Sunday - April 15, 1979

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

HAPPY EASTER!!!! We are having the most beautiful Ester day - really the prettiest day we've had for a long, long time. Daddy and John and I went out to Benton this morning for their Sunrise Services at 7:00 a.m. - they have built a home that they plan to convert into a chapel (rather, they have converted it into a chapel and then soon they plan to sell it as a home and use the money to build a chapel) and it's right by a little lake. They had put chairs outside on the lawn and they had about sixty members there - it was really nice. We saw one of your former friends Bob - Rodney Smith and his wife - and they are so active - he's Elder's Quorum President. Marvin Greene was there also - we really enjoyed it. After that, Daddy and John went to our Ward's Priesthood meeting - then we all went to Sunday School and the program there was just outstanding. Frances James has been working with the choir for a long time and it really showed - the must was beautiful. After Sunday School we took an Easter Lily to Aunt Marvel and I fed her a banana and she choked on it and it about scared me to death - Daddy and John hit her on the back and she finally was okay but I had gone for help and about six people came. I guess she has done that before - if she weren't so strong it would probably be the end but she's able to cough hard enough to eventually get her breath. After that we went to dinner at a special Chinese restaurant up on Cantrell and the food was delicious. We have just finished hiding and finding Easter Eggs with John on the back lawn and it will soon be time for Sacrament Meeting.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW JEANNIE!!!! We hope you have a really happy day - we'll try to call and wish you a Happy Birthday - it seems like an entirely since we had your little party. Your letter came on Monday and we loved it - so long and newsy. I'm glad you liked the Chicken Tetrazini - after our dinner today I decided I was going to try to find some good Chinese recipes - I especially love the way they cook their vegetables - they're more raw than done. Daddy and I both noticed how much you enjoyed food while we were with you and that is such a good indication of a healthy person and we loved seeing you that way - you have eaten like a bird for too long!!!! Does Rick still have to go to New York? Daddy has received a letter saying he wouldn't have to go to Missouri for that Welfare meeting on the 5th so we can schedule our trip to see Roy and go to Stamford any time we want to so let us know if you are going.

HAPPY GRADUATION CLAIRE!!!!! You wouldn't believe how many stores I have gone into trying to find a graduation card - all the clerks tell me it is much too soon for them and they won't be out until the end of April - they seem so surprised when I tell them we have College graduates this week-end. We ignored Rick's graduation (I still can't believe we did that) so maybe we'll have a double graduation party for you both before long. Anyway, Claire, we really are proud of you and we really do know the great effort that has gone into this and it is a wonderful achievement and we send our congratulations. Please go through the graduation exercises if you possibly can and have Bob take pictures because it will mean so much to you later on. We loved your letter and Easter card and will fill out the things you sent. David was over for a little while yesterday - he and a friend had gone in together and bought a canoe and he brought it to show us - he says he has been working with that physician in Hope and had really been doing some "doctoring" and he loves it. He went to Colorado a few weeks ago with some friends to do some snow skiing. He's anxious for you to get here and so are we.

ANNIE - I have gone to the phone at least a thousand times to call you and then I have talked myself out of it - I want to hear about the "cousin's party" - I know you all had a fun time. We loved your letter and we're so interested in Ron's work on the Nuclear Reactor - our news has been filled with all the tapes that were made during Carter's visit there and it is really hard to make an intelligent judgment on everything. We would have loved to see little Susanna today - I'll bet you had her all fixed up for Easter - I miss little girls to fuss over. Johnny hasn't even wanted to look at new suits or sport coats or anything so we haven't forced him to but he really needs a Summer suit. He wanted a gold chain for a necklace and I said NO so he got an alligator shirt and a stuffed bunny rabbit!!!!

ROY - it was so neat to talk to you last Monday and we were so relieved to know that you were back safe and sound. It is remarkable the way you can keep your little car running. Daddy was thrilled to pieces to hear that your National Merit Scholarship had been increased, in fact, he tried to call you when he and John came home from fishing and noone answered. We just dismiss the idea of ever trying to get you by phone anymore unless we're up and can call you about midnight your time. My Garden Club friend Margie Sims has a son who is also a National Merit Winner and when I congratulated her she said he would receive $250 a year and she thought that was great - I didn't tell her yours was almost ten times that much - WE REALLY ARE PROUD OF YOU. We'll probably come see you the first week in May but we'll let you know definite.

This has been a hard, hard week for Daddy. Last Tuesday it was raining outside and he was out walking around and soon he came in and said, "I have bad news" - I couldn't imagine what was wrong!!!! In all that rain he had noticed a leak in our front yard. As it turned out - it was a water pipe under our driveway. You know what a "do-it-yourselfer" he is and he was determined to do it - he rented a jackhammer and started to take out the driveway - he worked for about four hours and got out about a square foot of dement and then Martine Funk (our neighbor) came out and coaxed him into letting his relatives do it - that is their business. So daddy rented a "ditch witch" and dug the hole in the lawn himself and did all the plumbing - he had to dig it from where the meter is on the Hipp's yard clear over to the front of our house by the steps and put in all new pipe. Wayne Smith had called him to see if they could go fishing and Daddy didn't feel like he could leave it so he told Wayne and you know Wayne - he come over to help. It was so funny to watch him find the water pipe under the ground - he used two coat hangers and held them as he walked and when they crossed that would indicate where the pipe was - all the neighbors came over to watch and would you believe the pipe was exactly where he said it would be. Daddy started this work on Thursday and he has been knew deep in mud ever since and our house is filled with mud too - he has the lawn pretty well covered up but they took out just enough cement so he could get to the pipe so we could have water in the house and they're coming back sometime this week to finish that - we really needed some repair work done on our driveway anyway but not that much. It is so hard to have to work that hard and not have anything to show for it but I'm glad it's about done. He kept saying - "Why couldn't it have waited until Bob was here to help" knowing you would be here in about a week but I'm glad it will be over and done with before you get here. When people ask him how he's enjoying his retirement he just laughs!!!!

Our Garden Club had a flower show this week - it was held in one of our member's homes and it was just beautiful. This home is off Evergreen just to the West of where the Lateana's live and it's really hidden from the road - it's where we used to dump all our rocks when we were fixing our yard. They bought 1 1/2 acres there two years ago and built their home where noone thought a home could be built and it's really nice. Vivian Warner's arrangement won a blue ribbon - her husband is George Warner, the man you will send your application to, Bob - he's Assistant Dean of the Med School. Needless to say I didn't make an arrangement - I made the punch.

Helena Jacobson is here with Barbara - Barbara is overdue and really looks uncomfortable. Helena's husband Tug came with her but went on to Georgia where another daughter lives so he could watch the golf tournaments there. I really want to do something for Helena while she's here but with all the mud it will take me a month to clean the house. We're all planning to go to "That Little Restaurant" for a combined dinner and baby shower and that will be fun - you'll be here for the Claire, I hope.

Well - it's time to get ready for Sacrament meeting. We are going to the Powers after meeting for dessert - that's all I need - I have eaten forty thousand peanut M & M's from John's Easter Basket. We surely do love each one of you and hope so much that you're all doing great and that you're happy - let us know if we can help you in anyway.
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