refer to other local CSers when I am unable to host.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

CS FIRSTS:
*"Official" Host experience: Maya Kosok, Max Romano, Brian Orr, and Diego Herrera: Titusville, FL: 6 Feb 2010
*Surf: Terry Coulliette (TravelRanger): Vero Beach, FL: 21 Mar 2009
*Event: Bok Tower Picnic: Lake Wales, FL: 21 Mar 2009
*Ride Share: I drove Ronald Navas (mr.ron) from Slidell, LA to Jacksonville, FL: 28 Feb 2010
*Host / Foster Mom to 2 Cats who belong to Florida CSer Leyla Aykin (Leyla Ay) while she is traveling in Turkey since Aug 2009

HOSTED:
*Richard Fairbrother & Yonnie Fung (RichBags & Yonnie): Titusville, FL: 12-17 & 20-21 May 2010
*Ella Kliger and Jonathan Snyder: Titusville, FL: 12-15 May 2010
*Julie & Mike McLean (Michael McLean): Titusville, FL: 30 Apr 2010
*Carol Bailey & Kent Walker (Nomad Kiwis): Titusville, FL: 21-23 Mar 2010 (the rocket launch that wasn't)
*Leyla Aykin (Leyla Ay): Titusville, FL: 10-19 Feb 2010
*Maya Kosok, Max Romano, Brian Orr, & Diego Herrera: Titusville, FL: 6 Feb 2010 (the night of the shuttle launch that wasn't)
*James Barron: Gretna, LA: 2-9 Feb 2008

SURFED WITH:
*Richard Stieff: Fort Lauderdale, FL: 7 to 9 Nov 2012
*Jan Krassner: Leesburg, FL: 11 to 16 Oct 2012
*Chris Bemelmans: Port Charlotte, FL: 30 Sep to 5 Oct 2012
*Heather Howard: Tampa, FL: 27 to 30 Sep 2012
*Kenneth Costello: Pensacola, FL: 26 Sep 2012
*Keith Brewer: Memphis, TN: 17 & 21 Aug 2012
*Kacy Carney: Atlanta, GA: 16 Aug 2012
*Alexis Tristan: Seattle, WA: 18-21 Jun 2012
*Conrad and April Matt: Saint Augustine, FL: 24 Apr 2010
*Terry Coulliette (TravelRanger): Vero Beach, FL: 20 Mar 2010
*Jennifer Roe (Sparkling Water): Slidell, LA: 26-28 Feb 2010
*Terry Coulliette (TravelRanger): Vero Beach, FL: 26 Nov 2009
*Heather Howard: Tampa, FL: 5-7 Nov 2009
*Terry Coulliette (TravelRanger): Vero Beach, FL: 21 Mar 2009

EVENTS:
*Bok Tower Gardens Third Annual Picnic & Games Day with 21 CSers: Lake Wales, FL: 27 Mar 2010
*Spring Solstice BBQ with 56 CSers from 10 countries: Vero Beach, FL: 20 Mar 2010
*International BBQ Potluck Thanksgiving with 23 CSers from 7 countries: Vero Beach, FL: 26 Nov 2009
*Florida State Photo Scavenger Hunt: 21 Mar to 18 Apr 2009: our 4 person Life's A Croc Team took 2 prizes for most points and most locations visited
*Spring Equinox BBQ with 31 CSers: Vero Beach, FL: 21 Mar 2009
*Bok Tower Gardens Second Annual Picnic & Games Day with 23 CSers: Lake Wales, FL: 21 Mar 2009

RIDE SHARE:
*Carol Bailey & Kent Walker (Nomad Kiwis) from Vero Beach, FL to Titusville, FL: 21 Mar 2010
*Ronald Navas (mr.ron) from Slidell, LA to Jacksonville, FL: 28 Feb 2010

Interests

International and domestic travel, cruises, community service, computers, music, photography, movies, and any live performance or event such as concerts, orchestras, operas, ballets, jazz / art festivals, Mardi Gras, and cirque du soleil shows which were plentiful in Las Vegas, Nevada

• pets
• cats
• dogs
• wildlife
• birds
• arts
• performing arts
• photography
• concerts
• festivals
• mardi gras
• potluck
• picnic
• bbq
• yoga
• meditation
• walking
• flying
• boating
• shopping
• movies
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• scuba diving
• snorkeling
• sailing
• skiing
• swimming
• business
• nursing
• carpooling
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Wide range: Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Evanescence, Rush, Celine Dion, Madonna, Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beatles, The Cranberries, U2, Journey, Enya, Clannad, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Kenny G, and more

Movies: documentaries, movies with a message based on real life events, James Bond, drama, comedy, romance, and some action adventure

Books: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children by John Wood; The First Big Ride: An Inspiring Coast to Coast Adventure: A Woman's Journey by Eloise Hanner; Marley & Me by John Grogan; A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle; The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell; Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic; Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank; Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I had the opportunity to snorkel with a pod of 400+ wild Dusky dolphins off the coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand; it was simply incredible. http://www.dolphin.co.nz/kaikoura/

Other highlights include: snorkeling with wild penguins, sea turtles, and sea lions and watching 4 baby sea lions nursing their mothers in the Galapagos Islands; sea kayaking with Orcas off Vancouver Island, Canada; being the only person in my group to balance an egg on the head of a nail at the equator ‘s Inti Ñan Solar Museum in Pichincha, Ecuador; a helicopter flight over Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers on the west coast of the south island of New Zealand; spending 3-nights on and scuba diving from the Santa Maria sailboat on the Great Barrier Reef; cruising the Mediterranean Sea and through the Panama Canal; scuba diving with Caribbean Reef Sharks off the Bahamas; riding on a truck float on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans; being the only person in my group who had the pleasure of being christened by a land iguana sitting above me in a tree at Parque Bolívar (known as the Iguana Park) in Guayaquil, Ecuador; snorkeling with sting rays off Grand Cayman; walking with the Sydney Bridge Climb across the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia; swimming in Dead Sea water near Masada, Israel; shopping at the grand bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey; kissing the Stone of Eloquence at Blarney Castle near Cork, Ireland; holding a baby crocodile, a sloth, and several monkeys in the Amazon Rainforest near Iquitos, Peru; solo flying a Schweizer CB300i helicopter from Titusville Space Coast Regional Airport to Kissimmee, Melbourne, and back to Titusville; and seeing the Passion Play in 1984 for a special 350th anniversary celebration in Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany.

Teach, Learn, Share

Activities I enjoy are wildlife and bird watching in the wild - not at Sea World, hiking, biking, scuba diving, gym workout, water skiing, yoga, snow skiing, snorkeling, kayaking, meditation, boating, photography, and swimming.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My love for travel and learning about other cultures.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Cayman Islands, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin (French part), Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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