I first attended KISSM in 2004 as a 14 year old taking the guitar program with Mike Turner and Tina Hebner. The experience opened my eyes to a whole new world of musical possibilities and a new love; my future wife Amanda. She had been attending KISSM for a few years already as a singer and a member of the musical theatre troupe (I believe she played Jasmin in Aladdin). We got to know each other at KISSM and within a few months we were playing as a duo at coffee shops around town. By KISSM 2005 she just couldn't avoid my charm and wit any longer (*wink*) and we were a KISSM couple for our final few summers. We have since started our careers here in Kamloops and started a family with our first-born, Norah, turning four this year and number two on the way in August. My connections with KISSM and the Kamloops Music Collective did not end there as I returned a few years after my graduation to teach the guitar ensemble for two years and I am now a member of the KMC board. Like so many before me and many who will come after, KISSM has given me an education in music but, even more importantly, it has helped to shape my life. Mike McDonald