Sunday - June 14, 1987 - Orem, Utah

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

It's Sunday evening and Daddy & I just came home from Idaho - I'll tell you about that later in the letter!!!

Johnny - WE RECEIVED TWO WONDERFUL LETTERS FROM YOU THIS WEEK!!! It was fun to hear about your new calling as a zone leader and in a new area - it's hard to believe you are having cold weather when it is quite hot here. I remember the first pictures we had from you when you first went to Chile and you were wearing your overcoat but that was in October - take good care of yourself and don't get sick with colds during the last month of your Mission. I'll bet it was kinda' fun traveling around your zone and becoming acquainted with all the Elders - I think the calling as Assistant is so hard because you can't really "let your hair down" and become too friendly with everyone. I don't think you will be able to "let your hair down" too much as a zone leader either but you know what I mean. We LOVED your Mother and Fathers' day card and the letter that came with it - you really have your feet on the ground Johnny and that's what it is all about. I'm so glad Roy wrote to you and explained Daddy's situation. It sounds like your work is going really well - if you get your Bishops' support you have it made. Daddy and I laughed when we read that you would be happy to get home and see "how the church is really supposed to be run" - you have surely had some valuable experience that will help you to be a strong leader for the rest of your life - WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!

Claire - we received you r wonderful letter and those adorable pictures this week too. I believe all the letters came on Monday and I thought I should have waited until after the mail came to write my letter!!!! The children and you and Bob look just wonderful - we laughed and laughed about your plumbing problems but I'm sure it was anything but funny to you (they had to have a plumber come to get some roots out of their pipes and while he was there he took their toilet apart to see what was wrong with it and found a toy truck axle in it). One time when we were in Phoenix our toilet backed up and I took Daddy's favorite fishing pole and took the lid or whatever off the thing outside and tried to poke it down and broke the pole and never did clear out the pipes without a plumber - he has never let me forget that!!!! We're proud of your yard and beautiful garden - four years of persistence has paid off, hasn't it? Yard work takes a lot of time and work - I really don't like to do it but I have been helping Daddy a little bit and I realize how hard it is - Claire, Bob says you do all of it - that's great!!!!

Roy and Patrice - this is going to be such a fun, fun weekend and we all really looking forward to it. Jeannie & Rick are going to stay in the Marriott in Stanford instead of the Motel in Darien - they explained it to us and I believe with their tickets they get their Motel reservations at half price. Ann in going to go by herself on Thursday morning and Ron will meet her there. They have such a fun evening planned - some attorneys that Ron is working with are going to treat them to a play and dinner. They are going to get a car on Friday and pick us up at the baggage counter when our plane comes in and then we will go to Darien together. The Weinerts get in a little later than we go to LaGuardia. We surely hope all your plans are working out without too many problems - again, I wish we could be of more help!!!

The Weinerts and Woolleys are doing fine. Daddy & I stopped in to see the Weinerts yesterday morning and they were all out working in the yard - their yard is just beautiful!!! They have cut out the sod around all their trees and bushes in the front of their home and it is all so artistically done - we just love it. Their flower garden in the back looks like it has always been there. They were also cleaning out their boat and we think they had promised their children that if they all worked in the yard they may go boating. We wanted the videos of Lake Powell and we couldn't believe how the children had improved in their "skiing skills" since the last time we went - all the children rode those "bumper rides" and it really looked tricky to me. It was fun to se the "Indian Ruins" too and the other places they had gone.

Ron's parents, Russell & Beverly, celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary yesterday with a BIG open house in their church in Jerome, Idaho. Daddy and I had planned to go if he felt well enough and as it worked out he felt great so we went. It was an absolutely lovely occasion - Ron's two sisters are very artistically talented and of course Ron gave them lots of help and support in his part too. Ron's older sister is a caterer and she had done a buffet for I imagine over 200 people - the food was delicious and beautifully served with the punch coming out of fountains, etc. His younger sister had gone a portrait of Russell and Beverly that was really outstanding. Ann and Rons' children did most of the program - they had practiced it over here so we had heard it but we were too late to hear it at the open house - Susanna played a piano solo, Jessie played her violin, all the children sang a song and then Ron and little Russell and Ann and the girls sang a song dedicated to Ron's mother. I think I have that all right. Russell & Beverly looked so nice and it was fun for us to meet some of their family and also some of their friends and to see where they have lived for so many years. The little grandchildren were all so cute - the girls all wore aprons made special for them as they served.

Daddy and I left here Saturday morning about 0 o'clock and we really went the long way to Jerome - stopping in Farmington Brigham City and them going to Logan to get some cheese to take to the wedding this week-end. It was a fun trip but there is absolutely nothing between Tremonton and Jerome. This morning we decided to try a different route!!! We have heard my parents talk about a place called "Jackpot" for so many years. They used to go with a group of Senior Citizens and spend a few days at least twice a year and they always had so much fun. Well - we found out that it was only 42 miles from Jerome so we decided to come back home by going through Jackpot. It is really something - there are casinos there where people gamble - just fun slot machines with 5, 10 and 25 cents. We stayed long enough to use their rest rooms and them headed to Wells, Nevada on our way home. We have seen a lot of desolate country in Montana but absolutely nothing compares with this - nothing but sage brush until we got to the Great Salt Lake and that was almost more desolate. We did get to see the Salt flats though where they have those speed races with the cars. We were so happy we decided to come back that way because now we don't ever have to go back. Have you ever heard of Wendover, Utah? Half of it is in Nevada and half is in Utah - anyway, we went into the casinos there too to use the restrooms and it was so disillusioning to see so many "serious" gamblers. WE'RE GLAD TO BE HOME.

Daddy is doing just wonderful - I have watched him like a hawk to make sure he didn't eat anything he wasn't supposed to but this weekend he really went off the diet. The doctor gave him some pills for the diarrhea and he has felt so much better using them. We stopped at Wendys to get a hamburger on the way to Idaho and he said it was the best thing he had ever eaten - then all the food at the open house - then this morning he had bacon, eggs, pancakes, hashbrowns and biscuits. We had talked to other people who are having this radiation and they say they don't adhere to the diet very closely either and they get along okay so we're going to not be so strict and see how that works. He really feels just fine and looks wonderful.

Jeannie just called - they thought we would stop there on our way home from Jerome this afternoon and she had hot cinnamon rolls waiting for us. I feel bad that we didn't come back that way now!!! Ricky is really into his baseball games - we're hoping we can go up to see some of them - he is a natural born athlete!!!

I believe that's all the news. Ron came over one night last week and fixed up all those discs you got for us Roy so now I will be able to write as much as I want to - Ha!!! He said I had enough to last until one of us dies - the computer or me!!!!

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