May 28, 1984, Billings, Montana

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

It is Monday night and we just came home from a trip to the Western part of the State - this will be a short letter!!!

Claire - what a wonderful surprise to find your letter and those darling pictures - they really gave a boost to us. I had talked to Chris last week and she had seen you at church in Little Rock and she went on and on about how beautiful little Laura is and how handsome little Michael is - she described in detail the things they had worn to church. The pictures prove she is right and we think Laura looks exactly like her Mother - it's so cute to see her two little front teeth. Bob - we loved the pictures of you helping Michael with his Easter eggs. Claire - you look so good and I love your hair style. Daddy is going to try to duplicate them and if they turn out I'll include them with this letter.

Ann, Jean & Roy - we didn't hear from you and we know you're all busy. We can't help but worry about all the mudslides in Utah - the news is just unbelievable and especially when it makes the national news!!!

This has really been a busy week for everyone in the Mission Home. I told you about the big wedding that was planned for Saturday night. I started on Monday taking one room at a time and I really cleaned this place - the kitchen really took two days because I cleaned the two stoves and the cupboards, etc. The Elders had this huge yard just manicured - they had dug out old and dead plants and replaced them with new ones, under Daddy's direction. On their own they bordered the plant beds separating them from the lawn (I believe Elder Cardinet was mostly responsible for that) and then we planted geraniums and ferns in the three planters in the front and the back. I washed all the windows and everything just sparkled when we left Saturday morning.

The weather has been really unpredictable and we worried about that but really the wedding party was quite unconcerned. They had a huge platform built for the back yard and they had a rehearsal on Friday night. I asked them if they had an alternate plan in case it rained and they said they would just have the ceremony down at one end of the living room and have the bride walk down the stairway. They had an organ brought over and a string ensemble and really "The Works". Well - just as the bride walked up on the platform a big wind came up and then I guess the heavens opened up and it just poured down. The Elders said they all ran for the house and it was a big mess. They had a caterer and she moved most of the furniture out of the living room except for the big table and she put that down the middle and served from both sides. I guess there was punch and cake and nuts and everything else all over the floor and the couch good in the morning again - isn't it funny they wouldn't make arrangements to have someone come today. They used the upstairs bedrooms to get ready and the Elders had to cleans those too. The carpets are dirty too but we'll wait to clean them.

We left here early Saturday morning (at 5) to go to Kalispell - we had a missionary district meeting there that afternoon and then went to their Stake Conference that night and again on Sunday. Elder Loren Dunn was their visiting Authority and he had Daddy speak at all the sessions but he didn't call on me (I don't think he has much confidence in me and I'm glad). It was funny - when he found out we were there he arranged to have a special Stake Missionary meeting on Sunday after their conference sessions. He hadn't asked Daddy about it or anything and we already had another district meeting scheduled in Missoula at 4 o'clock - when we went to tell him goodbye, he said, "you can't leave a missionary meeting" - Daddy said, "We'll stay until 1:30 and then we're leaving". He had Daddy speak first and then right in the middle of Elder Dunn's talk we walked out - I think he was a little upset but we weren't going to keep 15 missionaries waiting in Missoula just because he called a special meeting. It's a good two and a half hour drive from Kalispell to Missoula and we made it in two hours. The conference was really good and so were our district missionary meetings.

After our meeting in Missoula we drove to Butte. We got there about 9:30 last night and it looked like it was about 5:00 p.m. - this big sky country really gives you long, long sunny days. There was a phone call waiting for Daddy when we got to the motel - we have a wonderful Elder from Hawaii and his father had had a fatal heart attack. Things like that are really hard - Daddy called him and he was still in shock but he came to the home tonight and he's going to be fine. He won't go home and that's good. They're having a big luau in Riverton in a couple weeks and this father was going to ship sixty pineapples from Hawaii for it - he was only fifty-seven years old but I guess he was overweight but had never been sick before.

Johnny graduated from Seminary on Friday night - HOORAY!!! We were so proud of him - he sat on the stand because of being and officer and he is SO handsome!!!! Cab you imagine what it is going to be like to not have to get a child up for Seminary - after twenty-three years we won't know what to do. Daddy had to leave the graduation before he received his diploma because he had to get back to the Mission Home to release a missionary. We had taken the camera to get some pictures and I got so involved in the proceedings of the graduation that I completely forgot to take even one picture - I could have cried when I realized what had happened. They had a dance after the graduation and Johnny said that was fun.

One day last week Johnny was invited to participate in a carrier day for the National Honor Society Members. They spent all day at various businesses and then the civic cubes took them all out to dinner - he really enjoyed that. He only has two more days of school an they are exam days so he will be glad when they're over. He is such a good kid and we're really proud of him.

We are going to have the Woods and the Jordins come from Arkansas this Summer. They both called last week because they are arranging their vacation schedules. The Woods will be her around the 19th of July and the Jordins the first week in August. It will be interesting to see how they react to the Mission Home - they have all had the missionary lessons in Little Rock but this will be the REAL THING!!! We're anxious to have them come and we're trying to juggle our conferences so we won't neglect any missionary work.

Daddy bought pizza for the house Elders one day last week after they had worked so hard. I don't know what they eat - Daddy won't let me fuss over them and that's good but they are so good to work and really deserve it sometimes!

Elder Dunn called and told Daddy the Mission President's Seminar this August will be held in Canada. We're really excited - we had planned to go into Canada after our mission is over and now we won't need to do that and will be able to some directly home. We think it's going to be in Cardston and that will be fun.

It's now 10:30 p.m. and the Elders say this typewriter sounds like a freight train so I had better close and get to bed, and let them go to sleep.

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

P.S. Today, they celebrated Memorial Day and I have surely thought a lot about how that was when I was a little girl. We always had new beautiful dresses and spent most of the day at the cemetery. My Daddy always played "Taps" on his bugle for the memorial ceremony. I have also thought about my brother Bob who gave his life for his country - I told the missionaries about him at our district meetings but I would sense a little bit of the generations gap - there is no way they could have the same patriotic feelings Daddy and I have because they haven't gone through a war and I hope they never have to - I hope there will always be peace in our country!
Return to Home Page