June 23, 1984 Billings, Montana

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

Well - our little nest is empty after thirty-six years and it's a good thing we're busy or we would probably go bananas!!! Johnny left yesterday morning about eight o'clock and ever though there are seven big Elders here the house really seemed empty - as I always do when I have trouble "coping" I started cleaning house. I started in Johnny's bedroom and when I had about finished that Daddy came and asked it I wanted to drive down to the store with him so I said yes - well, when we walked into the garage and I saw the space for Johnny's car and I knew he wouldn't be coming back for awhile it was harder than ever. Finally Daddy said he would call Elder Dunn and tell him I was having an emergency and needed to drive to Provo for a couple day I knew then I had better get my act together and things are better today.

Johnny has a friend here in Billings who has a brother living in Evanston, Wyoming so the deal was that they would take two cars and go to Evanston and spend last night and they would go through the park and take their time. Then Johnny was going to drive into Provo today and get ready to move into the dorm tomorrow - we thought he would be at Ann and Rons' about noon but when we called then they hadn't seen him. Well- he just called us a few minutes ago and he and two of his friends are at Ann and Rons' and they are going to drive back to Evanston tonight because the other boy's car is there and then Johnny is going to drive back to Provo tomorrow. One of the problems with allowing Freshman to have cars at school is that they don't get their minds on their school work - I surely hope this won't be the case with Johnny!!!!!!

It's about six o'clock Saturday night - we're going to have to speak at the College Ward here in the morning and then drive to Anaconda for a fireside tomorrow night - then to Butte where we start our series of Zone conference. We'll be gone until Wednesday night but then we have to leave again Friday and will be gone until Sunday. We have had the last two weeks "off" to be here with Johnny and we have really loved it. I have been able to get caught up on a lot of things and it has been good for Daddy to get his face healed and everything but our baptisms aren't as good as they should be so we're going to "hit the road" again.

We have tried to call Bob & Claire all day but no one answers and we're betting they're on another little camping trip - we hope so!!!! It's Michael's third birthday this coming Tuesday and I'm so anxious to hear him talk - I can't remember when I have talked to him last. It will be Barbara Jean's birthday next Saturday and she'll be four years old - that's hard to believe!

It was so much fun to talk to Ron and Susanna today (Ann was gone to the store). Susanna was so excited I fully expected to have her crawl through the telephone wires - they have a new "playhouse" and she told me all about it. it sounds absolutely darling - they had a contractor build it and it is a replica of their own house with the "loft" and everything. Susanna said, "My Daddy is going to build me some cupboards in the kitchen and a sink". I believe Ann had gone to get some paint for it. I had a hard enough time taking care of Susanna about three years ago because she kept wanting to go home and play in her "loft" - I'll never be able to compete with a playhouse. Won't that be wonderful though for all the Woolley children to be content to stay at home - like Ron says, they would prefer to have the neighbor children over there where they can supervise them than to have their children play somewhere else where they might not have the proper supervision. I'd surely like to live in their neighborhood and have lots of children who were friends of the Woolleys - wouldn't you??? Their new "deck" sounds so nice and now they have French doors going from their kitchen to the deck and also the same kind of doors leading from their family room out to the patio.

Roy - I'll bet you're getting ready to change hospitals and Patrice will go to a new job. We hope everything will work out just the way you want it to. What are Ty and Keith going to do now - are they both starting their residencies? Do you ever hear from Robert Tucker? Did Dan Watson start back in Med School in Little Rock - the last time I asked about him, you said he had dropped out for a little while. Johnny heard from David & Anna Bass at graduation time and they loved it in New Orleans - David's mother, Janie, was such a good friend of Dan Watson's grandmother.

I'll bet you're busy getting things ready for your trip to Hawaii, Jeannie & Rick. We're anxious to have the children - Daddy is getting his fishing gear all ready so he can take Rick fishing - he bought some little marshmallows today to use for bait. Every time we see a little child about their ages we ask to see how old they are so we can get an idea of what to expect!

Daddy stopped a lady at the store the other day to ask her how she liked her new Camry. She couldn't say enough good things about it - she said they averaged 45 miles a gallon on the highway - do you get that good Bob & Claire? I think that's the kind we are going to get when we leave here - they have a van here that will be for sale when we leave and that's quite a temptation because it would be good to haul things around but I think we want a smaller vehicle.

Joy Geisler called me about a week ago with some news about Little Rock. They had their Stake Conference last week with Jim Griffin conducting and she said it was really good - George P. Lee was their visiting authority and Joy thought he was wonderful! She also said that Carl Culwell Pearce and her husband and family would be moving back to Little Rock - evidently the job Bruce has in California isn't working out - Beverly will really be thrilled - she and Gilbert are flying out this month for a visit before they move back. Their other daughter. Carol who is Ann's age is getting a divorce. Joy's son-in-law Roy Millard is now on the High Council and she's happy about that. They were all going to Atlanta for a temple excursion and Chris Jordin was going to be baptized for the dead - I'm thrilled that she would do that.

We heard from Chris & Wayne Smith and evidently Linda & Ken's house is coming along fine Ken is building it in Walton Heights. The Smiths are looking for a lot on Lake Hamilton to build them a home - I don't know if that means they will sell the one they have in Alabama or not. I hope they don't sell out before Daddy gets to go down and have one more fishing trip on the gulf!!!

Our rented home in Little Rock is really something - the people rent it for a few months and then they leave and it costs us a lot to get it back in shape for new people to move in. It's in a black neighborhood and they just don't take care of property. They always have to pay a month's rent in advance and then they just forfeit that when they move so that helps a little. We plan to go back there when we're finished here and redecorate and fix it up and then just put it up for sale and not have any more renters. The people who were there when Bob & Claire were taking care of it were pretty good and didn't do too much damage but it has been rented three times since then. Our family home there on Leawood is giving the new owners some problems - they are having some moisture in the house to the extent that the laundry room floor is always wet and paint won't stay on the walls in the boys' room downstairs. We can't imagine what would cause that but we're happy that's their problem and not ours.

Do you all remember the big cornfield out in the back of the Mission Home? Well, the two wards that were responsible for that had plans to build a two ward chapel there so they didn't plant their corn there. Now, we hear, the church has turned down their bid to build a church building there and the lot looks terrible - there are weeds growing up and we expect any day to get some complaints from the neighbors. Daddy's garden is really looking good - we have beautiful lettuce and it won't be long until we'll have beet greens, etc.

Johnny was ordained an Elder about a week ago and he also has a temple recommend to do baptisms for the dead. We think there will probably be a group of young people from here go to Provo and he will be able to go to the temple with them.

We were really proud of receive the invitation to the Mellor Reunion from the Woolleys!!! We think it's great that they will assume the responsibility for our family while we we're gone. Grandpa Roy Mellor will be 100 years old in July this year so they are having the reunion in is honor. Ron said today they are also going to Jerome for his family reunion on July 7th. We're proud that our family will lend support to keeping the family unified. Maybe when I get home I will be able to help a little with the Forrest side - right now I never hear from any of my family - I call Mother & Daddy once in awhile and get a little 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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