Happily married father of seven.
A fan of kids, bow ties, college football, bike riding, budgeting, marathons, and pop tarts.
Christ follower.
I fancy myself a gardener, but I'm not very good at it.
Full-time higher ed administrator, part-time odd-job guy (snow moving, lawn spraying).
Fully COVID vaccinated (team Pfizer!), as are my wife and six of seven kids.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Being a couchsurfing host has given our family a wonderful way to bring the world to us. It's not easy to travel with half a dozen kids, but it's relatively easy to have those who are traveling stay with us.
We love to meet new folks and learn about their life journeys, and Couchsurfing is a fantastic way to do that.
If you stay with us, we'll likely be going about our daily routine (taking kids to ball practice, going on a walk or bike ride, visiting a local park, cooking supper together, etc.) but you're more than welcome to join us! We've had surfers do all sorts of things with us: visit the apple orchard, bike ride, cheer for kids at a local race, go to church, attend a neighborhood picnic, help Kelli's parents with a sump pump problem, walk around the neighborhood, visit the local icecream shop, help remodel the basement, and more!

Interests

I'm a family man. My family likes hunting and fishing and camping. We're active members of our church. I work at a university and enjoy being around college-aged students.

• cycling
• fishing
• camping
• hunting

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm not much of a movie guy.
I like all sorts of music, but like 1990's country the best. Think Randy Travis, John Michael Montgomery, Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, The Judds, Tracy Byrd, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Being present at the birth of four of my six children was an awesome experience.
Though not present at birth for two of my sons (we adopted them from Texas), their adoptions were (and continue to be) amazing experiences.

Teach, Learn, Share

Though not a bicycle expert, I do bike commute year-round in Fargo. That means I occasionally ride in 100 degree weather in the summer. In the winter, I ride when it's snowing, 22 degrees below zero, and the wind speeds are 15 miles per hour.
I'm a facilitator for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. I can teach folks how to do a monthly budget. Exciting? Maybe not, but it sure is useful and takes away a lot of pressure surrounding finances.

What I Can Share with Hosts

On the few instances where my wife and I have been able to surf, rather than host, we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know someone new.
That's the point of courchsurfing, in our opinion - to meet new people, to establish meaningful connections, and to learn more about the local area. It's not just a free place to stay. We can sleep in the back of the car in a WalMart parking lot if that's all that's wanted. Being able to live life to the fullest, to laugh during conversations with someone new, and to engage with those around us - that's what we enjoy sharing with hosts and guests alike.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Japan, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States