CURRENT MISSION

To live freely

ABOUT ME

I have joined this site to keep my passion for traveling alive as I begin to reach my mid-twenties (and thus with it, "adult" responsibilities). On any given weekend you can catch me downtown, at a coffee shop, hiking, listening to blue grass, traveling to a concert, watching a movie with good friends, cooking, reading planning related literature that doesn't relate to my masters (procrastinating from my real work), jogging, playing tennis, camping, impulsively visiting some nearby city, browsing the card aisle for a "just because" to send to my best friends, going to church, playing with kids or babysitting, at the barn (not as much these days), driving through mountain roads by myself, listening to my ipod, snow skiing, drinking beer at a brewery, dancing (swing, salsa, shagging or whatever else feels right), and people watching.. among other things.

I'm a grad student at Virginia Tech... loving learning about urban planning and economic development. I have a passion for disadvantaged areas and hope to find creative ways to reduce poverty and create jobs. I'm also a huge advocate of small and local businesses. International development has always been an interest of mine and I hope to eventually dabble in short term projects overseas.

PHILOSOPHY

"The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me." -Donald Miller

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I like to to meet couch surfers and hear their stories. Right now I'm not able to host people, but I should be able to do so again one day.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've only couch surfed one time in Portland, but I hope to do some international traveling this summer. Again, really don't mind people contacting me on their way through Blacksburg.

Interests

From what hasn't been already mentioned above... football (college mostly), basketball, indie-rock/folk/beach music (anything that will put me in a good mood), economic and international development, Donald Miller books, good conversations, biking, small towns, big cities, accents, kind people, children, politics (though I am very moderate), sketching, randomness, stand-up comedy, stuff like that

• books
• literature
• sketching
• concerts
• dancing
• education
• cooking
• beer
• coffee
• drinking
• shopping
• politics
• technology
• reading
• traveling
• music
• opera
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• basketball
• soccer
• tennis
• teaching
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

All books by CS Lewis, Donald Miller and Anne Lamott, What's so Amazing about Grace?; Life of Pi; Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs; The Alchemist; Guns, Germs and Steel

Bluegrass!, The Weepies, James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Punch Brothers, Jason Myles Goss, David Wilcox, Frou Frou, The Cranberries, Ben Folds, Wilco, Michael Buble, Virginia Coalition, Jason Mraz, Indigo Girls, Josh Rouse, Jimmy Buffett, Amos Lee, Josh Garrels, Damien Rice, Rilo Kiley, Postal Service/ Death Cab for Cutie, The Kootz, Tom Conlon, Eagles, Rascal Flatts, Norah Jones, David Gray, Newcomers Home, Mute Math, Nickel Creek, Jack Johnson, Trees on Fire, Simon and Garfunkel, Patty Griffin, David Crowder Band, NeedToBreathe, Folk and Beach music... and anything else I can dance to.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The Sydney Opera House is truly an amazing architectural structure. I also found Lucerne, Switzerland breathtaking.

Teach, Learn, Share

Little kids have taught me much more than almost 20 years of formal education.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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