a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll

Our house is Grand Central Station for a busy family of five. We believe in bright colors, so nearly every room in the house is painted a vibrant shade. We have a small modest art gallery in the living room of some of my husband's photography. He is a pro photographer and I am a writer, so it sounds like our house would be super-groovy cool, but mix in three young kids, and it can be kind of nuts around here. Regardless, this would be a great place for anyone to come visit. Hardwood floors, comfy couch, wireless internet and Wii module, cappuccino maker, and nearby walking trails, woods, wide open public spaces. Oh, there's a playroom for the kids, a big playground outside, an organic garden (in season), and tempermental jacuzzi. One of our kids has peanut allergy, so it is highly important that you not bring any food into the home that has nut ingredients. We can discuss label reading if you are interested in swapping here. Or, if you already have food allergies, we might be your perfect home swap!

Walking distance to amenities, or take a drive up into the nearby scenic Floyds Knobs for aerial views of the Louisville, KY area and gorgeous Ohio River. Ten minutes from downtown Louisville, and five minutes from farmer's markets, as well as many farms. Friendly neighbors who watch out for one another, you will feel right at home. Since we are the only ones with kids for three blocks, we are usually the loudest ones around. The paper boy lives two doors down, you might witness him and his brother playing football in the street. This is a very laid-back area. Lots of coffee shops, great ice cream (Graeter's, Oprah Winfrey's favorite), independent coffee shops and other hidden gems for you to explore. And lots of historic properties without even leaving New Albany: http://www.newalbanysource.com/, http://www.historicnewalbany.com/

Louisville is home to the famed Kentucky Derby, hosted by Churchill Downs, as well as the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and many other wonderful things to do. Try Bardstown Road or Frankfort Ave for an eclectic mix of cafes, ethnic restaurants, and interesting shopping. Not far beyond Louisville you encounter bourbon country and lots and lots of horse farms. The two weeks in April before the Derby are a great time to visit. Lots of festival activities--and we prefer traveling the first week of May, anyway, so we've wanted to swap that week for ages.

If Kentucky is not your thing, head the opposite direction and explore Amish country (the REAL Amish, not the tourist kind), or catch the skilift, go fishing, or canoeing on Blue River, all in the Paoli, Indiana area. It gets "real country, real fast" within minutes of Louisville, and there are many historical river towns within an hour's drive, including Madison, Indiana and Corydon, Indiana. There is even a casino twenty minutes away if you are into losing all your money (Caesar's).

Honestly, we live a very fluid lifestyle. We are both creative people with ever-changing deadlines, so the kids are on more of a routine than we are. Our house gets wild sometimes, but we would leave it in tip-top shape for you, probably do a professional housecleaning before you come, and we'd just expect you to maintain, not let anything get grody while you're here, and vice-versa. We may or may not travel with our kids, so they may be staying elsewhere, and a relative may have to stop by every so often. We do have an outside cat and are adopting an inside dog 11/07. We have a very hypoallergenic home, and no peanuts or nut products of any kind are allowed here, so this would be a great home for another peanut-allergy family to swap with.