CURRENT MISSION

Luke: To survive my PhD program, so I can reward myself with an around-the-world trip!
Sarah: To finish my Speech Pathology graduate program, so I can also reward myself with an around-the-world trip!
UPDATE 1/2022: We are heading to Europe for a 2.5 month trip (3/2022-5/2022)!

ABOUT ME

I'm a pretty laid back, agreeable guy who loves new things and being around people. I LOVE Couchsurfing, too many good experiences to count, and it's one of the few things that restores my faith in humanity. I have a lovely wife who also shares my passion for new people and random adventure. I have worked and lived in Japan and Germany twice, and hope to keep travelling as much as possible.

PHILOSOPHY
Lots to say here! Maybe I will tell you all about it in person.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We've done our share of surfing in the US and Germany/Austria. We're hoping to host whoever we can now that we've moved to Louisville.

We also LOVE FIRST TIMERS, and definitely sympathize with how daunting the idea can be at first. Don't be shy!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

-Staying with generous hosts in Germany and Austria, some of whom helped me to pull off an insane engagement stunt in Salzburg, Austria.

-Traveling around the Midwest/East Coast for a month back in 2015 while interviewing for grad schools, without staying in a hotel once (thanks couchsurfing!)

Interests

We are both avid longboarders, swimmers, hikers, runners, really anything outdoorsy. Highlights include an annual 120 mile skate/camping trek through Southern California, and running in the California International Marathon in December 2013. At the same time, we also know how to be incredibly lazy. Whether it's a 7-day backpacking trip or a wine & Netflix binge, we can appreciate it all.

I enjoy occasionally going to bars (armed with my trusty flask), but usually prefer to drink beer or wine at home with friends (because it's cheaper, and I'm super frugal). Recently, I've become a bourbon and whiskey snob, so if you want to sample a handful of different whiskies, stay with us! If whiskey isn't your thing, expect to have a beer or wine with us while you're here.

We are also huge concert fans. We don't know a huge range of music, but there are 15 or so bands that we worship.

We love to talk about pretty much everything, but especially love anything insightful, philosophical, funny, or a great story (bonus if it's all four of those!).

Our other hobbies include: yoga, bourbon, wine, running/lifting, podcasts, singing, beer, football games, concerts, all forms of board/card games, longboarding, some esports, geocaching, DIY stuff, video games, crafting, weddings, and everything in between.

• cats
• dogs
• arts
• books
• street art
• concerts
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• cocktails
• coffee
• fitness
• yoga
• marathon
• running
• crafts
• politics
• movies
• video games
• board games
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• swimming
• psychology
• religion
• statistics
• travel
• sustainability
• longboarding
• whiskey
• comedy
• deep conversations
• geocaching
• card games
• research
• good conversation
• esports
• bourbon
• do-it-yourself

Music, Movies, and Books

I love books, but rarely have enough time to read, as most of my current reading is dense academic research, huzzah.

Books:
-Lord of the Rings
-The Dark Tower series
-Game of Thrones
-Searching for God Knows What
-Calvin and Hobbes
-The Road
-Man's Search For Meaning
- A Song of Ice and Fire
-A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
-East of Eden
-Speaker for the Dead
-Les Miserables
-Mere Christianity
-Screwtape Letters
-The Problem of Pain
-Harry Potter series
-Killing Yourself to Live
-Anything by David Sedaris
-The Master and Margarita

Music: alternative rock, jazz, indie, blues, and many more, just not country. Mutemath, Jimmy Eat World, Brand New, Death Cab for Cutie, Motion City Soundtrack, Alt-J, Two Door Cinema Club, the Postal Service, the Head and the Heart, Incubus, City and Colour, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Imagine Dragons, etc..

Movies:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Dark Knight, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Boondock Saints, Fight Club, Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, V for Vendetta, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc..

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Getting engaged in a crazy way in Salzburg, Austria, after a year of planning.
-Scuba diving in the gorgeous waters of Okinawa.
-Seeing a euro soccer game in Nuremberg, Germany.
-Working in a special needs orphanage in India (Sarah)

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to talk about anything and everything. Philosophy, Psychology, Sports, Religion, Politics, etc.. But nothing beats telling stories.

My wife and I can teach you many ridiculous card games and board games.

We also can teach you how to:
-Longboard
-Swing Dance
-Think about research/psychology
-Yoga
-My wife has an amazing voice (she wins competitions and such), so maybe she can teach you to sing?

What I Can Share with Hosts

We promise we can bring a good time and stimulating conversation to whoever hosts us. Also, we always try to buy our hosts a drink/bring a bottle of wine to thank them.

If you want to talk anything related to psychology, speech pathology, great stories, or even the unnecessarily-taboo topics of politics and religion, we are your people!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Cayman Islands, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Romania, Saint Lucia, Scotland, Swaziland, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, India, Japan, United States