Kenny's Family Blog

Kym's Memorial Photos 04 - Feb. 6th, 2009

2009-02-11T09:50:00.014-06:00

Kymberly Renee Bellew Barry
RIP
May 11, 1964 - Feb. 1, 2009
44 years old

Kym was found by her mother. After trying to reach Kym by phone for nearly two days, my mom went to Kym's apartment and let herself in. She found Kym in bed, looking peacefully asleep.

The medical examiner has ruled out foul play and suicide is not suspected. It just seems to be natural causes. Kym had sleep apnea, and this is being investigated as the possible cause of death.

Click the photos to enlarge them.

They misspelled my name.

Kym's Memorial Photos 03 - Feb. 6th, 2009

2009-02-11T09:42:00.005-06:00

Kym's Memorial Photos 02 - Feb. 6th, 2009

2009-02-11T09:23:00.006-06:00

Kym's Memorial Photos - Feb. 6th, 2009

2009-02-11T07:10:00.004-06:00

Kymberly Renee Bellew Barry
RIP
May 11, 1964 - Feb. 1, 2009
44 years old

Xmas 2008 - At Garrett's

2009-01-04T11:05:00.009-06:00

Xmas 2008 at Grandma's

2009-01-03T23:19:00.011-06:00

Xmas 2008 - Dinner with Dad and Shirly

2009-01-03T22:16:00.001-06:00

Xmas 2008 - at Craig and Donna's House

2009-01-03T21:52:00.003-06:00

We visited with Craig, Donna and Heather at their home.

Xmas 2008 - Cheeseburger in Paradise

2009-01-03T21:44:00.006-06:00

Grayson had to work on Christmas eve, so we all went to see him at Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Xmas 2008 - At Mom's Farm House

2009-01-03T11:44:00.010-06:00

These were taken at Mom's farm house Xmas 2008.

Xmas 2008 - SE High School Mini Reunion

2008-12-29T11:51:00.008-06:00

Jenn did my Halloween makeup for the costume party

2008-10-26T19:09:00.000-05:00

Monster Dash 5K Run

2008-10-26T18:53:00.000-05:00

Location: Minneapolis, MN - Lake Harriet
Oct. 25, 2008
Monster Dash 5K Run

My time was 24 min. 43 sec. for the 5K (that's less than 8 minutes per mile). It was my first 5K. I placed 2nd place for my age group.

I also won 2nd prize in the men's individual costume contest! lol

Monster Dash 5K Run - 03

2008-10-26T17:49:00.003-05:00

Monster Dash 5K Run - 02

2008-10-26T17:39:00.006-05:00

Monster Dash 5K Run - 04

2008-10-26T14:03:00.000-05:00

Seth took this at Famous Dave's

2008-09-13T08:51:00.002-05:00

A night with El Loro

2008-08-19T20:18:00.002-05:00

El Loro is behind us.

Our Bike Trip from St.Paul to Stillwater, MN - 02

2008-08-11T08:17:00.004-05:00

On Saturday (08-10-08), we (me, Becky, Seth and Gracie, Seth's girlfriend) biked from St.Paul to Stillwater, MN. My odometer said we went 35 miles. It was a beautiful trail going over to Stillwater, and Stillwater is always a fun place to visit. It's located right next to the St. Croix River. You can see Wisconsin on the other side of the river. Or, better yet, you can bike over to Wisconsin over the lift bridge.

Our Bike Trip from St.Paul to Stillwater, MN - 01

2008-08-11T08:05:00.004-05:00

From the day we went to the Mill City Museum

2008-07-29T07:08:00.000-05:00

Kenny's Baja VW

2008-07-20T12:08:00.011-05:00

This is my third car. I doubt any photos of my second exist, as it was an embarrassing contraption I'd just as soon forget. My dad gives me a hard time about my second car, because he remembers I drove it under one of those bars they extend across a parking lot entrance to keep people out. I didn't drive under it while it was blocking the path. The wind had blown it away from the side of the fence, and it was sticking out at an angle. I poked the end of it through my windshield.

This is my Baja VW. I purchased this for more than I should have paid, but it was a fun car. My buddy, Steve James, had one; so, I thought I needed to get one as well.

I blew the engine driving up to Minnesota in this car. A friend, Randy Hollis, and I were driving up together. The engine blew in Emporia, KS. The baja doesn't really have a bumper, so we went to K-Mart and purchased a roll of wire and spider wrapped the bumpers together. Oh, he also had a VW Bug. Our top speed for the next 600 miles would be about 45 MPH. In the Flint Hills, I thought we might not make it up a few hills, but weeeeeeee got some speed up going down them.

When night fell, and we were passing the Missouri boarder into Iowa, we passed a cop, who was going south on 35W (we were heading north). I saw his lights come on and the chase was on! Just kidding. He could have caught us on a good 10-speed bike.

Apparently, the cop noticed that we didn't have tail lights. Randy got a ticket, which I later paid. We were grounded until we could get tail lights. So, we drove into an old truck stop in Iowa and purchased several long extension cords. My years of taking electrical appliances apart was about to pay off.

We wired his tail lights to mine, and taa daa!- We had tail lights. We continued on into the Twin Cities that night. I remember looking up at those tall buildings and thinking- wow, life sure is strange some times.

(Below, the front tires have been put on the back. The explanation follows below).

This car wasn't built for bad weather. When it rained, I had to put a rubber boot over the tail pipe to keep rain from going down into the engine. When I say "rubber boot"- I literally mean a boot from an old pair of galoshes.

My baja VW really didn't fair well in Minnesota weather. It turns out, when your motor is completely exposed in -20 F weather, the oil turns as hard as putty, and the battery only chuckles when you ask it to turn the starter motor.

I lost a job due to this problem. I took a job at some warehouse, reporting in a 4:00 am, to check orders pulled by the forklift drivers. I missed work twice due to my car not starting in cold weather, and that was the end of the job.

To add insult to injury, thieves decided they wanted my big mudder tires. In the photo below, you can see the car is sitting on blocks. They actually stole my battery as well. SG Norris, the college president, heard of my plight, and he bought me new tires and a battery. That was nice of him. Obviously, I couldn't expect him to buy me the mudder tires, so the baja's appearance took a hit. So, I moved the front tires to the back and left regular VW tires on the front. It was noticeably less cool.

I decided to sell the baja. It sat unused for a summer in Minnesota after I had to replace it with more reliable transportation. When I went to show the buyer that the engine would start, the gas lines cracked going to the carburetor, gas sprayed onto the engine and it caught on fire. Luckily, there was a pile of sand near by. We scooped sand with a trashcan lid and put the fire out. The carburetor was filled with sand.

I told the guy he was in luck. I was having a fire sale. I sold the baja for $58. I had paid $2500 for it.

My first car

2008-07-18T10:10:00.005-05:00

I'm scanning in a bunch of old photos, and I found this. It's my first car- A 1972 Super Beetle. This car didn't last long. One day, a friend and I were racing through the neighborhood like stupid teenagers do. I tried to turn the corner going into my street, hit a patch of gravel and slid into the cement wall for the drainage ditch. The wall was only a about a foot and a half tall. It broke both the front and back wheels right off of the axle. Talk about natural consequences teaching you a lesson. I sold the car for scrap and purchased an old...well, I can't help but recall the way I used to fondly refer to it's color: Baby-diarrhea-brown Buick.

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Becky

2008-07-14T08:29:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, we attended a concert at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis (Doc Severinson - read about it in my Minnesota Blog). This is a photo of Becky before the concert.

Bike trip on the 4th of July

2008-07-05T10:31:00.012-05:00

Click the photos to enlarge.

I was standing in my closet, and I saw my old biking outfit. You know, those spandex shorts and snug fitting shirt. I thought, now that's I've lost weight, I bet I could fit into that. So, I pulled it on and walked outside.

Your family has a way of letting you know when you're a little over the top. Becky said, "Whoa, those are really form fitting aren't they?"

"What? Does it look bad?"

"No, It's just pretty snug."

About that time, Seth sees me and says, "Wow dad, you're um...really aerodynamic."

"Does it look bad?"

No, it's um...aerodynamic."

I went back into the house to change.

Now that I've lost 40lbs, one problem is that I don't have clothes that fit. However, in the same pile where my bike outfit was, there were a pair of shorts that I had obviously squirreled away the last time I gained weight and couldn't fit into them. I guess I should have ironed them to be more aerodynamic.

We biked up to Hiawatha Ave from Lake Nokomis and then over to the Midtown Greenway Bike path. If you've never biked the Greenway, you're missing out on one of the best bike paths in the Twin Cities.

We stopped for lunch on the other side of Lake Calhoun at Seth's recommendation, Punch Neapolitan Pizza.

Everyone but me was very impressed with the pizza. I actually had some, even though I'm watching my carbs (I figured I could splurge with a full day of biking). Frankly, I'd rather have one from a frozen Tombstone Pizza, but I stand alone in my opinion. The others in the group raved about their pizzas.

Punch has a huge wood burning oven. They say it's 800 F degrees, and the pizzas only have to cook for 90 seconds.

While we were sitting there, a really fat guy waddled past in "aerodynamic" bike shorts. Becky started telling Jenn about my bike shorts, but then she said, "...but your dad looked a lot nicer in them than that guy." What the heck? You mean I could have worn them? They were padded in the butt and would have been a lot more comfortable. Oh well.

Our turn-around-and-head-back spot was the the depot, an ice cream joint in Hopkins. It's right off the trail.

Below Seth and Becky and Jackson, Seth's friend, sip some tasty fruit smoothies.

On the way back, we peddled past the canoe area on Lake Calhoun.

While we were there, I ran into Duffy, who I work out with at Bally's gym. He's a cardio fiend! He was on his 4th lap roller blading around the lake. This guy does at least an hour a day of cardio. Amazing.

When we finally made it home, we had biked nearly 25 miles. It was a fun day.

Today is my 24-year wedding anniversary

2008-06-30T12:18:00.010-05:00

(Click photo to enlarge)

Twenty-four years ago today, I was in Duluth, MN putting on a white tuxedo. I didn't have any kids. I had no idea who Jenny Bellew, my daughter, was. She didn't exist. I had no idea I would have a son named Seth. Frankly, I think I hardly knew Becky.

A year before we got married, we were just friends who had nice conversations while working. We worked together in the college cafeteria. I was dating another girl. Actually, I was engaged to be married. I used to confide with Becky that my fiancee and I argued all the time. We argued about stupid stuff - every day. I remember telling Becky that I don't want to grow old with a woman who I argue with all the time. Honestly, at the time, I only thought of Becky as a friend. As we were talking, a mutual friend over heard our conversation. She was a short little Mexican woman. She said "Kenny, the Bible says perfect love casts out all fear. If you constantly have fear, this is not perfect love."

Wow, she was right. My girlfriend and I called off the wedding and broke up. A while later, I was trying to figure out what I wanted in a relationship. I wanted someone who was intelligent. I wanted someone I could talk to without constant bickering. I wanted conversation.

I was in my dorm talking to Becky's brother, and I was recounting to him my thoughts on the perfect relationship. I remember saying, "I really want someone like Becky." Of course, it didn't take too long to connect the dots. The only thing better than someone like Becky- was Becky.

I realized this around October and we would be married the following June. One of our first dates was a trip to the capital building in downtown St.Paul (I know- sooooo romantic). I gathered up my courage to reach over and take Becky's fingers to hold hands as we walked. When I took her hand, I got so dizzy, we actually had to slow down for a minute.

So, there I was in Duluth, MN- pulling white dress socks up my ankles and slipping into rented white shoes. In just a few minutes, I would repeat a tradition millions of couples experience to express their love and commitment to each other. I'm joining a club. It's the married people club. Sometimes, these things don't work. What was I getting into?

The preacher said, "You may kiss the bride." I lifted Becky's veil and I kissed her for the first time. We kept on kissing. Today, it's 24-years later. I wish we were kissing right now.

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Video: Jenn's High School Graduation

2008-06-24T11:24:00.003-05:00

This is the traditional cap toss. I can't watch this without getting choked up. My baby girl has graduated high school.

A Couple of Blonds

2008-06-24T09:29:00.001-05:00

Here's Becky and Jane at a work party last weekend.

Seth playing the trumpet

2008-06-19T15:53:00.002-05:00

Here's Seth playing the trumpet in the South Jazz Band. I shot this with my compact camera from a long ways away, so the quality is not that good.

Jenn's Graduation

2008-06-11T10:01:00.003-05:00

This is me and my daughter, Jenn, at her high school graduation.

Couple of videos taken during the party

2008-06-11T08:47:00.006-05:00

A lot of people came and went though out the day of the party. Here are a couple of videos captured at one point.

Jenn's Graduation Party_09

2008-06-10T12:03:00.001-05:00

Jenn and Julia... BFFL!!!!!!

Jenn's Graduation Party_08

2008-06-10T12:01:00.001-05:00

Hal brought a cotton candy machine

Becky and Jean

Emiliano, Silvio, Jenny, Jake and CHAZ!

Jenn's Graduation Party_07

2008-06-10T11:57:00.000-05:00

Manuel, Yarrow, Mallory and Jenny

Seth, Gracie, Kim, Chris and Jason

Becky, Tim and Tami

Bianca, Laura and Jenny

Randy and Jenny

Jenn's Graduation Party_06

2008-06-10T11:56:00.000-05:00

Jenn with Debbie and Paul.

Jenn with Mike and Shiela

Jenn and Debbie E.

Jenn's Graduation Party_05

2008-06-10T11:55:00.001-05:00

Jenn's Graduation Party_04

2008-06-10T11:53:00.002-05:00

This is my mom, Sharon, and Jenn

Jenn's Graduation Party_03

2008-06-10T11:50:00.000-05:00

Jenn's Graduation Party_02

2008-06-10T11:48:00.002-05:00

Jenn's Graduation Party_01

2008-06-10T11:38:00.000-05:00

Graduation day for Jenn 02

2008-06-09T10:24:00.001-05:00

Graduation day for Jenn

2008-06-09T10:21:00.002-05:00

Click photos to enlarge

Sara's Graduation Party

2008-06-01T08:39:00.000-05:00

Last night, we went to Sara's graduation party. Sara is Becky's brother's daughter (Jimmy and his wife Begoña). Below is Jenn and Sara.

Below is Sara, Jenn and Seth.

Below is Becky and an childhood friend, Danny Hecker, and his wife.