Christmas Letter

Christmas 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from the Birdhouse! It’s that time of year again where we look forward to hearing from you and getting an update on your families. We are so thankful for each of you and for the part that you play in our lives.

I always write these letters with a little hesitation because sometimes they can turn into “brag fests” and be a little nauseating. I have figured out that what we usually do is point out the positive things we have done and that have happened to us and not the negative, which is good. Who needs to know about Uncle Jack’s hemorrhoids, or Ned’s boils on his backside when you can hear all about how much money we’ve made and how famous we’ve become, all in the past year?

Beginning with Gordon, he is still serving as Bishop of our ward and it keeps him hopping. Boise Cascade is still in business, which is good considering the economy right now. He still goes on his annual elk hunting trip in the fall with his brother and any of their sons that are available to go. Since losing Chief, Buzz has become horse #1 and they are bonding quite well.

Julie is still in business with real estate, considering the economy. The goal at this point is to still be kicking when the housing market kicks in again and things start moving. Right now it is pretty slow, but that’s why you save for a rainy day. And boy, rainy days are here! It is still a rewarding career and she gets to meet so many interesting people. She’s working on her Broker’s license during this down time.

Rich and Jo live in Kuna, a bedroom community to Boise with their sons, Cameron (3 ½) and Eli (1 ½). Rich is with KPMG accounting firm and Jo works as a Dental Hygienist one day a week. “Baca” Bird gets to watch the boys and it is a fantastic way to spend the day. They are so much fun!

Ben and Laura are still in Provo. Laura graduated in August with a degree in Public Relations and has entered the work force, working in Salt Lake for a restoration firm in Marketing/Public Relations. Ben graduates with his Masters of Accountancy this April and at the end of the summer they are moving back to Boise to work for Deloitte & Touche accounting firm.

James and Suzanne are living in Boise and both attending BSU. Suzanne graduates this April in Elementary Education and James still has a couple of years to go (in accounting…surprise!). Do you see a theme going here? They are the cutest couple and are coming up on one year married on December 28th.

Scott continues to serve in the California Sacramento mission, Laotian and Mien speaking. We are down to 6 more months until he comes home and are anxiously waiting for the time we can all be together again. He loves the people there and we can tell he has grown so much.

Jessica is still our dancing queen. Her season is getting busy with competitions & performances and we love to watch her. She studies hard and plays equally as hard. She drives her little Honda that we have affectionately named “the green weenie”. Being the only child left at home, she keeps her mom and dad young and makes life interesting.

Are we guilty of bragging in the above paragraphs? Yes, we are, but our children have made us so proud and we love them so much. Do we have our challenges and difficulties? Yes, we do but we’ll spare you the gory details. Life is about accentuating the positive, right? We have so much to be thankful for and one of the keys to happiness is recognizing all that the Lord has blessed us with.

One of those blessings is having you as a part of our lives. Thank you for all you do and have done to help us raise our kids, influence us and just be there for us. I love this quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley and I think it sums up our feelings,

“(The fact is) most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. …“Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride”.

Thanks for riding along with us.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Gordon, Julie & Jessica Bird