CURRENT MISSION

Live, laugh, love. Repeat.

ABOUT ME

"All about me," huh?. This is a tough question. First off, I'm not a very succinct person. I like words. A lot. So trying to fit myself into a few paragraphs is a tall order. I could tell you about how I'm a perpetual sniffer of Ponderosa Pine bark (which smells like butterscotch after it rains), but I'm guessing that isn't the type of information you'd find helpful.
Okay, so how about this: I consider myself a socially gifted introvert. I can function just fine around people if I have to, but I prefer one-on-one conversation to large groups, and at the end of the day I'm quite comfortable with my own company. I'm a serious over-analyzer and have a tendency to think too much about...well...everything. I'm a total nerd, and very happy with it. Don't believe me? A fun Friday night typically involves board games, I recite Latin names in my head when I'm nervous, and Ira Glass is one of my favorite people (bonus points if you know who that is). Told you so.
Other than that, I'd say I'm quite easy to get along with. I try not to take myself too seriously and am always looking for an adventure, be it big or small. I try my hardest not to judge people, and if I ask too many questions about you it's not me being nosy; it's just me being interested.

PHILOSOPHY

Life's not about waiting out the thunderstorm. It's about dancing in the rain.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have both surfed and hosted in the past, although, sadly, my current living situation does not allow me to be a host.

Interests

I'm sure there's a bumper sticker for this: "If you're not interested, you're not paying attention." Okay, here is a brief(ish) list: Hiking, road-trips, fish (particularly salmonids, but any fish will do) reading great books, playing with dogs, spending far too much time on YouTube, vegan cooking (kale, anyone?), thinking [too much], photography, snow-shoeing, kicking piles of leaves in the fall, playing in the snow, trying [and failing] to grow orchids, desert sunsets, dancing on mountain tops, backpacking, laughing with friends, board games, thrift shopping, going to the movies, kayaking, finding excellent swimming holes, waterfalls, scuba diving (my newest obsession), farmers markets, international travel [hell, any travel, really], puns, swimming (I like to pretend I'm a fish), star-gazing, and dichotomous keys .

• dogs
• fish
• books
• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• vegan
• shopping
• thrifting
• movies
• board games
• reading
• traveling
• fishing
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• scuba diving
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Horse Feathers, Carbon Leaf, The Killers, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Conor Oberst, Mumford & Sons, Iron & Wine, Florence and the Machine, Sia, and occasionally really bad hip hop that I (ahem) may or may not dance to in the car. that Books: Travels with Charlie, East of Eden, Prodigal Summer, The Horse Whisperer, Cottonwood Bible, A Wrinkle in Time, Watership Down, The Glass Castle, Desert Solitaire,
Movies: Pride and Prejudice, American Beauty, Babe, Amelie, 50/50, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Moonlight Kingdom, Samsara,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Bathing an elephant in Thailand. Definitely one of those magical times when you love life so much that it almost hurts. You know that feeling when you are so full of awe that there's no room for anything else? I live for those moments. They don't necessarily have to be grand in their scale. Bathing an elephant will certainly do it, but the other day watching carpenter ants remodel their log home elicited said feeling of awe.

Teach, Learn, Share

If there's anyone who can teach you some of the world's corniest jokes, it's me! I love jokes. I collect them. And I will share them with you...whether you like it or not:-)