As you can clearly tell from my profile picture, I love fantasy. The renaissance faire opened up a whole new world for me , and it has shaped my life and who I am. I am a very open person, and my philosophy on life is basically one that was put into words for me by Jacqueline Carey: Love as Thou Wilt. Do what you are passionate about, whether that is reading, writing, travelling, skydiving, running a business, having a family, working with endangered elephants, or whatever else you want to do. Love who you will, and love them deeply. Most of all, love yourself.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am taking a trip to Ireland this summer, and couchsurfing was suggested to me as an alternative to staying in a hotel. I love the idea, because I have done homestays through choir trips, and I met some fascinating people during those trips. When I am in a position to do so, I would love to open my home to other people who are travelling as well, because it is always fun to meet someone whose experiences and culture is different from my own.

Interests

Reading has always been a passion of mine, and I tend toward high fantasy, though historical fiction has recently caught my interest as well.

I enjoy writing, and have participated in NaNoWriMo since 2012. I don't think that I am particularly good at it, but I do it because there are ideas in my head that will pester me until they are out in the world, and it is fun.

Singing is like breathing for me. I sing every chance I get, and if I am not singing out loud, there is always a song in my head somewhere.

Most of all, I love learning, especially from people who are passionate about what they know. You can talk to me about the history of your town, or your work with microorganisms, or the economics of modern day Indonesia, and I will find it interesting when someone who is excited about their field explains it to me.

• culture
• writing
• singing
• performing arts
• environment
• running
• reading
• traveling
• skydiving
• business
• economics
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

This section has always been hard for me. I have to choose favourites? My Pandora Radio stations are designed for my moods, and I have 37 of them, ranging from Enya to Kamelot to Backstreet Boys to Peter, Paul, and Mary, to Broadway, and so much more. The only genres I have found I don't care for are Rap and screamo metal, but as with any genre, there are songs in those genres that appeal to me and some that don't. Because of the renaissance faire, I have developed quite a love for Elizabethan dance music and sea shanties.

Books.... oh, that's even harder than music. Some of my particular favourite authors are Jacqueline Carey, Anne Bishop, Robin Hobb, George R.R. Martin (it's a love-hate relationship), and Diana Gabaldon, but my favourites really depend on what I have read recently. Currently I am reading through the Outlander series (Crosstitch in the UK). That is the historical fiction I mentioned earlier. Before that, I read Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy sextet, and I loved it so much that it inspired my first tattoo.

I don't watch movies very often, to be honest, but I have quite enjoyed the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies, as well as the Avengers and related movies. I have to watch The Holiday and Love Actually every Christmas season, and I'm always up for a Disney marathon.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

It seems small, but I was on the cast of the Bristol Renaissance Faire for three years, and for someone who grew up as a painfully shy introvert, gathering the courage to be a part of and perform in such an amazing, wonderfully uplifting environment is huge for me.

Countries I’ve Visited

United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States