CURRENT MISSION

To enjoy my new life in the West!

ABOUT ME

I moved from a very small town in Ohio (Versailles) to a larger small town in Ohio (Bowling Green) to go to college. I lived in Bowling Green for eight years, and then finally made the big move to Las Vegas, NV. I have always wanted to live on the West Coast; ideally Oregon or Washington. I am happy to be in a big city with lots to do and beautiful mountains to look at.

My extended family is very large and close knit (my mother is one of 15 children and my father is one of 12.) My parents are still married; My mother is the office manager at a nursing home and my dad is a retired mechanic. My younger brother is in the Army and just returned from his second overseas tour in Afghanistan. My little sister is a college sophomore.

I graduated with a degree in High School English Education. I still see myself in the education field eventually but I would really like to settle down in Vegas before I commit to a teaching job. I have also been considering Grad School, but I want to be really certain of what I want to study before I jump in to a new degree program.

PHILOSOPHY

Teach and learn as much as possible, because time is short and life moves fast.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I used couchsurfing as a way to save money when I moved from Ohio to Nevada. I stayed in St Louis, Topeka KS, Denver, and Beaver UT.

I would love to give back to the community as a host. My family hosted an exchange student a few years ago and we found the experience very rewarding.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had an amazing time couchsurfing. Moving across the country is very stressful and it helped a lot to be invited in to peoples' homes after the long hours of driving. I would absolutely travel this way again, and have been recommending it to my friends nonstop.

Interests

I have always loved to sing. One of my favorite things to do is perform at karaoke bars. I like the atmosphere and the camaraderie of cheering for others and having other cheer for me.

I appreciate all forms of art and dabble in a few - I enjoy working with fabric, polymer clay, woodburning, and turning strange items in to brooches.

I love to write. I have kept an online journal since 2002. I keep a quote book of funny things my friends and I say. I write poetry and short stories when the mood strikes, but now that I am out of college I find it difficult to write fiction without a prompt of some kind.

I am interested in stand up comedy, both as an audience member and as a performer. One of my goals for my new life in Vegas is to get enough material together to perform at some open mic nights.

• arts
• books
• poetry
• singing
• performing arts
• education
• movies
• tv
• traveling
• crochet
• knitting
• karaoke
• outdoor activities
• bowling
• teaching
• nursing
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
Stranger than Fiction
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Anything Monty Python
Dogma and other Kevin Smith movies
Victor/Victoria
Angels in America
The Birdcage
Mary Poppins

TV Shows:
30 Rock
The Office
Supernatural
Pushing Daisies
Project Runway
Arrested Development

Authors:
Chuck Palahnuik
Roald Dahl
Tony Kushner
Oscar Wilde

Music:
Ben Folds
Elton John
Billy Joel
Tegan and Sara
CAKE
Regina Spektor
Queen

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I worked for a company that made political merchandise during the 2008 election. We were the official supplier of merchandise for the Obama campaign. Because of my job, I got to attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, and I also got to attend Obama's Inauguration. I spent 2007-2009 driving around the country in a van full of buttons. It was a fantastic way to see the country and a great way to spend my first couple of years out of college.

Also, the experience of driving across the country to move to Vegas is something I'll never forget. I never knew there were so many different kinds of mountains! I love them all. I'm not religious but driving through the mountains of western Colorado and Utah was absolutely spiritual.

Teach, Learn, Share

Things I would like to Share:
Singing tips
Artwork
Sewing skills
Stories
Movies and TV shows from my extensive DVD collection

Things I would like to learn:
How to knit/crochet
How to survive outdoors
How to work with glass small scale (lampworking, etc)
Stories and wisdom from peoples' lives.