January 20, 1985 Billings, Montana

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

This will be a really short letter - we have had a very uninteresting week - unusual for us but we have surely enjoyed it - in fact, I'm afraid I could get used to this kind of life very easily!!!

We had a wonderful and long letter from Patrice this week - it was so good to hear from you and learn some of the things you're doing. (Patrice is doing some wood refinishing on an old desk). I remember so well when Roy refinished one of our old rockers and I wished so much that it was of better quality because he worked so hard on it - we have a picture of it tied on the back of his Toyota as he left to take it back to school with him. I really don't like to do this sort of thing but I appreciate beautiful wood and love the finished product. I have found that I don't like I don't like to do anything that gets my hands all messed up like that and painting and gluing, etc.! You're right Patrice - we really did enjoy our seafood feast - you don't know how lucky you are to have fresh seafood right around the corner - I think we would live on that. I have tried to think of something we might have here that would be better than you have on the East coast and I guess it would have to be beef - Montana has really good meat - so when you come here, we'll cook you a good steak!!! We're so happy that you like your work - I'm sure you really learn about a lot of different things doing photo research - we're not too familiar with that field but I'll bet it's interesting!

Jeannie - we loved your letter too and those wonderful pictures - we'll duplicate them and enclose them with this letter. That little Mary Ann has grown out of the "dynamite" stage and is a little cutie doll!!! I'll always feel bad that I was cross with her when she was with us last Summer - she just went a mile a minute and I couldn't keep up with her. We (I) have a lot of "making up" with Mary Ann and Russell when we get home' - I'm sure it was their ages and my age! One of my few friends here is the Relief Society President of the Ward we really like here in Billings. I was talking to her last week and she said her son who lives in Salt Lake brought his two little girls up for her to tend for three weeks while his wife went to Washington for something - Louise said she did pretty well for about ten days and then she called her son and said she was on her way with his little girls because she was just plain too old to take care of them - Ha! She said he understood and she put the girls in the car and drove eleven hours and then turned right around and came back home. We're happy that you have met our friend, Melanie Stone. I feel bad - I promised her that I would tell you to be on the lookout for her and then I forgot. Melanie is really a very smart young woman and appears to be a real perfectionist - I took an Institute class with her and was very impressed with her knowledge of the scriptures - I tend to think that anyone whish is smart in the scriptures is "saintly" because I am so DUMB. She is hoping for an improvement in her social life - I don't have any idea how old she is but I hope she can find a husband! It was great talking to you last night too - we're so thrilled that you are doing pretty well with your pregnancy - we're keeping our fingers crossed!!! We can just imagine how much fun little Ricky had skiing with his Dad - I hope they can do that often.


We think Claire's definition of January is perfect - she calls the month, "January Slum" This is the coldest weather we have been in for forty years (I don't remember Laramie, Wyoming even being this cold). I'm sure you have laughed about my trying to claim our weather as be worse than yours - Utah and the Northeast have had equally bad weather - I guess Memphis isn't quite this cold. Right now it is about 2:30 in the afternoon and it is -5 outside and it snowed yesterday so it's slippery. Daddy and I went to the early Wad (Fifth) this morning and will just stay indoors for the rest of the day - I'm sure you laughed about my saying he would probably watch the Super Bowl last Sunday - we're really not in tune with the world I hope he gets to watch some of it today anyway - we're going to have a fireside here night.

Daddy's Assistants have done all the traveling this month and they have done a super job with the District Meetings. He is going to let one of his assistants (Elder Taylor) go back out in the filed and bring and Elder Stirling in to replace him - Elder Taylor goes home in March so he has to be replaced but he isn't very happy about it. He'll also have to replace Elder Crum who is the financial secretary soon and I believe he has his replacement figured out - an Elder Huckvale who is quite new in the mission filed. I always hate to have new Elders come into the home because it means training a group all over again - the group we have in here now is almost perfect as far as keeping everything clean and orderly. I inspected their dorm and their dungeon last Monday and there was a lot of soiled laundry around so I left them a note saying I would inspect it again on Wednesday at noon and that I wanted it all done and put away and I'm not kidding when I say they worked every minute getting job in job in the kitchen too - they complain a little because I won't let them keep the heat turned up high all the time but other than that they're fine. I'm sure they will be happy when we start traveling again!!!

Johnny, we called you on Friday night and one of your roommates said you were all planning to go skiing on Saturday - we hope you were able to go. We like to talk to Johnny because he usually has some news about the Woolleys too and then we can kill two birds with one stone - we surely hope you are feeling good Annie, and won't have any more problems.

One night last week Daddy received a call from the hospital here saying a member of the church was near death and the family had requested they call the Mission Home. We went to be with the family and it was quite an experience. The man who died was a Crow Indian from Lamedeer and he was 26 years old and died of acute leukemia - he had twin daughters who are about three years old and a son who is five. He had only been sick for about a month so the family was really in shock - it seemed to us that the whole tribe was in the hospital and they were really sad. One elderly man kept waling through the halls singing an Indian death chart. They are very sweet people and so close as families you just can't help loving them. This man's name was Little Son - they all have names like that.

Yesterday we had one of the District Meetings planned for the Institute. There is a new Elder in this District who wants to go home - he is from Arizona and we think this bitter cold weather is just too much for him. Daddy was really impressed with him when he first came out so he put him with one of the best missionaries in the whole mission so it isn't his companion. Anyway - we decided to see if the honey atmosphere of the mission home would help him and invited them to have their meetings over here. we fixed five pizzas, crackers and Summer sausage and then I baked two big cakes and we had milk for them - they really enjoyed the food but we're not sure if it helped the homesick Elder. My heart really goes out to the missionaries who come into the filed during the Winter - their apartments are usually cold and dreary and they are expected to tract in spite of the snow & ice and it's really kinda' hard!!!

We had a letter from Doris Corpier - do you remember her? She and Louis were some of our first friends there and they are so loyal - he was Daddy's Stake Clerk for along time. Their daughter was Mary Louise and she married Jim Barley - they have about six or seven children by now - they had a hard time getting their family and do you remember they adopted twin boys and had them for about eight months and then the court took them away and gave them to their natural parents. Mary Louise had been ill a lot and really has had quite a hard life. Well - two days after Christmas their son who was almost four drowned in a swimming pool near their home. That is so sad!!!

Johnny - Daddy watched a little of the Arkansas basketball game last night against Houston and Allie Freeman was one of their star players - we couldn't believe it because he would have to be a Freshman because he's your age. They lost the game by about four points.

I have been cleaning out drawers and trying to put together our Mission Scrapbook - I have saved TOO many things and it's hard to decide what to put in and what to throw away. I have saved all the mail we have received from you and it's been fun going thought things. I have one more week to finish up and then I'll have to buckle down and prepare talks, etc. Daddy has to go to Denver for another Mission President's Seminar the first of February.

We surely do love each one of you - PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - let us know how we can help you!!!
Return to Home Page