A Tribute to Kellie and Logan

Logan left on his mission to the Bucharest Romania Mission this last Wednesday. Since the time that I said goodbye for two years, I have thought back on all of the good times we have had.



When we graduated high school everybody told us that high school friendships do not last. They said that you forget those people and move on to other friends. They said we would not be friends for long. They were wrong.

Where did this friendship start? How do people involve themselves enough in people’s lives to become family?



I met Kellie Taylor in 5th Grade. We met in Orchestra, where we both decided that it was not worth our time. We were acquaintances until 7th Grade when we shared the back table in Mrs. Powell’s Live Management Class. We began people watching. This pastime has never stopped and is one of our favorite activities. There are so many weird, cool people in the world; all you have to do is look. Kellie taught me to be tolerant of different people. This tolerance would grow into respect for differences in culture and ideas. From this point on Kellie and I were friends. I do not know how you assign a border between friends, good friends, and best friends, but this all happened in high school. We were weird kids…



We talked about philosophy, politics, religion, history, and food. We worked hard in student council, classes, seminary, spirit line, and the crazy social scene. Between the two of us we were members of every club on campus. We started college classes early. There was only one problem during those early years. The friends we had chosen were not friends at all. Kellie’s group was too cliquey. My group was too shallow. I can mark one moment in high school when I could begin calling Kellie my very best friend. It was Thursday night of homecoming week 2006. We were sitting in her white suburban in the Thatcher High School parking lot. Teenagers usually sit in parking lots, but this was very different. She told me about her parents. They were going to get a divorce. She was angry, emotional, and scared. We both cried over this situation. I can safely say that 2006 was one of the hardest years of my life. My sister Mary Anne and all of her friends graduated, leaving me alone in high school, with no really good friends. Good thing there was Kellie. Our friend Stephanie Udall passed away that Christmas. The woman who Kellie babysat for committed suicide with her toddler. It was a hard time. Then a ray of sunshine…



Logan entered my life the summer before our senior year. It was not a graceful entrance. I was jealous of him because Kellie and him spent so much time together. Kellie was interested in somebody that had lived in Italy for two years, spoke Italian, and had seen the world. Kellie soon asked me to take Logan camping with my guy friends and me. I admit I was hesitant. He seemed like he was kind of a city boy. He brought his Italian friend. I was surprised to see that Logan jumped at every opportunity to have fun while we were camping. When asked if he wanted to go hike Red Knolls, he went, when asked to stay behind with me and look at the stars, he stayed, when asked to help make homemade root beer, he helped, and cleaned the stuff.



This is a pattern that Logan followed and still follows throughout our friendship. When asked to go to a movie, he goes, when asked to build a cardboard death star at 2 in the morning in the high school, or be the voice for the evil emperor, or play Chewbacca at the last second, or confront some friends about their behavior, or build four sheds during spring break for an Eagle project, or go camping in the snow, or change his plans to move to Utah and be my roommate…he does it.



Our Senior year was difficult. I was the Student Body President, Kellie was the FBLA President, and Logan did everything we asked of him. Our social life with other people was lacking. We had too many inside jokes that we displayed in front of too many people. We were tired of the establishment and of high school in general. I can remember one day clearly. Kellie had been accused of writing terrible hate mail to our student body president (me…somehow this is illogical :) ) I was receiving letters that really hurt. I stopped reading them. My principal was on the war path to find out who did it and people got hurt in the process. Including Kellie. Logan and Kellie had ordered Pizza to one of their classes, when the pizza did not come, they decided to go pick it up. Sometime during this drive Kellie’s white suburban got in accident with another vehicle, her brother’s parked truck. Kellie and Logan told me they were so upset and angry that they were laughing…that is what this friendship does…we laugh…at everything…awkward, stupid, dangerous, scandalous, serious…yes…everything. When they returned to the high school, the pizza they had previously ordered was waiting in the front office…so they had twice as much pizza and paid for both. Later that day, it was a Thursday…(interesting that our friendship defining moments both happened on Thursday, Kellie and I’s favorite day of the week)…Logan and I decided to make some cookies for Kellie in our Gourmet Cooking class (I told you we were weird). We made her sugar cookies with black frosting and big frowny faces. (I don’t expect you to get our humor). Somehow we made it through high school to the second most happy day of our lives…graduation.



Look. We are so happy. We all knew that we would have to go our separate ways. Logan went to EAC, Kellie to ASU, and I to BYU. It was difficult but doable. I made new friends and kept in contact with Logan and Kellie.



I convinced Logan to apply to BYU and come to Provo to be my roommate. We had an awesome semester. There was a problem, though; we had left Kellie all alone in Tempe.



We kept in contact, but it was not the same. Kellie made new friends and tried new things. During this period, the happiest day of our lives occurred. Kellie was baptized (by Logan) and confirmed (by me) a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kellie was able to investigate the Gospel at her own speed, without Logan or I looking over her shoulder. It was such an awesome day.





When Logan and I got back from BYU and Kellie from ASU, we had a long talk at my house…so long that we got to see the sunrise and eat at Denny’s for breakfast. We are good friends and will always remain good friends. Logan is now in the swine flu infested Missionary Training Center, Kellie is working hard in Calculus II at ASU (oooo that rhymes), and I am at BYU awaiting my mission call.

There will be tough times ahead. But I know that through my testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ, my family, and my two best friends, Logan and Kellie, Life will go on, Life will be challenging, Life will be good.