This was timely and really spoke to me…

(More background on Logan here)

Filed under: Personal
8 Comments

The last two weeks have probably been the longest of my life… I’m not sure how Brendan is able to write so much, because I am mostly at a loss for words. So, I figured I would just post some photos from the last couple of weeks along with a few comments. It’s been an emotional couple of weeks — filled with a lot of tears and sorrow, with occasional laughter and smiles…

This is my cousin Kendall and his girlfriend Kelsey (”Kelsey-Y” as she is called, because he also has a sister named “Kelsie” or “Kelsie-I”). Kendall hadn’t been to Mamoo’s (in Ruston, LA) for Thanksgiving for about four years. In fact, it had been so long since I had seem him that I thought I recognized him, but when I walked into the shed and saw him and Kelsey sitting in there I wasn’t quite sure…

So, I said, “I’m not sure if I know you…”

He jumped up to shake my hand and said in his thick country drawl, “Well, I’m Kendall Spivey!”

“Holy %$@! you are!”, I believe was my response. LOL

Unbelievably, this was the last time I would see him, as he was killed in a plane crash less than a week later.

I’m thankful that we had a chance to hang out in “The Shed” at Mamoo’s for many hours while we put away some “Blue Cans”, as Kendall called them (there’s one on the right in the above pic). This was on Thanksgiving evening — after I had received a call from Brendan regarding Julie. I was really upset that I wasn’t in Houston and able to head down to MDA with him as he had to take Julie in. Carrie and I actually considered driving home late that night, which would have put us in Houston around 2-3am. Instead, we decided to get some rest and leave early the next morning.

Carrie headed to bed, but I stayed up to have a few more beers with Kendall, Kelsey, and some other cousins and relatives that were hanging out in the shed. Carrie told me, and I knew that it “would be best” if I got some sleep — but I didn’t want to. I was hanging out with my family — something that I really enjoy, and something that is important to me. Looking back now, I am glad that I did — I was having a bad night and Kendall definitely helped raise my spirits some. My only regret is that we will not share any more times like that together here on earth.

I definitely have more thoughts on this, but that is about all I can muster for the moment, so on to more photos…

Why is Brendan digging in the trash?

And retrieving items from the trash?

Mamoo’s fried apple pies!!! (Sidebar — Cool that you can find them by Googleing “Mamoo fried apple pies“!)
You see, when Brendan had come to New Orleans for my Pawpee’s funeral, he told Mamoo that I had never given him a fried pie! Mamoo wasn’t very happy with this, but my Uncle Wayne chimed in, “Brendan - I know that you and Brad are good friends, but I don’t think you are ‘Fried Pie Friends’.” LOL

Well, Brendan had never really asked for fried pies — and if you don’t ask for them, I am sure not going to voluntarily give you one!! But, Brendan and I are most definitely “Fried Pie Friends” (whatever that means), so I had already decided in my mind that I was going to bring him some back from this Thanksgiving trip.

I did bring them back and they sat in the car for a few days — no worries, it was cold for Houston, so they were ok. And finally, back at the Lyons’ household one night Brendan asked me, “Do you know what time it is?” …. “No.” … “It’s fried pie time!!!”

Except that he couldn’t find the pies!

A frantic search and a few questions to Kathy “Mimi” Lyons (Brendan’s mom) about the whereabouts of the foil package that was on top of the refrigerator just a few hours prior, and we discovered (to our horror!!!) that she had THROWN THEM AWAY!!!!!

This is where Brendan’s and my mind works similarly… His thoughts were something along the lines of, “Hey — they were wrapped in foil … they are probably ok.” as he rushed out to the garage to retrieve the discarded pies!

And here is Brendan eating his first Mamoo’s fried apple pie… Trust me, Bren — they are better when they are not directly out of the trash!

Some pics from suit shopping with Brendan and Jack… Julie always wanted Brendan to wear pink, but he never would… So, Brendan found a pink shirt for him and Jack for Julie’s service…


Jack was a trooper! In fact, he was doing just fine until “Uncle Brad” (Hallie’s favorite fake uncle, btw) tried to snap a photo of him — then he had a meltdown! LOL

Jack with his super-cool new shades at SportsClips…

And getting his haircut by a chick dressed as a ref…

While Brendan and I hung out and watched…

I took this pic to email to Booger — it pretty much instantly put her on life-tilt, which was my intention.

We went shoe shopping for Jack and found the perfect shoe — the “Brendan”!!! Yes, this is the actual shoe that Brendan ended up buying for Jack (well, not the size — he is a 10M if I remember correctly) … This was a little tough for Brendan as he had never been shoe shopping for Jack before — he did an outstanding job though, and even got Jack some cool new tennis shoes too!

This is Kendall’s room after Uncle Derek put her down for a “nap” … I walked by the room and it was perfectly quiet — a danger sign with kids! — so I opened the door to check on her and found her standing in the middle of this disaster! (Kendall has learned how to climb out of her crib, so naptime is only naptime when she decides it will be!!!)

Here is Jen “Booger” Kerber at Hooter’s — a place where she said she would never go! Never say never Jen!!! Brendan and I thought she was Hooter-riffic!!

This pic is some of the food that friends brought over to my cousin Kim’s house while we were in Oklahoma for Kendall’s funeral. This is the dessert table!!!

To me, this picture really represents community. It’s amazing to me the support of friends and community that comes out in small towns. There were so many people at the church and gravesite for Kendall — it is obvious that he had many friends and touched many lives, as did my cousin’s entire family.

I was really struck by the following image (and even though Carrie stole it! I will include it here) …

This is the entrance to the cemetery where Kendall was buried, in Hope, OK.

Something about this just struck me and I knew I wanted a photo of it. The metal frame of the graveyard entrance, with the word “HOPE” across the top … with a backdrop of a clear blue sky and flowers next to almost every headstone of loved ones. The subtext that there is hope even in a place or time that seems hopeless.

I looked up “hope” in the dictionary and it reads “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best”.

Right now hope is about all that anyone can rely on… Hope that somehow, through God’s plan, things will turn out for the best. Even though at present things may feel hopeless, there is hope.

Filed under: Personal
13 Comments