In any case, enjoy.
9. The Move: On Febraury 9th, 2011 we decided to pack up all our things and get out of the snow of Utah and into the sun! We moved to AZ where I was able to live it up on the golf course, running old men for all they're worth, which was less lucrative then simply collective. Turns out a long drive in AZ wins you a pair of dentures. Though you wouldn't believe what those are worth on the black market down here...
Diesel took the move pretty hard, and just seems to be hating life. :)
8. Les Miserables: Patrice's mom surprised us with some tickets to see Les Mis in June. No pics to share from this one, but it was INCREDIBLE! Though evidently they don't think kindly of crowd members standing up and singing along... What can I say? The beating of my heart echoed the beating of the drum!
7. San Diego: The entire Erb clan took a vacation to San Diego in June and had a blast! Most of the time was spent hanging out on the beach playing whiffle ball, paddleball, and volleyball. We also went to Sea World, and FYI sitting in the Soak Section isn't nearly as fun as it used to be as a kid, though it was the perfect cover-up after wetting myself with excitement during the dolphin show.
6. Grand Canyon: My brother Joe and his family were moving from Texas to Sacramento so we met them in Flagstaff and made a trip to The Big Ditch. It was a first for me, and it was an unbelievable experience. Joe and I decided to get adventurous and go beyond the railing, though you couldn't pay enough to go that close to the edge. As you can tell, I can see the view just fine from 20 feet back.
5. Coaches Gordon: Patrice got hired as a JV volleyball coach at her Alma Mater, Ironwood High School. I also started coaching JV football at Valley Vista High School (Go Monsoon!). It makes for some pretty long days for both of us, but we are both loving it! Coaches Gordon have thus far amassed a combined 8-3 (.727) record, which begs the question: where would these teams be without us? No answers please. :)
4. Un Nouveau Prof de Francais: After applying for tons of jobs in AZ, I finally was able to land one! That's right, I am finally putting my PE degree and English teaching minor to work by teaching.. French? Oui. Le Francais. Valley Vista High School in Surprise, AZ decided to take a chance on a PE teacher with no experience to take over teaching French. So far it's been... interesting. It's a lot more work than I ever anticipated, but I am starting to get my feet under me. I haven't put anybody's head through a wall.. yet. Small victories!
Patrice insisted that I get my picture taken on my first day. Le nouveau prof de francais est si beau!!
3. Bandon Birthday: My dad's 60th birthday was in September and we concocted an elaborate scheme to make it his best yet. Thanks to some help from Joe's high school buddy, we were able to surprise my dad at Bandon Dunes, where we played all 4 courses over two days (no carts allowed at Bandon Dunes). Pacific Dunes is ranked as the second best course in the country by Golf Magazine, and it brought us all to our knees. My iPhone's camera could only capture a piece of how amazing the courses were, and words can't really describe what an amazing weekend it was.
2. Gold Cup 2011: It just so happened that the same weekend we went to San Diego the Gold Cup Final was in Pasadena. The prospect of Mexico vs. USA in the final was too much to pass up so we went with Patrice's brother, Todd and his wife, Kristin. The final attendance count was somewhere around 93,000 with maybe 10% of those fans cheering for the US. It looked promising when the US went up 2-0, but Mexico proved too much in the end, winning 4-2. At least, I think that was final score. We didn't stick around to the final whistle, choosing to sprint to our car instead of becoming celebratory piñatas for the 85,000 less-than-sober Mexico fans. Run for your life, gringo! :)
1. Patretus: That's not a type-o. You read it right. Patretus. For those who haven't heard, Patrice is pregnant, due mid-March 2012. We are pretty freaking pumped about it, to say the least. After some time, we decided that we couldn't really refer to it as "Baby" since it was more fetus than baby, so we decided to start calling it Patretus which may or may not stick when it's born. After all, Patretus Gordon has a ring to it...
5 comments:
thanks for this long awaited post. it's good to know we're back to our homeland once again. I knew we would both return someday. the question is, when will I actually see you again?
p.s. there is a large possibility we are coming down for the ASU game this weekend....
patretus is one cute little crustacean. way to go team gordon! glad to know james' sluggardly spawn was able to cross the finish line without setting any concrete goals.
James, you're going to be a Dad! Congratulations!!! I'm so excited for you. Let's make a deal -- if you name this baby Patretus, we will name our next baby Mimetus. No matter the gender.
Matt and I both shed a tear reading this post because it was almost like you were right there next to us, chatting in that stinky Cambridge apartment in Provo. We miss you, and want to get to know your lovely lady. We will be in AZ for Christmas so maybe then?
Congrats on the new jobs!
I've waited 8 months for this post, and you did not disappoint. I laughed. I cried. I wet myself with excitement. I celebrated like a less-than-sober Mexican fan.
Congratulations on such an epic year!
The Big Ditch? Do people really call it that, or is that like Patretus, a j-gordon special? And whether you want that to stick or not, I'm prrrretty sure Uncle Todd will make sure it does. Not unlike Poopchin or Fagnuts. Let's just be grateful it's something that's appropriate for public ears... I love our family. :)
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