Hey there! I'm Sam. I’m a laid back California beach bum with an passion for adventure, good wine, open conversations, and friendships. I've fought bears in the Sierra Nevadas, did a photoshoot during a -25ºF Chicago winter, walked/hitchhiked from Monterey to Davis, CA, set a world-record (or at least I feel like I did) climb to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite, and am married to the dreamiest woman on the planet 🙌

Meeting new people and hearing their stories is the coolest thing you can do in life. I look forward to hearing yours!

Great Quote: "If it scares you and won't hurt you, then it's probably something worth doing."

My amazing wife, Caroline, and I are working on our hosting skills! Between church, work, and seminary, our schedules can be a little bit tight, but please drop us a line and let's see if we can make something happen! We love hosting anyone and everyone in our home!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Getting to meet new people, hear their stories, and experience life in their home is something that is few and far in-between in our technologically loaded, private worlds. I love the opportunity that couchsurfing provides in that it allows for genuine community and relationship building.

Addendum: Since joining CouchSurfing years ago, I've had the TREMENDOUS privilege of meeting many and hosting some of the coolest people on the planet. I've easily quadrupled my appreciation for this amazing community, and look forward to ways that I can continue to play a role in making the world a better place—one person, meal, and bed at a time 🙌

Interests

• design
• photography
• wine
• beer
• exercise
• reading
• hiking
• road trips
• beaches
• travel
• friends
• sushi
• california
• the ocean
• good conversation
• late nights
• entrepeneurship

Music, Movies, and Books

There are WAY TOO MANY to list, but here's a tiny sample of some things I love:

Books: The Bible. City of Thieves. The Alchemist. How to Win Friends and Influence People. LOTR. The Godfather.

Movies: [anything Christopher Nolan]. [anything Wes Anderson]. Kingdom of Heaven. The Replacements. The Godfather. The Matrix trilogy. Princess Bride. When Harry Met Sally. Elf.

Music: [singer-songwriter]. [reggae]. [chill instrumental]. Jack Johnson. Bob Marley. The Civil Wars. Dispatch. Branches.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Fought off a ravenous bear using a chair and a brick. No joke.

Teach, Learn, Share

I’m a pastor at a local Christian church in Monterey, so that’ll immediately tell you a little bit about me, lol! I truly enjoy having deep, respectful, and open-minded conversations with everyone from every walk of life. Even if we don’t see eye-to-eye, I believe we can always learn from one another.

My wife’s a Physical Therapist, so she’s wicked smart and can fix any ailment 😂

We’re also ocean freaks (surf, scuba, sail, science), know a good bit about wine, and when it comes to storytelling, marketing, or anything communication related, I can talk your ear off, lol.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Great stories and respectful, open conversations.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Israel, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States