About Laurie
Hi! I’m Laurie.
My goal is to encourage and guide people out of their nature-blindness, and to show them how to delight in nature and discover God. My aim is for you to fall in love with this gorgeous world of ours. I want you to notice this infinite storm of beauty that surrounds us. Whether that’s from backpacking, or from your back porch.
I want you to pause as you scurry out to your car and notice the bird song around you.
I want you to step outside and step into wonder. I want you to fall in love with this outside life.
I was one of the lucky ones. Allowed to be a “free range child” most days, my neighborhood friends and I swam in the lake, went fishing and waterskiing, scrambled around old caves on the water’s edge, went camping and canoeing and generally just explored the great outdoors. Wisconsin is full of lakes, rivers, forests and adventure, and we enjoyed it all.
No, I didn’t swim for Florida, I merely trained there one winter for a couple weeks.
All that water time resulted in a swimming scholarship at the University of Wisconsin where I became an NCAA All-American. Then, I moved underwater.
Scuba diving had always fascinated me (breathe underwater?!) so when I moved for work to Australia, I became a certified PADI rescue-level diver. The South Pacific was my playground and I had amazing experiences discovering God’s intricate details deep under the surface.
When I moved to California, I discovered backpacking and Yosemite. Bliss! Now I live in with my family near the ocean and enjoy biking, hiking and occasionally trying to stand up on a surfboard. If it’s gorgeous outside, the dishes can wait!
While I won't be hoisting 45 pounds on my back these days for a hike of several thousand feet, that doesn't mean I've given up on hiking, biking, bird watching, gardening and occasionally surfing if the conditions are just right. I've learned as I get older that I may not be able to do some of the things I used to (running and rowing? Not anymore!), but that doesn't mean I can't still enjoy the outdoors. There's always a way! And my goal is to help you enjoy God's creation no matter what stage of life you are in or where you live.
Getting outside is always good for your insides!
Skiing in highschool
Whitewater rafting down the American river. I got tossed out! Read about it in my book, “This Outside Life.”
Ziplining with my injured arm in Whistler, Canada. You can read about it in This Outside Life book