TENNEYTOWN, est. 1984

4A State Tennis

2010-05-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

JJ: 2nd place at 3rd singles at state

David & Mckay: 3rd place at 2nd doubles at state

This year's tennis season was awesome. We are so proud of the boys' accomplishments. In the whole state, JJ took second place in his 3rd singles. And David, who never even picks up a racket until tennis season begins, took 3rd place in state in the 2nd doubles spot. WoWWWW! What would happen if David actually applied himself?!!! haha.
Well, school is about out, it's going to be nice to have the change. The twins are seniors next year. We're grandparents. We have a missionary out. wow, our family is changing every month that goes by.

Tenney Lou Naylor, breath of heaven.

2010-04-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

This is Brooke, our daughter, and Ryan our illustrious son-in-law. This is the beautiful new family, getting ready to embark on their journey as a new family.
Matthew, our missionary, (serving in Honduras) dedicated this scripture to them from the first verse of the Book of Mormon: "I Nephi, (Tenney), having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my" parents.... This little girl is just coming into the world, born to goodly parents. What a blessing for us all to watch this blessed event and celebrate this life.

Dear missionary, McKay Burrows

2010-02-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

He was a sweeper at my school, he vacuumed my classroom and others', various cleaning jobs around the school, and we joked around from time to time. When I heard the news I couldn't wrap my brain around it. I was the saddest person. I was seriously crying about this sad thing. How could the Lord let such a terrible thing happen? A co-worker is in the same ward as the family and reported the mom was just wailing and completely out of sorts, laying on the ground. I kept thinking about my missionary, something like that happening to him, not that it'd be a surprise, living in a third world country and esp. that Matt shared a story about hearing a gun-shot a few doors down and lo and behold it was someone who had taken their own life with a gun-shot to the head. So, anyhoooo, I was just crying and crying all throughout the first week of Feb., b/c I was so upset about the passing away of this boy. I was focused on the "what if" it happened to Matt? You think of picking up your son at the airport like all the other moms and families, at the bottom of the escalator, and -- not for the Burrows. Where's the pick up for your son that comes home in a box? Is he dressed? Is he embalmed? Was he cared for properly? I happen to know, now, that he was cared for, he was dressed in his suit, with his missionary name tag on. I am getting emotional all over again, now, thinking of this boy's body, arriving a week after his untimely death, back home.
BUT!!! let me share some words of Elder Russell M. Nelson that spoke at the funeral:
"At times like this, we are prone to ask questions. We wonder, should these choice young men have been sent to a safer place? But there is no place on earth that is free from risk. My advice for each of us is not to torture ourselves with 'what if' questions. They bring neither clarity nor comfort. Substitute your 'what if' questions with 'because of' declarations."
Reminding the congregation of eternal laws of the gospel, he spoke of the resurrection from temporal death, and the blessing of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Through these eternal laws, individuals can qualify for eternal life and families are able to be together forever.
"As mortals we think of his death as premature. But from McKay's heavenly perspective, death is not premature. It is not premature for one who is prepared to meet God. Death is only premature for one not prepared to meet God. Our existence in this period of mortality allows us to get a body, to develop faith and to prove ourselves.
McKay has done that. ... While here we weep for the loss of this dear young man, on the other side of the veil, there are tears of joy. (He talks about McKay being a missionary and teaching the gospel in the spirit world. He said, those of us that are left behind will experience a trial of our faith.)
more: "We also know that this time of mortality is not a destination in itself. It is but a journey toward our ultimate destiny, which is to return to our Heavenly Father."

JJ's new lease on life

2010-02-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

I can just now talk about this with a calm, eternal perspective, just like the next post which will be the passing away of an acquaintance, Elder McKay Burrows, who was serving a mission in Romania and died in his sleep of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. It has been a sobering month for me. Understanding the plan of salvation and grasping onto eternal perspectives makes all the difference. I am thankful for an understanding of these things.

Our boy was driving on the SR-92, the Highland Highway, westbound a few Friday nights ago.
It was a snow storm and he was going, like 45--WAY TOO FAST. He was alone. He felt the car start to glide and lose control, moving into the traffic going eastbound. . . . to avoid a head on crash he cranked the steering wheel and away he went, flying through the air . . . spinning, rolling . . landing by the canal that runs parallel to the road. The car landed on its roof, but facing eastbound. Of course, this all happened in like, 10 seconds. . . Two cars pulled over to help and see if they should call 911.
Out of the passenger window, . . . this creature, covered in straw-like weeds, emerges up the hill. JJ calmly unsnaps his seat belt and exits the car as if it was nothing. Now, both you and I know that the slightest variable of physics, the slightest turn or jerk could've changed everything. Remember, the car landed on the roof, . . . . I mean a head injury, JJ in a vegetative state, paralyzed, decapitated, dead, etc. . . any number of scenarios come to mind.
This is a testimony that JJ's time to on earth is not finished. I honestly, truly feel this way. I feel it's not about luck, it's about him having a work to accomplish or learn something still.
Yesterday JJ gave a talk in sac. meeting. I know he has grasped this for himself. He has learned some insights that I'm thankful as his mother.
Thank the Lord for sparing his life. The thought of David -- the dear twin they've shared everything in life with -- living in the house alone, David going on a mission without JJ, Matt away, serving in Honduras, OMG.....just the what ifs can really get you emotional. We are thankful he's alive.
One thing I've learned lately is the what if questions can really get you down in life. I'll talk about that in next post. Instead, think of the BECAUSE OF declarations as it pertains to Elder Burrows' passing. It'll brings a peace. These are Elder Russell M. Nelson's ideas I'm talking about, I wouldn't want to say I'm smart enough to come up with that on my own.

Hello! I'm back, . . . again!

2010-02-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

Things are starting to quiet down in my life now-a-days, i.e., our missionary has been out for almost 6 months, the current school-year is starting to turn the corner--AH. . . the end is in sight, the once dreaded RS Pres. calling is starting to be fun now.
There is much to post about that is soon to come: JJ's car accident, McKay Burrows' (a former sweeper at my school) tragic passing away while serving as a missionary in Romania and, last, a fun b-day trip to the Donny & Marie show.---more to come. I know, I've said that before. I said I'd put the pics of Fall Break on. Ha, I don't know where to find them.
The best news, lately, is that Brooke is pregnant with their first child, a baby girl, due May 7th, which makes T and I grandparents. . . oh for heaven's sake! Dontcha know? how wonderful!!!!!

The pics I posted this time are random, like of Matt & T seven years ago at Lake Powell, Maui (Kaanapali) in June, some little ninos from Honduras Matt baptized, one of the houses I grew up in, in CA, Matt's graduation with the our beautiful children, Matt with Kiley Crump our niece. ----just some fun pics for your enjoyment.

Fall Break--A little loop of the West

2009-10-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

Fall Break was a spontaneous little roadtrip around the West! We didn't know exactly where to go, so we got in the car and drove. This is where we ended up, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Prescott, AZ (pronounced Pres-cut), where we are now, and perhaps a jaunt over to the Grand Canyon. Pictures later, the cord didn't quite make it on our spontaneous trip!
It was great to get away and enjoy time together. I told the boys and T it was beautiful to get to know them again! It is therapeutic to leave regular life behind for a few days. We are all so busy with all various duties that is was the first time since June that we spent that much quality time ALL together. We got close-knit again, it was wonderful.
First, we went to Vegas for a few days. We took the twins shopping for their birthdays. They turn 17 on Tuesday. WHAT????? Oh man, that was 17 years ago? It is incredible how fast time flies. We called Treasure Island on the way and the rooms were fairly cheap, so we sprung for it. We took the boys on the NY/NY roller coaster and also to a show, comedian "Frank Caliendo" the impressionist. . . It was hilarious.
THEN, we went to the Hoover Dam on a dam tour. (haha) It was something we've always wanted to do. It was actually shocking to hear all the amazing details of how the dam came to be and how its purposes are life changing for the West. 56 million people in SoCal depend on the electricity and water. We walked into the deepest tunnels, looked out one of the "vent" doors on the wall of the dam, the one Harrison Ford leaps out of in "The Fugitive", (does he leap out? I forget), saw the stairs that take you from the bottom to the top, (whoa, that was eerie) and just appreciated seeing that after years of wanting to.
Now we are in Prescott, Arizona. WHY? haha. Well, IDK. !!! T wanted to investigate this town. We think it would be a good place to retire. It is always about 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix. Cheap real estate??--haven't seen that yet. It is 5,000 ft. elevation. . . At home we're 4200 ft. elevation,which is surprising. It is very arid, desert terrain. Charming, though. It is located southwest of Flagstaff.....check it out on a map. We think it's a pretty nice town. It has a Wal-Mart, Costco, all the restaurants, shops. . . I wonder what the LDS population is here? With B & R moving to Phoenix, it could be a good place to meet up for the holidays. I dunno.....it prob. won't happen. We're just dreaming and taking a look at a lovely town.
Tomorrow we will drive home and get back to the Monday "grind".
I hope we can swing a stop at the Grand Canyon. We'll see, it's a pretty long trip home.

Celebrating lil' Matt before the MTC -- They say it only takes about two years before you stop missing him!

2009-09-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

Our Son, Matthew is in the MTC in Provo. It's been three days. We're all so happy for him to be in that glorious place, 2500 missionaries strong, all working for a common goal. He's the tall one in the long-sleeved white shirt, in case ya didn't know. Some of my co-workers thought the missionary was David, in the suit!! haha!! People die when I tell them David and JJ, the one wearing the short-sleeved white shirt are twins. They'll probably leave for their missions in January of 2012. Matt will be back by then for a few months. These are some fun pictures of the Sunday when Matt gave his farewell talk in church.

I love this picture of me with my siblings. Mike, Amy, me, Di and Steve. There are two more sibs that couldn't make it. Their names are Janna (St.George, UT), the oldest and Jeff (Jacksonville, FL), the second to youngest. My mom and Dad are serving a mission in St. Louis, MO, and couldn't make it either. We missed them, but we know they had other obligations. For those of us who made it, it was the funnest time to be together again. My two sisters, Diana and Amy in the picture with me down lower, SURPRISED me by flying in on Sat. . . . calling me, asking me about Sunday's farewell, chit chatting, and then dropping the hint, "is there enough food for two more?" . . . uh???? I DIED .....what????? you're coming???? you're here?????!!!!!!!!!! It was so awesome!!! We had some great laughs about that and just in general. We quote some movie lines and sing songs like "In The Hollow of thy Hand"--with harmony and cracking up. (Don't worry if you don't get it, it's an inside joke.)
The day (wed. 9/16) we took M to the MTC, we went to Macaroni Grill for an early lunch, drove up the canyon to Bridal Veil Falls, and just enjoyed the last few hours being together. It was as sweet as honey.
The MTC "curbside drop off" was actually a great experience. Two random missionaries came up to greet us (who had been in 8-10 weeks already, learning their language) and, after talking with them, we said our goodbyes, and up the hill they went, . . . . with our son. One was pulling the suitcase, the other was shaking his hand, as I turned to glance. They were beautiful, they were shining in the sun, hey, they would've been shining even if there was no sun. They're full of the Spirit of God. It was a beautiful Fall day. Matt was smiling, so were they......they just scooped him right up and into the loving arms of . . . . the MTC. Then I got in the car and wept all the way home. When I got home, I thought about his bedroom being empty for two years and got choked up all over again.
Our friend Ron Floyd says it only takes about two years before you stop missing him. haha. Our friend, Holly says the drop off at the MTC/being in the MTC is what it's like when we die and go to heaven. Two little angels greet you, escort you away, through the doors, and everyone else is left behind, living in this world without you. haha, a little dramatic!
I am looking forward, now, to hearing about all the great work he'll be doing in Honduras, along the Caribbean Sea and the people he's going to meet and help them change their lives for the better, strengthening families, couples. It's going to be a great experience for the twins and all of us to get "into it" with Matt. I'm anxious for the blessing of having a missionary to propel our family upward.

Out for sushi with Steve, my brother and his great and adorable wife, Jenn.
Matt with Jessica, Tanner and Davey. The most cherished friends.
That is Matt's Grandma & Grandpa Tenney. Two people that are the salt of the earth. There were a whole host of Tenneys here, it was great to have them.

Costa Rica, business trip with Trent September 1st

2009-09-19T10:20:00.001-07:00

Wow! Costa Rica was a paradise! Hot, humid, green, full of animales, muchos animales of many kindos. . . . you can imagine. More on that later. Here is the staff that was helping T host the trip. There were 170 distributors and their signif. other that attended. T and I loved the air, the beauty, the beaches. It trunked me out a little when I came back to be a school teacher, it was a rough week back . . haha! Plus, with Matt leaving a week after this trip, it made it hard. But I'm glad I went, it was a relaxing trip.

Picture Wall

2009-08-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

We're making our house a home by adding a few picture walls. This was a labor of love. Enjoy

What's happening at our house in July

2009-07-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

New Dining Room Table and Chairs

Lehi, Utah North Stake

Youth Conference

JJ & David and some of their friends

This was quite eventful! The huge cement pump truck came at 7 in the morning. We wanted to have cement poured on the East of our house where there was just gravel. We had to take out the air conditioning for a day. True hardship, you know me. I am a baby when it's hot.
So, the guys ran out of cement at the end, so the pump guy said he could run some water up the ginormous tube to bring the cement out that was still in the tube. The only problem was, once the cement started flushing out the tube there was no stopping it, so my poor little pumpkin plant that was doing so well got showered in cement. Oh dear, it was shocking. It took them 4 hours to smooth and manicure the whole cement area perfectly. wow.

more NYC, Mt. Vernon, Annapolis -- 10 fun days with Brooke

2009-07-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Serendipity 3, upper East side, "frozen hot chocolate". wow, a caloric overload! Look at the chandelier that was above our heads. We went there after a day at Central Park.

Mt. Vernon was amazing, educational and inspiring. It was my first visit ever. The cupola on the roof was a genius way of ventilating and/or cooling the mansion. George is buried on the right and Martha on the left. 25 family members are buried behind the black door there. As you may know, George Washington

lead as President of the U.S. from this house, the white house wasn't built yet. MANY many famous people in history stayed at the mansion. The bedrooms, parlors and furnishings are grandiose--beyond your wildest imagination. Check it out online! The paint colors alone are shocking. If you want to know more, please ask me! ha ha. No, JK!! -- go to the website.

We went to Annapolis, where the Naval Academy is . . . . here are some of the officer's homes. Charming, dontcha think? This is us on a harbor excursion, it was a beautiful and historic place to be, quaint and chariming.
The Welch performers. This was happening on the "mall" one day -- I had to put this pic. on, they were adorable. .... and since the Barlows are Welsh, well, ya know. A bit of trivia....... Q: in the early 1800's how much do you think it cost for one person to come over on a ship (1 way) from Wales to NYC?
A: 6 pounds, which was considered a fortune.

New York City, Washington D.C. Temple

2009-07-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

--Central Park East, this has been in a million movies.
This is a typical apartment in the West neighborhood. It's very cute in this neighborhood. I would live in this certain neighborhood if I had a reserved place to park!

This is just a random city picture. Next, (sorry the pic isn't clear) Junior's chocolate mousse cheese cake with whip cream! What? I know, shocking! Next one, Brooklyn Bridge after eating at Grimaldi's Pizza. OMG, thin crust with white, shiny, squeaky mozzarella, sliced in big circles on the pizza. Next, Times' Square. Next, beautiful D.C. temple. We had a great visit at the visitor's center. Very very special.

Maui Memories June 2009

2009-07-06T10:48:00.001-07:00

This is N. Kaanapali Beach where we stayed at a new condo/Resort called Honua Kai. It was right on the water and we had a relaxing time.

Each night we'd lounge around the pool or beach and watch the sunset. It was a different look and feel every time. We soaked it all in. Along with the sunsets, we enjoyed the flowers, greenery, trees, birds, smells, and warm, moist air. I asked the Tiki Torch-lighter guy if it was fun to light the tikis. .... he said, "not so much". But, ya know, he's prob. been doing it a long time! The boys golfed twice, we went snorkeling at Molokini and a turtle bay and T and I got massages. Other than that we just hung around the pool and beach, went out for dinners and relaxed! Ahhh.

My Best Friend moves

2009-06-15T07:18:00.001-07:00

Oh man, there's Di and the family before pulling away to drive to Texas. Jason is so brave to enter into another residency for three years. Who knows if they'll have the chance to come back?

We had good times for the two years you lived here, eh?!!!

That picture of us is prob. the worst ever, but I put it up anyway . . . . it reveals how we were feeling, pretty ugly.

Look at the rig. . . WOW . . . the Penske and the towing gizmo for the jeep. Heaven's Sake! Don't go pulling through the drive-up in that!

OK, Cutest pic of Jason & Jacob ever (look down below).
With Di and me -- do you see the tear coming down my face? Actually, I didn't cry until they pulled away. It was so sad I can't even tell you.

Here's the happy little family. Look at Jimmy! He's scrunching up his shoulders & holding the plastic Orca he loved to play with when he came over.

We'll miss you and we wish you all the best, don'tcha know?

Matt's Mission Call to Honduras, San Pedro, Sula

2009-06-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

It seems like yesterday Matt was a little blond-headed boy, riding bikes in the neighborhood, playing out in the yard with his plastic golf clubs and competing in little league. Then, later, the passion of running long distance came along and molded his character and body into a tough, righteous, determined young man. I am telling you, the time flies by. You turn around and he's a two yr. old, then he's 4, then it's his first day of school, then he's 8, 10, then a Deacon, teenager, and now .... all grown up.

We had a beautiful time together. It's not over, I know!!! There'll be many more adventures. Matt, thanks for making me a proud mother. You have been a dream child. You were easy to raise. You rock my world. Now you'll spend the next two years in the northern part of Honduras, sharing the meaning of life with people who's hearts and minds are inquiring: "What is the meaning of life?", "Why am I here?", "Did I exist before I came to earth?", "Where am I going after I die?". . . . (except spoken in Spanish!) You'll be able to convey the message successfully, I am sure of that. We all love you, Matt, and we are fully supportive of your righteous desire to serve the Lord.
All you moms out there with little ones, can I give you some advice? Enjoy the journey, enjoy the days when your kids are young. Hold them tight, smother them with love. Discipline them, teach them. I'm far from perfect, but I'm glad I tried my hardest.

Boys' Golf Trip at Sky Mountain

2009-04-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

right in the middle of the course is this beautiful craggly red rock mountain

David, Trent, JJ and Matt; my best boys.
We went to St. George for Spring Break. It was OK weather for 1 day, so the boys took advantage and went out for a round..... a little foursome. Aren't they adorable?
Then, I got a cold or allergy attack, I'm not sure what to call it. I still am hacking up phlegm. Ew. What a lovely way to spend time off teaching school...not.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-03-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

Two dear nephews, Jacob and Jimmy. Eating Brooke's birthday cake! These boys melt my heart. What am I going to do when you move away in June?

My only daughter, fun, true companion, turns 22. Wearing and holding up hip p.j.s, cool pearl necklace and fantastic silk skirt, ooOOOo la la, from "Dear Lizzie".
My 45th birthday. Some darling friends from the ward put signs in the yard and made me feel special! I should've taken their picture, b/c they are super darling! What a surprise it was!!!
Me and Brooke and two of my sisters, Di and Amy, (who was visiting) --- aren't my sisters and Brooke hotties? It was so good to be with Amy, even if it was only one night at Kneaders, after a night of laughs.
These are a few of the people who make me laugh, endlessly. Aunt Judy with foxy cuZins Jennifer and Sheri. Judy has hysterical stories. . . and this time Jenn totally had us laughing our guts out with her stories.
One of my cute birthday signs.
My main basketball man. David is a stud. Thanks for the entertainment this season!
Utah State no more!! But always will be Aggies. Goodbye Logan.
Last summer '08 these kissin' cousins (my precious, beautiful boys) were chillin' at a family gathering.
From left: Laney Tenney, Kiley Crump, J.J. Tenney, Matt Tenney, Sammy Tenney, David Tenney.
My pal Julianne Clegg and I love clouds. One day in the summer of '08 I was astonished at the view to the east, SO beautiful.... . . . . this one's for you, babe.

Family Pictures

2008-12-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my 'lil sis., Di after about 20 shots we finally got a good one we could use for our Christmas Card, so here it is. The sun was so bright on the first ones we were squinting too much. Down below are some of the other ones where one person is geekin' out here or there.

Sun too bright!
Trent blew it on this one, plus JJ's comin' outta nowhere. Brooke looks hot, though. Matt's irritated about this process. David's thinking about food. Ryan's being a good sport.
I cropped this and put this on, B/C it was so funny!! David pulled this cross-eyed face. We were all cracking up at him and we were all, "c'mon, that was the one, thanks, David!!"
I am so proud of these two. On Saturday they will graduate from Utah State! Brooke is graduating with her Bachelor's in Elementary Education Summa Cum Laude or however you spell it. It means All A grades or something like that. And Ryan will r/c his Bachelor's in Business Entrepreneurship which is a fairly new major in the business department. Ryan, you will go far in life. Your work ethic is remarkable and you're a wonderful young man. Thanks for taking such good care of Brooke. You are an adorable couple and I always smile, watching you two interact and play around. CONGRATULATIONS, graduates!!!!!!

2008-11-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

Question of the day: Do you throw away gift bags & boxes or keep and re-use them?
Listen, I must be a pack rat or a hoarder! .... JK ..... I like to keep gift bags and boxes (good ones) and re-use them! I feel good when I re-use them! I hate buying gift bags, I rarely have to. I have, like two big boxes of gift bags that are collapsed, side by side and another box of previously used tissues. Whoa, previously used tissue sounds like tissues for your nose! ha! So, what do you think? What do you do? throw away or keep and re-use.

Road Trip!!

2008-11-16T21:08:00.001-08:00

Sorry it's been awhile since my last blog. Life is spinning by, out of control....way too fast. The boys are busy, each one of them. (David, congrats making the soph. basketball team out of 35 boys who tried out.) I'm busy, Trent's busy and so are Brooke and Ryan. It's crazy. We're all running circles around each other.
So, Trent decided at 3:30 on Friday we were going to get away and have a road trip. "Road trip!!!" $10 if you tell me what movie that is a quote from.
So we went to St. George and snooped around the diff. areas of town for a future, way future, real estate investment and a show in Vegas. Cirque du Soleil's Beatles' "LOVE". Does that mean "circus of the sun" in French? Well, if you haven't seen it yet, you've just got to. It was mind blowing. Sensory overload!!!!
So, to backtrack, I left my classroom at 4:00 on Friday, went to the new Smith's Marketplace at 4:07, bought a bunch of frozen dinners and foods for the boys to make, packed and was ready by 4:30. wow, what a woman I am!
Thank goodness Vern and Elaine came over and watched the BYU game with the boys. That was so nice of them. And it was so comforting to know Di was just down the street. Our boys were so shocked that we just drove out of town in a moment's notice. VrooOOOOOoooooom, we were gone. JJ's all, "hey, what happened?" ha. Trent says and I agree it's good for them to fend for themselves. Hey, they're big boys, right?

Matt the Bruinator--Region 7 finals Cross Country

2008-10-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from Afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness, . . . . . .
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home. . . . . .
Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.
--Wordsworth
I just read "The Great Gilly Hopkins" to my class. It has this poem in it. ...I was thinking about it today and how great it is. I wanted to share it with you and also Matt's cross country race today. He ran 2.9 miler in 15:40. He took 12th overall.
Way to go Matt and team, you ran your guts out, trailing clouds of glory.
BTW ... JV girls, boys and Varsity girls took 1st place. Matt's Varsity team took 2nd place to Timpview (boo). But they "showed up" and gave it their best.

Final, final Landscaping

2008-10-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Thought you'd like to see it with the lights and stuff.

Happy Birthday Trenter!

2008-09-25T18:19:00.001-07:00

Well, it's not everyday you turn 47 years old. Wow!!!!!! There's my hunney, getting the mail on his birthday, standing by the newest (and final) phase of the landscaping. He reluctantly posed by the newest feature, the "bubbling rock" ha ...thus his tentative smile! Gee, ........I hope none of those letters are bills!!
Tonight, instead of going out to eat, we just stayed home and had a family dinner of SF Pizza I picked up and a lovely green salad. Trent loves SF Pizza. It's sourdough and he is a lover of that and pretty much anything that has to do with SF, besides homosexuals and liberals. I've got a berry pie in the oven ..... his favorite dessert. We had fun tonight, just sitting around the table, savoring each other in conversation and laughs. We know this is something we won't always be able to do -- as the boys are growing up so fast.
Hey babe, Happy Birthday. I love you.

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need; Jehovah is his Name

2008-09-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM0YaQEvrRM

I just walked in from ward choir practice. For the past month we have been learning and practicing the above hymn. Every week I have looked forward to singing this because it strengthens my testimony of the Savior. I get to fill up my bucket. The beautiful message it conveys, renews my spirit. The feeling it gives me is more than words can describe, and my heart is overflowing. I want to share it with you and I hope it will touch you as deeply as it has me. I hope you read the lyrics.
My choir friend told me about the above link. It is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing this hymn at President Hinkley's funeral, (apparently a favorite hymn of the Prophet's). Along with the fab. singing is a video tribute to this exquisite man.

This song touches me to the very core. The message is deep, true and comforting.

Now a plug for ward choirs everywhere. !! If you haven't sung in a choir before or once did, but haven't in awhile, I would like to encourage you to join one today! Especially with Christmas coming around the corner, it will help you feel the spirit and feel the joy only music can bring.

Here are the lyrics:

My Shepherd will supply my need;
Jehovah is his Name;
In pastures fresh he makes me feed,
beside the living stream.
He brings my wand'ring spirit back,
when I forsake his ways,
and leads me for his mercy's sake,
in paths of truth and grace.

When I walk through the shades of death,
thy presence is my stay;
One word of they supporting breath drives all my fears away.
Thy hand in sight of all my foes, doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
thine oil annoints my head.

The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;
O may thy house be mine abode and all my work be praise!
There would I find a settled rest while others go and come,
no more a stranger, nor a guest; but like a child at home.
. . . . No more a stranger, nor a guest; but like a chld at home.

American Folk Hymn
Melody from Southern Harmony, 1835
Paraphrase by Isaac Watts (1674-1740)
Psalm 23
Arranged by Mack Wilberg for the BYU Concert Choir

I know the Savior, Jesus Christ lives. I know he is my redeemer. I love him. -- Kelley

Latest News

2008-09-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

A typical school night of homework ... the twins happily working together on theirs, Matt working with a friend over the phone on an APGAP assignment. Notice the Oatmeal Creme pies in the background, just in case he gets hungry.
A typical school night for Trent ... watching the news in his chair, and half of my diet coke still sitting there! Trent is an awesome Daddy and Hubbie. He's my sweetie. I love him and he works so hard to provide for us.
Ahhhhh .... At last we are back together again. Partners in crime, my Brookie, Di and me. We were just leaving to get our hair done ..... uh...... we should've taken the pic after, not before!
Matt's SUPER FANTASTIC 18TH B-DAY PARTY
After the football game at MVHS on Friday night, we invited Matt's friends to come and celebrate with pizza and ice cream. It was yummy Costco vanilla with crushed Oreos, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Below is John, from (drum roll please) non other than Simi Valley, my home town. How crazy & awesome! He moved here 2 weeks ago. He played the drums as we sang happy b-day to Mattie. What a guy.
Will and Tanner. Two of Matt's fav. friends. Tanner is a runner on the XC team w/Matt. Will is a good 'ol friend, a homework buddy and just solid, great guy.

Davey Runnells and Matt should've been girls. They are so pretty! They have beautiful features .... blue eyes, clear skin, & white, straight teeth. Davey is a great kid. Fab!
Some of the crazy girls that were there. There were 30 people in our kitchen. Darling, fun girls. I think Matt said he wants to take the 3rd one over (Andrea) to one of the dances this year.
NEWS FLASH: Matt got his Eagle Scout Award! Yippee kai Yai yay. Just in time for the 18th b-day deadline. Do you like the "pose"? I had a way better pic. but someone (ahem) deleted it.
This gives you a glimpse of what's going on around here lately. It's fun to blog and reflect on both the fun and the slightly mundane day to day activities. I am so thankful for these days. I know they won't last forever. I am loving the moment. The boys are great, obedient boys. I am happy to have Brooke and Ryan back. We spent a lot of time together this weekend. B & R, I love you.

Ohhhhhhhk-lahoma!!

2008-08-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Curly & Laurey profess their love!
A few of us from the ward went to the classic Rodger's & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" last night. We had a blast, enjoying the familiar tunes like "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'", "The Surrey With The Fringe on Top" and the super fantastic finale number "Oklahoma". It was at the Thanksgiving Pointe barn. Below is the majority of the cast. One of the little boys in the front row goes to Westfield, where I teach. He is in the 3rd grade across the hall from me.
A family in our ward has a son who played "Slim". He is pictured in the two pics below. It was a little-ish part, but he was perfect in it. This is him bowing before my cam could get the flash going and snap. Isn't he handsome?!!
That's Julianne and her young twin girls, on either side of "Slim" in the front. The rest of the girls are from the ward YW. A girl named Heidi Payne is in front of me. She is trying out for the lead (Belle) in "Beauty and Beast" for Lehi High's Fall production. I hope she gets it.

Timpanogos Hike

2008-08-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

I went on an 18 mile (round-trip) hike up Timpanogos Mountain Saturday 8/9. It is the most beautiful mountain to me. For the previous 10 years, we lived on the other side of it in Orem. It has provided years of beauty and inspiration to me over the seasons. It never looked the same. It depended on the light, weather and time of year. "I love you", Timp. mountain. Some ward members and I started our hike at 7 a.m. This is the first look backward, over the mountains to the east. If you're not careful, you could hike all day with your head down, focusing on the trail and forget to look up, pause and savor the beauty and light surrounding you. It is like being bathed in precious oils and then dressed in a cocoon of cashmere. Ahhhhh!
We started our hike at 7, got to the "saddle" at noon. This is the early part of the morning. Look at the light coming over the mountain.

One of many waterfalls along the way. Several were laiden with beautiful green, mossy rocks.
O M G !!!!!

This is Amanda, a YW from our Lehi ward, she's a great girl. The fields were covered in gorgeous wild flowers like this. It was so beautiful. This picture does not convey extreme lushness and abundance of wild flowers experienced that day.
Scenes like this can be recalled forever and ever. Moments of shear beauty. This is what I dream about at night. jk -- I wish I could control dreams.
My Mattie and I met up along the trail. He started 2 hours before us with the YM. He was on his way down, I was on my way up.....this is right before the "saddle", so you can see I'm extremely red and hot! It's not that I'm out of shape or anything!!! ha!!
FYI the "saddle" is the top of the mountain, when you can look over the other side of the mountain at Utah Lake and Utah County. The "saddle" actually looks like a saddle, a little scoop out of the top of the mountain. Have someone explain this better to you, as I am at a loss for words right now, me?.... a loss for words?
Oh! this is a view from the top, or saddle, looking as far north as I could capture. If I had gone to the summit, I would've been able to see the great Salt Lake. I could see our new development, Ivory Ridge, the white indoor tennis tent -- look right in the exact middle of the picture, there's a white rectangle.
view from the saddle, looking SE -- of Utah Lake and southward. (PG, Lindon, Orem).
There was a family of 5 mountain goats! They were probably wondering, "hey, what are you doing here? This is my habitat. Move out of our way!" It was amazing to watch them ever so gingerly walking on the terraces of the mountain cliffs. wow!
See that little pointy tip to the left of middle of this pic? That is the summit. There is a shack up there, what you're seeing is the tip of the flag on the roof of the shack. I didn't want to go to the summit this time, it was another mile and 1/4, (up scary, rocky, brittle stair-step like ledges) so I just chilled and watched hikers do their thing, watch mountain goats, (and I had to change my feminine product when no one was looking around a secluded ledge!!!) ha!!! Ew... I know, but life has to go on, even at 10,000 ft. elevation. It was an issue. A man asked me what was back there when I came back around the corner.....I just said, another beautiful view.
At three O'clock on the pic above, if your eye went straight up from there, ... that would be the summit. In the green field straight out, a rescue helicopter had to come rescue a guy that was trying to slide down the glacier and broke his lower leg, (compound fracture), you could see into the guys leg, my ward friends said who could see it from the summit.
looking south and east at the saddle
That is the path to the summit. craggly and rigorous, but A-W-E-S-O-M-E! That word was made to describe the summit of Timp. It is well worth the trip if you've never done it.

Looking at Pleasant Grove, the green mountains. ....... ah.
Tanner & Julianne Clegg, me (wow), Amanda, Stephanie-Eric-Ben Rogers. Wendy and John Rogers & Beth Chun were still coming down from the summit, so we unfortunately were impatient and didn't get them in our picture. This Julianne is a new friend of mine in my new ward. She is so fun and crazy. She was David's Ma for the ward pioneer trek in June. She wrote me a touching letter about Matt and the twins. Wow. What a woman she is.

The Final Landscaping

2008-07-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

NE corner. Eventual veggie garden.
NW corner, looking W. We love this feature, esp. when the lights are on at night.
standing in the front side yard on the W. imagine it with the soft lighting!
Standing in the front looking down the W. side yard
Standing on the front walkway, looking west to the Rileys, our new neighbors

Hi y'all! We finally got our fence installed today! And here are the final pics of our landscaping. We went with a blackish rock in the front for ground cover. It is so windy here that we had to have rock, not bark. It has been fun to watch the landscaping process.....(from the air conditioned house!!ha!!) It is not entirely complete, because Ivory has to re-pour our front walkway due to sinking/cracking, so the area around there will be completed in the Fall. David took these pics, although they are excellent (thanks, David) I wish he would've waited for the lights to come on because that is a really pretty effect in the evening with the shadows and ambiance. So.....if you want to see that, you'll have to come over in the evening and visit us. Please do, ASAP. We love visitors.

Trip to Alaska

2008-07-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad went on a "business" trip to Alaska on a cruise. They were on a cruise for a week and had an unlimited amount of food. Lucky ducks.

Landon Jeffrey Tenney & visit to Hooper

2008-07-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the pictures of the new baby and our visit up to Chad and Sarah's house.

We are glad to have a new baby in the family!

More landscaping

2008-07-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

One of the many disadvantages in living here in Lehi.

Slate pathway

Garden Spot

Retaining Wall

Pathway soon to have slate

Arch going to be at the end of pathway.

Our landscaping is coming along very well. We are about half way there! When it's all said and done, all of the great pictures of our landscaping will be posted here on the blog.

Landscaping

2008-06-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Garden spot

Back of house

Pillar of retaining wall/planter

Side-yard path

Front of home

Steps to home

Front path (will have stepping stones)

Although we have lived in our house since November `07, we haven't taken a picture of it yet. We got our grass and sprinklers in right away, but now we are doing the complete package! We found the most awesome guy, a young chap, named Jeff Larson. First he went around our entire perimeter and packed the soil down and excavated. Now he is building up the beds, creating a walkway with lighting and arbor, a retaining wall w/ planter, and a veg. garden spot. It is going to be incredible! We can't wait for him to be done next week! So here is the before and the after will be forthcoming.

-Kelley

David's work

2008-06-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

This is David re-modeling the blog. I am the "nerd" of the family, being the only one who can figure out how to update the blog. Anyway, I am 15 soon to be 16 along with my twin jj. Matt is 17 soon to be 18 and Brooke is 21.

2008-01-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

There were classic moments and wonderful memories from this last summer, the summer of transition for us. Here, after selling our home and moving into a rental while waiting for our new home in Lehi to be built, was a classic moment with JJ, Matthew and David on the south lawn at the White House.

2008-01-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I am finally breaking down and getting this started. My motivation for this has been other family members that have been blogging and posting as well as reviewing this past year in pictures and memories with the family.