A Big Fat Time Out...For ME!!!

I got to go to Time Out For Women with some of my FAVORITE women this year!! The past 3 years I have gone with friends, but this year decided we would try to pull off a Tenney girls trip. So my mom, Tara, Cynthia and I headed to the valley a day before TOFW started and did some much needed shopping and treated ourselves to lots of good food and pedicures. Jami and Carly came down just on Saturday and joined us for the day.

TOFW was of course AMAZING!! Here are just a few things I learned this year...

#1...I need to live my life as a Holy Woman...I have a LOT to work on!!
#2...Compared to others, my life is a cake walk!!
#3...Some times the worse thing that happens to us can actually turn out to be the best thing that happens to us!
#4...I need to make my scriptures my THERAPY!
#5...That in trying times...all we can do is just keep trying!

And MUCH more!



My Beautiful mom and I getting pedicures...I'm holding my niece Taelee who later got her toenails and fingernails painted!

Cynthia & Taera getting their toes done!

Taera, Taelee, Carly (doesn't she look adorable pregnant?), Jami (soon to be grandma:), Cynthia, My mom, and Me (not so cute pregnant!)

Carly & Jami

Thanks ladies for making the weekend so fun! It was a much needed break!

We missed the sisters that couldn't join us!!

Lessons of Forgiveness...

I must be needing to learn how to apply forgiveness in my life. I have never felt like I was one to be unforgiving. To be honest, forgiveness has come quite easily in the past. But for some reason the past few weeks have been full of meanness and I have found myself having a hard time forgiving others.

It all started with an email that was sent to people all over Heber, from an unknown source, totally bashing my husband and our family...all because he has chosen to run for the Heber/Overgaard Fireboard. It was full of lies, and yes some truths, but was truly hurtful. The following is the blurb about Brandon and our Family...

"Our major concerns are with two people running, Brandon Martineau and Jerry Call. These two have a special agenda. That is, to cut the tax rate for the Heber Overgaard fire district to the bone regardless of the consequences. The reason they want to do that is to reduce their own property tax bills. Mr. Martineau owns at least 8 properties / homes in the H-O area. Back real estate taxes are owed on all of them with tax liens on a number of them. Mr. Martineau was given most of these properties by his uncle, Lewis Tenney. Lewis Tenney owes back taxes on a number of his 60+ properties. Follow the money. Mr. Martineau wants the fire district tax rate cut to the bone so his and his uncles tax bill will be lowered. Mr Martineau has no qualifications to sit on the board. He doesn't have a job. He gets free money from the state ( close to $5000 / month ) for fostering children. You would think getting $60,000 a year of free money he would pay his taxes. What does this say about his money handling skills?"

About an hour after receiving this email, we received a mean phone call from a man I have never even heard of. This was our conversation...

Me- 'Hello Martineaus'
Mr. Clark- 'You people need to pay your taxes and leave the fire department alone!!'

He hangs up on me!!

I call him back...

Me- 'Sir, you do know that is harassment right?'
Mr. Clark- 'Yeah and I don't care...You people need to pay your taxes and leave the fire department alone!!'

He hangs up on me again!!

That is when I lose it! I start bawling!! Are there really people that are THAT mean and cruel?! I really couldn't believe it!! I was SO mad!!

Here is where I have to start applying forgiveness. 1st...to the anonymous man who wrote the hurtful email, and 2nd...to the wonderful Mr. Charles Clark whom I have never met who was so kind to call us up and be so mean.

It has been hard for me to do. But as I have read the following quote from President Hinckley over and over again it is getting easier. I WILL move on...and I WILL forgive.

"May God help us to be a little kinder, showing forth greater forbearance, to be more forgiving, more willing to walk the second mile, to reach down and lift up those who may have sinned but have brought forth the fruits of repentance, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more."
President Hinckley

All Domesticated...

I LOVE Canning Season! It's the one time of year I feel domesticated!!

As much as I love the few days of extremely hard work...I'm not gonna lie...I also LOVE when it's over!!:)


A Few of Our Pears

Carly and Mom doing peaches

My awesome mom!!

Carly enjoying peeling peaches!!

BIG thanks to my mom for ALWAYS helping me!!

All together we did:
5 boxes of Peaches
4 Boxes of Pears
And
2 Boxes of Apples

Pee Wee Wrestling...

You gotta LOVE pee wee wrestling!! This year it was extra fun because cousins wrestled against each other and so did brothers! It's a good thing they are all still friends!


Zach and Tyton wrestling

Porter and Michael...it was nice to see these two wrestle without it ending in a fist fight!!

Zach with his weight group

Porter and Michael with their group

Better Late than Never...

I know this is an extremely late post...but I still have to post about it.

The end of July we headed to Shelton, WA to visit Brandon's parents...and YES we took ALL of the kids!! It took us 3 days to get there and by the time we got there I was going crazy wanting out of the car (and it had nothing to do with my kids driving me crazy...they were actually REALLY good!) We did have a blast on our way up though getting to drive through the Redwoods, getting to visit with the Sulzer family, and getting to drive along the coast!! We saw some beautiful country!!

The kids being good in the car!

The kids playing dress up at the Sulzer's house!

Porter by a Redwood Tree

The whole Fam by a Redwood

We had a blast at Brandon's sister's house and enjoyed where they lived.

The kids had so much fun with Grandpa's animals

While we were there we got to go to their ward party which was held at Zions Camp. It's owned by the church and was absolutely AMAZING!!!

Brandon with the kids walking down to the lake

Mallori enjoying the lake!

We of course had to go to the beach at least one of the days while we were there. I thought the beach was suppose to be sunny and warm...but boy was I WRONG...but that still didn't keep the kids out of the water!

The kids playing in the water with their cousins!

Grandpa Martineau, Addi, and Morgon

Mallori NOT enjoying the beach so much!

One of my new favorite pictures!!
(Brandon and Miles)

Brandon and Mom Martineau

Us on the beach

Us with Grandpa and Grandma Martineau

One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to meet up with my long lost brother, Aron Johnson. Aron lived with my family for 3 years back in high school and I haven't seen him since he got home from his mission like 13 years ago. It was good to see him and meet one of his daughters!!

Aron, Abigail, and I

Of course one of the main reasons we went on our trip was for Brandon's sister Penny's wedding. We were glad to be a part of it all!! We love you Penney and Brian!

Penny and I getting pedicures the day before her wedding!

The Beautiful Penney

Brian and Penny

Another highlight of the trip was getting to be there for Rich's (Brandon's brother-in-law) Baptism. We are so excited for Their family!!

We had a great time and made lots of memories!!! We love and miss Brandon's family that lives so far away!!!!

Miss ya...Love ya!

We said goodbye to this crazy kid a month ago...




We love him and miss him like CRAZY!!!

He will never know what his example means to us and to our 8 future missionaries!

Oh the Memories...

I remember as a little girl how much I looked forward to after FHE Bull Rides...

So when this started goin on after this past weeks FHE, I just HAD to grab my camera!!




Miles Mounting the Bull...

Miles ready for whats about to come...

The Bull rearing up...

The Bull giving it his best shot to buck the little cowboy off!!


(PLEASE ignore the filthy mess in the back ground!!)