I'm flying and I don't want to ever come down

(Yes, I know my title has a split infinitive)

Let me just say that the Jeremy Camp concert was absolutely amazing. And yes, that's going to be the main topic of this post, but we'll try to focus more on its effects on me, of which there were a couple important ones.

First of all, I was involved with concert stuff starting Tuesday night, when we had to set everything us in Jeschke so that Jeremy could practice on Wednesday. We were the first stop of the tour, so we got to keep them for a while. Anyway, I met the stage crew that night, and they remembered me when we were setting everything up in Stewie on Thursday morning. They were awesome guys, and I hope they get good volunteer help at the rest of their venues.

After I got back from honors seminar (which was the only class I attended Thursday) we were still arranging everything in the gym. Once the stage was set, Whipps kept finding random little jobs for all of us to do. I ended up straightening all of the folding chairs in the gym. Oddly enough, I enjoyed that job. It was nice just having something simple and orderly to do. (Yes, I realize it sounds bizarre, but I still think being a librarian might be fun, so I'm allowed to be anal.)

During the soundcheck I decided that Bethany Dillon reminds me of Audrey in the way that she plays and sings. Because Audrey is just cool like that.

It was amazing how normal all of the band members are. I mean, we hung out all afternoon/evening and they just hung around and chatted with us like normal people. Kutless last year, and BarlowGirl both times they were here just kind of ignored us and hid in the corner. But Jeremy and the guys, they were all about having fun.

During the concert I worked my way around the stage trying to get the perfect pictures of everyone, and I actually spent the first bit of the show sitting on the floor at Jeremy's feet. About halfway through the set my camera battery died. I was rather upset at first, since I had told Joey (the violinist) that I would take pictures for him. Really, though, I think I enjoyed the end of the concert even more without watching it through a lens. I was standing nearly backstage, though I guess Dianna's mom could see me because she told me later that it looked like I was "enchanted" by the violin. And not just the sound--she could tell I was watching Joey's fingers intently. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a music nerd, so I don't mind owning up to that fact. Afterwards Joey was wonderful enough to let me play the woundrous 7-string electric violin, and I was amazed at how it could feel both strange and familiar at the same time.

Here is where the narration will end. We got everything loaded out in a reasonable ammount of time, and I got to hang with the guys some more, but it took until a few days later for the full impact of that night to sink in. While I was watching Joey onstage, God planted a dream in me. I want to do what Joey was doing. I want to play with a rockin' band that praises God. I want to honor God with the gifts and talents He has given me, and be a blessing to others at the same time. And this isn't just some pie in the sky. I've played my violin more in the past two days than I had in the past two weeks. And Audrey has been talking for a while now about us working together to play a gig at the Firehouse. And from there, who knows...

Anyways, I think I'll end this post with the words of our pal Bethany Dillon:
"I am a dreamer, take me higher. Open the sky up. Start a fire. I believe even if it's just a dream"

-Kim