BVH

Ben Van Handel is one of my bestest guy friends in the whole wide world. I can't imagine my life without him in it. He's the one I could always count on to lend an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, or a friend to grab a drink with on a Friday night. He is always always always there for me...and I wish with all my heart that I could be there with him right now. BV was in a terrible hit-and-run accident walking home from the bars in Dinkytown on April 15, 2011. He is in critical condition at HCMC in Minneapolis, MN.... all we can do is pray and wait. Pray and wait and hope. Hope for the best, Hope for the future, Hope our BV comes back to us,  Hope my BV comes back to me. I need this kid to pull thru, I don't know what I'll do without him. We discussed summer plans just last weekend via text and we still have to have to do them!! I won't let him back down from this. He's too strong, too kind, too honest to go like this. I know he's gonna make it, he has a long road ahead of him but with the love and support of all his family and friends he can do it.
I can't stop thinking about all the memories, all the things that we've told each other, all the things we discussed for the future. I never want BV or I to forget these things so by golly I'm gonna blog em all ...as I think of em I'll be bloggin em. BV, bud, this is for you. So when you're awake and all better one day we can sit and laugh and reminsce all our shenanigans, "epic" adventures, everything. 
I miss you bud and can't wait to give you a big ole hug the next time I see you. Get better reallll soon k, I'll be seein you as soon as I can.

Memoriessss (not in any particular order)
~Texting each other all day in the summer just to get each other thru work/interning. Couldn't have made it some of those days without ya.
~Hurrying to get done with work so we could beach it up at Calhoun!
~Going on a walk to the St Anthony Bridge and the beautiful waterfall
~star gazing at Apple River and Waterama and the cute little book you bought me for my bday :)
~listening to me cry about my puppydog Carmel passing away for about 2 hours
~Zombifying you with my master eyeshadow skills!!
~Shotgunning ....okay you got whupped me every time
~Apple River- playin Cribbbage, swimming in the pool, roastin hot dogs on the fire, setting up our tent only to get it blown away by the huge thunderstorm, running to my car and having to sleep in it for the night!, 1st apple river run sleeping on the ground outside cuz it was so dang hot, star gazing, listening to Cravis rap Eminem, listening to Cravis continually set off Jordan's car alarm, listenin to Cravis barking.
~Waterama- you were my sidekick Ipod controller, loved listening to you sing to almost every song even the Katy Perry ones ;), our detour to St Cloud, me having a laughing spaz on the way there, getting completely soaked that first night, walking home with me allllll the way back to Kollmans under the full moon, jammin to tunes in Kollmans car, air mattressin it up, dancing and drinkin in the water by the boats, watching fireworks, CRAIG DAVID, you losing your phone under my car seat on the way home and me driving it allll the way back to your house for you!
~Charlie St Cloud, Despicable Me, & Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
~Watching the fireworks on 4th of July in Mpls
~Legend's wings and tall boys
~The countless nights we went out in Dinkytown, pregaming at your place, "borrowing" beers from you, Kelc and I always gettin ready in your room, you asking advice for which glasses or shirt you should wear
~Motion City Soundtrack concert
~Halloween: I was Rainbow Brite and a Minion with Kelci, you were Kurt Cobain and a 70s weatherman? Correct me on the last one. Moustache party!
~your blue shirt!!
~Fishbowls on my bday at Preston's...yeah we know how that one ended
~Watching Jersey Shore & The Real World every week
~You me and Kelc were basicallly the 3 amigos this summer....if nothing else it was always us 3 ready to go out in Uptown on the wknds!! All the time we went to Lake Calhoun to get our tan on.
~Oktoberfest: road trippin to La Crosse in Kelci's car, chili at Kelc's moms, shot gunning (of course) outside my car, dancin at that one bar with all the crazy shots, peanuts, gettin pizza with me, walking back, Hot tubbing ooh lala, More pizza, me and you fighting (per uszh like brother and sister)
~our fights about me moving to Oklahoma :(
~IKEA run
~goin to Kelc's gma's, grillin out, sittin poolside
~the 98234750928643 times you've spilt on a white tee. Standard.
~Last party at the 616
~Twins games
~Taco night at the 616 and watchin the Real World
~Brushing our teeth and taking out our contacts
~Taking care of me on my 23rd birthday. Letting me puke on your living room floor and crash on your Mini-couch in your room, then giving me a ride to my car in the morning!
~Getting lost on the way to Uptown bars because we were so deep in convo...completely lost the rest of our friends. I stopped and was like "uhhh BV where's our friends?" Told you to call them ...response "Soooo I dropped my phone in the toilet right before we left, its soaking in rice currently" Awesome! Nobody answers their phones when I call em. Figures. Anyway after we argued about where we were, how we got lost etc. I started to complain about my high heels and blisters forming...BV being the sweetheart he is demanded I take off my heels and wear his moccasin slippers home. So there I was with these monster moccasins and BV in his white socks carrying my heels :( What a friend.
~Going out in Bloomington with JT and his friend. Me spilling the drink as I tried to give you a hug for buying it for me...fail. Dancing with that old guy on teh dance floor and you just laughing at me ... U driving my car home DD and crashing on my "short" couch which is not made for a 6'1" guy you informed me the next morning. Going thru countless fb photo albums while I was drunk...you just sat and listened, nodding along pretending to be interested :)
~Walking me home and letting me bawl on your white shirt...mascara stains and all. U didn't ask any questions just let me cry. The next day you told me you sincerely hope I figured out everything because it broke your heart to see me so sad :(
~Sonic the hedgehog on Your sega!
~Since I was allergic to everything and you had zero food anyway, the only thing you could come up with to make me was a strawberry jelly sandwich with WHITE bread. I remember telling you it was like a sin for me to be eating white bread but i was so hungry I didn't care!
~You saving all the expired Hummus from the Gopher Spot for me :)
~Me leaving bobby pins at your house from all the sleepovers. You always had a little pile on your desk just in case I needed one when I was over.
~Watching the fireworks at the St Anthony Bridge over the Mississippi River. Everytime one of the squiggly ones went off you would look at me to see my reaction because you knew they were my favorite
~Dancing at Sneaky Pete's on Zombie Pub Crawl night
~Taking Kelci's car to the movies, rolling down the window and it almost falling out on 494 LOL...you were so nervous driving it was so cute
~Legend's!! aww all the memories there... wings, tall boys, playing darts, just being silly and telling dumb stories.
~somehow we always ended up walkiing next to each other on the way to and from the 616 to Legend's
~Sweating buckets in your house at 12th and 5th
~Watching the storm from your porch at 12th and 5th
~Playing bags, bpong, flip cup all summer
~Grillin out at the 616
~sitting next to you during Inception
~Icee's at the movies
~Acme Comedy Club...you and I were the only ones who got drinks (of course) and just laughing our butts off all night! Nick Swardson and all.
~All the nights you made sure I texted you/called you when I got home. Just always thinking of everyone else and making sure they were safe and sound.
more to come...