Throughout my life I’ve befriended but a few people. However I don’t regret this because the people I have become friends with have enriched my life in so many ways… the following are pictures of people I would call friends in no particular order…

Left to right: Me, Emily, Tony.

Both of these people have been there for me when I needed a friend

or just someone to talk to, their friendship means the world to me.

Tony is one of the original five that came to UMR after graduation.

He now goes to school at Truman State with Emily.

This is John. He is also one of the five that came to UMR after

Graduating from Marshfield High School in ’99. He is pursuing a

Degree in some sort of biological science field. John carries

himself well and has always been willing to lend a hand whenever

I’ve needed it, for that I am thankful.

This is Mark. He is another of the five that came to UMR after graduation.

He has currently withdrawn from the university and moved to Kansas City.

After a semester off school he intends on going back to pursue a degree in

teaching. Mark’s an all around good guy, he’ll get you into a mild amount of

trouble though if you don’t watch it. If you look to the left of the picture

you can see my first original piece of art, a painting entitled blue horizon.

This pic was taken just before Mark left Rolla.

This is Gabe. He is the last of the five that came to UMR. This guy has

a bright mind and at times it seems unfair that I was not blessed with

one. I can remember many sleepless nights in high school struggling through

Mr. Cantrell’s physics class, which was arguably the hardest course taught

at MHS. We made it through though. Gabe recently decided to take some time

off school from UMR at this time I’m not sure what his current plans are.

From here on down these are people I’ve come to call friends and of whom I’ve met via the internet. Now some people may frown or look down at it. However one fact stands. Talking to someone through a computer is still communicating a person’s ideas and expressing their opinions. Sometimes more so than in person because the internet offers such a great safety net. You don’t have to be worried about what the person may think of you or how they may judge you. That safety breeds confidence which allows people to put down their guards and share who they really are under their facades, at that moment when the soul is exposed it’s possible to make a deep connection with another, and thus easier to make true friends.

This is Matt and Danielle. They live here in Rolla. Our meeting was completely by chance really.

I was looking at the members page of g-body.org looking for people in Missouri who shared my

Interest in GMs g-body chassis when I found Matt’s name and he happened to be from Rolla. A few

Weeks later I met him at the local WalMart and the rest is history as they say. He’s a good guy

Works hard for his family. Danielle is alright too I guess, she’s a bit mouthy from time to time But she’s a

good cook and that’s one of the best friends a broke college student could have. They’ve got two great kids who

are a blast to be around, as well as the rest of their extended family who are quite interesting as well. To sum

it up, they’re good people. They’ve done a lot for me, from helping me find a house, to helping me find a job,

and on top of all that they feed me quite often ;-)

This is Jen. She lives in Indiana and I don’t get to see her that often at all.

We don’t get to talk as we used to and don’t seem as close as we once did, however

this girl has made a difference in my life and I’m so glad that I was given a

chance to know her. She has a lot to offer this world. She is somewhat of an artist,

a real talent. I hope that all of her dreams are realized and that someday that

she gets back all that she’s put into life.

Left to right: Rhonda, Sam. I have only met Sam but a few times, but she’s

A cool lady as far as I can tell. Rhonda is fun and is always sure to put a smile on

Your face. The last I heard she was going to transfer to UMR after she gets her

Associate’s degree from a local community college. It’s impressive to see someone

With that much drive and determination to continue and further her education.

She is fun to be around, light hearted and generally she always has a

smile on her face. See all that stuff they’re carrying? They went trick-or-treating

in my dorm and that’s what they got from the guys in my dorm. Cute huh?

This is Shonda. Sorry that the picture is so blurry but it was the best one I

could find. Anyway Shonda goes to school at MU. Hung out a lot more last semester.

Things got kinda confusing in our relationship and I almost lost a friend because

of it. I’m glad though that we can still call each other friends because it means

that our friendship was strong enough to endure. I don’t get to see her much

anymore. She’s cool and fun to hang out with, I went with her to get her tattoo,

it was a first for both of us.

This is Kristi. She lives in Alaska, and is going to school there. This picture was

taken at Devil’s Marbles in Australia. Kristi and I were an item for a year and a half

or better, a year of which was spent with her as a foreign exchange student in Aussie

Land. I am thankful for her, we helped each other grow a lot. When we broke up there

was the usual tension, now though things seem to have settled down. I only get to talk

to her on the puter every so often, but I still consider her a friend and someone

who has had a considerable impact on my life.

This is Whitney. I met her through another friend, Misty, of whom I have no

picture. Whitney is currently in the process of moving back to the Branson area

to finish school. I only get to talk to her on the puter but she is quick witted

and fun to chat with. She seems to be a good all around person and someone to

talk to if I ever need an ear.

Misty was born in the same small dinky town in north western Oklahoma that I was born in. She grew up and was raised about 30 miles from the town I lived in until I was six. Well the weird coincidence set up what has become a good friendship, I’m sure we get frustrated with one another. But more often than not if we each stop and look at what the other is saying we realize that they are only trying to help.

This is Cassie. I met her on a road trip once with my roomate. We had talked before online

Then one weekend Tony and I had nothing better to do so we drove around Missouri and ended

Up in Kansas. Her mom was cool enough to let us crash there. They’re good people. We were

An item for a time but things went their separate ways as they tend to do. We’re to the point

Now where we talk online occationally and arent too bitter about the breakup.

This is Tasha. She goes to school in Springfield near where I spent most

of my life. She’s from Maine and as far as I know planning to complete her education

here in Missouri. I only get a chance to talk to her on occasion, however she

is always honest and forthright. She is an excellent person to turn to with

woman problems… prolly cause she is one, ya reckon?

This Amy. This picture was taken on my trip to Chicago, she is standing in

front of the Chicago River. Amy and I were together for almost nine months.

It seemed as though our paths crossed and for a time we were headed in the same

Direction, then apparently they began to head off in tangent. We became more and

More distant and this made it harder and harder to “feel” what was going on in our

Relationship. Right now we’re not talking, it hurts but I know that as long as we

Each make sure to keep God’s Light shining on our path and His hand in our lives

To guide us we cannot make a mistake. And for a time at least He has saw fit to let

us walk together. For that I am truly thankful.

If there are any other people who see this and think I’ve forgotten them, I haven’t… I just didn’t have a picture of you to post. If you want me to put you on this page just email me a pic at kgrant@umr.edu and I’ll get right on it : )