CURRENT MISSION

Sweat hard to reach places of reverent beauty. Ask questions, listen. Laugh lots. Leave people happier than I found them.

ABOUT ME

I'm a fairly quiet soul. When I'm not sharing stories with people, I'm very comfortable just sitting side-by-side with you and sharing space while we each work on our own things.

I love to give, and to do dishes. =) Let me know how I can help out to alleviate stress in your life. I'm handy and was raised in the South, where it's not a proper meal until you've had a heart-to-heart in the kitchen. <3

MY PLACE
I have 2 cats! They are both sweet and well-behaved. One is cuddly, both are playful.

PHILOSOPHY

"Find out who you are, and do it on purpose." Aristotle

Work as if your life depended on money.
Give as if your life depended on having nothing.
Love like you'll die tomorrow.
Dream as if life will never end.
Try as if you are capable.
Laugh as if breathing is funny.
Live as if your life is the adventure the sun rose to see today.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

For community. I like to participate in the network of humans who trust each other, and want to provide an extra boost of "family" to make wandering the world easier and more trust-focused instead of tourist-focused.

Looking forward to buying a house soon and becoming a permanent host. =)

Interests

Writing fiction, Science!, anything underwater, cute/weird/mind-boggling animals. I find human psychology fascinating and could talk about it for hours. I collect interesting feathers to send to my nephew. =)

I also love to listen. I've had the privilege to meet many amazing people on my journeys, and love to hear your stories.

• animals
• arts
• writing
• photography
• beauty
• traveling
• scuba diving
• martial arts
• psychology
• science
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Book: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Favorite Movies: Gandhi, Amazing Grace, Shadowlands, Hotel Rwanda, Kung Fu Panda, Secret (Mandarin version), To Live.

Music: Anything from pop and country to classical, depending on my mood. Not a big fan of rap or jazz though.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Worked as a wilderness therapy counselor in AZ deserts for 2 years. I repeatedly watched nature cause massive changes of heart in 7 short weeks. Had some hilarious, wonderful, incredibly challenging experiences out there. ^_^

Teach, Learn, Share

When I worked as a wilderness therapy counselor, one of the kids said, "Talking to Laura is like talking to Google. She's a bottomless pit of random information." ^_^

I enjoy learning new things or deepening skills. Skills I know and enjoy sharing include photography, slack-lining, springboard diving, philosophy, writing, very basic martial arts, and wilderness survival skills.

I would love to hear about people's travel experiences, specifically what people in other countries are like. I've only been outside the States once and I really want to understand other people better.

I would love to hear about people's experiences traveling the world, including all the happy and sad and amazing and surprising things you've found along the way... especially stories about people.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Depends on what your love language is.

My primary love expression is gift-giving (bringing a plant or bottle of wine) or acts of service (I'm handy at scrubbing toilets, yo!). But I know everyone's different. I also enjoy cooking, hugs, deep conversations, and leaving thank you notes. Let me know what leaves you feeling safe and appreciated. ^_^