Saturday - February 10, 1979

Dearest Ron, Ann & Susanna, Rick & Jean, Bob & Claire and Roy,

I'm going to start my letter on Saturday because Daddy and John are over to the church attending the "Standards Programs" and the house is quiet and lately our Sundays have been so hectic!!!!

Congratulations Roy - your acceptance into Medical School is really an achievement and we are very proud of you! We're so happy you would send us copies of your letters of acceptance - it was really official and even though we felt sure you would be accepted this made it more believable. We loved your letter too - I can't imagine you frying eggs behind the grill at the cafeteria but we surely do admire you for doing that. Your skiing trip to Vermont must have been fun and it's wonderful that you are learning to ski so well - I worried so much that you would fall and break your legs or something. Bill Barbie came over this morning and told us that their son-in-law (the one that is a Doctor in New Mexico) went to Vail, Colo. on a skiing trip and fell and broke his ankle!!!! Your classes for this semester sound hard to me - Daddy says that Physical Chemistry is one of the hardest classes he has ever taken. The nutrition class and abnormal child psychology class really sound interesting - I'll bet Jennie could help you with you nutrition class. I'll bet you enjoy the independent study part the best - you have always liked to dig things out for yourself - anyway, lots and lots of luck with all of them!!!!

Claire - we have really loved all your letters - you write such interesting ones and we appreciate them so much. We're anxious to see your home - the prints sound great - it pleases me so much to see you both show so much "caring" for that house - it has been in the family for so long and I love every bit of it but I can see where others would think of it as quite a "monstrosity". Your classes sound interesting - I would love to know what the styles are going to be in the future and I can't think of a more profitable class than once where you would learn to resist sales' presentations and gimmicks - daddy thinks I should take one like that - especially for door to door salesman. Your real estate class sounds great too - you'll have to help us when we get ready to move. The professor who has developed a mathematical model that will insure a good investment could made a million dollars if that really works. Bob - we loved your letter too and John is happy you're keeping up on your chess playing - that's nice that you would befriend your little paperboy. We have everything crossed, hopping you will get into Medical School here - we'll probably know this next week-end - it would probably be easier on you if there weren't so many people (your family) involved but we appreciate your letting us share your anxiety, Great things happen because of disappointments and we're prepared and we know you are too!

Annie - we loved your letter too and we think you are really a good sport to play donkey basketball - I didn't realize you used "real" donkeys. It's been fun visiting with you over the phone too - it would be so nice if we had a "watts" line to Utah because it's always so hard to hang up. We're glad that Susanna is better and hope she stays that way - I could cry when I hear her cry - not because I think she's unhappy but because we're home-sick for her. Ron - we're proud of you for wanting some kind of a "business" and we'll really be interested in knowing what develops - lots of luck! If you need a good computer chess player for demonstrations, John's your man - he really loves that game.

Jennie - it's been fun talking to you on the phone too and we hope everything continue to go great for you. Rick, we're really interested in your presentations for your company too- I can't think of a more poised and personal man to given a presentation than you and we hope it is all a success. I can remember the stress Daddy used to be under for those types of things and I'm glad they're for younger men!!!!

Our big news is our weather - last Tuesday morning it was snowing a little bit when Johnny left for school - he begged to stay home but I wouldn't let him and he said, "Okay, you just watch - they'll dismiss school as soon as I get there" - that's exactly what happened and instead of coming home on the bus, he walked home with some of his friends and he came in soaking wet. It started really snowing after that and by Wednesday we had about ten inches of really heavy, wet snow on the ground - the kids didn't go back to school until Friday and by then they had had the snow plows clear the main streets. The snow was so heavy, it broke a lot of trees, especially the pine and cedar trees - the Funks lost one of their biggest trees in their backyard and there were many homes by the Harpers on Biscayne that lost beautiful trees. Right after the snow came, we got really low temperatures - in fact, one night it was 50 and that set a record for Little Rock. We still have a lot of snow in our yard there are snow forts and snowmen all over town. Daddy and Johnny went all over the neighborhood and shoveled snow for people who couldn't do it themselves - like the Barbees and the Hipps. Pete brought us over the most delicious fresh coconut bake because they appreciated it so much. It has been fun to be snowed in.

Daddy and I went with a group out to a Chinese Restaurant last Monday night - the Peking on University. It was a special menu you can have if you have a group of ten people or more and it costs $10 a person - we must have had ten courses and it was all must delicious.  We went with the Jordins, Powers, Smithers, Websters, Halpins and some friends of the Smithers and it was really fun.

It was our Gold and Green Ball last night so Daddy and I went - would you believe we were the oldest ones there???? We really had a lot of fun but I wore the long blue dress that I wore to your wedding Bob and Claire and I could hardly get in it - I am going on a diet for sure. Many of your friends were there - Karl Sherwood has gained more weight than I have and his little wife is so thin and looks like his daughter (that's ugly to say that), Shawna and her husband Rex were really cute, Chase Mart was having a lot of fun and so was Jerry Traylor and Mark Goodwin (he has really gained weight too). Kim Aday looked so pretty and Karen Couch lost about fifty pounds and is darling. They had a good band but we had a hard time dancing to that kind of music. Johnny keeps trying to get us to "get with it" - our new car has a tape deck and on the way Houston he bought two tapes "Grease" and "The Village People". Daddy and I need to go Cotiion!!!

Daddy and John have just come home from church so I'll stop and finish this tomorrow.

Sunday Morning - - - - - - - -Daddy is in Jacksonville for his Stake Meetings and he'll be there all day. I just went to pick up John from Priest hood Meeting - he told me they made Tommy Andrews Deacon's Quorum President. That will be good for Tommy - John has been trying to activate him and I think he would be more consistent in coming if he had more help at home. John really enjoyed the Standards Program yesterday - that has improved at least 100 present since you kids went to them here - they had the Gold & Green Ball for the young people last night and since the Deacons and Beehive age groups are not old enough to go they had a special thing planned for them at the Littlefield's home - John said they played a lot of games and had cookies and hot chocolate. He had a good time but when he got home he said, "You know, there is not one girl in our Ward my age" and he's right and there are only two other boys - Tommy and Curtis Swaim. This was on a Stake basis so there were girls from other Wards.

Roy - thank you so much for sending me that article about my Sorority going on your campus - I couldn't believe it!!! That is quite an honor to have Alpha Chi be the first one there. I'm so glad to have that because I would like to take it to Alumnae Meeting the next time I go. Did you know they have taken it off the campus at Fayetteville? I have such wonderful memories of Sorority life and really love to hear about it so if there is any more news in your papers please send them to me.

I haven't heard anything more about Chip Godwin this week expect that he is still in the hospital and they don't expect him to go home. We have had the weirdest things going on in Little Rock - last week a journalism student at UALR was on her way home (she and her husband lived at the Little Rock Air Force Base) and on the Interstate in North Little Rock she was shot and she died yesterday. They have found about four other people who have been shot in cars the same way only they haven't been seriously injured - the paper this morning said the police don't know if they are dealing with kids playing with high powered guns, hunters or real snipers who are intentionally trying to hurt people. I don't even like to go very far away from home in the care anymore and I don't like Daddy too.

Aunt Marvel is doing fine - she seems to be choking easily on the ice cream we take to her but that's the only change. I'm out of paper - we surely do love each one of you!!
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