CURRENT MISSION

To live a life that could be turned into a serious page turner

ABOUT ME

I pick up stories like grapes off the vine and drink life like wine - it intoxicates me. I travel through countries like hop-scotch, making each stop another home, another family, and I travel back to eack place regularly in my day dreams where my families and I sit back over mimosas and discuss the plagues of the day. I laugh involuntarily sometimes...it bubbles out of me. I am unsatisfied with the human condition, the environmental condition, the global condition. My eyes are open and I rarely expect good news...but I am not cynical, I believe in the power of few, in the power of one, in the power of words, but more importantly the power of action. So if you want to be active with me...whether as an active participant in life or in your global community...holla at me.

PHILOSOPHY

Everyone has something to offer, it's just a matter of exploring yourself and others to realize it. There are very few experiences that aren't worth having, so actively pursue your life and don't let opportunities pass you by. We all have only one life to live, and our time is limited, so don't waste it!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

**Note: I am admittedly bad at checking in as regularly as I should and have often missed last minute requests. If you send us a message at least a week in advance, I'm far more likely to see it in time and invite you to stay with us! I won't respond to requests that come just a day in advance.**

My husband and I hopped couches all through Europe, got to know India through couchsurfing friends, and have tried to pay it forward by opening up our home to guests coming through Des Moines!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I tell everyone I know who travels to always use couchsurfing! We can never go back to just sleeping in a boring hotel room when traveling while there is an option to meet incredible local people through this service instead. My experiences as a traveller and host consistently reinvigorate my love and faith in humanity.

Interests

Jumping off of high places into water of questionable depths, fatty hammerheads, Crepes with bananna and nutella, eating peanut butter out of the jar with my finger, jamming with friends around a bonfire...on the beach or in the woods, climbing things like rocks, stepping out of the airport in a totally new location, confusing people, dancing until i'm slippery, making bubbles with my hands and dish soap, slack lines, olives, sassy old ladies, talking with people who are certifiable, my freckles, eating cereal for dinner, halloween, adrenaline rushes, becoming a badass surfista (check the scars!), spontaneous people, non-sequitors, massages (giving and receiving), making eye contact, human rights, other people's kids, feild trips, backpacking, live music, eating fruit straight from the plant/tree, drawing/painting, international justice, candlelight, mitch headberg, coffeehouses, vintage clothing, green, juicing things, your mom

• fish
• dancing
• human rights
• wine
• drinking
• clothing
• news
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• music
• live music
• guitar
• drums
• fishing
• backpacking
• kayaking
• rock climbing
• swimming
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: A Tribe Called Quest, Air, Aphex Twin, The Beatles, Beck, Bjork, Black Eyed Peas, Blue Man Group, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Buena Vista Social Club, Cake, Capoiera music, The Clash, Coldplay, The Cure, The Dandy Warhols, David Gray, De La Soul, Devendra Banhart, The Doors, Erykah Badu, Explosions in the Sky, Flaming Lips, Frou Frou, Gorillaz, Grateful Dead, Green Day, Iguanamen, Jamiroquai, Janis Joplin, The Grey Album, Iggy and the Stooges, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Jurassic 5, Kaki Kings, Kanye West, Keller Williams, The Killers, Led Zeppelin, Mago de Oz, Mana, Manu Chao, Marvin Gaye, Michael Franti, Miles Davis, Moby, Modest Mouse, Mos Def & Talib Kwali, Nick Drake, Oreshas, Outkast, Phish, Pink Floyd, Pixies, The Police, The Postal Service, Queen, Radiohead, Ramones, Ray Charles, RJD2, Scissor Sisters, Seu Jorge, Sex Pistols, The Shins, St Germain, Talking Heads, Third Eye Blind, Tom Petty, Tomback, Tracy Chapman, Velvet Underground, The Who, Wyclef Jean, Yann Tierson (Amelie), Zero 7, Fela Kuti, Regina Spektor, Thom Yorke, Gnarls Barkley, Daft Punk, Feist, Sukpatch, Greyboy, Bis, Elbow, Land of the Loops, Matisyahu, Sergio Mendes, Sneaker Pimps, !!!
Movies: Terry Gilliam films (Monty Python, Brazil, Time Bandits, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Twelve Monkeys...), Triplets of Beleville, Fifth Element, Boondock Saints, Amelie, Point Break, Dead Alive, Emperor's New Groove, Supertroopers, High Tension, The Incredibles, Princess Bride, Run Lola Run, The Princess and the Warrior, Chung King Express, Amos Perros, Todo Sobre Mi Madre, The Breakfast Club, Fight Club, Memento, Garden State, Clockwork Orange, Snatch, Sin City, Robin Hood Men in Tights, Pulp Fiction, Requiem for a Dream, Woodstock, Robin Williams Live, Bloodsport, Shaolin Soccer, City of God, Gattica, Equillibrium, Velvet Goldmine, Labirynth, Endless Summer, GYMKATA, King of Hearts, Children of Men, Ricki-O
Books: Favorites constantly changing...but right now, The Monkey Wrench Gang is definitely high on my list.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I researched White-tipped reef sharks for one month on Isabella in the Galapagos Islands. Each morning at 6am I would kayak out with my friend who was studying a nearby penguin colony and she would drop me off at the mangroove where pregnant female sharks would rest before giving birth. I would swim with them and observe their behavior for about 4 hours, with the company of rays, sea lions, sea turtles, penguins, and a huge variety of fish. We would kayak back, get some luch and nap during the hot part of the day. Then, as things cooled a bit, we would go surf with the locals, get some bread at the panaderia, and then go back to Pablo's and play guitar and drums until we left for bed to wake and do it again the next day.

Teach, Learn, Share

Ceviche is a fantastic hangover cure.

You will get more out of a piece of artwork if you look at it for more than the average 5 seconds - go crazy! Push for a couple minutes on each peice!

Watch where you put your hands when you're in the Amazon, giant conga ants live in the trees and you don't want to experience their bite!

Vegemite does note taste like peanut butter - beware.

Get off the cruise liner if you go to the Galapagos and meet the people - they are incredble and full of stories!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belize, Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Honduras, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Ecuador, India, United States

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