CURRENT MISSION

Never regret anything

ABOUT ME

I believe in nonviolence because my parents taught me from a young age that hitting, pushing and bullying are not the way to solve your problems so why should it be any different when we grow up? I am mostly vegetarian not because I care about animals but because I care about people and how in most of the world, meat is a luxury. I do it kind of like a fast so that I remember those who go without and my exception is I won't refuse food if someone has made it specially for me because that is rude. I don't drink alcohol partially because I don't like the taste of most of it but also because I work with high schoolers and they deserve to have an example in their life that says that you never have to drink. However, I know most people will and honestly I will tell them to just be smart about it but I figured if I can be an example to one young person then I have made some sort of difference.

Ok besides all those heavy thoughts I just shared I am not a pushy person who tells others they should live like me. I am mostly carefree and laid back and I like to think I'm funny. I love to try new things and meet new people because I hate to be stuck in a rut feeling like nothing is exciting or new in my life.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe that the biggest problem in our world is that we don't know each other. With my work I help young people to meet marginalized people and get to know them because I have seen how transformative it is when you make friends with a homeless man, a refugee or an addict because then those groups of people have a face and a name and a story. You can never dehumanize that group again because you know a human who is that... So to take that further, what would the world look like if we sent people to Iraq to meet the people who live there and have them meet us so that we don't have to kill each other senselessly. Anyways I guess to answer the question I just believe that we all have something to learn from and to teach to each other so we must be present to every moment and every person we meet.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

The small intentional community that I live in and I have hosted lots of CouchSurfers since I moved in because my two community members are on this site and so I wanted to make it official so I can understand the greatness of it all and take advantage of the opportunity to be welcomed by others if I travel.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My favorite road trips are the ones where I get to go visit friends in random places of the country and they get to show me around and tell me all the greatest parts of their city. There is nothing like seeing a new place through the eyes of a friend who knows and takes pride in their city. I look forward to getting to experience many cities through the eyes of strangers who will become friends.

I also love to show people around my town because I really do take pride in Louisville. More than that though, my mom and dad always showed hospitality to everyone who came to our home by serving them during the first visit and then telling them that our home is theirs and that means you eat or drink whatever you find but you get it yourself because that to me feels more hospitable than being served all the time.

Interests

Well this is probably going to be long because every once in a while I'll get really into something and become ok at it and usually these are pretty weird interests. I am an ok juggler. I make sculptures out of used aluminum foil, mostly I make people doing activities but occasionally I get a little crazy and make some animals or other things. I can spin flat things on my finger, the coolest thing I ever spun was an empty kiddie pool. I am a supporter of all beards. I love to play any sort of frisbee game or sport. I own a ping pong table and I'm ok at it. I can do some yo-yo tricks. I really like to climb trees and spend time outside as much as possible. I am a real A-Team fan the tv show and the movie. I love to ride my bicycle. I also really love to drive. Along with driving I like to do as much as I can to fix things on my own including working on my car or other things around the house. I have built decks, sheds, and ramps along with redoing roofs and siding and I just love to work with my hands because I did a year of service doing home repair in West Virginia. I have made 3 porch swings and a 4th is on the way for the front porch. I would just describe myself as quirky I guess.

• animals
• beauty
• dining
• vegetarian
• drinking
• tv
• traveling
• billiards
• juggling
• sports
• table tennis
• road trips

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: I'm really into making fun of bad horror movies especially Zombie Movies. I really like the Resident Evil Series of movies even though they are going downhill. I love a movie with a great story like Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, or Big Fish. I don't watch a lot of movies but I will eventually see all the big pop culture movies I'm just a little behind usually.

Music: I love classic rock music and I enjoy rock music today. I also listen to Christian music occasionally. Really I can handle anything except rap and most country.

Books: I don't read a ton but I really like Shane Claiborne and his two books, "The Irresistible Revolution" and "Jesus For President". I find Stephen Colbert very amusing so I like his book "I am America and So Can You".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most beautiful place I've ever been as far as physical beauty was Mackinaw Island and the Lake was simply striking how blue and clear it was.

The most amazing experience I have ever had was the year and three months I spent in West Virginia living in Intentional community with other staff members and welcoming 40 volunteers in half the weeks of the year to do home repair and learn to live simply. I learned all about hospitality and how to be present to people and how to find God in all things. I also loved living in community so when I got back to Louisville that is what I searched for and now I have found it. I learned to do so much including how to build a deck and a shed, and how to repair a roof and siding. I also got to demo a whole house with volunteers. In fact our motto was Expect a Miracle and through a random coincidence of a bunch of snow that got insulated underneath a pile of garbage we got to have a snowball fight on a 90 degree day. Now that is truly a miracle!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm kinda quirky and I like to do things like play ping pong in our dining room, juggle, spin flat things on my finger, and make aluminum foil sculptures so if you are interested in those things I could show you a few things.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Germany, Puerto Rico, Spain, United States, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States