CURRENT MISSION

To gain a little perspective, to be a little wiser...and to win more at trivia!

ABOUT ME

Our best friends describe us as generous, loyal, caring, busy, sincere, good manners, thoughtful, cautious and kind. We are also a bit of a neat-freak and enjoy an organized home. Amanda is very sensitive to smells so we try to keep our home fresh and clean.

PHILOSOPHY

"Life may be hard, but we always have a choice. It is what we do with those choices that define who we are, and who we become." -Amanda's motto that she lives by

I believe everything happens for a reason, and when I apply my personal philosophy to that belief I find I'm able to get through the ups and downs without losing who I am.

Noah believes that we are here on this earth to help each other, and that it really is all about the love.

"Acts of tolerance and kindness are some of the greatest gifts that humans can give each other, and the world." -Noah

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We are new to CS but have REALLY enjoyed our experiences so far and look forward to meeting more CS'ers as we travel for the next 10 months. We plan to host through CS once we return home. Since we have limited reviews, you can also check out our Airbnb reviews at: www.airbnb.com/users/show/318079

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We are new to this but we love getting to know the "real" people in a place and not just what tourists get to see. The biggest compliment while we're traveling is when someone comes up to us and says, "You look like a local, can you tell me how to get to ..."

As hosts, we would enjoy showing people some of the lesser-known local hot-spots and talking about life experiences over a coffee or a beer.

Interests

We love exploring with one another and having FUN and laughing whenever possible. We enjoy watching people in their day-to-day activities, and we have to be active. Amanda coaches high school rugby and plays tennis and volleyball. Noah likes to bike, hike and we are both learning to surf and are Open Water SCUBA divers. We both love learning about the past and how it informs the future, and pondering the deeper meaning in life.

• culture
• beer
• coffee
• flying
• trivia
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• scuba diving
• hang gliding
• tennis
• rugby
• volleyball
• history
• languages
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Lord of the Rings is Amanda's all-time favorite and Noah loves Fly Away Home, Stand by Me, Away We Go and True Romance. We enjoy anything funny, nothing scary.
Music: We both love all sorts. Amanda's only request is that she can understand the words because no one is yelling at her.
Books: Too many to list as our favorites, but most recently Amanda loved Rules of Civility, the Outlander series, lots of historical fiction. Noah's favorite is The Education of Little Tree, and he also loved The Grass Harp, Dune and anything by Mark Twain.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Amanda: My first car camping trip across the US. I saw some amazingly beautiful things and had an absolute blast. Volunteering in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake was hard, but the people that I met blew me away with their sincerity, their faith and their resiliency. My husband also proposed to me at the end of our time working there together. Any time I see something beautiful for the first time, be it a sunrise over an unfamiliar body of water, a whale surfacing off the coast of Mexico, or the birth of my best friend's baby, I'm overcome with emotion and completely immersed in the moment trying to soak it all in.

Noah: Our experience in Haiti was amazing. I learned a lot from the families there. Our wedding was an amazing experience, it was a phenomenal weekend full of love and joy. Traveling, hang gliding and scuba diving have allowed moments of pure joy and appreciation for this earth.

Teach, Learn, Share

Amanda: I'm pretty good at rugby, was a history major and have lots of random knowledge and am willing to share whatever I know with whoever asks! I'd love to learn about local culture and history wherever I may be traveling. I'd also love to continue learning how to surf-I'm crazy about it!

Noah: With time and the proper equipment I can teach you how to fly a hang glider; willing to share medical knowledge such as first aid, and I enjoy teaching kids anything. I enjoy learning about people's passionate interests. I'd love to learn more languages.