I grew up in a small town in Southern Maryland where I went to the same school for 14 years and graduated with 31 people. Lovely upbringing, very traditional, very grateful for it - but I always had an inkling I'd end up elsewhere. So I left for college at the University of Delaware, then grad school at Polimoda in Florence Italy, and then moved to New York City where I spent 7 years building a career.

I'm currently living back in MD near family where I've hunkered down for the past ~9 months building a small business - a digital marketing agency. I just launched in February and as soon as I have cash flow coming in again, I plan to relocate to a new city/new chapter.

I'm someone who's happiest by a body of water. I've been described as a very curious person by a curious amount of people. I'm humble, kind-hearted. I love to laugh and I love live music. I can make small talk with literally anyone - or big talk. People have a tendency to open up to me. I'm genuine. I have a quirky sense of humor. I'm really active - mostly run and bike but I'll take movement in any form. I come from a huge family and grew up in an extremely social household. I'm a spiritual and very reflective person. I'm spontaneous but also a planner. I work hard and value my work ethic - but I also value my free time and I ensure I use it wisely.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm exploring cities to discover where I want to settle next!

Interests

• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• wine
• baking
• running
• meditation
• gardening
• boating
• thrifting
• reading
• traveling
• live music
• hiking
• swimming
• beaches
• biking
• exploring
• family
• sunshine
• maps
• plant-based food
• bonfires
• vineyards
• journaling
• ice cream
• shoes
• breweries
• self-exploration
• trinkets
• anything on the water
• singing badly but loudly
• small charming towns
• victorian furnishings

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Soul, Blues, Jazz, Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Country, Bluegrass

Movies: I actually don't watch a lot of TV or movies. I'd rather read or spend time with people.

Books: I read a lot of motivational books, self-discovery, self-help, travel, autobiographies, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Applied for, was accepted to, and moved to Italy for grad school all in about 3 months. I was 22 and wanted to live in Florence - the degree was just an added bonus. I made the friends of a lifetime and visit them annually in Europe and Eastern Europe.

Another fun trip was Switzerland. Started as a work trip but a coworker and I decided to extend and travel across the country to Mürren which we'd discovered on Google about 1 hour before and found a room on Hotel Tonight on the way there. It's a small town with a population of about 50 people that you have to take two cable cars and a train to get to. What we didn't know was that there was a snowstorm over the windy mountain range we had to cross and we were in the only manual rental car that Hertz had available - which was a Fiat 500 or something comparable. Needless to say we slid all over that road and nearly off of it once or twice - so I discovered the true meaning of driving white knuckled on that road trip . But we made it out alive and had the best night of our life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to learn about your city. What about it makes you tick, why brought you there, why have you stayed there. What is the culture like, the nightlife, the people, the little pockets of town that only locals know about, the hidden antique stores, the local dive, the LIVE MUSIC. I live for live music.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach you all about plant-based cuisine. I've been plant-based for over 2 years and cook 90% of what I eat. And my carnivorous, meat-and-potatoes family genuinely approves of (nearly) everything I've shared with them. They still just ask me where I get my protein from on a regular basis. :)

I can also share good, genuine conversation. My friends know me as the emotional one, the one with the high EQ, the one who loves to talk about the real shit, the one who anything can be confided in.... I'm the therapist of the group. I have a big, open heart and mind.

Countries I’ve Visited

Croatia, England, France, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States