June 20, 1981 Little Rock, Ark.
Dearest Ron, Ann, Susanna & Jessie, Rick, Jean, Ricky & Barbara Jean and Roy,
Well, little Michael Lynn has not yet arrived and our Summer plans have gone astray - I'm sure he will be well worth it when he gets here. Claire stayed home from church this morning - I talked to her yesterday and she says she is so tired of having people say - "you mean, you haven't had that baby yet????" I can relate to that. Bob just called and said she really isn't feeling very well so maybe that's good sign - he goes into the hospital at 7:00 a.m. and works until 11:30 just about every day and he's working today. When Claire went to her doctor last Wednesday he told her he was pretty sure it would be born within the week so we're all excited.
We have John an airplane ticket to leave in the morning so he can get to his Tennis camp - they are threatening to have that air controller's strike and we just called to see what they knew about it and they said if they had the strike he would not be able to go, otherwise everything is okay. Needless to say - we don't know whether to pack his suitcase or not - he will be so disappointed if he doesn't get to go that I'm not sure we'll be able to live with him. This is something he had looked forward to for over a year - we asked him if he would go the following week but he said he wouldn't - mainly, I'm sure, because Jimmy won't be going then.
Annie - we have appreciated your help so much this week - we'll get even some way!!!! Little Jimmie Braithwaite was operated on last Tuesday and Annie kept us informed on his progress - they have found that the tumor is embedded into his brain and also his spine and they can't attempt to remove it - if it is malignant they will treat him chemotherapy and if it isn't they will just try to make him comfortable as long as he lives. This is such a sad, sad thing and we feel so helpless. We are wondering if Carol and Elly will return and finish their mission or if they will help big Jimmy out in the drugstore - what a decision for them. We took this cute picture of them when they came to Lehi last summer to big up Jimmy Willardson - I thought you would like a copy to refresh your memory about which family he belonged to - there are so many of them I'm sure it is hard for Ricky and Ron and Roy especially to keep track of them all. We also appreciate your picking Johnny up at the airport tomorrow if he gets to go and inviting him to go to Jerome with you - this all means so much to us. He would love to go to Jerome but we really hope to be there before that!!!!
Roy - Bob said you had called him, thinking we would be in Utah. He said you really sounded happy and that everything was going good - he also said you had written to us in Utah - we hope they don't forward it back her. Dan called here the other night for your address - Daddy talked to him and we didn't find out if he is still planning to go West - we're anxious to get out to Lehi so we can fix that house up a little before you get there - Chris and Wayne Smith are planning to come out again and they will probably be there for the Manti Pageant. We received a letter about the Mellor reunion and it will be July 11 and 12 and the pageant is starting at that time I believe and will go for several weeks - we wish you could see it.
Jeannie - we laughed and laughed about our call to you and little Ricky and Barbara Jean in the bathtub - we thought it was late enough so they would both be settled down - I remember those days though and you can't count on anything. We will be so happy to see all the "little ones" again. I talked to Dean Andrews (from Magnolia) yesterday and we were both bragging about our grandchildren and he said, "Just wait until you live by them - then you really enjoy them" and I said, "I can just look at their pictures and get so homesick I can hardly stand it". It is really going to be fun to hear Ricky talk - we could hear him saying "mine!!!!!" the other night. Save us some cherries from your lot - Daddy and I are both on diets and 1/2 cup is 40 calories - so don't save us very many.
Before I forget - Carol Woods is in Utah this week - their church bell choir is performing at Utah State University - she has your phone numbers so don't be surprised if she calls - she will just want to visit for a few minutes - she is really a sweet girl and was so excited about this trip - they went in a church bus.
John went on a Buffalo River float trip yesterday with the MIA - he really had fun. They had planned to float down on inner-tubes but the people who rent the canoes said it was against the law so they were disappointed but they still had fun on the canoe - they went up Friday afternoon and came down last night.
There is a lady in our Ward who is expecting a baby the same time as Claire - she will probably deliver a little later. She is over 40 and went to Memphis to have that test taken and the results of the test show there is a strong possibility the baby will have some defect - she didn't make this public until last week and now we are also concerned. Her mother-in-law is a physician - in fact, I'm sure I wrote and told you about her because she just recently married Jarrett Jarvis' father who is in his eighties. They are from Provo and came here and bought a beautiful home in Pleasant Valley and now have sold it and are moving back to Provo. I talked to her this morning and she said there are only eight other cases like here in medical history and her doctors here have given her very little encouragement - she has such a beautiful attitude that it was really an inspiration to talk to her. She is from Finland and speaks quite broken but has an exceptionally strong testimony of the Gospel. Their last name is Allen and they have a home close by BYU.
I talked to Kim Aday this morning and she is so excited about her engagement - they have set Sept. 2nd in the Washington D.C. temple. It was a farewell for Shawn Aday this morning - he will be leaving the first week in July for the Mission Home - he seems so grown up.
Daddy has the yard fixed so nice. Last night I went to the church to pick up John and Larry Shawn from the float trip and as we were coming home a big truck loaded with grass sod turned and a lot of it fell on the road - I stopped and Larry and John jumped out and put as much of it as they could in our back seat - you wouldn't believe all the dirt we had to clean up - I'm not sure it was worth it but they did it anyway. It isn't the zoysia like we have planted but it will be good to fill in some bare spots like West of our patio. Our yard is just "picture perfect". Today is Father's Day and John give him a windbreaker, a book by Howard Ruff and I had my "Fisherman's Prayer" picture framed for him and gave him an IOU for a gas grill next Fall. We hope Rick and Ron have had a fun Father's Day.
Daddy and I went to Jacksonville yesterday for a reception for the Jones Family. It was the day of the "Regional Meetings" and Daddy was a little embarrassed to go because he had told them he wouldn't be here but we wanted to honor the Jones. The Regional Meetings ended at 2 p.m. and the reception was at 2:30 and we couldn't believed it - everyone went home - there were only about a dozen who stayed for the reception. We felt bad for Sandy and Gene and their children but they were really sweet about it - the Stake gave them a "Razorback Rug" that one of the sisters in North Little Rock had made. The ward is going to have a party for them on Friday at Murray Park.
There isn't any more news. Daddy and I have been working in our picture albums this week and it is so much fun to go through all our pictures. Roy - we have taken them from downstairs because we were worried it was too damp down there for them and they will be under that long "couch table" right by the piano in the living room if you want to go through them. This Winter when we get really bored we are going to take them all apart (the books) and see if we can put them in some kind of order and write a little story to go with them and we'll keep them until we "zonk" and then you can each have your own books.
I feel sure we will be talking to you this coming week - I hope we have some news about when we will be in Utah. We love each one of you so very much - PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - let us know if we can help you in any way.
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