July 19, 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 really a very cool Sunday afternoon - I have been reading the paper in the den and had to put on my down housecoat!!!! When I told Patrice that we were still sleeping under blankets she said, " I don't even want to hear that"!!!!

Johnny - in a way it's hard to believe you will be home this week but in other ways it seems like you have been gone for a hundred years at least. You will leave Santiago on Wednesday at 5:55 p.m. and arrive in Miami at 5:50 a.m. so you won't be able to see much country in between but I believe you traveled that area during the daylight going down - didn't you??? You leave Miami at 8:19 a.m. and arrive in Dallas at 10:12 a.m. and then leave for Salt Lake at 11:00 a.m. arriving at 12:27 p.m. We'll be there waiting as will the parents and family of the other two Missionaries coming with you - Elders Anderson and Richens - and we can hardly wait. Your last letter was one of the most wonderful ones we have received - we loved it!!! (John said that the hardest thing to leave would be the wonderful Chilean people. He said he had never met a more generous people and he hoped that some of their good nature had rubbed of on him.) I won't mail this letter to you - I didn't mail the one last week either - and it will be so good to talk to you in person and hear ALL about your Mission. I just can't describe to you how proud we have been of you and we know our Father in Heaven will help you in all your decisions when you stay as close to Him as you have been for the past two years!!!!

Claire - we loved your letter and have laughed and laughed about Laura cutting her hair (she had wanted a pony tail for a long time and they think she thought that if she cut it where the pony tail would be it would make a pony tail). I'll bet it's darling cut really short though and I'm sure it's a lot cooler for her. Michael and Brett will play a lot together pretty soon when they can ride bikes, etc. I'm glad the children are taking swimming lessons - it is always such a big relief when they know how to "save themselves in water". Daddy has really appreciated your counsel in the Medicine Bob. (We went to the neighborhood party last week and one of our neighbors who is a doctor talked to Daddy and could tell the pain he was in so he went to his home and got some pain pills for him, but before he would take them he called Bob to get his advice). Our neighbor who is an orthopedic surgeon said, "Those radiologists don't take care of their patients clinically" and we can't help but agree.

Roy & Patrice - we have loved talking to both of you this week and we feel so bad about your air conditioning problem (it went out on them after just two weeks in their home). We can just imagine the dilemma you have been in - Roy too far away to help and Patrice absolutely sweltering in the heat. We surely hope you have been able to get it fixed and we also hope your Real Estate salesperson has been able to get an adjustment financially for you. When we sold our home in Little Rock the new buyers had a man come to check on things like that - he came suddenly one morning without any warning and he had all kinds of instruments with him to test electrical and plumbing things. As it turned out everything checked out perfectly but I was a little "perturbed" to think they would do that without notifying us. Even if it weren't written in the contract I'm sure ANY kind of sales agreement with a reliable Real Estate Company would be liable for big items like air conditioning units to be under warranty for longer than two weeks. Roy - you are getting some "different" kinds of experiences aren't you (he said that for the most part it had been boring)? We will be interested in hearing nuclear fallout and compared that to some of the treatments Daddy has had). We'll call you next Saturday sometime after you have had time to get home and a little settled.

Jeannie - thank you for your sweet note and those darling pictures. We have really missed seeing the children (you and Rick too). I can still hear little Sarah saying "I love you" when I didn't pick her up after she had been crying or awhile. We're happy Ricky had a good birthday party - (he took some friends miniature golfing). We are anxious to see your garden and I'll bet everything is growing like crazy - you got your Daddy's talent for gardening!!!! We will definitely plan on August 1st for Ricky's baptism - 4:15 at the church - and I'll talk to you later about dinner, etc.

The Woolleys are doing fine - Jessie was in a gymnastics meet yesterday - she is unbelievably good and her self confidence is definitely in her favor - she has been to the dentist for her first fitting for a "retainer" which is preliminary to getting braces. Little Jimmy is on of the best babies I have ever been around - he is ALWAYS smiling and is so pleasant. They pop in quite often and it means so much to us!!!

We think Johnny's homecoming speech in our ward is going to be August 9th so all of you plan to come if you can (we won't expect the Bob and Roy Mellors). We'll plan to have dinner afterwards. Our Sacrament Meeting is first and it starts at 9 a.m. - ugh!!!! Our Billing' Ward Bishop called and wants us to go there on the 16th - I'm not sure we'll be able to do that but we would surely like to. The Smiths will be here on the 12th and it may be that we will talk them into going to Billings and leaving for Alaska from there - time will tell!!!!

Daddy only has three more treatments and we are SO glad!!!! They tell him it will take a long time to get his strength back and I believe it. It is hard to see him so tired - he has always had ten times the energy I have had and now he is content to sleep a lot - he is taking quite a few pain pills too and that accounts for his tiredness, I'm sure. His coloring is much better than it has been and his appetite is good so he will "bounce back" quick!!! I had answered Marge Lucas's letter (she writes quite often and I have ignored them) and told her about Daddy - we had the cutest letter back from her. She said that Barbie had been studying prostate cancer and it responded very well to treatments and the prognosis was excellent. It's funny how quickly medical students can become so knowledgeable - but I appreciated her comments. Barbara Andrews and her Mom came to visit us last week and they had some sad tales to tell. Barb's Mom is 81 and she looks much younger than either Barb or I. It was fun to visit with them and hear some news about Little Rock. Tommy Luten and his wife have just had their second child - Randy Luten is living at him and has converted two bedrooms into offices (I don't know what business he is in) but I'm sure Betty is happy to have him around. Dave Gonce called and talked to Daddy for quite awhile the other night - they are buying donut franchises all over Missouri - we will NEVER figure him out!!!!

I must tell you about our neighborhood party - it was simply fabulous!!!!! They had bar-b-cued chicken - at the last minute they came over and borrowed our grill. We had only used it once and then only one side of it - well, they really broke it in for us and it came back looking like it had been through the war. We worked on it and it's fine now. The food was excellent and it was fun to meet our neighbors and visit with them and then they had some entertainment with dancers until it got dark and then they put on a fireworks display. Daddy and I came home and watched a lot of the things from our porch and it was fun, fun, fun!!!

Johnny - we went to Tammy Spencer's wedding reception last Friday. She is John's sister and the girl we had picked out for you - she is a darling girl and as we went through the line she said, " I really am anxious to meet your Missionary son" - her husband laughed and said it would be alright NOW. John was in the line too and he wants you to come see him when you get home.

I believe that's all the news. Ann just called and said the Weinerts are on their way down so we may go over to their home and visit for a little while. We love each on of you so very much and we're so proud of you!!! PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - Let us know how we can help you.
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