Gordon, also known as Dad, Grandpa, and Uncle Gordon, had a deep commitment to his family, which he expressed in so many ways, most famously the S&GMonthly Newsletter. This was so important to him that he conveyed specific instructions about how this should be continued in his even-handed journalistic manner.

Mayan Ruins Belize

Hello Family:

To start off, sorry about no labels on the pictures, I can't seem to figure out how to post those correctly. The picture of Pam and Shirley waving their napkins wildly in the formal dining room really captured the moment. Leslie and I tried to keep them under control, but they just kept drinking the wine and got really crazy!!! I've never seen anything like it, I was shocked and embarrassed! I missed getting a picture of them dancing on the table.....too busy trying to get them down safely. Good thing Leslie and I were there to get them back to their rooms safely and without any incidents. Crazy night!

I am officially back to Beth Williams. Starting over and hoping I have enough sense to keep that name for the rest of my wonderful life:-) It has been awhile since I have blogged to all of you! I have been very busy with taking my friends Grandson (Alex) to soccer practices and games. It has been really fun, brings back great memories of when my kids played. Today is the big tournament....and it is very, very cold here. Watching a bunch of 6 year olds swarming around like bees and trying to figure out which way they are going is hilarious.

I have also been busy with my new hiking groups. I found out from a friend that there are groups that form in every city for all kinds of interests. Meetup.com is the website and you just type in what interests you have and most likely you will find a group to join. I have joined two different hiking groups, a dog group and a spiritual living group. I have been hiking about 3 times a week at different parks with the groups and I love it. The people are a variety of ages, marital statuses and very, very nice. It is getting very cold here so I am really going to have to force myself to get out and keep hiking.....I dislike the cold very much! I did the dog group once so far. We went to a local dog park and it was fine until a man with a big dog came that intimidated KiKi. Soon they were fighting, brought on by the mean dog. Thank goodness the lady running the group works at the humane society and knew how to handle these type of situations. Everyone came out fine, except Kiki's feelings were hurt.

Justin is working as a cook at Frisch's and they are keeping him hopping. He works breakfast which means being there at 6 or 7 a.m. Those hours of the morning didn't really exist for him

before this job! He is doing great with the job and they have already left him to run the front line by himself which consists of orders for the dining room. It is hectic and crazy. He is also taking classes 3 nights a week to complete his GED. Although he graduated from home-schooling high school, if you want to go on to take college courses you also need a GED because most colleges don't recognize a home schooling diploma. So he will have both.

Stephanie is doing great in Marina Del Ray California. She is caring for a baby that has congenital heart disease and also many other medical problems. I work with the baby's Grandmother. She was telling me about her granddaughter that was born so sick and I told her about Stephanie. I said wouldn't it be nice to introduce them. She replied that unfortunately her son and daughter-in-law live in LA so that would be difficult. She and I were both so excited when I told her Stephanie lives in LA!! Long story short, we got them together and now Stephanie is her nanny! She is precious and Stephanie really loves taking care of her. Stephanie is living with a friend out there and absolutely loves it. It is amazing how many friends she has met through the Adult Congenital Heart Assoc. that live out there. She has been healthy and hasn't really been sick since she went out there. Her new cardiologist group told her that she is the healthiest hypoplastic left heart syndrome patient that they have ever seen! They also told her that her heart is not a priority right now, put it on the back burner and live her life to the fullest. She really needed to hear that! I miss her terribly but find comfort in knowing that she is very healthy and happy.

The cruise that Leslie, Pam, Shirley and I went on was wonderful. We had a great time and the best part was being able to see Ryan! What a wonderful experience it was and how grateful we are to Shirley for taking us on this. Pam and I shared a room, just like the good old days. We had a lot of fun. Pam claims that she is probably the only person ever that actually lost weight on a cruise instead of gained it. She claims Leslie and I walk really fast and kept taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Pam and I were on the 7th level so it was quite a few stairs to climb. One evening after some of our adventures we were doing the dreaded climb when my bracelet broke on the 7th stair level and the beads went all the way down to the first level! Pam and I went back down the steps searching for the beads and ended up back on the first level! Luckily we found all of the beads and I sent the bracelet home with her so Lindsey could fix it for me. He did, and it is just like new.....thanks Lindsey! So needless to say we did get a lot of exercise. The food was outstanding and plenty.

Key West was our first stop. We toured Ernest Hemmingways house and gardens, very interesting. Especially the 6 toed cats that reside there. Second port was Cozumel. We shopped and drank Margaritas and ate Guacamole. The shop owners are very persistent about wanting you to come into their shop and rather annoying. The waters were beautiful there. The next port we visited was Belize. I found this the most interesting and of course wonderful because we got to see Ryan. The port was beautiful, very clean and nice. Right outside the port was not safe for us to venture out to. We hired a local lady to take us on a tour, that was great. She took us to the Mayan ruins, lunch at a local restaurant, and through the city. The country was quite impoverished and not very safe. Our tour guide was wonderful and it was great to be able to spend time with Ryan and hear some of his adventures. He is really living the dream, doing what makes him feel satisfied and at peace. We spent the last day at sea, enjoying the many amenities on board and relaxing. It really is like paradise on those boats, I would do it again anytime! It was great to spend time with my sisters and Shirley, nice bonding:-)

Off to the very cold soccer tourney today. Hope all is well with everyone.

All our love,

Beth, Justin and Stephanie