I'm a vibrant, excited person who loves to explore new places, experience new cultures, and take in the amazing world around me. I'm currently on our local roller derby team, and I'm the head designer for our local pride festival and organization. Right now, I live in Missouri with my husband and our rad little dog. I work full time as a fashion and graphics designer, but really I end up doing pretty much every visual part of the business I'm in. I love taking on challenges and trying new things because I want to see as much of this world as I can while I'm here!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Travelling is my favorite thing to do, and I firmly believe the world would be a better place if more people travelled more often. Due to my job, I can't travel very often and for long amounts of time, so I try to get by on a small budget and make the most of my trips... That means mostly running around and sleeping as little as possible. :p

Interests

I'm very politically engaged and an outspoken leftist, so I'm passionate about topics such as feminism, LGBT+ rights, and the like. Volunteering takes up a lot of my time, and roller derby takes up a good chunk of my time as well. Most nights, when I don't have other errands to run, I hang out with my husband and we play RPGs or Dungeons & Dragons with our friends. We love tabletop gaming, and we can talk about the lore of Star Wars for hours and still have more to say. I'm also very interested in Eastern spirituality, particularly Buddhist practices, as I find a lot of peace in them.

• animals
• arts
• anime
• music
• hiking
• social justice
• pop culture

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen to just about everything, but I'm particularly fond of 70's and 80's rockabilly, swing music, alternative and indie, and some pop. Sometimes folk music, sometimes lo-fi whatever... I love it all. :) I enjoy movies so bad they're good (like Troll 2 or The Room), Star Wars, and old comedies like the Marx Brothers. Harry Potter was a massive part of my childhood, and it will always have a huge place in my heart! I love reading nonfiction books especially, and am often listening to podcasts by NPR.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once drew a photorealistic caricature of Nic Cage and my cat posing like the cover of the movie Step Brothers. It got onto the cover of the booklet my college sends out to prospective students. I also went kayaking with Jacques Cousteau's children in the Florida keys, and I've rescued several opossums from dangerous highway roads. I guess that's more than one thing, but I don't think any of those are truly AMAZING things, so maybe they all make one amazing thing if you mash them together?

Teach, Learn, Share

Those are all my favorite things. I can teach drawing and cartooning, and I can show people how to use software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I'm a very visual person, so it's easy for me to draw out my ideas and complex concepts if I can't articulate them well. Learning is the whole point of my life, it's why I love to travel. To soak in new information and experiences. Since I talk a lot at times, I'll share just about anything from my life, and I'm a very giving person in general, so I'm happy to share my things, too. (That sounds corny as heck probably, but it's true, I hate to see people suffer when I can help!)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm happy and excited to draw with you, sing (badly) to you, exchange ideas, sit quietly in the room doing nothing with you, and generally share cultures and values and space. My personality is very flexible, as I can be very outgoing and expressive, and I can be very introverted and quiet. It all depends on what's needed from me, as I can adapt well to my surroundings and the people around me. I also LOVE animals, and taking care of pets (or even just interacting with them) brings me absolute joy.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States