Saturday - Dec. 6, 1980
Little Rock, Ark.

Dearest Ron, Ann, Susanna & Jessie,
Rick, Jean, Ricky & Barbara Jean
And Roy,

I'm writing my letter on Saturday night because tomorrow is going to be a busy day - church, of course, in the morning and then in the afternoon it is the Garden Club Extravaganza. They are doing the neatest thing this year - you tour five homes and see the different Christmas decorations in each one. The only thing, the weather is more like the Fourth of July - it has been 75( today and it doesn't show any signs of cooling off.

I am so sorry I missed your phone call, Jeannie and Rick but we're really thrilled that you are going to fly home - how wonderful!!!! Traveling home on Christmas has always been such a big worry because you have done it on some of the most treacherous roads and besides that you won't be nearly as tired. We are so-o-o excited and that will be our Christmas so please don't bring anything else - you won't have room anyway!!!! We are wondering if little Ricky will remember anything about being here - he probably won't. We can hardly wait to have little children around for Christmas - it has been a long time and Johnny will have some of the pressure taken off him.

Annie - we're happy you had a Happy Birthday - it was good to talk to you and Ron and little Susanna - we can't believe that she grown up enough to carry on a conversation. She sounds exactly like a "little Ann" and I'll bet she acts like one too. We're proud of you for accepting the calling of Primary President - you will be so-o-o good - I wish you were back here - the one we have, doesn't know what's going on. Your trip to Jerome sounded like so much fun.

Roy - we had the nicest letter from Robert yesterday - he sounds quite happy although he was sad about his Grandfather passing away. I still worry about him and will be happy when we get a letter saying he has "had enough" and he's coming home to finish his education. Christmas will really be different this year without you and Robert coming in and out - we'll really miss that. We loved your Thanksgiving letter - we appreciate having Patrice's phone number and we hope you had a good time with Ty's family. We watch the weather news each night and hope they are forecasting snow for Utah - surely they will get some before long - we hope so!!! We are so thrilled that you will be finished with this Semester before you leave for the holidays - that was always such a "bummer" to have to study for finals while you were home - it will be good for you to just relax.

We had the Stake Christmas Party last night and it was really a huge success - Ann Cobb was in charge of the dinner and it was near perfection - much better than any I had planned and she was so calm!!! They served ham, potato casserole, marinated vegetables, fruit congealed salad, angel food cake with cherries and rolls and it went off just like clockwork. They had a short program after and then we saw the film "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" with Jimmy Stewart - our Stake has bought that so it can be shown often. That is just excellent and we hope you will all get to see it - it is going to be shown here in Little Rock on Dec. 12th on television. I didn't even go in the kitchen - I have been in charge of the dinner for the past three years - one year I remember Roy came home about two in the afternoon and I left at three with the car filled with turkey and dressing from the Golden Host - do you remember that Roy?? The next year we had it all ordered and then we had an ice storm and had to cancel and Mr. Strickland was so nice about it - then last year we served turkey and ham and the turkey wasn't very good and we had way too much fruit salad - I passed all my mistakes on to Ann and she really avoided them because I don't think she made any. I know there were at least 450 there last night - last year, we included the MIA and we served 650 but that was way too many. It was really a wonderful evening and Daddy and I reflected on the growth of the Stake on the ride home - the activity has almost quadrupled in the last four years and people are doing such wonderful work in their callings and it's fun to a part of it - Daddy is such an excellent leader and really magnifies his calling and it shows in the growth of the members' testimonies.

I started my teaching job at Horace Mann Junior High on Monday - it was kinda' neat because they sent out a bulletin saying I was a new faculty member - the kids accepted me right off and I didn't have that "substitute stigma" to worry with. The kids are really, really low and there is one period that is just like a zoo - if they just sit and color I'm grateful. I love to teach them - for the most part they are very cooperative and it is a real challenge. It is a team teaching class and the other teacher is the daughter of a good friend of mine in the garden club - isn't that ironic???? She has been so nice to me and has helped so much - we each have a teaching aide but they are almost as dumb as the kids. It is a long ride out there (right by Booker, Roy) and I wouldn't want to do it very long but I love it for a short time. Daddy went to Henderson, Hall and Parkview this week - the kids just love him - they made him the cutest sign - it said, "We, the undersigned class members want to know how much we like and appreciate you for coming to teach us - we have never been this good" and then they all signed it - I thought that was so cute.

Daddy and John went duck hunting one day this week and had trouble with the motor - they said they almost didn't get back. Daddy took the motor over to a man in North Little Rock to get it fixed - I heard him call him and he said, "Look, my son-in-law is coming from Utah to go hunting and we've got to have that fixed in time". I don't think there will be any problems but if there are, he has several lined up to borrow. They have had pretty good luck and they love it so much!!! Bob has had too many tests this week to go.

I have some news - Marilyn Glasgow and Bill Henderson (former Bishop of the 2nd ward) are going to be married in the Arizona Temple on December 30th. We are so thrilled for them - each one of them has had some real unhappiness. Now - hold your hats!!!! Margie Stewart and a Brother Butts are going to be married January 3rd. He is 67 and she is about me age and we don't know him but they were together at the party last night and he looks his age. Margie called to tell us and she says she has never been this happy in her entire life - we're happy for her. She has lost a lot of weight but she seems to be gaining it back. Nell and Pete Wiggins were there last night - Pete really looks old - he is about Grandpa Forrest's age but he looks a lot older - Nell is still large.

Sharon Brown Jones is expecting in March and the doctors have told her she is going to have twins - they already have a little boy and a little girl so this will make four, Layne, her husband, graduates with his law degree this Spring - he has been in the ROTC so he owes them some time but we understand he has a health problem and won't be able to do what he had hoped, whatever that was.

Bob and Claire are doing fine - they were at the party last night and Bob is so thin and I was talking to Jim Griffin about him and he said, "Oh give him about eight years and then he'll gain some weight" - ugh!!!! Jim and Marlena are really special people - Gil Starnes is in Hot Springs at the rehabilitation center and the Griffins see that he gets to everything - they even made arrangements so he could go to the temple last month and that was a thrill of a lifetime for him.

Dana Woods is going to get married in August - she has been going with this guy for about two years - we think he is really immature but maybe it's because we don't know him very well. Terry was home for Thanksgiving but I didn't get to call her.

Do you all remember the "Elliffs" they were sort of our back yard neighbors and they still own that home so they come here occasionally - Billy was a friend of yours Jeannie. Well - their daughter married a Bailey Smith - do you remember the time the little Smith boy came over the play with Johnny and he ran through our kitchen glass sliding door and it was just a miracle he wasn't hurt really bad. Anyway, this Bailey Smith was elected President of the Southern Baptist Convention - it's the largest congregation the Baptist have. He has made some of the most stupid statements and I'm wondering if you have heard of them - they make our newspaper because his family is from here. He says, "God, doesn't hear the prayers of the Jews" and his latest, was that "Jews have funny noses". Today's paper says he is going to have an armistice meeting with some Jewish leaders in New York next week - we hope they don't crucify him.

We surely do love you and hope everything is going great for you - let us know if we can help you in any way.

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