About Chris

I got my passion for travel and freedom from my parents. When I was a little girl, we lived in Alaska. We had a small plane on floats that my Dad would fly. One summer, we flew up above the Arctic Circle and lived in a tent for 3 months while we panned for gold! Another year, we drove a truck/camper from Alaska to Guatemala and back. We lived in the camper for 6 months. I spent my high school years in Fort Lauderdale, graduating from Nova High in 1971.

When I graduated from High School, you can bet I wanted to try my own wings! After a couple years at Florida State, I packed up my car and headed north. I ran out of money around Calgary – so I got a work visa and stayed there for 6 months. I ended up in Berkeley California and I went to Law School. I loved Law School … my passion for travel is actually a subset of my passion for learning. Practicing law was not as fun. So, when my Mom suggested I come back to Fort Lauderdale in 1983 to start a computer training business with her, I jumped at the chance. See Miami Herald article.

That was the start of a whole new life. I loved learning computers, teaching computers and running a computer training business with my Mom. I became so identified with my business that people hardly knew my last name – I was ‘Chris at Computer Savvy’, or even ‘the computer lady’. And, Computer Savvy was my life. I met my husband, Jim, there, and that is when life started to change again. We were both consumed with Computer Savvy for a few years, but, when it was obvious that we were getting burned out and not having fun anymore, Mom and I sold the company.

For 14 years, Computer Savvy served South Florida businesses and computer users, training on everything from Beginning WordStar to Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) courses. We sold the company to Productivity Point in 1996. Since 1996, I have concentrated on my favorite program: Microsoft Access. I have developed systems for local businesses that automate their database needs and streamline their workflow. My systems have included a Sales Tracking system for a Homebuilder which builds and prints the contracts when a home is sold, a complete order entry system for an Aerial Photography company which tracks customers, orders, flights, negatives, invoices and then transfers all invoice information to Quickbooks for tracking receivables, and a patient tracking system for a psychotherapy business.

But now, I want to do everything on the web! I settled on Macromedia Studio and Coldfusion after looking into ASP and .net. It's kinda fun NOT being in a Microsoft camp for a change! I am trying to learn everything I can to transfer my database development skills to the world of the Web.

In 2004, life changed again. We sold our house and started living and traveling in our RV. But we still need to make a living! We installed a 2-way Internet satellite dish on the roof, so we can get broadband Internet connectivity wherever we are. I can do web development work from anywhere and Jim is working with a company called Coach Connect who installs WiFi (wireless Internet) in RV parks. We are both presenting seminars to RVers whenever we get the opportunity. You can see lots of details and photos on our weblog: “Odie’s Roadies”.
Relax and Enjoy!
Chris Guld