June 16, 1985 Billings, Montana

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

Happy Father's Day to all you Fathers!!!! Daddy has had a really happy day and appreciate all of you thinking of him - it's great having Johnny home with us to help celebrate - we just finished eating a steak & salad dinner which is what Daddy wanted; There is only one stove in the Mission Home where we can cook steaks and that is in the apartment so I have purposely no cleaned it until after Father's Day so we could use it - tomorrow that gets cleaned so no more steak cooking here - we'll be glad when we can cook them outside!!!

We got home this morning about three o'clock - we left Kalispell yesterday afternoon about five and decided to drive to Butte where we could have dinner at out favorite Chinese restaurant and then spend the night there. After dinner it was about eleven o'clock and both Daddy & Johnny wanted to drive on to Billings so that's what we did. We are all walking in our sleep but will go to be early!

Last week was a busy but fun one! Johnny's farewell was really nice - the local mission - arise as a surprise to us and to Johnny sang our Mission song and for the last verse they changed the words to serving in the Santiago, Chile mission and sang part of it in Spanish and it was just darling and really meant a lot to all of us. We taped the whole meeting and it would have been just wonderful but there was a baby crying all the way through it and it really annoying!!! Johnny has grown so much and it was just wonderful to hear him talk and bear his testimony. One of our missionaries is from Hawaii and is really talented and he and another lady from the ward sang "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go" in Spanish and it was just beautiful. We had an open house and a lot of people came - the cake was so cute - we took a lot of pictures and Daddy tried to duplicate them but for some reason our machine is making them too dark! They all enjoyed the slide presentation. Some of Johnny's friends came and that made it special.

Monday morning we all got up early and started addressing invitations to the open house for the Kunzlers - Johnny typed a lot of them. We finished that about noon and then we left for Casper, Wyoming. We got there about seven o'clock and had time to go to their huge mall where we ate in the cafeteria and then shopped for a little while.

Tuesday was our zone conference in Casper and it was really good. One of the missionaries there is an artist and he drew a picture of Daddy & I for the cover of the program (it really doesn't look like us but it was sweet of him). They served a delicious lunch at noon and the Casper Baker had made a cake for us with "Farewell Good & Faithful Servants" written on it. Johnny came to the conference with us and he quite enjoyed it. After it was over we left and drove to DuBois, Wyoming where we spent the night - do you remember when we all went to Yellow stone after Jeannie & Ricks' marriage? We pulled our big trailer and right after we left Ann & Bob to go back to Provo and we headed back to Little Rock something happened to our car and we had to have it towed (Roy, I'll bet you remember that). Anyway they towed it to Dubois to fix it. We had a really cute log cabin motel there and it was fun. Wednesday we drove back to Billings, going through part of Yellowstone. Thursday we had our zone conference here in Billings - the Fourth Ward prepared the lunch and it was delicious (lasagna). Friday we left early to drive to Kalispell and we went through Glacier Park - Johnny has been through there before but he enjoyed it again and that is probably the last time Daddy & I will ever to through it - we have loved that trip. We ate at our special Mexican Restaurant in Kalispell that night. Saturday was our zone conference there - they had Johnny speak and he did a fabulous job - we area really proud of him!!!

Annie - we all loved your letter to Daddy and your trip to Lake Powell sounds wonderful. We have told Johnny how much we need him to help us get the Lehi house ready to live in and he said he would forego the trip with you BUT really we probably won't get around to moving the heavy things until you all get back and we think he should go with you and we think that's what he will do. It's sweet for you to invite him and we can tell he REALLY wants to go. We had wanted him to stay here for the going away party for us but that's kinda' selfish of us and it quite boring for him here now - most of his friends are either working or have left for their missions - he has spent a lot of time reading the scriptures and marking them - he thinks he needs to get better prepared for his mission and that's good. The office staff of the mission just love him and he has spent some time with them. I wish I knew what I could send with him in the line of food for your trip - if you'll give me some ideas I'll be so happy to do it. I probably won't have time to make cookies or anything like that because that will be our last week here. We're so proud of you for taking your family through the Manti temple before it was closed for rededication. We have read the article about the redecorating and everything in the Church News and I'll bet it is gorgeous!!!!

Claire - we loved your letter and your trip to California for your brother's wedding sounded great. We thought about all of you this past week - you away from your children & Bob and Bob taking care of the family. It's times like that when you realize how much simpler life would be if you could all live closer to each other. We're so thrilled to have those darling pictures of Michael & Laura and it's fun to try to figure out who they look like - we think Michael resembles Barji but we're not sure who Laura resembles! We're also thrilled about your pregnancy (we hope that isn't a secret) - we hope you won't be too sick for much longer! Bob - one of our missionaries called Daddy the other night and said he was scheduled for a mastoid operation the next day. It upset Daddy so he suggested that he get another doctor's opinion - as it turned out he didn't really need the operation and is getting help a much better way. This missionary was in Bozeman - he's much better now!

Jeannie & Roy - Daddy fells bad that he has missed your calls. I have forgotten to tell you that since the missionaries have moved out of the house they have changed the telephone system here - it is the same during office hours (8 'til 5) but at other times when you dial 245-6146 the calls go directly to the apartment of the office staff. The number you can always get us at is 245-6147 - I should have told you that two weeks ago. You can't imagine the difference this makes in the mission home - the Kunzlers won't be bothered with phone calls at all except during office hours.

I called Grandpa Forrest this morning to wish him a Happy Father's Day and we had a good visit. He has such a happy attitude and says he is getting along just fine. He said they had gone to visit Grandmother at the hospital last night and she was doing a lot better - I hope she will be able to go home soon.

Bob & Roy - when Daddy went for his early morning walk one day last week one of our neighbors was putting some medical books out for the garbage man. You know Daddy - he couldn't stand for them to be thrown away so he brought them home. I'm going to give you the titles of them and see if you think they are worth saving - if not, we'll just put them out for the garbage man.
1. The Red Cell - John W. Harris, M.D.
2. Disorders of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Infancy - Cornblath & Schwartz
3. Textbook of Pediatrics - English Edition - Nelson & Saunders
4. The Biologic Basis of Pediatric Practice - Volumes I & II - Cooke

Daddy's vegetable garden is just beautiful and so are the flower gardens. He had a really nice cedar planter all planted with petunias on the back patio and when he went to water if the other day he discovered that it was gone - can you believe anyone who would steal a planter from the Mission Home? We have two more in the front so we're watching them mighty close. It's different here now without the missionaries and we worry about vandalism - we have only one more night to be gone and we don't think the Kunzlers will travel as much as we have so it will probably work out okay!

That's all the news! We love each on of you so very much - PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - Let us know how we can help you! We are REALLY anxious to get home!!!
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