I am a lover of people above all things human- my family, my friends, my girlfriend, even strangers sometimes. I love the connection of a conversation, strung together with the intricacy of words and the eloquence of every word's meaning. Some of my greatest values are equality, service, and respect for every human. Beyond humanity my greatest love lies in my relationship with God, with Christ, with trying my best to know Him and His teachings, and how I can better follow Him daily. Faith is something I love to talk about but is also something I understand can be drastically different for others. As you can probably tell, I am a lover of philosophy "Friend of Wisdom," which is why my most favorite craft is to write/read... They're so intertwined. Writing is my favorite tangible activity. To lighten myself up, I am enticed and enthralled by nature (super enjoy backpacking, hiking, running, camping, swimming, go crazy over national/state parks), am enlightened and relieved by books (huge book worm and try to read as much as possible), enjoy good foods from all over the world, find joy in travel and learning as much as I can, totally dig movies and of course love music, and so much more.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm couchsurfing because like I said in my 'About Me,' I truly enjoy the exchange of another human over conversation, food, maybe wine and beer, entertainment, life. My girlfriend reminds me often that I make friends with lots of strangers. Jokingly we call them my "stranger friends." I also dig Couchsurfing, no lie, because it's a super affordable way to travel and see and experience things I wouldn't see on a day-to-day basis. It's a beautiful blend of give and take. Now that I am a member, I also look forward to hosting guests at my new place.

Interests

Writing (poetry, memoir, novel; would love to talk to you about your writing too!), Books of all kinds (I don't stick to one genre well), Faith and Religion and Jesus, History/Museums/Documentaries (am the guy who must read every bit of info at a museum), Art (Ohhh, yes!), Learning, Languages, Food, Dogs, Running, Backpacking/Hiking/Being in Nature, Laughter, My friends and Family, Travel, More Books, Wine and Beer, People and myself being Free, Politics with integrity/civic engagement, Sunshine & California, Cooking, and buttons.

• dogs
• arts
• writing
• books
• poetry
• documentaries
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• running
• politics
• movies
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• bungee jumping
• swimming
• history
• languages
• religion
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Coldplay (fan to the end), Ben Howard, Noah and the Whale, Matt and Kim, Kodaline, Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons, Led Zepplin, Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, to name a few. I love classical music too. For just fun I like The Black-Eyed Peas, some of Taylor Swift. Did I just admit that on CS?

Movies: The Butler, Forrest Gump, Cinderella Man, It's a Wonderful Life, The Life of Pi, Good Will Hunting, A River Runs Through It, Legend of the Falls, Happy Gilmore, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Dumbo & Jurassic World! For TV I adore the show, "Parenthood"

Books: Oh my gosh, I hardly know where to begin. For classics, I love "The Grapes of Wrath (I'm obsessed)," "The Great Gatsby," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Old Man and the Sea," "The Sun Also Rises," huge Hemingway junkie. Big 1920s American Literature/Jazz writers fan. For religious texts: The Bible; love Isaiah, Nehemiah, Proverbs and The Gospel of Matthew in particular. I really enjoy C.S. Lewis as well: "The Screwtape Letters," "Mere Christianity." Memoir is also one of my favorite genres, particularly Angelou's "I know why the caged bird sings," and "All of God's Children Need Traveling Shoes." Other noteworthy books to me: "The River Runs Through it." anything by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Rumi, Hafiz, Elizabeth Alexander, Sylvia Plath, and so many more. Like I said, I don't stick to one genre well at all!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I bungee jumped off of a bridge by Victoria Falls in Zambia and felt complete ecstasy and powerlessness.

Teach, Learn, Share

Don't give advice to someone when they don't want it or clearly aren't in a place to hear what you have to say.

Try not to glaze over someone's pain because it's an inconvenience to your happiness or awkward to you (Although we're all guilty of this.)

Judge lest you be judged.

Love conquers all things.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Myself: my Perspectives on the World based on my experiences, my Joy, my Laugh, my Mind, maybe a little gift, my Talents, my Humor, my Light.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, England, France, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Africa