My love of travel is a combination of genetic and learned behavior that I can trace directly to my grandfather. All my childhood travel memories are with him. Amusement parks, zoos, rock concerts, or the closest fishing hole would be some of our destinations. We would roam while my grandfather waited for us at set location with his favorite beverage(a Budweiser sprinkled with a little salt.) I now am passing my love of travel on to my children. As a homeschool parent, I am able to travel throughout the year with my children. We use travel as a learning tool. National parks and sites are always on our itinerary. Our family trips have including all 7 of us as well as smaller groups of two or three. With our children growing older(23 to 14), there are fewer and fewer trips with the entire family. My youngest is 14. She will be attending high school this coming year. My husband of 24 years suggested that instead of paying for private school tuition that we should use that money to travel. My youngest has traveled to Europe with me but we will probably stay in the US and North American continent for most of our travel.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We are currently are planning a cross-country trip from Kentucky to Portland, OR. Camping will be our primary mode of accommodation with the occasional hotel for pampering(TV, hot showers). My concern is that will be traveling during the high season and I may not be able to find a camping site. Couchsurfing may be an option.

Interests

My outdoor interest include gardening and working on our land. We have 175 in Central Kentucky. We are not actively farming but would like to someday. Raspberries are ripe at the moment and I have been taking daily hikes to pick them. I enjoy swimming, hiking/walking in nature, bird watching, and plant and insect identification. I make all attempts to avoid hitting wildlife. If it is safe, I move box turtles off the road.

My indoor interest are reading, cooking and eating fresh foods that I grow or find at the grocery store or farmer's market, binge watching TV shows (Dr. Who, Sherlock, Arrow), cleaning my house(Yes, I find enjoyment in cleaning my house because it relaxes me), and of course, homeschooling my children. My oldest child is 23 and she is in a graduate program, my 18 year old twins are college bound, the 16 year old is in his final year of high school and that leaves my travel buddy who is 14. They all keep my life full of new and interesting things!

• wildlife
• birds
• concerts
• cooking
• walking
• gardening
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• fishing
• hiking
• camping
• boxing
• swimming
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Music- I enjoy all music but I favor rock and pop.
Movies - foreign films, documentaries
Books- I enjoy YA books. Harry Potter, Hunger Games. I also like Newbery Award winners. I also enjoy Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I am most proud of the things I have accomplished with my children as a homeschool parent. I have been everything to my kids for the last 20 years. However, I think the most amazing thing that I have done is still live a year abroad. At 15, I decided I wanted to escape from my tiny town and be an exchange student. My grandfather found a listing in our local newspaper. Without the aid of the internet, I traveled to places unknown to me to live with strangers. It was a defining moment in my life and made me who I am today.

Teach, Learn, Share

This is a tricky question. I could teach a visitor to our farm about the plants and critters that inhabit it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am a pretty good cook. I am decent at basic dishes. If I have watched FoodNetwork recently, I might be more inventive. I do not mind getting my hands dirty, soap and water are never hard to locate.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Sweden