August 14, 1983 Billings, Montana

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

Welcome to little Laura Ann - we are so thrilled she is here and healthy and everyone in the Bob Mellor household is doing good. She was born Tuesday morning and after Bob called the Mission Home the Elders started calling every place in Kalispell to get in touch with us - they said they called the church and all the motels in Kalispell. We had a tight schedule getting from Shelby after our meeting there to Kalispell and we were at the motels at 6:05 p.m. and they had just given our room to someone else - they had said they would save it for us until 6 p.m. we went to our meeting in Kalispell not knowing where we would stay that night and left there about 9 p.m. and started driving to Missoula - we stopped at a little place at 11 p.m. to call Johnny and he told us the news. It was so funny - after we talked to him Daddy said, "Maybe we could stay here" and sure enough they had one room left - this was in St. Ignatius and it's kinda' up in the mountains and the motel was a little log cabin without any kind of air conditioning but we were really comfortable. We will never go through St. Ignatius without thinking about little Laura Ann. We talked to Bob and Claire the next day and they said everything went really well - in fact, Claire was already home Wednesday afternoon - her Mom had come from Texas on Saturday so they were really well prepared. Claire said Michael was in "shock" having to make the adjustment to a new home, his Daddy being gone all the time and now a new little baby - this is a wonderful age for him to make that adjustment and he will be such a "protector" for little Laura Ann all her life!!!

Annie - I made the Key Lime Pie for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! Ann and Roy called yesterday and she told me she had made it for a group they had in and it was really a hit - it is in Francis' "She Cooks by Ear". It took me a long time to grate those little limes and get the juice from them but it was worth it. You sounded so hot yesterday - nothing worse than being pregnant in the hot summer!!!

Jeannie - I'll bet you and Rick are working every spare minute getting your sprinkler system and yard all fixed. do you know if Andy Coulter is going to start BUY next Fall - I can't remember if they kept him back a year or not - he and Johnny have birthdays within a week for each other but I think he is a year behind John.

Roy - I hope you will be able to see Glacier Park in August sometime. We went through the park on our way from Kalispell to St. Ignatius and it was absolutely gorgeous - we have been through other times but it had never been this pretty. When you think of all the money the government spends to keep that park so people can enjoy it for such a short time it is amazing - it will close the end of August.

Johnny will start football practice in the morning and Daddy and I are keeping our fingers crossed that he will stick with it and it will be a happy experience for him. He hasn't played since he was in Junior High and then not very much. Whenever he starts a new sport he gets all the equipment and then doesn't stick with it - he isn't much for competition Daddy and I have been surprised that he hasn't wanted to go to Utah - he really had last week off but he didn't want to go with us our trip and he didn't want to go to Utah. He is talking now about going in November for Thanksgiving but by then I'll bet he decides to stay home. He helped the Elders around the home last week and just enjoyed being here!

This has been the most tiring two weeks I have ever spent in all my life. We figured it up and we have traveled 3,000 miles and attended 16 districts meetings in the last two weeks. Besides that we have prepared the meals for all the Elders when we have been home and taken care of the garden produce - we have frozen 25 large bags of corn taken off the cob, canned 22 bottles of green beans and about 30 quarts of dill pickles. I have told Daddy that is all we are going to do - what produce we can't eat from now on we are going to give away. I can't describe our garden adequately to you - name it and we have it in abundance!!! We have been all over our mission trying to motivate the missionaries and it doesn't look like now that we will have as many baptisms as we had last year. We have promised the companionships that have the most baptisms that we will bring them to Billings for a big "Pig" dinner and we're going to let the house elders prepare the "pit" and cook it like we did last year and have all the trimmings. Now we are trying to decide what to do if our baptisms don't materialize. Most of the missionaries are really dedicated but we have some that don't care.

The Montana State Fair started yesterday here in Billings - the church has a food booth and Daddy and I have signed up to help with it. I signed up for Wednesday morning and he will work Thursday night - I didn't want to go at night because I did that last year and you have to close everything up and get it all cleaned up and that is really hard.

We have surely had a lot of strong winds lately and they come up so suddenly. One afternoon while we were gone last week a wind uprooted a huge tree on Rimrock and it fell on the power lines and cut the power off the Mission Home for about four hours - Johnny had to find some candles and he said it was quite scary when the house was empty. This wind also blew some airplanes over up at the airport and did a lot of damage.

I won't be able to write my letter next Sunday. We leave on Friday to go to Casper, Wyo. for a zone conference and then after that we are going to drive to Denver to attend the Mission President's Seminar. Daddy just received the program and the first meeting will be on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. and then it will be all day on Monday and we will start back to home on Tuesday morning. I am more excited this year that I was last year - Boyd and Donna Packer will be there and also some other General Authorities and their wives. Daddy has to prepare a talk on "How To Build A Missionary".

Brenda will come back in the morning - there is enough food in the refrigerator so she won't have to cook for several days. Daddy made his famous "Chimi Changos" today and he made quite a few and enough for another meal. Yesterday I made Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans, squash and cake and there is a lot of that left too. I know __ be tired because she had a busy schedule to see all her family - she'll be happy to get about here where it's so much cooler than in Arkansas and Tennessee.

Grandmother Forrest had her 81st birthday last Thursday - we were in Helena and Butte and never time to call her - she and Grandpa called here on Friday and Grandmother remarked that in my letters I always talk about food - she is right - it seems that is what I think about the most often. I don't know how it can be otherwise but I really get tired of it!!! Grandmother said a lot of her friends came to see her and she had a happy day - that's GREAT!!!!

Jeannie and Rick - we hope you had a Happy Anniversary yesterday - we thought about you all day but didn't call - we had just talked to Ann and she said all was well with you. It's out turn to call and will soon.

Daddy and I are going to go for a walk so I'll close for now - we love each one of you so very much and we're so proud of you - please let us know how we can help you. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!!
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