ABOUT ME

We are a married couple. 25 yrs!!! Everyone calls me Cathy, and my husband is Toby. We have 6 kids...2 biologically and 4 we've adopted thru the CT foster care program.( at one point we had 3 babies in cribs all at the same time ) Only the three little ones are still home.it's practicall an empty nest!!

We have traveled as much as possible and have lived in different places over the years. (I confess to being a bit of a gypsy.I always want to see what's around the next corner!!)

Toby did 2 tours with the USMC and we had the chance to live in the south for a time. ......HE got to travel all over Europe and the Middle East...I got to live in a swamp with bugs the size of cats!! I loved every minute of it.

We spent several years on the West Coast...outside Seattle. Took in all the beauty, culture and energy of Washington. I'm so very happy we had the chance i had always wanted to go there. New England is our home though. I love the history, seasons, people....so it was nice to come back.

Basically, we love to encounter and experience as much as possible. Several exchange students have shared our home over the years. Croatian, Icelandic, Belgian, Ukrainian.....Up with people, folks in transition, immigrant, transient or simply in need..... pretty much anyone.

We are pretty basic people. Not fancy. We have a lot of fun. Love to laugh. Love kids, animals, nature...I LOVE the outdoors. And music....all types.

I believe in family....but that is a very broad definition for me, and kindness. I believe words have power, and to listen is often the best path to being heard. I think most of us try to do our best with the tools we have. We often fall short, but we TRY.

I think more can be changed with a ripple than a tsunami. A smile can heal a wound....I do not consider myself naive, and I do not make a good victim.I simply reject cynical ideas, and trust that there is a reason for evrything.

Toby is one of the strongest, kindest, and most intellegent men I've ever known. He will stand up for what he believes is right when everyone else sits down. He is fearless,funny, generous and good. He is my best friend. And I know I'm lucky.

He helps strangers broken down on the roadside, feeds homeless men without judgement, gives freely (often more than he can spare), and is a true freind.

I am a type "A" person. Stress sometimes. Can be stubborn. (but i'm a fantastic cook!!)

I read ANYTHING I can get my hands on. Love old things. Sing.

At the end of the day, I suppose....I just live.

PHILOSOPHY

Do what is right BECAUSE it's right. That's enough.

We all try. At least most of us. and the real trick is to keep trying.even when it seems silly.

Words matter. Intent matters.

Sex is good, touch is good, people need to connect. Love is lifeblood.

Always work hard at whatever you're doing. Be in the moment. FEEL your life.

Grab life with both hands and shake it until something happens. Never forget to laugh.

Reach out to those around you....smile.

Never go to bed without some plan for the next day. Always get back up when you fall down.

Accept others for who they are. Don't judge, but DO reach for understanding.

If you died tomorrow...did you like yourself? Were there deep regrets? Did you live the best possible life you could have??
I hope so.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I want to give travelers a place to stay. Real, honest family. A hot meal.

Let them see who we are and how we live. Hope for a glimpse of who THEY are. Teach our children that the world if full of wonderous people and so many points of view.

Hopefully send the travelers on their way a little richer for the time we all shared.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We have shared our home with many different folks......some for a night.some for much longer. The door has always been open.

A friend of our daughter, a young Croatian very bleak.. came to stay with us after a church sponsor in the midwest had withdrawn support.He was facing deportation.

We had never met him, and Britt, our daughter, only knew him thru internet corespondence. He was so wounded and angry when he came to us. He had seen so much. He believed in almost nothing.........

Soon, we found out we were unable to keep his visa current unless we has a substantial sum of money put aside just for him. We didn't have it of course, we were a family, not a church.It looked like he would be sent back home.

I asked him for permission to contact the local newspaper and see if there was some support we could find....... he was defeated and hopeless, but he finally agreed.

The story ran on a Friday.That morning, our phone started ringing with good wishes, but not much financial support.

Then the call came from a man we didn't know who asked "do you have a $1000.00? We said we did. He asked if we could meet him at his home that afternoon.

When we got there, he handed my husband a check for the balance of the required funds....no strings. No questions.Just a handshake and good wishes.

He made it possible for that young man to stay in the states. To get his education. To have his dream.

To this day I can see that boy's face. Flushed, confused, almost resentful. Not daring to believe it was real. Not knowing how to accept simple pure kindness. Evrything he thought he knew of mankind was pulled into question.

He got his degree....but the REAL lesson was that people ARE good. Good things can happen. And it's okay to hope.

For me, it was one of the most beautiful events of my life.

Interests

I read, garden, cook, grow herbs...all kinds of homey things. I like music and dancing. Have a wicked sense of humor. Love nature. Kids. Quiet.

Toby is deeply political and loves economics and debate.He is also a football junkie. Imean the boy is HOOKED!! No particular team, mind you. Just the game itself. I have learned to love it as well over the years. Basically, I had no choice.

We tend to "go with the flow"..... we're not too structured. I love being spontanious. Up for most anything.Especially long drives to nowhere in particular.

• animals
• cats
• culture
• singing
• beauty
• dancing
• education
• cooking
• gardening
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• soccer
• economics
• teaching
• history
• tours

Music, Movies, and Books

Victor Hugo. Austin. Poe. poetry, history, fiction, cook books, children's books. Everything. I love the SMELL of books.

All kinds of music...country, classical, zen, rock, blues....... i love lyrics.

mostly independent films...deep and meaninful. Romantic. Funny. insightful......most anything. I find it hard to commit to sitting for a whole movie though. There's alwasy something to be doing.

Nothing gratuitously violent. Or cruel. I have never seen a "slasher" film......and don't plan to.