April 25, 1983
Billings, Montana

Dearest Roy, Bob, Claire & Michael, Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean & Mary Ann and Ron, Ann, Susanna & Jessie & Russell,

It's Monday morning - we didn't get home from Casper until late last night - Johnny was already in bed and since this typewriter makes so much noise I decided to wait until this morning to write my letter.

Jeannie & Rick - thank you so much for those wonderful pictures and your letters. We were so thrilled to see what your new home looks like - both inside and out - and it is really beautiful and we are so thrilled for you!!!! We can just imagine how nice it must be for your children to have their own bedrooms and for you all to "spread out" - your other home was lovely but you really needed another bedroom. I couldn't help but think how much fun it would be to make some pretty quilts for your girls and the Woolley's girls (and maybe the new little Mellor girl?) when we get home - we have the quilting frames and they are fun to make - not the hand stitched ones (they take too long) but the tied ones. The picture of Ricky and Barji just before leaving for church is just priceless - beautiful children!!! We can't figure out who Mary Ann looks like.

Bob & Claire - thank you so much for your long and wonderful letter (both of you). Claire - I can't believe you can do all that gardening but I remember the great condition you kept yourself in before Michael was born - that is so smart!!!! Just don't do any long bicycling. We hope you have had a fun trip to Houston (they left Thursday to drive to Houston to visit Claire's folks). I know your folks have really enjoyed Michael - aren't you glad he has had the chicken pox? His little friend Joey kinda' has a sad life - I feel so sorry for little children who are in situations like that (his mother is a teenager so his grandparents are raising him and don't watch him closely enough). Bob - your new bookcase sounds great - what are you making it out of? Brenda told me about your dinner with Sally and Chris. It's too bad they can't have children - Brenda only has 3 grandchildren and she's 65.

Annie & Ron - we received your beautiful card from Mexico - what a wonderful place to go on a vacation - Daddy just "oooooed and ahahahahahed" over it - that is his kind of way to relax but I much prefer the mountains. We have often laughed and wondered how we ever got together because he loves the beach so much and the water is very frightening to me - let me go camping up in the mountains in our trailer - maybe we'll have to go on separate vacations - Ha! We are so sorry about the tragedy in your neighborhood that brought you home from Mexico early (Ann's best friend's little 5 years old boy was killed - he was with his brothers and cousins in the back of a pick up and jumped out and the wheel went over his head. Ann said they had been so careful and wouldn't let the children ride in the back until they were home and they were backing up the drive way and going about 3 miles an hour - the little boy's Uncle was driving and it will be so hard on him all his life.) Please give your friend our sympathy - we surely hope she is doing better by now.

Roy - we haven't heard from you - surely hope everything is going good. We can just imagine how very busy you must be finishing up before June graduation. I watched the weather news on television this morning and saw how you were having so much rain - I'll bet things will be really beautiful in a couple weeks.

Johnny is doing really good - his boss offered him a job for the Summer and he is happy about that. We just leave him in the Lord's hands almost every weekend and we worry about it but he seems happy. I'm sure we wouldn't have this calling if Johnny weren't strong enough to be by himself this long. The Mission Home is so big and can be kinda' scary when you're here all alone - last night he was in bed when we got home and the whole house was dark - the Elders were out proselyting and Brenda was out socializing! He gets up every morning at 6 to go to Seminary and then works almost every afternoon from 4 til 8 so he is really tired by the time Sunday comes. He is growing so fast too - I can't believe how big he is. He is definitely going to Little Rock in June but we don't know if he wants to go to Youth Conference there or not - he says he would only know about 5 kids - maybe he will change his mind - we'll let you know as soon as he decides Bob and will do it before May 15th!

Our trip to Casper this weekend was really good - our weather is out of this world. The mountainsides are all so green and filled with antelope and deer besides all the cattle and sheep - that's all there is to see between here and Casper but we really enjoyed it. We left early Friday morning and visited with some of our couples on the Indian Reservations between here and there. We had a missionary zone conference Saturday morning in Casper - really it lasted until almost 5 that afternoon (started at 10:00 a.m.) The Stake President there had just had heart surgery so they called and asked Daddy if he would take his place in the Saturday Evening Session of their Stake Conference which he did. We stayed for two sessions of their Stake Conference yesterday - their Stake is so large they divide up the wards and have two sessions (I can't understand why they don't divide their Stake). Their General Authority was J. Richard Clark of the Presiding Bishopric's office - he was one of the best speakers I have ever heard - he spoke Saturday night and then at both sessions yesterday and gave different talks and they were all excellent. They have 8 children - 7 living - he told about losing an 11 years old daughter in a drowning accident - really sad! Bishop Clark grew up in Idaho Falls and knew Daddy's Uncle who practiced medicine there for many years. We went to one of the counselor's home for dinner between conference sessions - they have a beautiful home and they also have 8 children, one daughter at the "Y" and a son in England on a mission and they are really in a dilemma because he (Pres. Hall) has just lost his job. He is a CPA and had an excellent job but for some political reason lost it - he says there isn't much need for his particular type of job in Casper so they will probably have to move. That is hard for anyone but harder for those with large families to support.

Our missionaries are all doing good - there are a few problems but nothing Daddy can't handle. His biggest one right now is an Elder who can't control his temper - he scares all his companions to death so Daddy has to keep moving him. He has been on probation for quite awhile and Daddy is doing everything possible to help him stay on his mission - he keeps bringing him into the home for a week and then sends him out until he gets into more trouble. He really is a nice young man but his background is anything but refined and he is just having a hard time conforming - we don't think he would ever hurt anyone but he is big and scares some of the more timid missionaries. They tell Daddy from Salt Lake to not put up with that sort of thing for one minute - they are very definite about some things. I have written Mother's Day letters to each one of our missionaries mothers - that took most of last week!

We had a long and newsy letter from Doris Corpier - she told us that Dorcus and Danny Goodwin are getting a divorce and they have three children - that really surprised us! She also told us how Mike Williamson was killed - he was a policeman in Dallas and was chasing a car and his went out of control and crashed and he was killed. Mary Louise has 8 children and they are living in North Little Rock.

This week is going to be something else!!!! We have twenty-one missionaries coming in Wednesday - seven going home Thursday - we have to be to a meeting in Bozeman with Elder Dunn and Ezra Taft Benson on Thursday night and to a Regional Meeting there on Saturday so we'll stay on Friday without special to do there and a million things to do here. We have two couples coming in this afternoon - they will be at the Visitor's Center in Cody for this next year so they'll come in for an orientation. I told Daddy I am just going to take one day at a time. I just went downstairs and there is a bouquet of "dead" jonquils on the table - my first job will be to do the elder's bed laundry, then our laundry, then clean the house, then shop for groceries and start making cookies for transfer day. Now that I'm all organized I'll close and get busy!!!!

We love each one of you so very much - please let us know how we can help you and BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!!
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