I was a computer programmer just until recently when I decided to become a full-time adventurer. I have a UK passport and I plan on using it to live in Europe while the UK is still a part of the EU. I lived in the greater Vancouver area for half my life, then in Alberta for the other half, and for 3 months I lived in Los Angeles (the traffic there is a nightmare which is offset by the beautiful sunsets).

Alongside me is my trusty and faithful pal Jake who is a 5 year old Pomeranian mix, and he's the quietest, gentlest, and cutest dog you'll ever meet. At home Jake curls up somewhere near me and doesn't make a peep. When around other dogs he gets so excited that he cries when I don't let him play with the dogs around, or if the dog doesn't want to play with him.

Before leaving Canada I traveled from Edmonton, Alberta all the to Fredericton, New Brunswick couchsurfing and camping along the way. Now I've nearly been to every province in my own country and I've been all of the big cities in Canada.

I want to live around Europe and I'm starting with Braga in Portugal. I'm using Babbel to try to learn how to speak the language so I can converse with the people of this city. I don't have a set plan for the long term, I'm just seeing what opportunities come up and going with what feels right. Since I've been in Braga I've been meditating and it has been an amazing journey. Meditation is

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I only started traveling in 2014 and I've been loving it ever since. Right now I'm in the midst of a big change. I've left the comfort of computer programming in the city to explore Europe.
I'm going on a journey to travel and live in Europe with no return date set and I'm starting with Portugal.
I want to experience the cultural differences, I want to laugh with new acquaintances/friends, I want to try new things I've never experienced, and I want to be surprised.

Interests

I'm big on exercise. Working out, running, yoga, swimming, and sports are all great activities. I just love the feeling of giving it everything you've got, it's the feeling of accomplishment.

Obviously I love dogs, I've barely had any time without one. I had three border collies growing up, not all at once, and I thought I could never take a small dog seriously as a pet. That was until I thought of having a little dog that looked like a little fox, and then found him online at the LA dog shelter and it's been nothing but love ever since.

Food, more specifically cooking. I enjoy cooking to the extent that I get to choose what delicious things go into my mouth. It's like making a work of art that pleases and nourishes your body. I simply cannot understand hating to cook.

I'm not the avid reader my sister is, but there some months awhile back where I'd go through a dozen star wars novels a month, and now Disney says they're non-canon . I enjoy non-fiction as much as I enjoy fiction. I started out with a lot of star wars with a variety of other fictional novels like the Narnia books. Then I found an interest in evolution I started to read scientific and skeptic books, followed by philosophy and history books.

I've started meditating regularly since I started an online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course back in July. It's a little workout for your brain. Many unexpected things have happened from meditating, very vivid dreams being an example of one of them. It's helped me work on emotions that have been difficult to deal with all my life and instead of running away and dissociating from difficult emotions I turn towards them and let them be.

I believe in looking inwards for answers as oppose to outwards, and the same goes for when life doesn't work out the way I wanted it to. I always want to be furthering my understanding of myself and the more I do the better my understanding of the world gets.

• animals
• pets
• dogs
• singing
• cooking
• vegan
• exercise
• yoga
• dieting
• running
• working out
• meditation
• reading
• music
• live music
• karaoke
• cycling
• languages
• beaches
• nature
• learning
• self-development

Music, Movies, and Books

Exercises: running, dog walking, working out at the gym, swimming in a lake or the ocean, yoga, racquetball, volleyball, hockey, golf, skiing.

Movies: Blade Runner, Heat, Fight Club, Gone Girl, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, Dumb and Dumber, the Boondock Saints, Indiana Jones, STAR WARS, The Avengers, The Godfather, Minority Reports, Ghost in the Shell, Die Hard, Alien, Lord of the Rings, The Anchorman, 12 Monkeys, Brazil, Batman, Dark Knight

Books: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Scattered Minds by Dr. Gabor Maté, Dark Tower series by Stephen King, The Ancestor's Tail by Richard Dawkins, The General's Son by Miko Peled

Music: Muse, Ace of Base, Armin Van Buuren, Starsailor, U2, Stone Temple Pilots, Our Lady Peace, Marilyn Manson, Alice in Chains, DJ Tiesto, Dash Berlin, Paul Oakenfold, Delirium, Enya, Enigma, Koan, Washed Out, Charli XCX, Little Boots, Duran Duran, Erasure, Goldfrapp, Tear for Fears, Tegan and Sara, Chris Isaak, Maroon 5, Phil Collins, Genesis, Default, Greenwheel, Mobile, Queen, Soundgarden, Thornley, The Tea Pary, The Verve, Radiohead, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, No Doubt, Seal, Aqua, Wham!, George Michael, Kylie Minogue, Naked Eyes, Michael Jackson, Savage Garden, Enrique Iglesias, No Mercy, Nine Inch Nails, Filter, Gorrilaz, Will Smith, The Proclaimers, Runrig, Steve Miller Band, Shiny Toy Guns, Coldplay, The Cranberries, Elton John, Poets of the Fall, R.E.M., 30 Second to Mars

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I moved to Los Angeles all by myself, driving all the way from Red Deer. I lived there for 3 months, and after that I decided it wasn't for me.

I'm counting this as one amazing thing because of all the small amazing things that occurred within it.

While living in Los Angeles I:
- Accidentally went to a Crips party in Van Nuys
- Went to a fancy night out in Hollywood and subsequently to the LA nightclubs with my new actress friend
- Went to my favorite YouTube channel's (at the time) office and made friends with the designer
- Found my best friend Jake
- Went to a dog beach
- Went to 2 Stanley Cup Playoff games for around $200
- Went to STAR WARS Celebration Anaheim
- Lost my house key and slept in my car

What I Can Share with Hosts

- I love to cook and make delicious meals, so if the host has the recipe and the ingredients I will gladly whip up a meal for us
- Meaningful stories that have shaped who I am
- My favorite songs/artists that I carry with me everywhere
- A love for singing my favorite songs
- All of my STAR WARS knowledge
- Movie opinions/suggestions
- An unapologetic sense of humor with childlike laughter
- The weirdest/funniest videos found on Youtube

Countries I’ve Visited

Portugal, Scotland, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Portugal, United States