CURRENT MISSION

I am currently in school for Architecture so when I am home I am swamped with schoolwork and when I'm free I am usually traveling. My main mission in life is ALWAYS to explore the world and make awesome connections with her inhabitants. :D

ABOUT ME

I pride myself on being open-minded, creative, outgoing and out of the box (I am definitely not your normal chick:). I am a very passionate person who LIVES to travel and for my relationships with people- family, friends and lovers. I am naturally optimistic- seeing the world as full of possibility, fun-loving, adventurous and genuine. I was a painting contractor for 10 years, then started buying houses, redesigning the floor plans and remodeling them into multiple units. I put my heart and creativity into my work and the end product is something I am truly proud of. When the market tanked and I couldn't buy any more houses I went to CSULA for Art and Fashion Design. Now most of my wardrobe is created by me- I just really hate to shop because my amazonian body does not fit the American box. :) I love thinking outside the box to create, build, accomplish and problem solve. My current project is converting a Tempurpedic mattress into a sectional sofa. :D

Although I have lived many places, my heart will forever be home in southern Cali where I can satisfy my need for speed on the freeways and have everything at my fingertips.

PHILOSOPHY

Love is God. I believe in living life to it's fullest, realizing money is not a good reason to not live! There is always a way, no matter what the budget to have fun. Life is too short to not be happy! (I love just running around acting silly, dancing in the car, singing in the shower, etc.) My personal philosophy is: take care of yourself, be loyal and loving to others, and be open to opportunity.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have surfed 59 couches, all over Europe, Oz, New Zealand, 42 US States, Southeast Asia, and Northern Africa using this website. It is funtastic. An absolutely wonderful way to make new friends and to get an insight into new cultures and cities! I am very passionate about this project and spread the word constantly. Whenever I find them, I love to go to couchsurfing events. I met my best friend at Tent Surf '10.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I moved out of my parents house in WA at 18- they raised me to travel and be independent- so I packed up my car and drove the 1200 miles down to Los Angeles where I had spend my childhood. I settled in the Pasadena area and spent most weekends and various week days visiting with friends, staying on couches in other parts of Los Angeles county, Huntington Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Phoenix, AZ, Las Vegas and every time I went back up to WA to visit. To give you an idea how much I travel- I've made the round trip between Los Angeles and Seattle 36 times in the last 12 years by car- who knows how many times I've flown!!

Interests

I am a fool for black labs and small floppy-eared rabbits. I am a movie nut, a hacker of life and love getting lost in an art project. I adore anything from the 1920's- 1940's. I smell roses every time I see them and LIVE for good concerts and roller coasters. I like being spontaneous and making people laugh- that's gotta be the greatest high in the world. Dancing to swing, hip hop, 80's, salsa, jungle, trance, and really anything with a good beat. Most of my friends outside of work are techies and I spend a lot of time at techie conventions. This year will be my 12th year at Defcon.

• rabbits
• arts
• singing
• architecture
• design
• fashion
• acting
• concerts
• dancing
• dining
• running
• walking
• drinking
• shopping
• traveling
• painting
• skydiving
• boxing
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC~ Swing, 80's, Rock, Hip Hop, Dance, Jazz, Blues, Trance, some classical, Old School Rap/Hip Hop/Dance

ARTISTS~ Nina Simone, Metric, Banks, Depeche Mode, ATB, Florence and the Machine, The Cure, Tori Amos, Tool, Dean Martin, Santigold, Regina Spektor, Prodigy, Portishead, Bob Dylan, Nine Inch Nails, Linkin Park, Sky Cries Mary, U2, Bjork, Billie Holiday, Billy Idol, Nelly Furtado, Garbage, Sublime, Crystal Method, Tegan & Sara, Missy Elliot, Violent Femmes, Tracy Chapman, Save Ferris, Prince, Robert Miles, Heart, Frank Sinatra, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Sade, Timbaland, Elastica, Tribe Called Quest, and Chopin to say a few of my favorites :)

MOVIES~ True Romance, Real Genius, State and Main, Everything Is Illuminated, Finding Nemo, Bad Words, The Departed, Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Goonies, Explorers, Stigmata, A Life Less Ordinary, Good Will Hunting, Ghostbusters, Gatsby, Bandits, Anchorman, America's Sweethearts, Dogma, Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, Heathers, Easy A, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Four Rooms, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Breakfast At Tiffany's, Count Of Monte Cristo, Interview With A Vampire, Fried Green Tomatoes, Frequency, Ghost World, Girl Most Likely, Garden State, Night at the Roxbury, Super Troopers, Tron Legacy, This Is Spinal Tap, Burn After Reading, Best In Show, Return To Oz, Saved, The Oh in Ohio, Scrooged, The Prestige, Office Space, The Usual Suspects, Pitch Black, Pineapple Express, Moonrise Kingdom, The Ninth Gate, The Royal Tenanbaums, Point of No Return, The Others, Lord of War, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, Labyrinth, Let's Go To Prison, It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Juno, The Jerk, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, Unbreakable, UHF, It's Complicated, Bridesmaids, Hit And Run, Great Expectations, Hackers, Goodfellas, Casino, Grosse Point Blank, French Kiss, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dracula (Bram Stokers), L.A. Story, Super 8, Star Trek IV The Undiscovered Country, Mixed Nuts, My Blue Heaven, Joe Verses the Volcano, What We Do In The Shadows, The Wedding Singer, The Notebook, License to Drive, The Princess Bride, Who's That Girl?, Star Trek (2009), Deadpool, Batman Begins, So I Married An Axe Murderer, Silver Linings Playbook

ACTORS~ Gary Oldman, Cate Blanchette, Charlize Theron, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie (when she's acting!), Giovanni Rabissi, Ellen Page, Philip Seymore Hoffman, Ethan Hawk, Uma Thurman, Steve Martin, Will Farrell, Val Kilmer (mostly older work), Joan Cusack, John Cusack, Natalie Portman and Patricia Arquette.

BOOKS~ I seem to have had a Neil Gaiman book by my bed over the last year- at least 5- I AM actually reading them haha. A huge favorite is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova- I recommend it with full gusto. Anne Rice, Steven King- my faves are The Eye of the Dragon and Firestarter. I LOVED The Count Of Monte Cristo, The Princess Bride, Great Expectations, Alice in Wonderland, and Angels and Demons. I am a strong advocate for Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstien- I was raised on them. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and I also enjoy reading books on traveling, fixing up houses, "Dummies Guide to.."- things like investing, sewing and other random things and anything on Mary Magdalene and lost Bible stuff (Catholic upbringing).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Skydiving over the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii- the most beautifully spiritual experience of my life.

My best friend in high school had a baby and I was there to hold her hand and see my godson emerge into the world. I was 15 years old. That was more then half my life ago! How did I get this old? Haha! Tempus Fugit.

Teach, Learn, Share

Don't ever paint over wallpaper! Living open-mindedly and outside the box is good for the soul. If you put out good energy, good energy will come back to you- I'd love to know the Latin way to say that! Most importantly- know yourself and what you are bad at- sometimes getting clear on that and being ok with letting go of not "having" to do those things can take away so much stress. It's amazing!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversation, good food, good drinks, games and a really comfy, safe and well-located couch. We live in the hip neighborhood of Capitol Hill in Seattle. Everything is within walking distance. No, really. :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Vatican City State, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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