4A State Tennis

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.

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

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

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!

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

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!

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.