I can't possibly write "ALL" about me, that is something that takes much more than just a few words typed out by yours truly. You will have to meet me and come up with your own deductions. I can write a few things though:
I go by a few names: Hillary, Lorraine, Raine.
As I enjoy cooking I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
I prefer small gatherings much more than large parties.
By consciously trying to get over my fear of heights with pushing myself further than I am comfortable with, going sky diving and climbing Tree Nine I am not as scared. Not cured, but doing much better.
Mint Chocolate Chip is my favorite flavor of ice cream.
The chances of me becoming a vegan aren't high, if only for the cheese.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Surf. Host when I can. Organize group meetings. Creator of the "Santa Cruz" group as well as a subgroup called "Santa Cruz Free Stuff / Acts of Kindness"
Recommend people to read this page, as it can be quite helpful in enhancing your CS experience:
http://www.couchsurfing.org/couchrequest_tips.html
It will also greatly increase your chances that I'll say yes to your request.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

CS has enhanced my experiences in: Paris, Italy, Switzerland, Amsterdam, London, Australia, New Zealand, many places in the United States and soon to be more places...
I strive to better myself following examples set by those I meet throughout my life. With CS I have met so many amazing, gracious, friendly, trusting, generous, easygoing, kind, fun loving, memorable people. These are the people that set great examples for me to follow. I am very glad I joined the couchsurfing community and look forward to making more lasting memories and friendships.

Interests

How can I even start? There are too many!
Here are a few things that I like: sleeping, laughing, swing dancing, happy people, pretty eyes, beautiful smiles, being outside, the occasional rainy day, sunny days, yoga, pilates, wine tasting, ice cream, thai food, indian food, sushi and really just food in general (except pumpkin pie and artificial grape flavor, yuck!), traveling to places I've never been, laughing, talking to people that can hold a real conversation, swimming (even though I don't swim very well), listening to music, learning, reading, laughing, watching good movies, Gir, sincere people, dreams, exploring abandoned buildings, filling out forms, making lists, organizing things, thinking, dark chocolate, homemade cookies, baking, cooking, being in good company, taking naps, playing board games, psycho linguistics, and laughing... I like many things.

• dancing
• swing dancing
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• wine
• indian food
• cheese
• baking
• wine tasting
• yoga
• pilates
• movies
• board games
• traveling
• music
• scuba diving
• snowboarding
• rock climbing
• swimming
• tourism
• rivers

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Arcade Fire, Cloud Cult, Regina Spektor, Modest Mouse, Primus, The Decemberists, Pinback, Sufjan Stevens, Erik Mongrain, Bat For Lashes, Architecture in Helsinki, Death Cab For Cutie, Ghostland Observatory, Beirut, Ray Lamontagne, Weezer, Badly Drawn Boy, Dresden Dolls, Frightened Rabbit, Coldplay, The Mountain Goats, Flogging Molly, Beck, Deep Forest, Kodo, Hot Hot Heat, Jack Johnson, The Beatles, The Police, Sea and Cake, Cat Power, Blue Ribbon, VNV Nation, Postal Service, Tom Petty, Smashing Pumpkins, Queen, Ladytron, Blonde Redheads, Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, Jem, The Shins, Tegan and Sara, Sigur Ros, Iron and Wine, Gorillaz, Dead Can Dance, Johnny Cash, Placebo, White Stripes, Lady and Bird, Damien Rice, Lucio Dalla, and many more

Movies: Generally I like comedies the best. Kung Pow, Dodgeball, Zoolander, Anchorman, Old School, Night at the Roxbury, Wedding Crashers (most things that include Will Ferrell), Boondock Saints, Inglourious Basterds, Life Is Beautiful, Amelie, Delicatessen, Office Space, Lucky Number Slevin, Super Troopers, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, V for Vendetta, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Muppets From Space, Muppets Treasure Island, Chicago, Princess Bride, Labyrinth, MirrorMask, Merlin, Usual Suspects, Pulp Fiction, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Some Like It Hot, Unfaithful, What Dreams May Come, Willow, The Big Lebowski, Sin City, Kill Bill 1 & 2, Wedding Singer, The Thief and the Cobbler, Reservoir Dogs, Brokeback Mountain, The Science of Sleep, Garden State, High Fidelity, Four Rooms, The Prestige, Bubble Boy, the Harry Potter movies, the Lord of the Rings movies, the Star Wars movies and many more that I am not thinking of right now. My favorite is probably Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; I like Michel Gondry's work.

Books: I do enjoy a good read. Here are a few I have enjoyed and I am always looking for new recommendations for a good read: Harry Potter series, J.R.R. Tolkien books (i.e. Lord of the Rings), The Time Traveler's Wife, Watership Down, Life of Pi, The Giver, Tao of Pooh, Social Influence, Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, My Sister's Keeper, East of Eden, Kite Runner, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Wild Trees, Interview with the Vampire, Water for Elephants, Laughable Loves, David Sedaris books, Shel Silverstein books, Roald Dahl books, and the list continues...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

isn't life amazing in itself?
For ten summers I was a white water rafting guide on the South Fork of the American River going through Coloma, California, USA. I have also gone rafting on a few rivers in Colorado, California, on the east coast of the United States, Costa Rica, Australia, and New Zealand. Rafting is something that I would suggest everyone try at least twice :)

Teach, Learn, Share

My enjoyment of cooking on a scale of one to ten is about a nine. I don't have a specialty but I am fairly adaptable to what I have to work with at the time. I can cook you a meal, bake you a dessert or we can cook together; it all works for me, as long as we get to eat together. I think shared food time is a wonderful thing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Germany, Honduras, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Madagascar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Italy, New Zealand, United States

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