CURRENT MISSION

To Find Out More About Myself Through Others

ABOUT ME

I live in The Grove located in St. Louis City near Central West End and Tower Grove Park. It's basically the gay mecca of the Midwest! It's a bustling, growing urban district that is home to lots of art, the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Manchester Strip and less than ten minutes from downtown.

I'm a mother of three, lesbian, feminist, writer, poet, artist, adventurer, activist and environmentalist. Of course all of these are merely titles, but my closest friends would probably describe me as "brutally honest" and a "tree hugger". I would say i am empathic, I'm an avid lover of books, philosophical conversations and musings, spiritual connection, spontaneous adventures, I'm occasionally crazy fun and sometimes unapologetically sensitive.

PHILOSOPHY

We are all one!! Separation is an illusion....

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My sister is a couchsurfer and got involved by hearing her amazing experiences. I am always on a budget and have little money to work with as an AmeriCorps VISTA. I'm interested in the both surfing and hosting surfers for the experiences and forming new lifetime friendships. I'm a writer and poet and love to hear stories and create them. I love to travel, tell stories and share life experiences with other like minded and/or interesting individuals. Each person i meet in my life is a character in my life story.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We were offered a place to stay with a lovely woman in Nashville on way back but just kept driving to St. Louis. We stayed on a couch in Jacksonville and it was an interesting experience, they were decent hosts and took us to the beach and BBQ'd. I have had lots of unofficial couchsurfing experiences if that counts!

Interests

Reading, listening to live music, dancing, outdoor adventure, rafting, camping, hiking, gardening, cooking and traveling.

The whole point of joining this website: My eldest son turned 15 (who is now 20 and going to college!!!) and i have noticed that he was quickly becoming a man before my very eyes. I think our Western culture lacks archetypal and significant rites of passage into manhood or womanhood and i would like to change that within my own family dynamic. Graduating high school and driving a vehicle does not make you a man or adult for that matter. Roadtrips are great way to have adventure, meet new friends, make stories and find the treasures our beautiful Earth has to offer.

Strength of character, perseverance, resilience and fortitude will help mold him into a "good man" and all of that comes with experiences that help shape life. I wanted him to have a Jack Kerouac kind of experience and that we did! I am creating a new family tradition by allowing my children the expression of ancient, archetypal rite of passages or their own "Hero's Journey" so to speak. Each of their own rite of passage experiences will be tailored to fit this modern era and the time span of less than a week.

I have no idea what exactly it will entail and how it will play out with the other two? I am eager to find out after having done it successfully with one manchild already. I have thoroughly researched it and there are a few major themes or phases in all cultures ancient and contemporary. I feel it's important that my children play that out in their own way and have a profoundly meaningful and deeply personal rite of passage, whether it's shared with others or not.

My eldest son and i had the discussion of what his own personal rite of passage might include. (Update: He got a Celtic protection tattoo and I was honored to be there and pay for his first tattoo at 18.) I had toyed with the idea of anything from a tattoo to a vision quest and offered my suggestions...but he chose to visit his best friend. My son's best friend lives in Jacksonville, Florida. Since we live in Missouri he never sees him and maintains contact through online and texting, i thought it would be perfect opportunity to see the beach and have an epic roadtrip. This is important to me for my son to be able to feel autonomous and choosing an important destination to enrich his life experience through friendship, exploration and adventure.

After i watched Craigslist Joe, coupled with my sisters suggestion, positive feedback and firsthand experience, i started to contemplate my son's rite of passage ceremony. It inspired this concept of how i could utilize this same social experiment and try it with all the kids one day. I want to show my son the kindness and generosity of strangers, trusting in the Universe and at the same time incorporate the most significant and symbolic adolescent to adult experience before returning as a sophomore in h.s. I hope to instill in my son hope, trust and a sense of manhood by learning new skills, and how to be resourceful and above all...hopeful.

UPDATE: My son is now 18 and will always remember that trip to Florida for the rest of his life!! He certainly went on rite of passage trip and it was an amazing experience for all of us and brought us closer together. He chose a beautiful Celtic tattoo for protection that looks like hammered metal for his 18th birthday. He finally took my suggestion on the tattoo and just had to get ready! I'm so glad we shared that experience together, too! I was honored that he wanted me to be there and be a part of that...

The Ichatucknee River in Florida was the most incredible river i have ever floated! The beaches in Florida were the best part!! Having a local take us to the cools spots where there were less tourists and cooking for us was also amazing and super gracious!

I went on a business trip last year to a PSO for AmeriCorps that was hosted in Miami. We were located pretty close to the airport, but i had no intentions of staying there! As soon as the conferences were over, i gathered up a brave group of folks that wanted to go with me and we took over Miami!! South Beach was so incredible and the Cuban cuisine was delicious! I did not see all i wanted to see or do all i wanted to do and have to go back!!

Music, Movies, and Books

Admitted Deadhead and self-proclaimed hippie. My interested consist of anything spiritual, philosophical, metaphysical, paranormal, feminist writing, poetry, creative/artistic, pretty much anything about history, architecture, geography, tribal and ancient cultures.

My parents owned a video store for almost 20 years!! Let's just say that i have a deep appreciation for film!! 😄

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Grand Canyon and London Bridge in one road trip as a kid was super amazing!

I took an AmeriCorps business trip to Miami by myself in 2015. I went again in 2017 and down to Key West. I was only one from Midwest or Missouri. Within one day i made tons of friends, some of them lifelong friends and kindred spirits. I learned how to navigate Miami public transit alone just so i could get to the beach and then talked all of my new friends and a bunch of folks from the conference i was at to go with me and they did and we had a blast!! It was incredibly empowering and inspired me that i could do that anywhere in the world! The next time i went I traveled down to Miami, through Homestead, Key Largo and back to Ft. Lauderdale.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm all about teaching, learning and sharing! Isn't that what this is all about!?

What I Can Share with Hosts

I spin yarns, weave tales and can tell great stories...all true and mostly unbelievable. I have led a pretty interesting life and I can share my experiences and wisdom. I clean up after myself and i expect everyone else to clean up after themselves as well...especially if they are adults! I embrace making new friendships and meeting kindred spirits. I am also a fabulous cook...my specialty is soul food! I worked for Sweetie Pie's and my food is WAAAAAYYYY better than theirs! It was also the worst job i have ever had in my life hands down!!!! I absolutely love cooking for others, entertaining, conversing and sharing stories about food and culture. I love ethnic food and enjoy eating things i have never had before and tasting things that are extraordinary.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Mexico