June 4, 1983 Billings, Montana

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

It's Saturday night and I'm going to start my letter tonight because tomorrow is going to be a busy day and I want to be sure to mail this on time - a really neat thing happened for Roy and I don't want to not acknowledge it!! (A very poor sentence which proves how frustrated I am because of the million things going on.)

Roy has been accepted to do his residency in the Harvard School of Medicine in their anesthesiology department (I hope I have that right). We are so proud of you Roy and we could tell by the sound of your voice that you are really happy about it - HOW WONDERFUL!!! You will graduate on Monday and we hope you will know we are with you in spirit - I'll have to admit that I don't feel quite as bad about it now that I know you will be in Boston for probably four more years and we will be able to come see you in that area after our Mission. We are counting on having some pictures of your graduation - we feel sure Patrice is taking the day off so she can be with you and we hope you'll be able to celebrate in some way. We just knew things would work out the way you wanted them to because they always have - you really deserve it!!!!

We also want to acknowledge the great blessing of having Jean and Rick and their family and their home safe and without damage. I have watched every news bulletin I possibly could and my heart has really gone out to those people who have lost so much - I can't think of the feeling they must have to see their homes fill with mud and also the fear of having it come in the middle of the night - I'm sure many people have had some sleepless nights. We really appreciate your keeping us informed Jeannie - we felt so helpless when we couldn't get through to you. Elder Watts called to talk to daddy about something else right after you called to tell us they sorta' expected the place he lived to be the next mud slide area - he didn't say anything to him about it. He and the other missionaries who were expecting their visas will be going to Chile instead of Mexico within the next week or so and they're all excited about that - we will really miss them because they are all outstanding Elders.

Annie - thank you for calling about our home in Lehi and then calling us - we have worried about that so much but there isn't anything we can do. Have you seen how far Utah Lake is up to the pasture land? We wrote and asked Mamie to check on that for us but she hasn't written back and we think maybe she doesn't know where that land is. It was wonderful to talk to you - we knew you weren't feeling well so we decided to wait a little while before calling you - you'll get feeling better pretty soon. Little Jessie sounded so cute - I asked her if she were going to talk gymnastics and she said, "No, dancing". I can't imagine Russell weighing almost as much as Jessie - he's going to be like his Grandpa Russell and Jessie must be going to be like some of the Mellors because none of the Forrests were that tiny.

Bob and Claire - are you ready for Johnny's visit????? We surely hope they wont' be too much trouble and that they will be able to help you some. Please don't worry about them and let them "fare for themselves". I believe the plan now is for them to leave here a week from tomorrow (Sunday) June 12th and they are going to camp out on the way so they'll probably get there about Tuesday, June 14th - I hoe they don't have any problems. Bob - are you going to Youth Conference this weekend? If you go there you will be "youthed out" by the time June is over. We can just imagine how excited you are about moving - will you be able to make the move in one trip? I surely wish we were there to help you like you helped us because that is a job and a half and with Claire expecting a baby within the next few weeks she shouldn't do any of the heavy stuff - surely the ward members will help you.

Johnny's last day of school was yesterday and he is so happy - except now he starts working all day and he says that will be worse than going to school - he's growing up! It is his 17th birthday on Monday - we haven't told the Elders in the home but we think we're going to all go to Emerald Lake on a picnic to celebrate. We were afraid they would feel obligated to get him a present and they shouldn't do that. My luck at giving birthday parties for my children after they got out of grade school hasn't been very good so we'll just do something special as a family. Last year I had a special cake made for him and got thirty dollars worth of pizza and all his friends came and ate and then went home before he ever came in from a canoe trip. He has taken one of his friends out to dinner tonight to celebrate his graduation from High School. Johnny has really made a lot of friends this year - he says he is going to play football next year and we're really happy about that - I don't know how much he'll get to play but it will be good for him to get involved. He has done really well in his finals this semester - when he decides how important good grades are he will measure up - when he told me how well he had done I reminded him how much better he could do if he just studied - he never studies.

Daddy is having a series of zone leader conferences - last Wednesday he had one here in Billings and then yesterday he had one in Worland, Wyoming. We left here yesterday morning at 6 and got there about 9:30 - the meeting was over about 2:30 so we decided to drive another 150 miles to go to Lander to see the lady who broke her hip and shoulder. We visited with her for about an hour and then headed back for Billings - we got here about midnight last night. We were really glad we went though because she was so pleased - her husband was out doing his missionary work with some of our couples just come to spend their time. Daddy thinks she is planning to continue her mission whish is so admirable - she'll probably be down for a couple months - they put a pin in her hip and her shoulder is in a cast. She is related to the sister coming here from Brigham City (Merle Sackett Wright) so she is excited to see her.

This morning I started with the plans for a special open house tomorrow night of all the Stake Presidencies and their wives in this area along with our Regional Representative and his wife - they are coming from Fort Collins and will spend the night tomorrow with us. I have made watermelon boats and fixed the meat from two melons and cantaloupe and have that all refrigerated (now if it just doesn't wilt or spoil) - then I will add strawberries, crenshaw melon, bananas, fresh pineapple, apples, and oranges tomorrow when I serve it. Then I made two batches of brownies and one batch of those lemon bars we used to make all the time. I have made vegetable dip and have all kinds of vegetables to fix - cauliflower, celery, carrots, zucchini, etc. I have a really pretty corsage for our Reg. Rep.'s wife.

I had to do all this tonight because this afternoon we had to go to an open house at one of the wards - they have a beautiful park in the back of their chapel and they dedicated it tonight and had a picnic. The park is really nice with a little covered area with picnic benches and all kinds of play equipment for the children - I have never seen anything like this at any of our chapels before. We have to leave early in the morning to go out to Lamedeer and Dunmore for their District Conferences and won't get back until about 5 tomorrow night - dinner is at 6 and the open house at 7:30. I'll finish this tomorrow night - I hope!!!

Monday morning - our company just left so before I start the laundry and shopping I want to finish my letter. Our party last night was really nice - the food was exceptionally good. The Woolleys (Tyler and Margaret, our Regional Representative and his wife) came for dinner and Brenda had done a good job with that - we had ham, baked potatoes, fruit salad, green salad, garlic toast and ice cream sundaes. We had about forty here for the party and we enjoyed it. Margaret is Tyler's second wife (his first wife died) and she is an artist and had several paintings to show us - she is very good. They left to go to Washington and then to Oregon and California on vacation.

Roy - this is your big day - we told everyone here last night about you and Bob and showed them our plaque. We can just imagine all the excitement going on in Providence about now - it's noon there - we're anxious to hear all about it and wish so much that we could be with you.

Today is Johnny's birthday - we haven't told here about it and I feel kinda' bad because we always celebrate the home Elders' birthdays - he really didn't want us to do anything in the Home. We are going to spend the rest of the day together - he has gone to lift weights with the Elders now - he wants to go shopping and then we'll go out to dinner. They have their P-Day today and we were going to Emerald Lake but we decided not to - really Daddy and I get lonesome to be with just family - we're always with the Elders and other people.

That's all the news - we love each one of you so very much - PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - let us know how we can help you!!
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