***I've just updated my location, so waiting on new verification postcard, but I have been a verified member for years.***

It has been YEARS since I updated my Couchsurfing Profile, or even looked much at CS! Those years have been full of adventure, to be sure, though! For a little bit of old times' sake I'll leave here the things that are still true about me, but I have some updating to do, too...

Five years ago, I left the USA for NZ, expecting to backpack for a year and then see what happened. Only a couple months in, though, I took a trip to Australia that changed my life forever. A good and long-time friend and I had been emailing extensively in the preceding months, and my arrival to his home turf brought with it the flourishing of a relationship. We quickly realised that New Zealand could wait, and I moved to Australia. We adventured and learned and grew together, and our love became the kind you say "forever" to. We married in the USA, and returned to Australia to begin the next part of our new life together. Soon enough, Dave & I added to our "A-Team" with the birth of our first beautiful daughter, and now we have a second beautiful baby girl.

LIFE MISSION

Serve God, be a blessing to others, and love living the adventure!

ABOUT ME (um, now "us"!)

Four years ago I said: "I love being in the outdoors and working with young people, and I've been going to church camps since before I can even remember! As a kid, I had always dreamed about having adventures in far-away places, and now that I'm older I'm excited about the possibility of broadening my Parks & Rec, Outdoor Adventure/Leadership studies to include travel."

Now:
- That whole first sentence about the outdoors and young people and church camps... can be duplicated by my hubby! :-) It's wonderful to share such passions with him. We even volunteered at our church youth camp while I was pregnant and then again with a 6-month-old in tow. (Kudos to the camp directors for thinking win-win about which responsibilities I could handle with a kiddo.)
- That bit about far-away places... Well, so far, I've gone and moved to the other side of the world from where I grew up, so it's a start! My hubby has also travelled in Asia, and we look forward to going back together. We also still both dream of things like backpacking Europe together, and are keen to hear from others who have taken their kiddos on adventures with them so we can gather tips & tricks. ;-)

PHILOSOPHY (Mine from 5 years ago; probably safe to say not much has changed)

- Plan for life as though you'€™ll never die, and live as though each day is your last.
- Be cautious of danger, but don'€™t let fear hold you back.
- Use the lessons from the past as tools for building the future.
- Never Settle.
- Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
- Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might...
- Leave things better than you found them.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My history with CS is mostly hosting while I lived in Flagstaff, AZ & I loved how much it helped me learn more about my own area! I did surf a few nights, but I've also done travel where I've stayed with people I knew independent of CS.

Soon we plan to start hosting as a family! We live in a nice little mountain town in Alpine Victoria, AU, and for the first time since I left AZ 5 years ago, we have a home that can accommodate guests. :-)

Interests

Let's see how well I did over the past 5 years...

"I love the outdoors - mainly hiking, camping, & rock climbing. When I get a chance, I enjoy joining others canoeing or rafting." ...yep, still enjoy them, although the canoeing and rafting haven't happened in a while.

"In this coming year, I hope to broaden my horizons more (and this will include facing some fears, eek!) and try learning mountain biking & skiing & surfing & whatever else amazing may come my way! (yikes!)" .... I haven't done any biking, skiing, or surfing, haha. But I do think I've broadened my horizons and faced some fears in other, more personal-development ways, thanks to the strong lead and love of my hubby. :-)

"I also like to read, and hope to actually carve out some time for leisure reading while I'm travelling (currently carrying with me a copy of Walden & Civil Disobedience, by Thoreau, but have yet to start it)." ... haha! I'm pretty sure I still haven't touched it! Something about all my spare time being consumed by a guy I ended up marrying. ;-) Once our baby was born, I did find myself with hours and hours of time available to read while breastfeeding, but she hated me having books on my lap at the same time as her, and she also fed in small frequent sessions, so my "leisure reading" became scrolling through Facebook on my phone and reading articles that caught my attention (sometimes taking me multiple feeding sessions to finish one short article, haha). Four years ago I didn't have a smartphone; now I can't imagine life without one. What have I become?!?! :-( lol.
**update: baby #2 has let me read while breastfeeding, so I've finally started Walden!

"I appreciate art, and have dabbled in various forms - mostly photography, some drawing, painting, & clay work. I used to play the flute a lot, but it's been a while. And I like to sing, but not solo. :-)" ... Lately my art has been limited to trying to teach a toddler how to colour with crayons instead of eat them. One step at a time, right? We do have grand ideas of me getting back into painting, and I've recently started a huge collection on Pinterest related to crochet, knitting, and sewing. You know, for when I'm not otherwise busy keeping a toddler from climbing on the TV entertainment center. ;-)
**update: I left that because it's amusing to remember. Now my daughter is actually interested in artwork... in short bursts. 😉

"I love cooking & trying new foods (though I have to be careful because there are certain things I don't eat)." ... As a homemaker, I now value finding the right balance between healthy, delicious, aesthetic, and simple. I look forward to the days when my kiddo can stand on a chair next to me and help. Right now I just try to get as much done as I can as quickly as I can before she starts asking to be picked up again, haha.

Dave grew up in Queensland, and spent a good many of his years surfing. We're a bit land-locked at the moment, so he's keen to get into the mountain biking that is so prolific in our area.

• arts
• singing
• photography
• cooking
• reading
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• surfing
• skiing
• rock climbing
• geology
• history
• tourism
• parks
• geocaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Both of us are into romantic comedy & action adventure. We like movies with intense plots that make us think about what's going on. We're not fans of the bloody gore & crass language & overly sexual themes. The humour has to be clean. We have gotten hooked on the Marvel movies, and we totally understand the joy of getting a baby to bed early so we can have a "date night" in the living room, haha.

Music: I appreciate a variety. Prefer when I can understand the lyrics. I like acoustic guitar. I enjoy fun beats that make you want to bop around in your seat or tap your foot. :-) Angry music is not welcome. Dave introduced me to a lot of artists and styles I wasn't previously exposed to, and at our wedding my Dad and I danced down the aisle to reggae! Also since hanging out with my love, I've developed an appreciation for going to live performances, and we especially enjoyed the smaller gigs at various establishments around Sydney when we lived there (and pre-baby, haha!).

Books: For fiction, I do enjoy myself a good dose of Tolkien. And Jane Austin. Sadly I haven't done much leisure reading as an adult (used to read ALL the time as a kid), but what I do tend to prefer are more practical books & less fiction, like Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Or life-development kinds, like about building strong relationships/marriages/families.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have to say, our proposal was pretty cool! Dave sent me on a scavenger hunt that had me going to various places that had become our "regular" spots, and then led me to a new place, where a friend of his guided me down an abseil (rappel) on an ocean cliff, followed by a cliff-walk to where he was waiting for me, and he proposed at sunset with the waves crashing beneath us.

Teach, Learn, Share

I don't tend to set out to teach people any particular thing, I just share my skills or knowledge in whatever area I can as I see appropriate opportunity.

I want to learn tons of things, and always want to continue learning! I love learning about the history of a place, about the geology of a place, about cultural dynamics, about art...

Dave especially loves to share good company and conversation.

What I Can Share with Hosts

2-yr old entertainment and baby cuddles. 😉

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United States

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