Pieces

"This world is a puzzle." I am completely certain that God has a plan for each of us, even if we can't quite see it yet. I feel like it comes together in pieces. Here a little, there a little. sometimes you get a whole pile of brightly colored and detailed pieces to the picture and other times you go a while without getting anything too terribly ground breaking. Still, on you go, finding bits and pieces. I think that God puts people in our lives at specific times to help us see more of the picture too. They come along and show you so much that you had no idea was even possible. Whether they stay for a short while or for a long time, they become part of your story, part of your picture. The trouble is, sometimes we think we know how the picture should look or how the story should go without help from the create orchestrator of it all. So we make mistakes and get a little lost, but He always stands with open arms ready to guide us. I personally have seen that when you trust in God, He can make your story better than anything you ever imagined. Everything will be ok in the end if you walk with the Lord. As you go through this life He will continually give you more pieces of the puzzle and things will fall into place exactly how they need to.

A Drop of Honey

There's a quote from Abraham Lincoln that goes "you can attract more flies with a drop of honey than with a bucket of vinegar." I remember reading that for the first time and thinking it was a nice little saying, but lately I've come to realize how true it really is.
For some reason, the world likes to focus on the negative and on all that's going wrong. It sometimes seems like everyone is holding their breath, waiting for someone to slip up, just so they can say, "Ha! Gotcha! Look what you've done! Look at the mess you've made!" The thing is, everyone messes up. Everyone slips here and there. Isn't it a shame to have so much of a focus on the negative, that we forget to see all the good there is? I know I've been guilty of this, but I've been making an effort lately to focus more on the positive.
I've started off by making an effort to notice and acknowledge the good things my siblings do. Whether it be putting their dish in the sink or singing to themselves when their happy, a positive word can go a long way! It makes them feel good, it makes me feel good, and it promotes the doing of more good! I've noticed that when I thank my brother for helping out or having a great attitude, he's a little more willing to help out next time or the attitude lasts a little longer. Like I said, everyone slips up (I know I sure do), but if I spent all my time criticizing and correcting the wrongs and never stopped to appreciate the simple goodness of the people around me, then life would get plain annoying. And you know what else? People like being around people who make them feel good! So with just a drop of honey in your perspective, you can attract more friends that a vinegar view on life ever will.
That's just a little something I've had on my mind and I think it can make a big difference.

Virginia Summer Trip 2013

Here we go! Some pictures form our Virginia Trip of 2013! :)

Emmett and Massi running to Nana and Grandpa's house. Freedom!

Andrew overlooking the trenches of a Civil War battlefield. Makes you appreciate the comforts of home, huh?

Nana measuring Livi on the measuring door. She's growing like a weed! A beautiful weed!

Dash, Livi, and Zac enjoying a little lake time. 

Little Lilly and her (squished) slug friend. 

Livi, Erica, and Zac at the ice cream shop. Perfect for a hot day!

Zac, Livi, and Dash on the best climbing tree in town!

Zac, Dash, and Livi enjoying a story from Grandpa. He is one of the best story tellers you'll ever meet!

Emmett and Massi at Busch Gardens at the start of a long, fun day.

Emmett and Me on the Escape From Pompeii. We made it out in one piece and so did our shipmates! (See how happy the guy in the front is?)

Heather, Nana, Zac, Dash, Emmett, and Sammi having a little game night with Spot It! It takes a while to master, but these guys got it!

Livi on the backyard tree swing. She was our little jungle girl!

Zac on the tree swing in his Perry the Platypus PJs! 

Guided By the Spirit

These past few weeks I've been able to visit my grandparents and some other family in Virginia. It's one of my favorite places, like a second home chock full of memories and sentiment, and this year I had an experience that made it an extra special visit.
Around six-thirty or seven in the morning, before the sun was too high and the rest of the world woke up, I would get up and run around my grandparent's neighborhood. I explored some new routes and waved at people walking and running on the roads as we passed each other, all while listening to general conference talks or music on my phone (depending on the day and on if my phone was acting up!). One of those mornings I ran past a man I had seen walking his dog the day before and as I passed him, the thought came into my mind, "You should talk to him about the gospel!" Not sure if it was just me being overzealous from listening to conference talks or if it was an impression of the Spirit, I turned and ran in the direction he was walking. Then turned back. Then back towards him. And back the other way again. Finally I decided that if I saw him the next day, I would talk to him. At that moment Elder David A. Bednar's words came into my mind which are something along the lines of, "if you want to know if your thought is an impression of the Spirit, you need to act on it." That was it. I had to talk to him the next day.
The next day came and I ran a route I knew he would be on, unsure of how I would approach the conversation, but sure that I needed to. I ran up the street where I had seen him walking the day before and there he was! Slowing down a little, I took off my headphones, walked up beside him and put out my hand to shake his in an introduction. "Hi! My name's Lexi Tenney! Oh sorry my hands are so sweaty!" Somehow I forgot about the sweat dripping from my arms and he wiped his hand on his shirt, thoroughly, and understandably, grossed out. "Anyways, I've seen you walking around and I was wondering if I could join you." He said I could, introduced himself and his little Beagle dog, and we started off on a walk around the neighborhood. As we walked we talked about different things and he told me about himself. He's in his eighties and his wife is in a nursing home with a lot of medical problems, but he visits her every day. He got his dog just a month or so after his wife went to the nursing home, a little over a year ago and lets him wander around and smell things as they walk, almost as a returned favor for the company he provides. After talking for a while, I had told him that I was visiting my grandparents in the neighborhood and how it was like a second home to me. He then asked if I was born in Virginia and I told him that I was born in Provo, Utah. "Ah, Provo, huh? BYU, right?" "Yes! That's where my parents went to college!" It turns out that some of his kids went to BYU and some of them had even served missions! We continued walking and when we reached his house I stopped him before he went up the drive way and said, "you told me some of your kids served missions and I was wondering, are you a member of the church." Smiling, he shook his head, no. "My ex-wife is a member, and so are my kids, but no, I'm not." I nodded and smiled at him as I said, "Well, if you ever need a church home on Sunday, we would love to see you!" He smiled and thanked me, though he honestly didn't seem too interested, and we parted ways. As I made my way home, I couldn't help but smile.
 That Sunday I found the Sister missionaries and told them about my experience. All three of us were practically jumping up and down with excitement (at least, that's how I felt), but when they asked if I got his last name and address, I realized I forgot about that important information. Feeling a bit deflated, but determined to find him, I got the Sister's number and we said goodbye, going to our third hour classes of church.
For the rest of the trip I kept an eye out for my new friend on my morning runs, but with no luck. My brother Andrew and I even set out on a walk to find where he lived which proved unsuccessful. The next Sunday I saw the Sisters again and apologized about being unable to find him. They assured me that they were just glad that I had that experience and were grateful I had told them about it. That definitely made me feel better, and I was immensely grateful to have the experience too, but I still wished that I could have done more.
That Tuesday was the day the Tenney clan was heading home to Texas and I decided to do a quick run before sitting in a car all day long. So off I went, down a route I usually didn't run, at a time I usually didn't leave. It was on the home stretch that I thought, "I wonder if I'll see him this morning..." and as I turned my head there he was walking down the street! I ran up and greeted him (from behind, which startled him a bit) and we went off walking again. I really did enjoy the time I spent talking with him. It made me want to hear stories from when he was little and see him when he was around his family. There was a shyness about him that I imagined he had had for his whole life, but it didn't make him any less enjoyable to be around. This time as we walked, he was the one to mention the Church (and now I realize, he was the one to mention it first in our first walk!) when he told me that his Mormon family members would be coming to visit soon. I said I was excited for him and disappointed that I wouldn't be around when they came, and when he found that out he seemed a little disappointed too. When we reached his house I took note of the street name and his house number and asked for his last name which he readily gave. We said goodbye and I headed home, jumping and smiling and thanking Heavenly Father all the way back.
Let me just say, there are no coincidences. What are the odds of me running into a man with Mormon family members, who isn't a member of the church while just running around the streets of the neighborhood? And then it happening again! I know that the Lord's hand was there in that experience and I'm grateful for the influence of the Spirit in my life. I still haven't called the Sisters, but I plan on doing so soon! I don't know what will happen next with my friend, but I do know that God has a plan for all of His children and in His time, everything will be alright.

Tenney Reunion 2013

There a few places that take me away from the rest of the world and family reunion is one of those places. Surrounded by people I love and who love me, catching up, sitting back, laughing, smiling, and simply enjoying eachother's company. Sometime when I think about my family, it bubbles up inside of me until it all spills out as a smile that nearly lifts my feet off the ground. There is so much love in our family and I know that we're so close because we have Christ in our lives. He is the center piece of all of our lives and brings us even closer together.
This year we we're in the great state of Colorado once again! I used to never understand when people who came to Texas said they missed their mountains, but I'm starting to get it. They towered over us pressing into the sky, almost stretching it out and making the air thin. So thin that running down the road takes your breath away! And games of capture the flag leave you exhausted. :) We had lots of adventures with cousins, uncles, aunts, and siblings. Many tennis games were played, footballs were tossed, and mountains were climbed. Some rafted down river rapids, others ziplined over white water, and Everyone participated in the Tenney Olympics. As usual, there was a little talent show, and for the first time in five years there was the adored Tenney puppet show put on by no other than uncle Trey and uncle Kendall! After the fun filled week with the people I most love and adore, my gratitude for eternal families grows immensely! I know that families are forever. I know that a family that is centered on Christ will experience great happiness while on earth and the greatest joy in the next life. I like to think that the precious moments I share with my family here is a glimpse of eternity. :)

Summer Smiles

Summer is magic time of year no matter how old you are. There's a sense of freedom and excitement mingled with memories from summers passed. I've already had some great adventures and summer is only just starting! I think there are a couple things that really make or break an adventure. First: attitude. Anything can be an adventure with the right attitude, but if you focus on the bumps in the road then you'll almost always have a lousy trip. Second: people. Often times you can't control who accompanies you on an adventure, but you can control how you treat them and that's a huge part of it! Each person you meet has a story, a divine purpose on earth, and can help open your eyes to more of the world.

There's A First For Everything

I like trying new things and it's fun to experience new "firsts". If you think about it, firsts are pretty rare and special. How often do you get to do something for the very first time? Once! Unless of course you're doing multiple things for the first time... but you get the idea. There are firsts of all shapes, sizes, colors, and varieties, and they help add excitement to life. In fact, I'm experiencing a first today. This is my first time writing on my own personal blog! Yay! Something else about firsts: they're easier to find when you keep an open mind (10 points for the unintentional rhyme!). A lot of times, firsts are little things. Little things are what make up the big picture.

first peach blossoms this year