CURRENT MISSION

"I want to put a ding in the universe."--Steve Jobs

ABOUT ME

I'm a 5'8" brown-eyed brunette from Jamestown, North Dakota. Currently, I'm a PhD graduate student at Binghamton University in New York. Most of the time you can find me researching in my office or hanging out with my friends downtown, if I'm not off on some great adventure to places unknown that is. Hmmm...I love to do lots of things...I love archaeology, or I wouldn't be doing it; it is definitely my passion, as is cooking. I hope to become a college professor someday at a small university and work with students on undergraduate research, hopefully inspiring them even a fraction as much as my professors have me. I try to live for today, but that is also difficult...I have a tendency to look toward the future. Archaeology allows me to work outdoors, which is just one of its many fabulous benefits; I love being outside...camping, hiking, canoeing, pretty much anything. I've decided recently to pursue a career in mountaineering. I'm going to climb Mt. Everest...twice; because I can. I am smart...it is probably the only thing that I can say about myself as a person with any amount of certainty. I don't like most boys...they seem so often to only see with their eyes, an objectifying quality at the most. You will never see me wearing sweatpants in public...and I make my bed every morning. I am sort of a neat freak...I clean a lot. I could spend an entire day reading greeting cards...I try to keep things simple, and I like it...I don't like frills, and I hate drama. My life has enough complexity already. My friends are the most important thing to me in my life...they are my family; they would tell you that I am way too nice and naive, but I would only tell you that they are some of the greatest people in the world. I have lost a lot of things in my life, and a lot of people, but I carry a small piece of each one with me, and it is these pieces that inspire me to succeed. To put it plainly, I would be nothing without the people around me. My life has been hard, but I wouldn't change anything about it because it has made me who I am...and I like that person. I like to think that I live with my heart, but it is often difficult to shut off my brain, too. I jump into things...I'm not sure why, but I do. My hair is curly...I like it...people think I care about how I look, but the truth is that I don't care what other people think, I only care about how I feel when I look my best. I like to run every morning, when I have the time during the school year, but especially in the summer. I'm probably the worst driver in the world that has never received a ticket. Most of the time, I am daydreaming...but I somehow still make it through the day. I like to entertain...and I dream in color...someday I will write a book. I will also skydive and cross a desert camel-back. I love Greek food and dogs...I hate mean people...but I always like to think that they have a reason for acting that way. I always look for the best in people, even when it's not there...this does cause problems. I like to think of life as one big adventure...that not knowing is the best part.

Interests

Snowboarding, rock climbing, camping, jogging, Neolithic Greek archaeology, cooking, canoeing, scuba diving, mountain climbing, music, languages, going out with friends, and of course, tequila.

• dogs
• books
• acting
• coloring
• dining
• cooking
• running
• working out
• reading
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• canoeing
• camping
• mountaineering
• scuba diving
• skydiving
• snowboarding
• rock climbing
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Pretty much anything and everything. Anything punk rock, indie, or alternative is always welcome in my car...favorites include Live, Everclear, Blink, Matt Nathanson, and Brandi Carlile. And I absolutely love Priscilla Ahn, Kate Voegele, Tom Petty, Death Cab for Cutie, Plain White T's, Augustana, KT Tunstall, Flogging Molly, and Jason Reeves.
Movies: The Gladiator, Indiana Jones (all of them), Under the Tuscan Sun, Schindler's List, Phantom of the Opera, the Usual Suspects, the Terminal, the Fifth Element, Roman Holiday, Saving Private Ryan, 300, Casablanca, and Boondock Saints.
Books: Les Miserables, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Works of Sophocles, My Antonia, or anything with history.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-I was part of a wedding ceremony in India (which is a week-long affair!)
-I spend half the year working at my archaeological site in Greece; excavating Neolithic villages is nothing short of amazing:)
-Riding camels in Egypt to the pyramids...mainly, because I love camels.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Greece, United States