about a burning fire...

In less than an hour I am leaving for New York. I am very excited and actually quite a bit nervous. I haven't seen Michelle in about two and a half months. Actually, at the moment the nervousness outweighs the excitement...I'm sure that will fade though. I will be in New York for one week with Michelle and probably won't post anything until after I am back at school. So, happy New Year all and thanks for reading this here blog, this last year has been amazing! I hope you feel a little in touch with me dear friends even though many of you I don't get to see half as much as I would like to. This blogging thing has turned out to be a great way to let many of you stay up to date with what I am up to. And to everyone I don't know who reads this I hope you get something out of it too. May God bless you this new year.
Auld Lang Syene,
-Kevin

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The last few days have been full of traveling around Michigan with (Kory and Kellie) and sledding almost every night. So far there has only been one injury sledding. Justin cut his knee really bad a few nights ago and actually had to get stitches. Other than that though we've been pretty safe. Last night was unofficially "80's Game Night" at Justin's house. I played Angie in "Thin Ice". I tried to play "Bed Bugs" too but it was broken. Christy and Kim played "Shoots and Ladders" and a Care Bear game. It was a good time. 5 days 'til New York City and Michelle!!!
I'm out,
-Kevin

Just found out TONS of stuff about the insane asylum we went to the other night. Here are most of the superstitions I found out about..."The hospital was closed down in 1994. The Traverse City State Hospital is in many ways considered haunted by locals. If you try to enter the hospital with religious material such as: Bibles, holy water flasks, or crosses, they are destroyed before entering the building. On the grounds of the hospital, you can see various ghosts. You can also hear the voices and screams below from the hallways of the psych wards. Sightings of little babies and old people walking inside on different floors and ghostly figures that chase the people that dare to even go inside. Sightings of disfigured creatures roam the basements and tunnels. On various occasions you will see lights on in the rooms of the patients, but no electricity is connected to them and the power has been inactive for years. The spirit of a priest that was reported to have committed suicide resides in the chapel. The Chapel is one of the only safe places on the premises, and it is the only place where religious material will not be tampered with. A rumor of a "Gate to Hell" is open somewhere near a tree with a lot of carvings in them. A warning to all that investigate this area: trespassers are not allowed. There is a security service that will escort you off the premises if you are found." Pretty crazy eh? Yup, that's where I went. Yup, we're dumb.
If you walk out on me I'm walking after you,
-Kevin

Have you ever missed someone so much that you couldn't even function normal? Like, missed someone so much you didn't even know what to do with yourself? Yup, got that going on right now.
Every word is nonsense but I understand it all,
-Kevin

So, the other night Kellie Banta, Mike and I were sitting in my room trying to think up an idea of something to do. I half-suggested we go to Traverse City (a three-hour drive) to see this old, abandoned insane asylum we've been thinking about going to see sometime. Kellie was up for it and after a while we talked Mike into the idea too. We packed up Kellie's car and were on our way by 2:00AM. Mike laid in the back and slept the whole way there and back. This was the first time I'd ever actually talked to Kellie for more than a couple of minutes and it actually was a lot of fun (which was good since it was just us talking for 6 hours in the car). We made our way to Traverse City and stopped at a couple cool places Kellie knows of along the way. We got to the insane asylum around 5:00AM. Check out http://www.savebuilding50.org/ for a good aerial shot of the place. About 1/10th of the place is now being renovated and is modernized with little shops and real estate agent offices. After walking around the building for a while I found a way into the old part that sits completely untouched by the outside, modern world. The building was erected over 100 years ago and other than the renovated part sits there in a very run-down, falling apart state. We slowly made our way in and I flicked on my lighter for light as it was pitch black inside. Much of the paint from the walls has chipped off with time and the place was a mess due to old age. There was some vintage furniture sitting to the left of me so I touched it soaking in the fact that I was in a place that is over 100 years old! It kind of put me in a bit of awe. I know it sounds dumb but it kind of felt like how I imagine archaeologists feel when entering an Egyptian tomb untouched for thousands of years. Not to mention that this place was SCARY as anything. I found out later that supposedly the place is haunted and that a patient killed some nurses a long time ago there. I wonder if that's why they shut it down. (Here’s another picture from inside http://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/gallery.php?gallery=tcsh&image=parlor.jpg ...keep in mind we went at 5:00AM when it was still completely dark outside so it was WAY scarier) I still have no idea why it was ever shut down. Weird. Anyway, after snooping around a bit we left so excited. It was such a cool adventure to go on. Hope all you other college kids out there are having as great of a break as I am!
You could slit my throat and in my one last gasping breath I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt,
-Kevin

After a few days of doing nothing but sleeping, watching movies and causing a ruckus every night with Kory, Nick, Melissa, Kelly and/or Mike I'm starting to wonder if there is more to life than not doing anything productive. Maybe there is something to getting up before noon, getting to bed before 4:00AM, and getting something accomplished in your day. Then again maybe not. Either way it's been a fun last few days. Two nights ago we boys had far too many bottle rockets and far too many evil ideas involving gasoline. It made for a fun night though! Last night around 3:00AM we got the idea to drive up to Traverse City to check out this old, abandoned insane asylum. We ended up not going though...maybe this weekend. Last night while driving in my car though (in Ada), Melissa and I spotted the weirdest thing ever in the sky. It was this blue, glowing orb that appeared about 400 feet above the ground then shot down about 250 feet only to disappear again. It was so weird. Only Melissa and I saw it though. Kory and Kelly didn't see anything but they were in the back of the car and it appeared over a field in front of the car. We still have no idea what it was. Pretty crazy. Ok, maybe I should go make something of my day. It's so sad, it's 3:30PM and I'm just now going to go get ready. It's so nice to not have classes or any responsibilities to worry about though...for now. If I lived life like this I would get severely depressed. But, it's nice for a while.
Look right through me, look right through me,
-Kevin

I am back in Michigan for Christmas break!!! Finals are over and school is done now! Woohoo! I did pretty decent on my finals. The last night in my room Chase, Jon and I ordered pizza since it would probablly be Chase's last night with us. We are most likely getting un-tripled over break. So Chase is leaving us. I'm pretty bummed about it. I like Chase a lot. Jon's pretty excited though and it will give us a lot more options on how we want to set up the room. Anyway, with studying for exams and all I haven't updated this thing in a crazy long time. So, sorry to you avid readers out there (mom and dad) ha. Last weekend I went home for Mike Morgan's c.d. release party at Jumpin' Java. Even though I had just been home the weekend before I had to be there for that. It's not everyday your best friend releases his first-ever c.d! And what a c.d. it is! 15 awesome tracks for only $10.00! Order now (while supplies last) by e-mailing michaelthomasmorgan@yahoo.com
O.k. that was my plug. Seriously though, it is really good. It's worth the $10.00 for sure. E-mail that address if you want a copy. Anyway, I am home for break and hopfully will be updating this more often. 16 days 'til NYC!!!
Sincerely,
-Kevin

Those who believe that they believe in God, but without passion in their hearts, without anguish in mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, without an element of despair even in their consolation, believe in the idea of God, not in God Himself." - Miguel de Unamuno

I arrived at the school about five minutes early. Eventually students began to trickle then pour out of the elementary school as the school day ended. I waited and didn't see him for a while. Then I watched this little bundled up boy saunter out the door and head towards the cars with his head down. This was him: Dakota. I stepped out of my car to wait for him to see me. Eventually he picked up his head then a smile crossed his face as I caught his eye. He then took off and ran toward me with his backpack wide open. Fortunately he didn't have any homework today so he didn't have any books in it to fall out. I asked him if he wanted to see a movie today and he responded with "At the THEATER?!" "At the theater." I assured him. He got so happy...his mom told me they never go to the theater so it was quite a treat for him. We made our way to the theater only to find it...closed. I could tell Dakota was really disappointed. I told him next time we would have to hang out at a different time so we could be sure to catch it when it's open. I frantically tried to think of something else we could do...I hadn't considered that the theater might be closed! We went to get gas at the gas station (mostly to buy me some time to think up something else to do). He wanted to learn how to pump gas, so I taught him. He asked about diesel gas, how big a gallon was, how many gallons were in a tank...he is always asking questions about everything. Sometimes to things I don't have any idea about. He has such a desire to learn, to understand. He is not at rest until he understands each answer completely. I could learn a lot from him. I want to have more of a thirst to know...things, just to always be learning. After the gas station I noticed a bowling alley while driving and asked if he wanted to go there. He said he'd only gone bowling once and was excited when I said we could go today. We went in and got our lane. His bowling ball was too heavy for him but I didn't see any others. I taught him how to bowl in a different way each frame. Nothing worked. He kept getting gutter balls and I felt bad for him. After a few frames we looked around more and were able to find in a back room some kids bowling balls. They were much lighter and so I was able to teach him the proper way to bowl. When he tried it by himself he had a very distorted way of how I had taught him but he threw it and it was going pretty straight for once. We both stared down the lane as one, two, three...all of the pins fell! He got a strike! He ran back to me so excited and I gave him a high five. The next frame he bowled with the same method and got ANOTHER strike!!! He was so excited about his little life! I gave him a high five and said "That was AWESOME! You are a wild man Dakota!" I watched as his already smiling face began to fill with real joy. He couldn't even look at me. His faced beamed and he looked down at his feet. As random as it may seem I realized even more right then how important a male figure is in a boy's life. His mom does an amazing job but there's something in a young boy that needs male approval. A guy to look up to. I can tell he seeks my approval already. When I give it to him it makes him feel like a man. After that moment he had a whole new confidence I've never seen in him. When it was my turn to bowl I went up and only got about half of the pins down. Dakota instructed me that I needed to get lower to the ground (something I had told him earlier) to knock them all down. He was the bowling pro now and he got home today with a new confidence...more of a man.
(Blame "Wild at Heart" for these thoughts and this entry),
-Kevin

Just added tons of new pictures under the pictures section. For those of you who don't know everyone I write about it can be nice to put a face with a name. Just go under The Pictures and click "Here ya go!".
Shalom,
-Kevin

So, I am back to school after a great break. People always say it but seriously: break flew by!!! Saturday night I realized I had to go back to school the next day and was shocked...I seriously thought I had a few days left! Break came and left so fast...but in a good way. It didn't fly by because I wasted my time; I think I spent it pretty wisely. It just flew by because I had such a good time. Tuesday I got home in the afternoon and was greeted by my awesome family and an amazing dinner my mom prepared. That night Christy and I wet to Barnes and Noble and hung out for a while. Later on we went and saw Elf. It was the second time I'd seen it and I still laughed like crazy. Wednesday I...uh...I don't really remember what I did during the day. That night I went to coffee with a bunch of friends I never get to see (shout out to Ben, Jason, Eric, and John). Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) was of course "turkey's night" (same as the night before Halloween is "devil's night"). So... after coffee I met up with Kory and Melissa and we pulled a prank or two. It was quite fun. Thursday my family had Thanksgiving lunch with my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents at my grandparents' house. It was so nice to be back with everyone (even amid all the "You should marry Michelle"s which I have now grown accustomed to anyway). It was soooo nice to be back with the family. They are seriously the raddest family EVER! After Thanksgiving Kory and I went and saw Gothika which was...incredible! The only complaint I had is that there are a couple of really cheesy lines. But other than that the movie is nearly flawless. I NEVER get scared in movies...but I did in this one. The name is so dumb though. It has nothing to do with the plot. Serious, if they would have named it something different it would have done a lot better at the box office. Anyway, Friday morning Melissa, Kory, Nick and I made the worst decision of our lives. We got up at 6:30AM to get in on the after-Thanksgiving shopping. We were at Wal-Greens by 7 to get in on a 2 DVD's for $5.00 deal. Yeah...those movies were ones with titles like Redline, Stickerman, The Cup, Records Don't Sing, Animal Shop...etc. To say it in simpler terms...NOTHING ANYONE HAS EVER HEARD OF! We were so upset. We got like three hours of sleep for that crap. Anyway....that night I went to Darcie and Rich's wedding rehearsal. I was the video guy for all things Darcie and Rich's wedding related. The rehearsal was fun. I got to see some friends I never get to see so that was way cool (shout out to Michelle F. and Krista). After the rehearsal I met up with Kory and Kelly Banta. We went and saw Gothika...again. Kory and I loved it so much we had to go back again. Saturday I got to hang out with Mike all day until the wedding. It was very awesome. I miss that kid. (For all you SLers and GHers Mike is having his c.d. release party Saturday, December 6th at Jumpin' Java...7:00PM-9:00PM...support your local emo kid and enjoy free music at the same time...buy the c.d. too, it is way rad, I got a sneak listen...word on the street is I might make an appearance there too...but, we'll see). After we hung I made my way early to the wedding and got all set up. The wedding went pretty well and the tape will be really good I think. After the wedding I filmed the reception at Porto Bello. The reception (as we all know) is the best part of the whole wedding thing. It's the same with filming. It's way more fun to film the reception than the wedding. I was able to get some cool shots and...oh wait, I'm sure no one will care about any of this film crap...except Steve, 'cause Steve is way rad! Anyway between my filming I was able to hang out a little bit and have fun. And that it was. It was so cool to get to hang out with so many friends I never get to see. I got to talk to Ben for a while, Mike for a little bit, Krista for the first time really in like 2 years, and man...it was just soooo cool! I have some of the best friends! After all the cutting of the cake, the kisses, the dinner etc. we got to dance. Now, I'm not really the dancing type...at all. But Mike and I have been known to do a swing move here and there from time to time. When some good swing music hit our ears we made our way out to the dance floor fingers snapping the whole way. I swear we get better at swing dancing every time we do it. This time people watched us and most cheered haha. It was a lot of fun. Then a slow song came on and Courtney grabbed me. I've never slow danced with someone who I was not dating so it was a little awkward...but not bad. After the song my friends made me stay out and dance with them...well, I'm not sure you can call what I do dancing but, I just kinda bob my head and act goofy. It usually works. Michelle F. and I just acted dumb the whole time. It was quite fun. Then Kim grabbed me on the next slow song and I danced with her. I think I'm getting better at this whole dance thing. But, don't expect to see me at any clubs...ever. After the reception a bunch of us went over to Christy's bother's house. She was dog-sitting this weekend for him. It was such a good time for just hanging out and having fun. Enough so that it made Courtney want to cry. She misses us a lot she told me later. So much so that she's seriously thinking about transferring to IWU...even though I'm the only one of us that goes here ha. But yeah, it was a good time. Sunday I was able to be a part of Watermark's morning gathering. It was good to be back. Any church that plays VanHalen songs at their gatherings is pretty cool in my book. Anyway...my break was soooooo good. I can't wait to go back home for Christmas. Only one week and a few days!!! But for now...it is back to school work, and for right now it is off to bed.
Keep it real,
-Kevin