May 20, 1984 Billings, Montana

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

We just came home from Wyoming and we were so thrilled to have a letter from Claire waiting for us. Annie sent us some salad recipes and I'm dying to try them - the cabbage and chicken one sounds like exactly the thing we need and the other fruit one does too. We have three sisters going home on this next transfer in June and when I asked them what they wanted for their "going away" dinner they said, "We would like a great big salad and something chocolate for dessert" - doesn't that sound like Sister Missionaries!!!! The darling picture of LeeAnna is some welcome - we have been trying to imagine what she looks like - she is beautiful!!! We think she is a combination of both Susanna and Jessie - we can't see any resemblance to Russell though! Thanks so much for the recipes and especially LeeAnna's picture.

We're so happy you finally have your car Bob & Claire - you didn't say what color it is! This is really your first new car and we can just imagine how happy you are with it - AND you deserve it. I'll bet Claire has had a fun weekend in Little Rock this weekend - we hope you have some news about our friends there and will tell us about them. I owe everyone a letter!!! We're thrilled about your fence too and hope you'll be able to get the sides up soon - that will be heaven for Michael & Laura - and their sandbox sounds great - our children spent hours and hours in their sandbox - do you all remember the one in Phoenix that was right next to the Mayer's home? I couldn't see it from the house and you got by with murder in it!!!!

Jeannie and Roy - we know you are doing good too. We loved the letter from Patrice and the garden you're planning sounds just wonderful. (Patrice sent a cute cartoon depicting all the efforts involved in planning for a fishing trip.) We could appreciate that cartoon when you really know Roy because he is so exact in his planning for everything - it would take Roy two days planning to go fishing or anything else for one day - actually his Daddy can get ready to go fishing in a split second. Patrice is looking for a new job an we hope you find exactly what you want soon.

Rick - we surely hope your Mother isn't suffering. That must be a very hard thing for you to cope with and we hope you know we think about you all the time and wish we could help.

Last Monday for Family Home Evening we went to look at the new cars - we wanted to see what a Volkswagen Jetta looked like - we think they're really classy!!! While we were there Johnny told the salesman his parents wanted to buy him a new Porsche for graduation - we had fun looking at them and since then the salesman has called us several times. Needles to say that is the last thing we would do - I don't think they're even good looking and besides Johnny has the only car is ever going to get until he buys his own!!!!

Tuesday morning we left about 5 o'clock to go to Butte for our zone conference there. It was beautiful in Billings so I packed all Summer clothes and just about froze to death up there. After the conference we drove to Great Falls and spent the night - that is a beautiful drive!! We had another conference in Great Falls there on Wednesday and then we came home. They are really nice to us in Butte and Great Falls and always prepare the nicest meals for us - this helps our missionaries so much and I will never ever complain about having to prepare food for missionary dinners again.

Johnny has a friend here, Dave Gormley, whose parents went out of town this past week. They are Catholic but they love to have Johnny and Dave spent time together and especially have Dave in the Mission Home. His mother called and asked if he would spent from Wednesday to Sunday with us - I told her how busy we were but we would plan to be in town at nights except on Saturday night. Well - she promised me she would lock their house and Dave would not be able to go in. Wednesday night about 10:30 I went to check on them in Johnny's bedroom and they weren't there so I called Dave's house and they were over there. I was really upset and knew it - they stayed here the rest of the time and I'm sure Dave thinks I am a witch but I don't care. I don't believe most of John's friends here have as strict of rules as he does but when he has friends here they have to abide by our rules - we're gone so much that may be Johnny gets by with much more than we think he does - it will be easier when he's at school.

Thursday we had the Central Zone Conference her in Billings. That is the one where the Visitor Center Directors (missionary couples) come to be with us. We invited them over to the Mission Home after the conference for hamburgers. It would be so simple to have four extra for dinner but we always feel like we should invite the house elders too so we ended up having fourteen for dinner. We really enjoy those couples though and they love to come.

Friday we went to Hardin for the Custer Zone Conference. That is where there are the three missionary couples who serve an Indian Reservations. They are so discouraged - they just aren't having the baptisms like they did last year and the previous years. The church has changed the age for the children going on placement to 11 years instead of 8 and that has caused the drop in baptisms. The Indian parents love to have their children go on placement their homes on the reservations for the Summer and they are sent either to Washington or Utah). Bro. & Sister Wright, From Brigham City, are such fun people - she has worked for a doctor so she know how to give shots. We who are exposed to people on the reservations have to have a gamma globulin shot every three months and she gives them to all of us - we really love those sweet people. Sister Wright told me that Dee Glen Smith isn't doing very well at all - she said her daughter (who is his daughter-in-law_ says he is on heavy medication all the time and has really aged - that is so sad. She said that Ida, his wife, has been in Monte for a little vacation!!

We got home about 6 o'clock Friday night. Daddy hurried Johnny and Dave cook steaks for their dinner. I hurried and did a load of laundry, cleaned the windows and floors for a fireside at 7 p.m. I was in the laundry room taking the clothes out of the dryer when someone came in and said, Sister Mellor, President Mellor wants you to come give your talk now. We had the Sake Missionaries and Seventies from the Billings Stake there to get "fired up" about doing there missionary work. There were about thirty there and it was a good meeting.

Saturday we left about 6 o'clock in the morning to drive to Casper. We were thrilled because Johnny has consented to go with us. Daddy had interviews before the zone conference there so Johnny and I went to the huge new mall there to do some shopping for about an hour. John stayed for a little bit of the conference and then he went out on the back lawn of the church building and took a sun bath - it was a beautiful and warm day in Casper - they don't have very many of those. After the conference we went to a special Mexican Restaurant to treat Johnny to their famous " batter fried" vegetables and cheese and also their fried ice cream - we weren't sure we really liked any of it but it partly was because we had had sloppy joes at the zone conference. Then we drove to Worland - I slept all the way and Daddy and Johnny drove and we got there about 10 p.m.

Sunday (today) we attached the Stake Conference in Worland. Their General Authority was Robert L. Backman and what a super man he is - this is the first time we have been with him. In the prayer meeting he told me that if there was enough time he would like to call on me to speak (Daddy was already on the program) - I really appreciated that because it gave me enough time to plan something. I felt better about my little talk today than I did the last one - Daddy always does such a good job. The meeting was so good and all the girls were wanting to meet Johnny but of course he is very aloof!!! After the meeting we came back on the scenic route - through the Big Horn National Forest and we saw a lot of Elk and deer - we kept looking for bear but we didn't see any. On the way going to Casper yesterday we saw a lot of dead sheep out in the field who had been caught tin that storm about a month ago - there was one field where there must have been about 250 to them - it was sad!

You would never believe what I just did to Johnny ---- I gave him a permanent!!!! He has that new hair cut where it is really short on top and the sides an quite long in the back. I just curled the back and it looks really good - I know it won't be very long before he is going to have it all cut off and he wanted it like this for his last week or so. He is such a good, good kid and a real joy to be with. Bro. Backman looked at him and said, "Where did he get his height and big build?" (He is twice as big as we are). He is really working on his eight and has lost about seven pounds - he exercises like crazy!!! He doesn't have time for girls!!!

We surely do love each one of you. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - Let us know how we can help you - we're so proud of our family!!!
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