S's LDS Mission Call

S recieved her mission call today. She will be serving in the Jaoa Pessoa Brazil Mission. She will report to the language training center in Brazil by April 14th,  2010. We are so excited for her!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

I'm usually sending out my Christmas cards right  after Thanksgiving, but I was hoping that S would get her mission call before then. I decided to send the cards with our blog address so that everyone could check our blog for the big news....perphaps after Christmas. (Sorry the photos looked so grainy...that's what I get for procrastination!)
Here's a brief over view of our family this year, 2009, if you don't want to read through our blog. :-)

R- Manager with Microsoft pricing department. Recieve two great recognition awards this year and a promotion. Is hitting his 4 year mark as LDS bishop. Is so happy that r is a boy scout now so he can go hiking and camping with his little man cub. He took A and E to Peru for a humanitarian trip in August.

J- This year was a busy one for my organizing business. I'm on my 5th year of piano lessons, can't play well yet, but is the most determined pianist around! Realizing how fast time flies as each child reaches different birthdays. Got to visit Ireland last February and had a wonderful time!

S- (21  yrs.) Has been attending LDS Business College in Salt Lake City for a year. S decided to submit her missionary papers to serve for 18 months. She's really excited to see where she will serve, hoping it'll be  foreign so she can learn a language. She still enjoys singing, writing music and lyrics. We're so glad to have her home for the holidays!

A- (18 yrs.)Has attended Bellevue College  her high school senior year. She will graduate from high school this year and is waiting to find out where she will be accepted for college. She has taken up photography and does a wonderful job. She has her blog listed on the side of our family blog.

E- (15 yrs.) Counting the days down until she turns 16. She enjoys her first year of high school (10th grade). She plays the guitar and performs often for groups. She has started voice lessons and proves to have the Gordon genes for musical talent.

R- (11 yrs.) Recieved his Arrow of Light in cub scouts and now awaiting to become an Official Boy Scout. He has passed his Tenderfoot. E has been teaching him guitar. He loves being the oldest in school and can't wait to attend Junior High next year. He's awaiting basketball season.

We wish you a wonderful holiday season!

Our 25th Anniversary

Okay, I know we can be goofy sometimes, at least our kids think so, but that's the key to our marriage...HUMOR!

Robert accomplished the task of surprising me for our 25th anniversary. I got up early Sunday morning to go to a church meeting and there on the floor of our master closet was a suitcase. He came into the room and said that we were going away for two days, with 25 roses in hand. I was totally surprised! He had planned an overnight to Whidbey Island, WA.


Langley is a litte quaint town on the island of Whidbey. In the summer it would be very beautiful along the shores of the Puget Sound. The view from our room....Langley...friends we met around town.

Boy Scout Overnight

R and r went on an overnight campout about 8 miles from our house on Friday night. The 11 year old scouts have to pass a requirement, camp out, put up tent, cook two meals, etc... so they headed out on Friday afternoon.

r and R came home Saturday morning smelling like smoke, with stories of woe. The rest of the day R complained about how he just can't sleep on the ground like he use to. Ha! We're getting old!

Making Dutch Oven pizzas....ignore the scout on the right....there's always one like that in the troop, ha!

The lean-to they put their tent in. Luckily, there was not any rain, but a little mist in the am.

NYC through A's camera lense

NYC for A's 18th Birthday!!

A took a helicpoter ride around NYC and Liberty and Ellis Island.

Empire State Building

She, R and I had a great time....we saw everything!!!

Happy Halloween 2009!

E as Edward Scissorhands

J as the "Overworked and Unappreciated Mummy", Grandma Ellie, the Witch

r as the "Biker Dude" and R as Captain Jack Sparrow

October Happenings

I just returned from my Girls' Getaway in Omaha Nebraska, where it all began. We were feeling a little crazy yesterday morning, sitting in the jacuzzi in 20* weather, with the Nebraska winds freezing our faces.

We had our portraits taken so that when we're 60 years old we'll remember how we looked at 40!

We had an awesome time staying at our friend's in-law's vacation house in Platte River Valley. Beautiful place!!

We're excited to see E perform at her high school's talent show and to have my mom come visit for a week. Next week R, J and A are heading to New York City to celebrate A's 18th birthday on the 29th.

r was a brave little guy...he had to get two teeth pulled so he could get is braces on before the end of the year when the Flexible Spending Account submittals had to be in....what terrible parents! Ha!He'd never had laughing gas before.

HAPPY AUTUMN FROM OUR GARDEN!

Photographer: A Gordon

Update on the Gordon Family

We, like every other family, have been busy getting back into the Fall activities of school, lessons and homework.
E is loving high school. A is liking the free time in the morning to study for the ACT and study her online college English class. Every day without fail I get two text messages.... one from A, "What's for deener?", in which I reply..."Come home and find out." the other,  from  E, "Are you picking me up from school today?". She hates taking the bus, besides she has a 30 minute wait for the bus after school and we're too far from the school for her to walk. So I end up picking her up from school.

r is liking his 6th grade teacher and his homework. (Can't you tell his summer was quite boring!). He is taking guitar lessons from E. E is taking guitar lessons and voice lessons. My piano teacher volunteered to teach her voice, she thinks E has great potential, which is a wonderful compliment coming from her.

I'm winding down with my big organizing project that kept me busy most of the month of August. I'm enjoying having some downtime to clean and organize my house! I'm thinking of starting some redecorating projects. We've never been in a home for more than 6 years, we're getting the "itch". I still have three clients that keep me busy helping them with their organizing projects.

R got an awesome review at work and is planning a business trip to Russia in October. I was going to go with him, but found out that if I don't have an interpreture I'd be up a creek without a paddle. So I'll have to save that for another time. He's still a busy Bishop and going onto his 4th year in January.

With all the warm weather, our garden has got a second wind and we're still harvesting squash, zuchinni, tomatoes, corn, butternut and spaghetti squash and pumpkins for Halloween. It's been an awesome gardening season. I've planted a winter garden and we'll see how that goes!

r's 11th Birthday Party!

r turned 11 on the 31st of August. He had a birthday party, with a few of his close friends, and went to the Seattle Mariners vs LA Angels on Wednesday afternoon. One of my clients has a connection to the Mariners and she was kind enough to give me tickets in her front row seats. The boys, R included, were excited to be up close to the players. The players would joke around with the boys and they thought that was pretty cool!

Final Days of Summer

I'd have photos of my children's first day of school, however, they informed me that they are all too old to have that snapshot taken with their new outfit and backpack! They did report that they had a great day today, and are excited to return tomorrow! A is taking college classes her Senior year, so she doesn't begin school until the middle of this month.

r and R went salmon fishing with a work associate of R's, last Saturday. They enjoyed beautiful weather, scenery, but only one fish, caught by r. r was so excited to reel in his first fish ever! Unfortunately, he left the fish with the captain, he didn't want to have to eat it!

Random Summer Activities

This summer our garden has feed us well, and our neighbors, random strangers and many a deer. We have had ample corn, beans, summer squash, zucchini and this Fall a huge pumpkin patch! I'd take a photo, however, the zucchini is too large for my lense! The other day r and A were watering and harvesting the garden. r called out to A, "There are baby squash on this plant". A yelled back, "Don't pick the babysquash, let them grown!" r called back, "No they are the size of babies!" 8 pounds and larger!

Bishop Gordon and the Tin Man at Girls' Camp

Cub Day Hike (r second from the left)

A was my date to my clients' wedding reception at Safeco Baseball field. Good food, personal concert by David Wilcox, fun evening!

A Glimpse of Peru

Lunch

Dinner....Guinea Pig...."Qui"

Lima, Peru

And the Peruvian children thought Alpacas were hairy!

Machu Pichu

Machu Pichu

An Alpaca Head