I was born in a suburb of Dallas, and have lived there my whole life, despite extensively traveling the US. My family still lives here, and we're very close. I'm a middle child (middle children unite, if you're one~). I'm a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, where I got a BA with a focus in painting.

Now, I'm just living a regular, boring, but wonderful adult-human life in a neighborhood of Dallas that's near a lake and a little outside of the city fray, with my dog Laika (named after the first dog in space!).

I paint portraits, paint pieces for gallery and group shows, enjoy playing the piano and writing not-too-crappy songs, and I drive for Lyft - which I genuinely LOVE, because you get to meet so many different people and hear such interesting stories.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love everything about the sharing economy - TimeBanking, Couchsurfing, and just plain doing favors for friends. I strongly believe in creating the world you wanna live in, through both big and small actions - and you know what? I wanna live in a world where I have a place to sleep at night, or a ride to the airport. So whenever I can, I do those things for others!

My first experience with Couchsurfing (via my friend's account) was a road trip to Chicago, and it was incredible and life changing. The people we met along the way were so open, vulnerable, kind, and generous. It cemented the idea that people are mostly wonderful. It's also what set me on my path to becoming very minimalist, because I realized that human relationships are what's important, and that you can absolutely be happy while living out of a duffel and depending on the mercies of others.

Though my "sharing" has so far been mostly couches for friends, and small actions, I'm very excited to have my updated CS profile up and running, and we can't wait for you to come and stay with us soon in Dallas!

Interests

• pets
• dogs
• music festivals
• cooking
• painting
• music
• live music
• plants
• playing music
• conversations
• deep conversations
• netflix
• new places
• herbal medicine
• medicinal plants
• gemstones
• watercolor painting
• the magnetic fields

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC: Some of my all-time and current faves are The Magnetic Fields, of Montreal, Tom Odell, Ryan Adams, Sondre Lerche, and many more.

MOVIES: Anything that comes out of Studio Ghibli! I'm also a very big fan of underrated psychological thriller films like Stay, and director Shane Carruth's movies Primer and Upstream Color. As for tv, I'm a big fan of Dexter,

BOOKS: I'm more into listening to talks, seminars, and debates on YouTube, but when I do read, it's probably either a book of short stories by Lorrie Moore, or rereading Dawn by The Microphones' genius Phil Elverum.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I got to see the sunrise from the top of Mt Haleakala, in Maui! That was pretty amazing. The drive up there was in the dark, and it looked like you were constantly inches away from tumbling to your death off of the ever-winding road. On the way back down, however, we were able to see that the slope was actually incredibly gentle haha. It was an all around wonderful experience.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you a few pointers about drawing! I'm also really, really (like, REALLY) into plants and have some good tricks for getting rid of pests, and helping your plants to thrive.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I will do a beautiful watercolor sketch to give you! I also come bearing Mexican jumping beans!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Mexico, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States