MISSIONARY UPDATE

D, I mean Elder Gordon, is out in his first official area (has been for two weeks now). He enjoyed his stay in the Preston MTC and is now serving right in Manchester in the Swinton area.

Elder Gordon with the Mission President and his wife.

 His companion is from Lindon, Utah and knows Elder Gordon's cousin really well. It is such a small world in the LDS church!

Elder Gordon and his trainer.

 His trainer has only been out four months, but because of the hordes of missionaries flooding the field, this is actually pretty common now. It sounds like they are doing the Lord's will and working hard.

Elder Gordon and his store.

I love this photo and not just because of the irony of the store, but D just looks like such a missionary in this photo! It is awesome!! He's really out there and doing a fabulous job! I am so proud of him!

In another part of the world, Sister Gordon continues to serve faithfully as well. She is still amazing me too. How I got so blessed with these wonderful children/missionaries is still a mystery to me...

Sister Gordon and her new companion at a Relief Society activity.

 S is in a new area too. She is now serving in a little more prosperous area of Miami, rather than the ghetto of Ft. Lauderdale, and also speaking Spanish finally. I am glad she is getting to use her language. She has taught people from Spain, Haiti, Columbia, Peru, etc... I am still wondering what kind of accent she will end up with when she gets home.

S loves her Sanuk shoes. She doesn't wear anything else, and the ones she went out with were in bad shape (see photo below), so I found some more online and sent them too her. The difference is so funny! She's hard on shoes, that girl, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!

The shoes of a missionary.

10 DAYS IN EUROPE- PREP

I am so lucky! I get to go to Europe next Wednesday! I can't tell you how excited I am! I have been teaching art history for years and will finally get to see many of the works I have been teaching about in real life!! Plus, just to experience the culture and the food is almost enough. I am going with Snow College and we get to go to Rome, Florence and Paris.

Money belt

 I have been getting ready for the last couple days. I was encouraged by an experienced traveler to get a money belt to prevent pick pocketing. I guess they target tourists pretty good over there and I'm sure I'll stand out like the true-blooded American I am, so I bought one.

Keen shoes for walking on the cobbled streets.

I also did a little research into good shoes to wear over there since we will be doing so much walking. I read positive posts about Keens over and over, so I bought these.

Euros- personally, I think they look like board game money.

Lastly, I exchanged some dollars for some euros. It cost me $5 since I wasn't a customer of the bank and the exchange rate is terrible right now. Bummer. 

Now I just need to pack and I am ready to go! Can I just say again- I'M EXCITED!

LATE SCHOOL SHOPPING

 We did our school shopping. D and A had a check up with the oral surgeon yesterday, so we decided to make a day of it. May I just say that it was obvious how behind the Gordons are compared to the rest of Utah? Everything was very picked over! I couldn't even find any size 12 jeans for Little C. We will just have to wait a few weeks until the stores restock. Sheesh!

Red skinny jeans.

I never thought I would be buying the same pants for both a son and a daughter, but this shopping trip proved me wrong. Yikes! Can I really let my son wear those???

A bought these Vans. LOVE!

I am a huge fan of Vans. I know they don't last long compared to how pricey they are, but I just can't help it. I love 'em! Maybe I need to get some for Big C. Would he wear them?

Taco Bell for lunch. Doritos Locos tacos were a big hit.

I am not sure how it happened (because it never does), but we all agreed on Taco Bell for lunch. I have to admit I love it. (Not to say that Cafe Rio wouldn't have been better, but at least I got 'mexican' food).

Light up Sketchers.

These little babies are the last thing I can't believe I bought. I have always thought flashing light shoes were tacky, but Princess P thinks they are fabulous and since we were at Ross and they were 50% off, I caved. Hope they last. 

One more step towards school starting again. I am still not happy about it, but at least I'm not in denial anymore...

ART SHOES

I asked for some white Converse All-Stars for Christmas and my mother-in-law gave them to me. The only probably is, I didn't like them. They definitely weren't me. I felt like I was trying to be a college student.

My younger sister owns about 10 or 11 pairs of Converse in all different varieties, so I tried to get her to buy them from me. She wouldn't. So I said, "What about if I paint them?" She said she would definitely buy them if I would paint them, so I did.

I made them into Roy Lichtenstein Converse!

They turned out fun and she loves them too. We both win!