January 6, 1980
Little Rock, Arkansas

Dearest Ron, Ann & Susanna, Rick, Jean & Ricky and Roy,

My first letter of the New Year and of the new decade - it doesn't seem possible that we're all talking about the 70's as if they happened a hundred years ago. We're excited about the 80's and we hope you all are too!!!!

Roy - you just left this morning and I have been dying to call your apartment in Providence to see if you are safe and sound. For those of you in Utah - he was supposed to leave yesterday afternoon at 1:50 and when he got to the airport he discovered that his ticket agent had made a mistake and wrote down 1:50 instead of 11:50 as he had missed his flight and had to wait until this morning at 7:30 for another one. His roommate Ty had gone to Boston to pick him up at the airport and he had a time trying to get in touch with him - we surely hope everything worked out okay today and that Ty isn't upset with you. We also hope you can get back in the swing of things and finish up the Semester the way you want to. It was simply wonderful having you home - Johnny has been lost all day!!!! Thank you so much for your great gifts - we will have a ball with that Wok - I have wanted one for a long time - it will really be fun to learn how to cook Oriental and we hope you'll send us some of your favorite recipes.

Jeannie and Rick - it was simply wonderful having you home too - I can't bring myself to let Daddy take down the crib - it just seems to belong here but it needs a grandchild in it!!!! We hope so much that Ricky is better - what an adorable and sweet little guy - he was in such a lot of pain and yet he tried so hard to be good. We would love to be able to care for him too but we wish we could help. We hope so much that all will go well with you - I'm sure we'll call several times but that isn't like being there. You must have had good luck in your traveling to get home so soon and spend some time in Albuquerque too - we had called Ellen Mae and Mel in the afternoon and they said the weather was good so we weren't worried. That is a long, long trip though and we appreciate so much having you come - we know it was a sacrifice. Thanks so much too for the wonderful gifts!!!!

Annie and Ron - we are so thrilled that you're finally in your new home and we know how thrilled you must be - don't get impatient because you can't furnish it the way you want to quickly - that is half the fun of having a new home - getting new things one at a time and planning for them - I'm sure you remember how long it took us to get things like carpet and sofas and chairs for our living room - and we just got carpet for our bedroom last month! We are sorry you had problem with your loan percentage (or whatever it was) - I felt so bad that I had "badmouthed" Grove Finance - we finally got Bro. Schow and he investigated for us and discovered that they had sent her interest checks to her home and when they were returned to them they had reinvested them and given her 12% interest so she has considerable more in there than we had thought - I am getting so suspicious in my old age and I hate that characteristic in people. We have read that the interest rate is going to 15% soon - terrible!!!!

I spent the day down in Pine Bluff with Cissy and Geraldine - we attended their Relief Society, Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting and came home about 4 and had a ham sandwich - it has been Fast Sunday so we were all hungry. Daddy stayed in Little Rock with Johnny. They said that Claire didn't come to Sacrament Meeting because she was sick - she has been working long hours lately because they have been taking inventory and I'm sure she was tired.

I brought Cissy and Geraldine up in the bedroom today to show them our "Genealogy Pillows" - we are so proud of them and they are so unique - noone has been anything like them. I really love the spool holder too and would love to order some of those to bring back with us in April for gifts - do they still make them - let me know. We would love to see little Susanna in her "jogging suit" - it's too bad the Razorbacks didn't beat Alabama so she could have the suit of champions - did you watch the game Ron? We really weren't surprised when they lost - in fact, it was a real honor to play the no. 1 team.

Johnny and Ronnie were "dunking" the basketball at the neighbors goal yesterday and broke it - they spent all afternoon making them a new one and just barely got it put on when they drove up - they had been gone all day. No more news - we love you all so very much.

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