I'm a former high school math and personal finance teacher of 15 years that transitioned to a career in real estate in 2021. I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and moved to the high desert of Palmdale, California in 2007 before landing in the Colorado Springs area in 2013. I married my beautiful wife Aleta in 2015. Together we have three kids: Naomi (born in 2016), Jacob (born in 2018), and Zekey (born in 2021). I look forward to continuing meet new people, experiencing new places and cultures with my family, and living life to its fullest!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've met some wonderful people through Couchsurfing, both through hosting and through stays, and I hope to be able to continue to do so moving forward. I'm hoping to utilize Couchsurfing for many of my family's future travels because I've found it's almost always a better experience traveling when you connect with local members of the community.

My past experiences with Couchsurfing have been extremely positive. I've hosted people from as far away as Washington and Belgium and hope to host more folks in the future. I also love meeting new people and hope to allow my kids to experience many different cultures more authentically through connecting with people on Couchsurfing.

Interests

I love sports, backpacking, outdoor activities, CrossFit, traveling, math, watching movies, hanging out with friends, spending time with my family, learning more about other places/cultures, and seeking knowledge and truth.

• crossfit
• movies
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• sports
• teaching
• mathematics
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: NeedToBreathe, Linkin Park, One Republic, Red, Coldplay, Skillet, Imagine Dragons, TobyMac

Movies: The Matrix, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Incredibles, Into the Wild, 127 Hours

Books: The Catcher in the Rye, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, The Case for Christ, A Walk in the Woods, Born to Run, Atomic Habits, The Bible, The Chronicles of Narnia

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail (Georgia to Maine) in 2005 in about 3 months, covering about 2,200 miles on foot in the process. It was easily the most amazing experience of my life up to that point. I later completed a hike of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail (Mexico to Canada) in sections from June 2006 to September 2012 and completed a thru-hike of the 485-mile Colorado Trail in 2013, which convinced me with certainty that I wanted to move to Colorado. What a wonderful set of trails!

Teach, Learn, Share

I have a wealth of backpacking experience... over 5,000 miles of hiking logged!- I would love to continue to learn more about other cultures around the world and become more of a world traveler myself while also showing my wife and kids more of the world!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I've been told that I have a positive, warm, friendly attitude and calm demeanor. Everyone but myself in my family eats gluten-free, and we are happy to share some great ways to eat gluten-free with hosts. We also prefer and enjoy eating organic, whole-food diets when we can.

I have solid knowledge in the realms of math, personal finance, real estate, and lightweight backpacking, and my wife is very knowledgable in the realms of martial arts (she has a 5th degree black belt), occupational therapy, and pelvic floor therapy. My wife currently owns her own pelvic floor private practice called Mountain Mama Pelvic Health, and I am a licensed realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate - Kenney and Company in the Colorado Springs area.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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