If anyone is still out there checking in??? I am still around and getting through each day one day at a time. I apologize for not keeping the site as current as I would like but I have been real busy with Holiday activities, shopping, family etc that when I did have some down time I just did not feel like doing anything that would involve any intellectual effort… so no blog.

The kids are doing remarkably well (I have many photos to post that will be coming soon). I as well as many friends and family have been doing a really good job of keeping them busy so they don’t have a whole lot of downtime to reflect on the major absence within our nuclear family unit. In fact they are currently down in south Texas near Crystal City, TX where my brother-in-law has just over 100 acres. Yes all three of them are down there with Lil Joe and Big Joe. I talked to Big Joe this afternoon and he said they are having a blast gathering wood, enjoying the campfire, eating dutch oven food and sundry other outdoors type activities.

I stayed behind to officiate in one on the biggest (and best) High School Holiday basketball tournaments in the country which just so happens to be held each year in Houston. The highlight of the tournament is coming up when I make my television debut tomorrow night at 10 pm central time on ESPN U. I am really excited about it and it gets even better in that I get to work with two good friends… Brad and Mel Whitworth! So if you have the “U” be sure to tune in and watch!!!

Additionally, I have been keeping very busy trying to have a little fun myself. In fact, Brad had a game at Southern Utah University and it just so happens that the best place to fly into for a game at SUU is Las Vegas!!! Wooo Hoooo! So Brad booked us each a ticket and a room at the Luxor and it was on!!! Our Friend JFLO joined us one day into the trip and we went to Brads game and played lots of poker… Brad and I did really well at “The Pokers” as we both came home $750 richer… JFLO not so much as he made a contribution to the players at the table… BOOOOOOO!

Tonight (since the kids are gone) I made the drive with Brad to San Antonio as he has a game tonight at UTSA. I have made myself comfortable here at the media table and am watching the kids warm up and the officials go through their pre-game duties…

Here I am at the media Table…

And here is Brad “Big Timer” Batt and one of his co-officals (Brent Dugas) taking a break from their pre-game duties to pose for the camera!

As soon as the ga me is over, we will load back up in the car and make the 3 1/2 hour drive back to H-town. I sure hope they don’t screw it up or worse… send it into overtime!!!

As far as Christmas goes… the kids did well and mopped up the gifts from Santa and other family and friends and the best I can say for me as that I made it through it. I went to the cemetery on Christmas afternoon with my dad and visited with Julie for a bit. Hallie wanted me to make sure Mommy had a “Christmas Tree” at her grave so I place four pine cones upright on her grave… one to represent each of us left behind. It was just hard… plain hard. Now, I just need to get through the New Year’s holdiay and my upcoming birthday. I think once that is done, I can try and invent our new routine and build a new “normal” in the Lyons Family lives.

More to come soon. I promise I won’t take as long between updates as I have between the last post and this one.

Thanks to all who have helped me get through the last several weeks, whether it be in person, phone or prayer. I can not do it with out all of you out there. Please continue to hold us (to include my in-laws) close in your thoughts and check in with me/us often.

YAY GOD!

-Brendan

Well November has arrived, and is normally a very exciting time of year for me as it marks the beginning of basketball season.  Those that know me, know that I am a Collegiate (Small College) and High School basketball referee and I am very passionate about it.  I started refereeing basketball 8 years ago as a way to get re-acquainted with a sport that was so much apart of my life growing up, as I played competitively all the way through my sophomore year in college.  My playing career ended when I suffered a torn knee ligament towards the end of a game.

I decided that I still wanted to be a part of the game and refereeing was the only option that meshed with my profession as I did not have the time to coach.  I fell in love officiating from the moment I stepped onto the floor with the whistle and the stripes and it has been a very important part of our lives ever since.  I enjoy the camaraderie (many of my closest friends these days are those that I have met through officiating), the mental challenge it provides to me, the physical exercise and the sense of giving back to the game I love.  Julie enjoys the game fees!!!

However, this year is different.  I am not nearly as excited about this season, and I imagine you can venture a guess as to why.  In fact, I gave very serious consideration to taking the year off to focus on my family and Julie during this time, as officiating is a huge time commitment.  However, at the insistence of Julie and with the encouragement of my family, they convinced me that I should continue on with officiating this year as I normally would have.

In a post I made earlier, I spoke of Jimmy Valvano and his battle with cancer.  I stated that even though he had cancerous lesions all over his body, he refused to let cancer define and control his life.  Had I taken the season completely off, I would have LET cancer do just that to us.  Truth is, I need officiating as an outlet and an opportunity to think about something I truly enjoy for a couple hours, a couple days per week.  It is more or less a break from cancer for me and something to help keep my physically and mentally healthy.

So with that thought in mind, I took my college and high school schedules, discussed what kind of help we may need with Julie and the kids with our families and I prepared for the season.

My first game was this past Thursday night.  It was a junior college game at Lamar State which is only 70 miles away in Port Arthur, TX(I say only because, it is nothing for us to drive 3.5 hours each way for one of these college games).  It was especially tough to leave for this game with Julie being in the hospital, however, I was assigned to work this game with one of my good referee friends (Steve Oakes) so we rode to the game together.  It is a good thing we did, because our third partner was supposed to meet us there and he never showed!  (We work all games with three referees, so the fact that we had to work one with only two is noteworthy!)

Anyway, I got through the game (it was an easy one as the home team completely blew the visiting team out of the gym), was able to focus on something else for about 3 or 4 hours, earned some extra cash and I was able to get back up to the hospital to be with Julie by 10:30… before she fell asleep!

Julie has always been very supportive of my officiating “hobby”, as she knows the enjoyment and satisfaction I get from it.  Thank you Julie (and family) for convincing me to continue on this year.  As of right now, it is the right decision.

Love to All,

-Brendan