CURRENT MISSION

Make the world a better place, building a business, experiencing all the elements of humanity!

ABOUT ME

I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. It's amazing how many different facets life can take on based on our experiences, and how much, at the end of the day, we're all the same. I like to explore neighborhoods and spend more time doing everyday things while traveling than going to see big tourist attractions. I can have just as much fun wandering around alone as I do with a group of friends.

I grew up in South Carolina, but I'm not stereotypically "southern." I'm generally more liberal and independent than most southerners. I lived in Kansas for 4 years after college, where I worked as a City Planner. I didn't much like that line of work, and wasn't that crazy about the place I was living, so I moved back to Charleston in 2011, then to Seattle in 2014.

I'm taking a break from traditional work to study software development, do some freelancing, and work on starting my own company. I also spend a good amount of time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

PHILOSOPHY

Be happy. Help other people be happy. Be productive, but find time to simply enjoy life.

I believe that everyone deserves to live their most peaceful, happiest, best life. I don't care where you're from, your religion, your race, your gender identity, or sexuality. I believe we all have something in common!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

These days through meetups and hanging out with travelers. I met some great folks while traveling in Vietnam earlier this year that I still keep in touch with, and I've met some great people through the Seattle Couchsurfing meetups too! Unfortunately I don't have the space to host these days.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've hosted and met with travelers but never stayed with someone as a surfer.

Interests

I love meeting new people, reading, traveling, watching movies and spending as much time at the beach as I can. I try to practice my Spanish and Portuguese often, and recently learned how to sail.

I started weightlifting in the summer of 2016 and I really enjoy it. I love learning more about techniques so I'm happy to talk to more experienced lifters.

• books
• architecture
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• painting
• music
• history
• tourism
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all kinds of music. Lately I've been listening to a lot Florence & the Machine, Hozier, and Lorde. I listen to everything: country, bluegrass, pop, hip-hop, rock, salsa, bachata, reggaeton, classical...

I read constantly. Lately I've really enjoyed "Algorithms to Live by" and "The Lean Startup". Since I'm working on starting my own business, I've been reading a lot of business and tech related books. I also like fantasy, autobiographies, and even cheap romance novels. Yeah, I love all the books!

Movies: I prefer drama and comedy, but will go see action movies in the theater. The Handmaiden is one of the most interesting movies I've seen in a while.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I got to see a sloth climb a tree in Costa Rica. In Vietnam I got to tour Ha Long Bay - the limestone mountain islands are truly stunning! While working at Amazon, I got to ask Jeff Bezos during a question during a Q&A session at a company meeting.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm pretty good at cooking, and I'm always happy to help people improve their cooking skills.

I'm happy to help others practice Spanish or Portuguese!

I have a good mind for business process and process improvement. If you're a small business owner and struggling with an inefficient or costly process, I'm happy to sit down with you to analyze and figure out ways to streamline it and/or reduce cost.

Random skill: self-manicure. I can paint my finger nails almost as good as any salon. Toenails still pose a problem.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Seattle is well known for coffee, beer and chocolate. I'm happy to bring you a treat of your choice so you can get a taste of my home!

I enjoy cooking and am happy to cook for you. Having hosted, I understand the importance of keeping my space tidy and cleaning up after myself. I also love to share stories of my travels, my time working in Kansas local government, and growing up in South Carolina.

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Spain, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States