CURRENT MISSION

We believe the entire concept of CouchSurfing puts people in a place of trust and respect, showing that, when given the faith in them, people won't let you down.

ABOUT ME

Hello! Bryan and Brian here (yes, it is really our names). We have been together for 13 years and have built a nice home together. We have two daughters who keep us feeling alive (and tired). The oldest is recently married to a wonderful young an who happens to be a Marine.  The youngest is attending college and makes us very proud. We own a home in Orlando, FL, about 35 minutes from Disney and on the east side of downtown Orlando. We have several comfy couches available. (Actually, we have a few private bedrooms with actual beds and private bath!)Bryan (note with a "Y") speaks Spanish and Brian (note with an "I") speaks German. Brian is a paid vocalist and sings in operas and other musical performances - having studied in Salzberg during college and holding a Master's Degree in Voice from North Western University. Brian is also a licensed massage therapist and a master carpenter. (We make a GREAT team... Bryan is the creative designer and Brian is the one who can build ANYTHING.) Due to a car accident in 2003 which required four back surguries and a spine fusion / disc replacement (and still has constant pain and requires some very strong pain meds), Bryan is now permanently disabled and retired. During the surguries, Bryan, unfortunately, contracted a MRSA infection which settled on his L-5 lumbar disc and his aeortic valve. This has caused a heart murr-murr and will most likely require a heart valve replacement in a few years. Because of these health issues, I (Bryan) don't stay up to "chat"... Please do not think it is I find you boring... rather it is the medication. But we do enjoy having dinners with our guests (in home or out). We have an open door policy and you are free to come and go as you want. We even allow you to use our laundry services (we know what it is like to be travelig for 2 weeks and just want a fresh pair of pants and shirt!).Prior to the accident, Bryan received his degree in journalism with a specialty in public relations and advertising. His work resume shows that he most recently served as the Executive Director for the American Diabetes Association. Bryan covered more than half the state of Florida and was responsible for raising more than $2.5 million annually for diabetes research and education programs. Along with additional career experiences in the non-profit arena, Bryan also served as a legislative aide to the Florida House of Representatives and Florida State Senate for five years and served as a campaign strategist and public relations consultant.Bryan has recently started working with the UCF College of Medicine as a "standardized patient", helping train the doctors of tomorrow on how best to deal with patients. The experience has brought so much enjoyment in giving back in this way. UCF was Bryan's college and the first class of the Medical School have 100% scholarship for all four years. (This is the first time EVER in the United States.)We are a nice couple who enjoy nice dinners and good conversation. If coming our way, just lets us know. Direct email is BBEAL32806@aol.com

PHILOSOPHY

RELIGION enables people to filter God's grace through their own opinion and God's mercy through their own prejudice. SPIRITUAL FAITH allows us to simply LOVE, and let God hold the gavel.

We are a gay, conservative Christian (yes, they exist as well), non smoking couple and are interested in meeting people with open minds and warm hearts of ANY religious belief. We believe we live a good life and treat people with respect, sharing God's love and the blessings He has given us and that is how we share our faith... no sermons. (grin) We want to make the world a better place. We have been truly blessed with some GREAT friends!

Bryan was married for 13 years to a wonderful woman who gave the gift of two beautiful daughters. They light up our world. We are blessed in that we are an extended/blended family. In fact, a few summers back we all went on a cruise to Bermuda. Then in 2007 we all went to Europe for 5 weeks and had a blast! It is important to us that our girls have memories of us as a family at every stage. (Not one summer with mom here and then someplace else with 'daddy' and 'dad'(Brian) someplace else.) We are a blended family and we honor the mother of our children for being so willing to put our girls first. (And to have a partner who truly serves as a father to them as well.)

Our lives has been blessed by God MORE THAN WE CAN EVER EXPRESS! Glory to God. When you are in our home, what we have is open to you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We welcome travelers to come and stay awhile. We have hosted as long as 2 weeks, but usually just about 4 days or less. We welcome families (as long as they are comfortable with staying with a gay couple. We are respectful of "public displays of affection" but this is our HOME and we live a true life) and groups. Most time each get their own bed/room but groups may be required to double up. Also, please note that we do have dogs.

We enjoy cooking for our guests as able. We don't ASK and it is not expected but the offering of kicking in on food costs is always appreciated. Please let us know if there are any food restrictions and we will try to have appropriate food on hand. We realize that vacations are expensive so we try to offer a friendly gesture to help out.

Some times we are able to be more social with our guests but please understand that we may need to be withdrawn due to my pain issues. We do our best to make our guests feel at home and welcomed. We provide you with a code to the front door and you are able to come and go as your please. We STRONGLY encourage you to rent a car if you are staying a few days as Orlando is very spread out and we do not have the public transit systems you find in Europe or larger cities. There are some occasions when we can give you a ride to the airport or even out to the parks but please don't plan on it.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Have met some wonderful people and feel like the world is perhaps better than the evening news portrays. We are all human and simply want to be noticed and appreciated by those around us. We don't have to agree on every issue but we can practice the art of understanding.

Interests

Our interests include sightseeing, learning about other cultures and making friends. Because we have been fortunate to travel quite often in the last 8 years,we have started a new thing of collecting crosses from all over the world. We have them displayed in our master suite. It is a nice way to bring back a token that relates to our faith. We welcome them from all over the world. (Sign the back and date it and where it came from. At night you will be in our prayers as we give thanks.)THANK YOU , ZOE! We have our cross from Switzerland! And, thanks to Nina and Lars for a BEAUTIFUL cross from Germany! Teemu and Heidi gave us a beautiful book about Finland that we have on our wall as well. Renato gave us one from Brazil and Corey gave us a beautiful cross from Mexico!

• dogs
• arts
• books
• design
• education
• dining
• cooking
• marathon
• running
• news
• traveling
• socializing
• coding
• teaching
• journalism
• languages
• medicine
• religion
• sightseeing
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Brian sings and loves operas and classical music. If paying to see a movie, we want to laugh or cry... not have the wit scared out of us (not into horror flicks). My favorite author is Max Lucado (Christian author). My favorite quote is from him.... "In order to lead the orchestra, you must turn your back to the crowd." Very good advice. If you ever need to read a book to lift your spirit, I recommend "The Applause of Heaven" or "In the Grips of Grace" (Both by Lucado.)

My partner and I collect crosses. We have gathered them from everywhere we've traveled and have them on display in our bedroom.

If you are coming our way, bring one from your country and write your name and where it is from. We will proudly display it and we will reimburse you. (It is just a collection that is close to our hearts.)Once hung on the wall, you will be in our hearts and prayers every night.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Prior to the car accident, we have run/helped with logistics in marathons in Paris, Rome, and Vienna. (Through the TEAM D program with the American Diabetes Association.)

We finished a "marathon" vacation last summer which encompassed 11 countries - it was the trip of a life-time. We have friends who own a villa in Mennagio (North Italy near Lake Como) and they let us crash there for a week. It is the most beautiful scenery!

We hope to go to Europe again next fall.

Teach, Learn, Share

We each would like the opportunity to use our second languages and perhaps learn a third. We feel the biggest things we can do is to show the world that we are more the same than we are different. Interaction and exposure to different cultures is the first step to creating a world of peace. It is time for a LOVE revolution - and it is up to US to lead the way.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Bermuda, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bermuda, Spain, United States

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