I grew up in Houston, where the weather can usually be best described as hot, really hot, less hot, and not hot, and part of me never wants to live anywhere else but another part of me thinks it'd be neat to live somewhere totally different. If I could afford it, I would take one, two, or three week trips every few months.

Right now I work in a veterinary clinic as an assistant, though eventually I will have to get out of the veterinary field because I have recently developed an allergy to cats, which makes me very sad because I love all animals.

My passions include photography, making jewelry, working with children, animals, listening to music (if you can count that as a passion rather than just a hobby) and keeping up with current events. I promise I didn't vote for Donald Trump, and I think I cried the night he won. I know I didn't sleep well.

I love a good glass of wine, but also enjoy a good beer, and which I drink usually depends on what I'm eating. Pizza? Beer. Pasta? Wine. But Mexican food? Margaritas. Also, I love coffee, though not with pizza, pasta, or Mexican food. Unless it's a breakfast burrito.

I love trying new foods, and seeing new places. The best part of traveling somewhere new is seeing it from the perspective of someone who lives there. Where's the best place to get coffee without waiting an hour in line (example: Cafe Beignet in New Orleans as opposed to the very touristy and over-crowded Cafe du Monde)? How about parks? Local markets? Or museums dedicated to something other than the history of the country (another example: lots of cities have a Holocaust Museum, but how many cities have a funeral museum? Mine does!)?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To be honest I'm on Couch-surfing because a family friend told me about it and touted it as the best way to meet people while saving money during my travels. Yes, money is a factor for me when I travel, I won't lie, but truthfully the difference between me Couch-surfing as opposed to just camping is the chance to get to know a place from the perspective of the people who live there, love it, and want to share it. I believe that the best way to get to know a place is to see it both from a visitor's perspective - because the touristy things are why people visit (other than visiting family) - and from a local's perspective - because the lovely everyday things are why people stay.

I don't have a lot of experience Couch-surfing, but only because I don't have as much opportunity to travel as I would like. But so far, I would say that Couch-surfing has been one of the best experiences I've ever had while traveling.

I've not been able to host yet because we are only just starting to move back into our house after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in August-September 2017 - we got somewhere between 30 and 36 inches of water and have spent the last six months rebuilding, but I may be able to start hosting some in the future once we're settled back in.

Interests

• animals
• wildlife
• photography
• wine
• beer
• music
• live music
• camping
• art
• nature
• museums
• jewelry making
• trying new things
• trying new foods

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: a wide and eclectic range of stuff. There's too much I enjoy to really touch more than the tip of the iceberg but I enjoy music from all time periods and from many places and across many genres, though I generally don't listen to rap or heavy metal. I have recently developed more of an interest in stuff out of the Great American Songbook, as well as music of the same time period from other places (Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf, Carlos Gardel...) and Golden Oldies. Things my parents and grandparents might have listened to as kids. One of my favorite artists is Leonard Cohen, and I cried when he died.

Movies: also a wide range of stuff. I loved The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, partly because it's a movie about travel and photography. The Secret Life of Bees; Steel Magnolias; Homeward Bound; Black Beauty; The Black Stallion. Harry Potter. Superhero movies. Lethal Weapon; Die Hard. Coco. Beauty and the Beast (both the animated version and the Emma Watson version). The Last Unicorn.

Books: Harry Potter; The Chronicles of Narnia; The Da Vinci Code; The Last Unicorn; the Anne of Green Gables books; A Christmas Carol; Grimm's Fairy Tales; others.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveled alone. As much as I love traveling with friends and family, there's something about planning a trip all by myself and for myself that I find empowering, especially as a woman. So far I've taken three major trips by myself. The first was a trip to Greece, Italy, and France in October 2014; the second was a road trip in October 2016 around the eastern United States, driving up along the East Coast to Maine and coming back down the other side of the Appalachians; and the third was a trip to Iceland, with four days in London, in March 2016.

What I Can Share with Hosts

In a more broad sense, I love to share my travel experiences, as well as the things I've seen and captured through the lens of my camera, but more importantly I enjoy sharing a desire to learn about the experiences of other people.

In terms of the smaller things, I enjoy helping to cook meals, sharing a bottle of wine, spending time chatting with my host. I love when a host is willing to show me around some of the places they like to go, though I don't expect it because I know many hosts can't spare time during the day because they work and all they can spare is a place to sleep and some time chatting before bed.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, England, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Scotland, United States, Uruguay