Hello world! I am a seasoned Couchsurfing host (and sometimes traveler) of nine years. This has become one of my life's passions. Meeting top-notch people, being open to new ideas and cultures, and just having fun with strangers who soon become friends... that's what Couchsurfing is for me.

Here's what I can offer you:
1) A comfy couch
2) Hot water, towels, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
3) Internet
4) Coffee and tea

Here's what I might be able to offer you (but no promises):
1) Conversation (no guarantees on the quality thereof)
2) A ride to and from local trailheads or highways for you hitchhikers out there
3) A drink (I don't drink much, so there are often a few lingering beers in the fridge left by other guests)

Here's what I can't offer you:
1) Prepared food (I have no skills in this department)
2) A place to smoke a cigarette (sorry, but you'll have to step out to the sidewalk for that).
3) A place to stay if you don't have any references or if you are unverified (I will make a very rare exception in this department)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I grew up in a small, rather homogenous town in Southeast Idaho. I finally ventured out in 2013 where I met my first CSer while traveling across the US. I was later hosted several times in NYC and Virginia. To even the score I began hosting people with the plan to host just as many people who had hosted me. Surprisingly, I fell in love with hosting. I discovered that I could get most of the benefits of traveling all from the comfort of my own home. My guests often transport me to the places they're from. They also give me a fresh perspective on this place I call home. Too many times I have wanted to either have them stay forever or pack up my own bags and join them.

Interests

At the end of the day, all of my interests come second to the wonderful people who fill my life. I am fortunate to have a life filled with so many good people. Among them are my three brothers, three sisters, and twenty-three nieces and nephews.

• thrifting
• technology
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• snowshoeing
• philosophy
• psychology
• mountains
• couchsurfing
• motorcycling
• vintage fashion
• coin collecting

Music, Movies, and Books

Top 5 Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Inception, Forest Gump, Good Will Hunting, and Fight Club.

Honorable Mentions: Persuasion, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Twelve Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution, Meet John Doe, Arsenic and Old Lace, Casablanca, Rear Window, Oscar, It's a Wonderful Life, and Clue.

Favorite Actors: Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Emma Stone.

Music: Bound to no genre but attracted to superb talent. Number one artist would be Eric Whitacre: contemporary choral composer. Jazz and Classical music when I'm feeling sophisticated. Metal when I'm feeling like a poser. And Country when no one is watching.

Books: Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-compulsive Disorder.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveled North and South America from coast to coast.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love having my ideas challenged. I especially question myself when I'm in the majority. I feel that by allowing ourselves to experience discomfort and uncertainty (when they are safe to experience) we discover growth, empathy, and positive changes in our lives. I believe we are not owners of property, but stewards. I try my best to be a good steward of those things I have been given, to respect them, and share them with those who will likewise respect them.

Those who do not move, do not notice their chains. --Rosa Luxemburg

Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it. --Andre Gide

When death finds you, hope that it finds you alive. --Japanese Proverb

I know that I know nothing. --Socrates

If you're not willing to risk the unusual you will have to settle for the ordinary. --Jim Rohn

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved. -- George Sand

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. --Friedrich Nietzsche

You have learned something. That always feels at first as if you have lost something. --George Bernard Shaw

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a much better host than a guest. I can only promise that I will be clean, kind, and respectful of your space. I generally make myself free for conversation, a drink, or dinner.

Countries Visited by Airport Only:

Germany (Berlin)
Austria (Vienna)
Kingdom of the Netherlands (Amsterdam)
Japan (Tokyo)
Sweden (Stockholm)
Switzerland (Zurich)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belarus, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Ukraine, United States