There's quite a lot to me. First, I'm a life-long "learner" and love soaking up history, culture, and the little nuances that make every city, state, and country different.

At root I'm from the South and proud of it. But, I also grew up spending a lot of time traveling. My parents that saw extreme value in exposing me to cultures all over the world in hopes I'd become a man that accepted everyone, judged no-one, and understood we are all dealing with essentially the same issues. It worked.

I've been told I've got Southern Charm with a Northern Attitude. Probably the greatest compliment I've ever received. And for good reason...

My Mom is Hawaiian and grew up in Virginia. My Dad hails from Smithtown, Long Island, leaving for the University of Georgia to get his PhD after graduating from NYU. My belief system is simple: People are awesome and I'd rather have a conversation than wonder if you're a martian.

I grew up playing baseball, basketball, and golf. Now, at 30, I stick to softball and golf; mostly golf.

I believe I can fix or build anything though my wife will strongly disagree and can point out an excessive number of examples proving she's right, which she is. My projects rarely come out as planned, but I still enjoy working with my hands. Creating something from nothing always makes me feel accomplished.

I've been married for 6 years, and we've been together for a decade (I feel old every time I say that) I can't imagine being married to someone else. Lauren's personality is finely tuned to mine. We don't finish each others sentences, but we do anticipate each other perfectly. We're not exactly Ying and Yang, but we're dang close to it.

So far, we're both very successful in our careers. She's in finance, and helps people overcome financial obstacles. I'm a Sr. Solutions Consultant for Ricoh where I help businesses think bigger, smarter, and faster. In my former life I was the Marketing Director for the worlds No. 1 Contractor Marketing Firm and was the youngest Marketing Director in that industry, ever.

Lauren was offered a huge opportunity that required a move and I wasn't going to be the reason she didn't take it. So we packed our home and moved to Macon, GA.

We travel for exactly three reasons:

1) Traveling brings us closer together and makes us happy.
2) We love meeting new people, seeing new (or old) places, and experiencing new cultures. And,
3) Food. Food in the south is really, really good. But, so is food everywhere else. Good food, good beer, and good conversation with good people = the best memories money can buy.

I could go on-and-on about myself and Lauren. But to sum it all up... we're a conundrum. You'll just have to meet us to understand that we don't expect, or try, to put life in neat little boxes. Life is far, far too big for that nonsense.

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

We travel a lot. The problem we've started to come across is the staff at hotels tend to point you to the "tourist" eateries and shopping, and it's hard to really meet local folks.

We're not interested in only seeing the tourist spots when we travel. We want to get to know the city, talk to the "natives", and try the local favorites. You never know, we may decide to move there one day.

For us Couchsurfing isn't about traveling on a budget. It's about getting a "behind the curtain" experience others simply don't know they're missing out on. It's a chance to see why people live where they live, and hopefully gain some new friends along the way.

Interessen

Too many to list all of them, so I'll list the big ones:

Technology, Graphic Design, Marketing, Business, Traveling, Golf, Food, Baseball, Football, Racing, Meeting new people, Saltwater Aquariums, Boating, Fishing, Spending time on the river, many, many others.

• animals
• dogs
• culture
• design
• graphic design
• dining
• beer
• boating
• shopping
• technology
• traveling
• fishing
• baseball
• basketball
• soccer
• golf
• softball
• business
• history

Musik, Filme und Bücher

I stick mostly to Country music, but I delve into other genres. My iTunes Library proves I'm a conundrum. You'll find Adele, Alisha Keys, Eminem, Blake Shelton, Zac Brown Band, Jason Aldean, U2, CCR, OAR, Maroon 5, Lynard Skynard, Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran, The Beatles, Coldplay, The Allman Brothers, and on and on...

Movies are the same as my music, but I do have a go-to list (sort of):

Top Gun, Wall Street, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Margin Call, ALL Lord of the Rings, ALL Hobbit, Bull Durham, Friday Night Lights, Days of Thunder, Risky Business, Cocktail, Tombstone... there's about a dozen more.

Books are a little tighter of a cluster:

The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, To Touch the Top of the World (This book CHANGED my life), The 4-Hour Work Week, The E-Myth, Too Big To Fail, Blue Ocean, The Challenger Sale (Changed my career), Bullpen Gospels

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

I've never done any truly amazing things. I've done a lot of good things. I'm an Eagle Scout and for many years as a teenager I coordinated and managed a local food and gift drive during Christmas. We've volunteered at a Humane Shelter (big soft spot for animals), and I've gone out of my way on many occasions to bring food to homeless individuals.

If I've done anything truly amazing it was somehow convincing Lauren to marry me. I'm a bit of a nut, if you can't tell already.

Lehren, lernen, teilen

Teach: Well, if you're into Marketing and Graphic Design, or have any interest at all about how companies actually produce marketing collateral and campaigns...
I'm your go-to-guy. I specialize in multi-channel campaigns, and know far too much about email, video, and online marketing in particular. I'm always happy to bore anyone willing to listen about any of that.

I can also talk a lot about this thing called Aimpoint Express putting. I can also teach people how to properly train dogs. Most think treats are the way to go, it's the opposite. Positive re-enforcement DOES NOT mean food for completing the command.

Learn: I never set expectations for what I could learn from someone. Everyone has a unique life story, and interests unlike mine (though overlap does occur quite a bit). I find just by being willing to listen I learn things I never thought of.

Share: Not sure how to answer this one, honestly. I find sharing - for the most part - just happens. Someone needs something you have, and you can spare, share it. Someone calls to ask advice, share the knowledge.

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

Time. It's the most precious commodity I know of. I'm always willing to share my time over a cold beer, good meal, or even just a phone call.

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Cuba, England, France, Germany, Italy

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

England, France, Germany, Italy