May 31, 1981
Little Rock, Ark.
Dearest Ron, Ann, Susanna & Jessie, Ricky & Barbara Jean and Roy,
It's a hot and "muggy" Sunday afternoon and we are happy we have the Utah Summer to look forward to - we have had a beautiful Spring but I believe Summer is here - we have had some really bad electric storms and a lot of rain and flooding and things are so green and nice but it is really uncomfortable!!!
Roy - we were so thrilled you called last night - we just feel so much better when we hear from you. We have thought so much about you because we though you were involved in moving but since you haven't done that yet we'll be thinking of you all next week in that big mess (For those of you who receive the second and third copies of this letter, it is obvious I had the carbon in backwards and had to start over - ugh!!!) we hope your move goes well Roy and we also hope you do well in your "board exams" - is that what they are called???? We will remember that part of your activities in our prayers on June 10th and 11th because we know how important they are. Did I tell you that Layne Jones (Sharon Brown's husband) didn't pass his law boards and will have to take them over again in a few months. I can remember when Dr. Jim Woods was here, he had to go to Atlanta to take some kind of medical exams so I guess it is never ending. We are excited for you to get to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama so you can tell us all about it and we are hoping so much that this will be enriching experience for you. We are also hoping you will be able to get a plane to Utah - Daddy seems to think that won't be too hard. We're so happy that Keith is okay after his automobile accident - I worry constantly about those and hope you all are super, super careful.
Susanna - we loved your phone call the other night - you sound so grown up!!! Annie, you gave Daddy new hope for his Utah garden by suggesting that we buy tomato plants that are really big - that's the way we'll do it with all the vegetable plants we can get and maybe we'll have a garden after all. It has really been hard on him to see Dan out working in his garden - by the way, Dan is landscaping his yard exactly the way daddy has done ours. Our neighborhood situation is kinda' hard right now - Pete thinks that Daddy should be able to spend half his time doing things for her - he has helped her so much and she just wants it more and more. I'm sure now is a time of adjustment for her and she'll get better Jeannette is much more self-reliant even though she is quite a bit older, I think. She had them come out and put an alarm system throughout her house so she could sleep at night it cost her close to $2,000 but she says it is worth every penny of it and I'm sure it is.
Ricky - we can hardly wait to have you come stay with us in Lehi if you Mom and Daddy will let you - Johnny will play with both you and Susanna and we'll go to the park and have lots of fun. Jeannie - I told Mr. Blasingame that you said he was "still really good looking" and that pleased him. It's hard for us to believe that little Barbara Jean will be a year old the end of June - she and little Jessie came so soon after the others that we have a hard time comprehending all that happens with them - it will be wonderful to be closer to them for a few months.
Bob and Claire are doing good - Claire says that her doctor said at her last visit last week that the baby could some anytime from one day to a month so we're all getting excited. Bob is much busier now than he was been - he works at the hospital from seven in the morning until seven at night so it will be good for Claire to have the baby to be with - she really looks good. We have them a microwave oven to show Bob how much we appreciated all his help with the Lehi house - they tried all kinds of new things to eat this week - it will really help with the baby.
Johnny is so happy to be through school - right now he is out in the garage building an exercise bench. I believe Ronnie must have one - if he really completes it I will be surprised - he is known for his projects that don't get finished. They are trying to set up his Court of Honor a week from Tuesday so he can get his Eagle Scout badge -that will be a big relief for all of us - we have spent every Family House Evening doing that for the last two years!!!!
I am really happy to have my school over - they all took the SRA tests in late April and I have worried that they would all go down in their reading scores but all the kids in both my 7th and 8th grade classes went up - the 7th grade went up 2+ points and the 8th grade up 4+ points. They were very complimentary at the Reading Center - last year they went -.85 of a point. This has been a very rewarding year for me - I believe I could take remedial reading students now and really teach them to read and I haven't felt that confident before. My little foreign students really went up in their ability - some of the dumb blacks didn't change but they said that was to be expected. Thursday as was the actual last day of school and we played "vocabulary word" bingo and I thought I would surely die - I gave out 75 candy bars for the prizes and I only had two kids say thanks - have been brought up an environment of handouts and it is hard to take!!!
Before I forget - Shawn Aday has received his mission call and will go to England. He is going into the mission home in July - the Aday family is really excited about it all. Kim is going to UALR and working two or three jobs besides working in the church and she looks so tried all the time.
Daddy and I went to a going away party last night for Barry and Pam Cannon - they have only been here two year but are outstanding and we'll miss them. Barry has worked for IBM for quite a long time and came here from California with them but now he is quitting IBM to go in business with his brother-in-law in the "nuts and bolts" market in Wisconsin - I hope he makes it. Their little son, Sean has been in my Primary class.
Daddy got the driveway at our home on Lehigh here all fixed and the house is in excellent condition - now we just hope it sells - I guess the Doctor is still considering it. The sales force from the Lee Gibson Real Estate company came and went through our home and gave us an estimate on how much it is worth - between $118,000 - $123,000. I would think that is high except that they just sold the old Flath home (next to Petes) for $105,000 and it isn't nearly as nice as ours. Last year it was valued at $93,000 so if it increases that much each year we would be better off to keep it which is probably what we'll do anyway. Johnny is "singing the blues" about leaving all his friends here and going to Utah for the Summer - we have told him this is what he must do this year but next year we may give him another option. I hope he makes some really nice friends in Lehi right quick - he doesn't put himself out one bit to make friends there - maybe he will this year. Jimmy
Willardsen has called him several times - they are getting excited about their tennis camp at BYU - June 22 - 26.
Tuesday is Grandpa Forest's 85th birthday - they never write to us so I don't know if anything big has been planned - we are going to send any arrangement of flowers and will call them. He is really in excellent health and would probably enjoy a big party so maybe they'll have one.
We had a nice letter along with some genealogy from the Crawfords - June 30th is supposed to be the deadline for have the four generation group sheets
submitted into the church. Daddy has all of his but I don't have Daddy's side of mine - I'll have to do that as soon as I get to Utah.
Daddy just came in and said that John's exercise bench is all finished so I guess I was wrong - I can't imagine where he is going to put it - there surely isn't enough room in his bedroom!!!!
Ed Lucas was released from the Bishopric this morning - he is going to spend the summer in California doing some work for a grant of some kind - they put in Bro. Pearson who is here with the hospital systems as a director - really a fine young family and he will do a good job - they have bought a beautiful new home by the golf course in Maumelle New Town.
We love each one of you so very much and we are looking forward to a happy, healthy Summer for everyone - please be really careful in everything you do and let us know if we can help you in any way.
May 31, 1981 Little Rock, Arkansas HI EVERYBODY -
Mom and I are both writing so you will hear the same things twice.
Our weather is beautiful and everything is in full bloom. If Little Rock could
stay like this it would be the prettiest place in the world.
John and I went fishing early Saturday morning out at Maumelle. The air
temperature was 65 degrees and the water 75 degrees. The lake was beautiful
but the fishing was only fair. John is still fishing for a wall trophy.
We have worked this week fixing up our ski boat for sale - it looks like new
now and we kinda' hate to sell it but John and I bought a beautiful bass boat
and Mom won't permit 3 boats in the family. We're all equipped now. The new
one will also ski us.
Mom is giving a Mother's Day talk to the Young Adults' Fireside tonight. She
always does a good job. I will use her talk for next Sunday in church.
It's great to be home on Sunday and the Stake runs perfectly without us.
John is doing great and growing like a weed. Today he wore my shoes and one of
my shirts to church. The neck was big but the rest fit. I think he will be the
biggie of the litter.
Mom's still teaching and loves it. Love you all, Dad
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