March 1, 1981
Little Rock, Arkansas


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

It's an usual Sunday because Daddy is home with us - he had meetings earlier but now he's free until 5:30 and then we both have to go to Jacksonville for a Young Adult's Fireside - they want us to wear our white clothes that we wore for that Mutual Airplane Crash program. We have an outstanding group of young people in our Stake now and it's fun be with them.

We heard from each one of you this week - you all sound so busy and I guess that's what life is all about. Roy - it was really good to have you call - we were so surprised because we had had your letter and we loved hearing from you again. I called Dan Watson and talked to him for a little while - he seemed happy to have been accepted into Medical School. We haven't seen Robert for awhile - Dan had seen him so I guess he has been to Fayetteville. We are so busy all the time that it's hard to find us home.

Jeannie and Rick - we surely hope you get Ricky and Barbara Jean's ear problems solved. I am quite concerned about Ricky because that is unreal for him to have tubes put in his ears again so soon - have they ever suggested having his adenoids and tonsils taken out or he too young? We can just imagine how hard that must be - to have two of them irritable and we hope so much that they can be helped. We think it will be soo-o good for your Mother to move to Utah Rick - maybe you will be able to get her interested in the church.

Annie and Ron - it was good to talk to both of you and hear a little about Ron's work that sounds really interesting. We are happy you are planning to quit teaching Ann - it's too hard to keep things going smoothly when Ron is traveling so much. I can just see little Susanna and her "old" doll - I love it when children become attached to something like that - she is very much like her mother in liking dolls. Little Jessie has two teeth - we're happy you have stopped nursing her - ha!

Johnny went to a "Y-Teen" dance last night and it was really a big affair - Tina Miller asked him and he bought her a corsage and she gave him a rose bud for his lapel. It was held down town at the YMCA and then they went to "The Barley Corn" for dinner - we had told him we wanted him home by midnight so abut 11:30 he called and said they had just ordered and it would take another hour to eat and get home - he was so excited about what he had had prime rib and king crab legs and did he ever love it - that's his thing!! It was also Cotillion last night and he missed it - it would have been his last one - so now after seventeen years we are though with Cotillion. It has been at the Racquet Club for the past two years so it has been a lot easier than going downtown - they have had their formal dances at the Camblot Hotel but the others have all been close at the Racquet Club. I let out the length in his pants yesterday and he has grown two inches this Winter - I couldn't believe it - he's getting his growth earlier than Bob and Roy.

We haven't seen Bob and Claire this week - Claire has called but she ways that Bob is swamped with tests so we haven't gone over. She said that he got an 80 in the big pharmacy test Friday and he was thrilled about that. Claire is worried because her doctor has told her that she must lose weight or at least not going any this month - she gained too much last month and since she has never had a weight problem that is hard for her. I think she looks really good but it isn't a good idea to gain too much - for one thing it's too hard to lose it. they are getting really excited about their baby - Skylar Merrifield is expecting this month and her husband John, in bearing his testimony this morning said he didn't really realize that she was going to have another one until last week - he's riot. Their little girl, Matilda, is really cute - we're all wondering what they will name their next one. All Bob and Claire's friends have children so they really need one to feel at home in church - they'll be good parents and insist that their children mind like the Woolleys and Weinerts because so many of their friends don't do that.

I really shouldn't start a new page - I don't have that much news!!!

Daddy and I went to a Chinese dinner at the Littlefield home on Friday night - it's the same group that has been together before and we each take our favorite dish. We are really loving our wok, Roy!!! Daddy made sweet and sour port and it was delicious. Laura Gonce made wonton soup and then fired some wontons, Chris Jordin made cashew chicken, and egg fu young, Sandy Blankenship made fired rice, Karen Hatch made beef and onions, and Margie Littlefield made the dessert - strawberries, bananas rolled in coconut and pineapple on sticks and chinese cookies. Chris and Wayne had just come up from the coast that day so we took them too - we all really had a fun time.

I just had a shock --- our neighbor across the street, Janet Hoskins just called and said she wanted to talk to me for a few minutes. I knew that she has been in the hospital last week and I have worried that I didn't get over to do anything for their family but her husband said she would be home Saturday so I thought everything was okay. She said they have diagnosed her illness as Hodgkin's Disease and she has to go back to the hospital tomorrow and have surgery on Tuesday - they're going to remove the spleen and do Biopsy of the liver and then she has to have chemotherapy. She is a reading teaching at Jefferson Intermediate School - in fact, they did a television feature article on her last week because she is so good. She has requested that they move me from Mann to take her place. I'm going to have to think that over - I really only wanted to teach until the end of this Semester, March 20th, and if I take her class I'll feel obligated to stay until the end of the year. I have learned so much this year - I believe I could start a reading school - ha! Daddy has taught all over this week - he refused at least ten classes on Friday and they called him at 8:30 to see if he wouldn't please teach at Hall for a chemistry teacher.

We're getting anxious about our trip to Utah the end of the moth - I wrote to Dores Clegg yesterday to see if she would see about getting a telephone put in before we get there. We haven't heard from them for a long time - we sent them some money for d-con for the mice problem but we haven't heard anything - I'll die if there are a lot of dead mice around. Bob and Daddy are planning to rewire the house - I don't know if they will be able to do it but they think they can. At this point, we're planning to drive the Lincoln and pull our camping trailer filled with things - we are seriously considering spending our Summers and Holidays in Utah and the Winters in Arkansas until Johnny has finished High School unless he definitely decides he wants to go to school in Utah - we are so worried about "rocking the boat" with him - he is doing so well here and the next few years are critical ones. We think that maybe we can have the best of all worlds with the arrangement and when Daddy gets released from his church position we will be much more able to leave for long periods of time. We have had an absolutely gorgeous Winter this year - last week it was in the high 70's - it could get really hot really soon and we want to be able to head for Utah as soon as school is out.

Daddy is downstairs visiting with Pam Cannon - she is in charge of the program for the Relief Society Birthday celebration and it's going to be some type of travelogue - she wants to use Daddy's slides of Israel and Egypt - I don't like for him to loan them out but I guess it's for a worthy cause.

David Bass took Johnny and some his friends out for pizza on Friday night - he is really cute to those kids - they all worked on Pete Hipp's yard during the week and Pete gave them some money to use for pizza. I asked John if Anna went with them and he said that she didn't - I don't know if he plans to get married or not - he'll get his M.D. next month - he's going to specialize in anesthesiology (sp.?)

Well - that's for sure all the news. We surely do love each one of you and think about you all the time - wish you could all see our beautiful Spring weather - everything is budding out and the flowers will all be blooming soon - we're hoping it doesn't freeze. Let us know if we can do anything for you. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!!
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