Sunday
April 22, 1979
Little Rock, Arkansas

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

This is probably the last letter I'll send to Bob and Claire for a long time - even if they don't live with us for very long they will be within phone calling distance. We're anxious for them to get here - I called and talked to Bob yesterday morning about 6:30 Utah time and he said they were all packed and ready to leave and would probably get here Sunday night sometime. We have had a lot of rainy weather so if they run into that it will slow them down but we'll be relieved when they're here safe and sound.

Roy - it was neat to have you call on a Saturday morning when we were wide awake - you usually call late at night when we're half asleep. You sounded kinda' somber to me but Daddy said you sounded great to him. We're excited to come see you and to see Brown - I wish John could come with us but it isn't fair to him to ask him to miss that much school. Daddy has Ward Conference in Russellville and Morrillton next Sunday so we won't be able to leave until Monday morning - we plan to be to providence Wednesday night and daddy will make our reservations, probably at a Holiday Inn, so don't worry about that. We'll try to call you sometime before we get there and give you a more definite time. If it works out so we will be able to meet Jeannie and Rick and bring them with us, we may get there earlier.

Annie - it was fun to talk to you the other morning (I can't even remember which day). I know you'll be happy to have this school year end - I know you must worry about leaving Susanna with someone else but it's probably good for her to have this experience - I'll be happy when you can be a full time wife and mother!!!! Have you heard from Chris Price? They have had some severe flooding in Houston and I hope they're not living where they have been affected by it - that country is so flat and quite like Phoenix in that they're not prepared for a lot of rainfall. We hope Ron is not under as much pressure as he has been - that is really hard.

Jeannie - we loved talking to you and Rick twice last week!!! Your birthday sounded fun - where did you go out to dinner? We know you're excited about going to New York - we worry too much I guess but we'd like to sleep you in a glass bowl until August. We'll call you towards the end of this week to find out what your plans are. We hope your test wasn't too hard Rick.

Bob said that Claire's graduation exercises were really good - we know she must be happy to have it all over but it will be hard on both of them to leave BYU - they'll miss it and all their friends there. The people here are anxious for them to get involved in things so they will be busy.

Our Regional Representative has been here this week-end - he is from Oklahoma and he brought his eleven year old son with him - all their children are adopted Lamanite children. His name is Scott and he and Johnny had a good time together. I fixed breakfast for them this morning and took John and Scott to Priesthood and then I had to go to Conway for a meeting with Cissy and Maggie Zug. I had prepared salads and ham but they didn't eat - they always pack a little lunch and eat in the car.

Later ----- The Beyers came over and had lunch with us and we visited all afternoon - it was fun to be with them and I'm going to enjoy working with Cissy if I can keep up - she is really on the ball. John's little friend, Jerry Hoskyn, who lives where the Bridges used to live went to Sacrament meeting with us - she is a doll and it is so wonderful for him to have a friend whose mother isn't constantly calling and checking up on her. We are still having a rainstorm and the air is so chilly we have a fire in the fireplace and the furnace on - can you imagine that here in April???? Bro. Walt Horn was our High Councilman Speaker tonight and his daughter Kim was with him - she has a new hairdo and I didn't recognize her - she's cute!!!!

It's about 7:30 p.m. and Bob just called - they're in Oklahoma City and they said they had had a good trip without any problems and they're going to keep on driving - they won't get here until the wee hours of the morning but Claire has an interview with M. M. Cohn's at 10:30 in the morning so they have to drive on. I don't like for them to drive at night especially with it raining and I'll be glad when they get here.

Well - most of you know but I'll tell those who don't - Johnny had his nose broken last Wednesday. They called me from school and said he had had a bad bump and they wanted him to see a doctor because they thought his nose was broken. I went to pick him up but he didn't want to talk about it so I didn't know what happened until the Doctor asked him about it. He has a friend in Leawood who has been over here a lot and John has been to his place a lot - he's about twice as big as Johnny - sort of like Roy and Robert Tucker. His name is Tony Miller - well, Tony and Chris Karnes were having some kind of an argument and John got right in the middle of it and Tony hit him - John said that Tony has a black eye but I doubt it. I heard that the argument had something to do with parents but we'll probably never really know. The doctor examined him - an ear, nose and throat specialist - Dr. Brizzolara - and said he would have to wait a week for the swelling to go down before he could pack it - so next Friday he has to go to St. Vincents just as an out patient and have it done. I think he looks terrible and hope they can straighten it.

Daddy has really been busy - he is painting the outside of the house - he wanted to get it done before it got too hot. He has finished all but the highest eaves and he has to borrow a really tall ladder of that. Our driveway still isn't finished and that's real hazard - we just have two little planks put over the hole and we try to aim for them but a big car has real problems - Bob is going to have to put their trailer out in the street tonight. The color of the paint for our house is the same as it was except that it's in a glossy instead of dull - I love it. We need to re-shingle now and I would like to have the "shake shingles" - we have heard a lot of pros and cons about it - some say it is such a fire hazard that your fire insurance in increased - we'll have to look into it. We're going to start painting the inside of the house soon - it REALLY NEEDS IT!!!!

The little puppies are so cute - it will soon be time to sell them and I'm sure we won't have any trouble - Johnny hopes not!!!!

Johnny won some kind of a Spanish speaking award at his school - there were four winners and now they go to give their talks at Parkview - he is so vague about everything I really don't know much about it.

We had our Stake Arts and Music Festival last night and it was so good - every unit participated. Do you remember Ann Kathleen Nance? Well, she has grown up now and is Ann Nance and she sang with another girl and they were really outstanding - she has a good voice. Lori Wiggins was in the chorus from the North Little Rock Ward and she is a very pretty young lady. It is so fun to see all the young people have so much courage to participate in things like that - Kevin Horn and Robbie Stokes sang and it was so corny it was good.

I can't remember if I told you that John Preston has a job in Oklahoma City - he is going to be assistant director of the zoo there - he was in church tonight but I didn't get to talk to him. We will really miss them.

I don't have any more news. We surely do love each one of you and we're so proud of you - please let us know if you need anything and please be careful in everything you do.
Return to Home Page