CURRENT MISSION

to walk where great men once walked

ABOUT ME

My wife, Erin, and I are both teachers. She teaches math and I teach history. We both really love traveling. Thankfully, as teachers we get our summers off so that leaves us plenty of time for traveling. For us, one of the best parts of going to a foreign place is interacting with people.

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is simple. Love people, love new opportunities, love each experience. My wife and I are both Christians. Don't let that fact throw you off if you have a negative connotation with religion. We're not the uptight, judgemental, self-righteous types. Many of our closest friends are atheists or followers of other faiths, that difference has not stood in the way of our great friendships. We respect your beliefs and ideals, regardless of how much they differ from ours. We feel that we have a great deal to learn from all of our guests.
We're Texans. Not all Texans uphold the virtue of hospitality to guests as a top priority, but we do, because all REAL Texans do. As our guest, we're going to show you some real Texan hospitality. Mi casa es su casa. My home is your home.
As a rule, I like to think of strangers as friends I just haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. One minute we're shaking hands for the first time, an hour later we're joking together and feel like we perhaps met before in a past life. That's what really makes Couchsurfing so great, a chance to meet some of those friends who, otherwise, we never would have encountered. They have all been a blessing to our lives as we hope we have been to theirs.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We live in the kind of place that typical tourists do not visit on purpose, but our location is rather strategic. We live only 40 minutes away from I-40, the interstate that goes from coast to coast all the way across America. If you're making that drive, stop and experience rural Texas for a few days. We've had several groups stay with us and most of them ended up staying longer than they originally planned because they're having so much fun!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We have couchsurfed a few times in Germany and Switzerland and really enjoyed the experience. We have hosted several times, as well. In both cases we have made some lasting friendships and truly enjoyed great conversations and laughs with our new friends.

Interests

Conversations, movies, books, sports, boardgames, computer games, music, driving around, guns, lots of other things!

• animals
• arts
• books
• cooking
• movies
• traveling
• painting
• music
• sports
• martial arts
• history
• mathematics
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

movies - American History X, The Royal Tenenbaums, Braveheart, Love Liza, Der Untergang, Atonement, Munich, Fight Club, lots of others.

music - Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, The Smiths, Cut Copy, Neon Indian, Belle and Sebastian, AIR, M83, M. Ward, Fleet Foxes, Iron and Wine, SUFJAN STEVENS, The Clientele, Kings of Convenience, Jonathan Johansson, Acid House Kings, Markus Krunegard, many others...

Books...too many to name, mostly histories and classic literature are my favorites. My absolute favorites are Catcher in the Rye, Jude the Obscure, Picture of Dorian Grey, Heart of Darkness, The Fountainhead, Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer and many other war-memoirs. I have a large and still growing private library, many books which I have bought and only read bits of, but nevertheless I am hooked on buying as many books as I can afford

Teach, Learn, Share

I am somewhat skilled in portrait painting with oils and could give you a lesson. I am also somewhat experienced with rifles and pistols and could offer you a marksmanship lesson. I don't shoot at animals, but I do shoot at cardboard, cans and other random stuff.

If English is not your native tongue, I can teach you lots of Texan slang to spice up your vocabulary. By the time you leave you'll be saying all kinds of new things.

I'd like to learn many things, how to cook in different styles, anything art-related, martial arts, survivalist skills, anything sports related, and most of all, how to see the world from YOUR point of view.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States