Sunday - December 13, 1981
Little Rock, Ark.

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

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" - it really, is - we have our tree and house al decorated and the weather is even Christmassy. I baked most of yesterday for the scripture study group we had at our home last night and it was fun to prepare holiday type foods. I ordered my chocolate again this year and it was delivered on Friday but we weren't here so they didn't leave it - it was C.O.D. - and I can't get it until tomorrow. I have been on a diet and have lost a few pounds and now will gain it all back. Leawood is looking so pretty and we just wish our whole family would be together. I can't help but think about the promise we made to Ron last year that Ron!!!! We surely hope you are all getting the Christmas sprit - we know the Woolleys and Weinerts children are getting excited and we hope you and Patrice are too Roy, because we are!!! This is the first year John is having to act "grown-up" about Christmas but he wanted an expensive turntable so he had to pick it out - he is such a good, good kid and Christmas will be fun just to feed him - he really enjoys food.

Roy - have you survived the big snow storm??? We tried to call you one night until quite late and couldn't get your line when it wasn't busy and then we talked to Ann and she said she had talked to you and you were fine even though you had to stay one night at the hospital because you couldn't get home. There was a big picture on the front page of the Arkansas Gazette showing a girl on skis in downtown Providence - I hoped that you wouldn't be involved in snow shoveling like you were a few years ago when you caught such a terrible cold. We have been like the tropics - really warm and balmy - it has turned cold the last two or three days but no moisture. If there is anything we can do for you on this end to help you with your trip home we hope you will let us know - I'm hoping you have share our letters to you with Patrice so she will know how happy we are that she is coming home with you - I feel as though I should write her a personal letter and will if you want me to.

Annie - we loved your call and we're really happy that Ron is going to be close to home for this month - it seems that no matter how hard you try to prepare, the month of December gets hectic. We hope you aren't having any fog this year like you did last year.

Jennie - we hope you will take some Christmas pictures of Ricky and Barji - we haven't seen how they have changed since August!!! We surely hope you're still feeling good Jeannie and that you will stay that way. Rick - have you been duck hunting????


We got some picture back that were taken when little Michael was blessed and they are really good - Claire borrowed the negatives so she could have prints made and when we get them back I'll send you some - things sometimes get misplaced over there so it may be awhile. He is really a little doll - beginning to sit up now and they are feeding him fruits with a spoon and he is a good little eater. Bob and Claire had a dinner party last night for the medical students in Bob's group and their wives - they smoked a turkey - Bob said this morning that it was really good - Claire had to go to the second ward for Relief Society so we didn't get to see her. She is super busy at the store right now and looks tired!!!! They are doing so good and their home is beautifully decorated for Christmas - Claire is very talented - she goes a hundred miles an hour - Bob is slow and that is good for Michael!!!!

Johnny is trying to develop his muscles - he is taking "off-season" football and they work out an weights and exercises and right now he is so stiff from doing push ups and other things that he can hardly get around. He played a basketball game at the Boy's club one night last week and we went to it - he's a god little player and really loves it. He was so proud the other day - he was one of two who made an A on a big test in Algebra - he had told his Daddy that he either got them all right or all wrong - now he says he believes he really understands it - he things geometry is a breeze. He is even doing good in English.

Daddy and I are doing good - this next week is my last week at Rightsell - I will miss it but it has been a "little much" - I have spent way too much time at home preparing my lessons and Daddy will be happy to have me finished. He has been teaching a lot but he gets upset because he thins they give him all the hard classes - there are some real discipline problems in the schools and he is good at handing them - I can't!!!

We had a letter from Mr. Schow in Lehi last week and they have finally finished the Estate Closing. Don's property sold (he sold about five acres of the meadow property) and we think he got around $8,000 per acre so he could pay what he owed and they could close it. we still haven't received the deeds for the canyon property but we should this week. We are really happy that is over and grateful for what we have.

I was up late one Sunday night grading papers and the furnace was turned off but the blower wouldn't stop so I waked Daddy up and he went to see about it - he had to disconnect some wires or something and the next day he called the furnace people. When they came out they were amazed to find out that the furnace had cracked and gas was escaping - the pilot light was still on fortunately but something serious could have happened. They suggested that we get a complete new unit so we did. It was so funny because they did the whole thing in a day and a half and we had to love our furnace off all that time but the weather was warm so it didn't cause any problems but other than that it was without any inconvenience or mess and when we first moved into this house Daddy said, "I surely hope we don't have to replace the furnace while we still own this house" - he thought they would have to take the toilet off and the cabinets out of the downstairs bathroom in order to get it in and I have worried about that off and on all these years - that goes to prove how foolish it is to worry about things like that because seldom are they as bad as they seem!!!! This new furnace is much more efficient and the house seems more comfortable - it seems that with the other one it was either too cold or too hot much of the time. If we're here any of the time this Summer, we'll have to replace our air conditioner, I'm sure!!!!

We had a letter from Ramona and she had a heart attack on Thanksgiving night and has been in the hospital for about two weeks. She said she was much better and really looking forward to Christmas. Daddy hasn't called her yet but I'm sure he will soon. It's hard to believe that she is nearly 70 years old and I guess when you get that old there are many things that can happen. She said in her letter that they were anxious for their traditional Christmas Eve party and she hoped Ann and Jean their families would be there for it - I'm sure they will make things easy for her.

I can't think of any more news - we love all so very much and really miss you.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO AND LET US KNOW IF WE CAN HELP YOU IN ANY WAY!!!!




P. S. I just thought of some more news - they have called Daddy to be the Young men's President in the Ward. He said they must be really desperate to all the olds man in the Ward to be the Young Men's President - he will do a wonderful job and they need him so much - Daddy would do a wonderful job if they called him to be a chorister!!!! Of course, Johnny is delighted. We had an M.I.A. party here last Tuesday night - the girls made candy mints upstairs and the boys watched a movie on cable downstairs and made cheese dip and Charlie O drinks - we had about twenty here and we were worn out when they left!!! We got to be about midnight and Daddy had a phone call at 2:15 a.m. to go the hospital - he was home about 4:00 a.m. and they called again at 6:00 for him to teach - we're too old for all this!!!
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