January 5, 1986

Today is Sunday, January 5, 1986 and this will be the first family newsletter with the computer word processor Ron has loaned us. I am having so much fun and frustration but I feel so modern and smart even though I'm definitely not!!!!

Dearest Johnny; Roy; Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura & Brett; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Mary Ann & Sarah; and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell & LeeAnna: This will be the first Family Newsletter in 1986 and the first one written on a computer word processor that Ron has loaned to us. He has been so good to come over to bring all the "stuff" and has spent so much time trying to teach how to use it - I'm sure he must think we don't have any brains at all but this is really modern compared to the things we have been used to. I can't believe how much easier to type on this than on the old "relic" I have been using since I dropped our electric typewriter. One thing he has kept warning us is to be sure to "save" what we put into this before we turn it off or have it printed - it would be so funny for me to spend a lot of time writing this letter and then have it disappear in thin air - I'd just die!!!! I am so excited I probably won't get anything else done. He has taught us how to put or stocks on a disc and it will really be fun to learn how to use it - I just hope we won't hurt it in any way!!!!

Happy New Year to each one of you - we hope this will be a very happy and healthy year for all of us. Have you made your resolutions? Daddy and I have made some goals and the biggest one is to be happy and contented wherever we are and when we get fog in Utah we're not going to complain (at least not out loud.)

Johnny - we really love your letters!!!! You sound so good and happy and of course that makes us not worry about you. We're thrilled that you received your backpack and cookies we sent to you but we feel so bad that you didn't get our Christmas package - it has taught us a lesson that we shouldn't send anything over 2 pounds and then send it air-mail instead of surface mail. We're still hoping you will get it and also the one from the Woolleys. It's so hard to believe you are eating all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables and having warm weather when we're freezing!!!! You're so right - I would love the "pastry stands" (Johnny says people set up stands with their little Volkswagen vans and sell all kinds of homemade pastries. Daddy keeps waiting to hear about some kind of stomach problems you might have and I keep telling him that you got "my" stomach - I surely hope you did anyway. I'll bet it was wonderful to have an English speaking companion and one from close to home (Bountiful) and really you deserve to have one the next time you change companion (Johnny went with the zone leader while his regular companion went to the temple just before he was to be released from his mission). We loved reading about your zone conference and then having "banana bread" that had been made by Sister Jacobsen, your Mission President's wife - I know you thanked her for it after hearing me complain about missionaries who took things like that for granted. Your special banana drink sounds delicious and we'll have to try it - Johnny says it is called Leche Con Platano and you make it by filling the blender half full with milk, adding 2 broken up bananas and 3 tablespoons of sugar and after blending good add more milk. Bob this kinda' sounds like some of the fruit drinks you had in Columbia. We surely you will continue to eat good and take care of yourself. Today in Testimony Meeting Sister Shelton told about Steve and how cold he is in New York - that seems so funny after living in Utah for most of his life - he is doing good though than that.

Bob & Claire - we are so anxious to hear how little Brett is getting along. We called the other day when all the Utah grandchildren were here so they could talk to Michael and they talked for a while - did he realize who they were? He is always so cute and sounds so grown-up - he said you were sleeping Claire and he sounded like he was "in charge" - Ha! I'm sure you have loved having your folks with you and Bob says they have been a wonderful help - we surely hope you are getting your strength back and are feeling good Claire.

Roy & Patrice - are you back in the swing of things? I finally found the "Emma Smith" book you were interested in and I'll try to have it finished by the time Roy gets here so he can take it back for you to read Patrice. I am really a slow reader but if I haven't finished it you could take it anyway and I'll read it when we visit you sometime. I don't believe it is the best thing you could read about her but it will give a little history of the church that is probably quite accurate.

The Woolleys and Weinerts came over on New Year's Day and we had a wonderful time together. They had exchanged children earlier in the week - Jessie stayed with the Weinerts and Ricky stayed with the Woolleys for two days. New Year's Eve we asked if Ricky & Susanna could come over here to help us celebrate and we really had fun - we made beds for them on the couches in the "middle room" (I haven't decided what we call those rooms yet) and we got three videos to watch - "Rapunzel", "Black Beard's Ghost" and "Where the Red Fern Grows". At about 10:30 they decided to go to sleep so we really didn't get to bang on pans or blow whistles but we didn't care. The next day they helped us prepare the goose that Daddy had shot and we all ate goose instead of the traditional "Southern Black-Eyed Peas" for New Year's good luck. Annie gave Jeannie a permanent too. The little children are so cute when they get together and they really give us a "shot in the arm".

Daddy got up early the day after New Years and started work again on "his" cabinets. He has "faced" all the original cabinet work in the kitchen with really pretty oak wood and you just wouldn't believe the difference it has made. I'll have to admit I am really tired of being in a mess and we have sawdust all over everything inside the cabinets and all over the dishes and everything that was in the cabinets and drawers. It has been bitter cold outside but he has bundled up good and worked out in the carport area - he has built him a little "shop" out there. He has done what gluing he has had to do on the inside so he hasn't had any problems with that but next week he wants to build the cabinets for the other side of the kitchen and he wants to glue them all outside and have them already before he puts them up. We have chosen the stain and sealer and plan to work on that tomorrow - I hope it won't take us too long to get finished. I believe he is planning to build a cabinet for the bathroom after he finishes the kitchen. He wants to go to Phoenix or California but I don't want to go until we get this done. I am really amazed in all the ability Daddy has - he really should build us a home right from scratch.

Our church times changed today - we used to go at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and now we go at 9 in the morning. This way we have to prepare our lessons on Saturday instead of waiting until Sunday morning. Daddy taught the Gospel Doctrine class this morning and I taught Spiritual Living. We were finished by noon so we decided to go to Brigham City to visit with Grandmother and Grandpa Forrest. They are doing just fine - it really is hard for me to see them the way they are but I have to keep telling myself they are happy and in the best place for them. We always take them a treat and they love it. Today we took them a quart of eggnog (actually I had bought it for New Years but Ann told us it has about 500 calories per cup so no one would drink it) and some crackers and they really enjoyed it. It snowed here again today and Grandmother kept saying, "This is the worst Winter I have ever seen in Utah" - I know it is not any different from other Winters but to her just watching out their window I guess it seems bad. We stopped in to see the Weinerts on our way home and they are doing fine. Jeannie had gone to work this morning at 6 o'clock so Rick had to get the family ready for church and their church starts at 8 o'clock - he had fixed the girls' hair so cute and their home was so orderly and we were impressed!!!!

I can't think of any more news. This computer is absolutely wonderful - I don't have to push a carriage return or punch two keys to get an exclamation mark - now if I just don't blow it and erase everything.

We love each one of you so very much. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO and let us know how we can help you!!!!

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