December 21, 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 Monday morning and snowing a little bit. The ski resorts are really hurting - they say in the paper they are all open but they haven't had very much snow in the valley so I'm sure they haven't had a lot in the mountains. I am ready for snow but daddy prefers the warmer weather!!!!

We hope you are all ready for the holidays. It doesn't seem possible that Christmas is just four days away - Johnny said, yesterday that he wasn't one bit excited and he said he thought it was because of his Christmases in Chile and how they were so anti-climatic. I have never been more excited than I was last year when you all came and I hope we'll be able to have a lot more like that. Our home is all decorated, inside and out, and I love it - I walk outside at night and it is just wonderful to see all the homes so beautiful decorated. We know Roy & Patrice are excited to have Patrice's family with them and we hope you have a very relaxed and happy, happy time together. We also know that Bob & Claire's children are excited and that makes excitement for everyone and we hope they stay excited all day long and then crash!!! Ha!!!

The Weinerts are coming down on Christmas Eve and we will all go to the Woolleys for a fun time. Jeannie says that all Ricky wants is a "basketball court" - Ha!!! We have told them they could buy the lot next to them and put one in but they didn't go for that idea. They have a great place for one at the end of their street if all the neighbors could go in together - it will be built on sometime but it isn't right now. Little Russell told his teacher he wanted a B-B gun and she wrote that on his "wish list" - Ron was flabbergasted when he saw it!!! I know the children get all these ideas from television shows and their friends - I'm so glad our children are all past that stage. We will go to the Weinerts on Christmas day and we're hoping Rick will make his delicious chili - we're also hoping there will be snow so the children will be able to sled and play a lot outside. I loved the ice pond there last year.

Johnny is working this morning at a fruit orchard "grading apples" - he and his friend, John Lant, plan to work this week and earn enough money to go to California for the holidays. They have a lot of friend girls who live there and they have invited them to come see them. Johnny is excited about going there - he says he has really only seen the Rialto area when he used to go visit Jimmy Willardsen. He is SO thrilled to be finished with this Semester - he has worked hard and says he has learned a lot. He'll have a tough Winter Semester and that will be good for him. He went to the computer labs one morning at 4:30 and we thought he was crazy but he brought his "graphic drawing" home with an "A" on it so I guess it was worth it. We believe he is finding his "niche" and the things he is good at the likes - I KNOW he has learned that he will have to work mighty hard to keep up with the competition. He works a lot at the computer and is learning about it but I'm more comfortable with this one.

We have had a fun week. Last Tuesday we went to a party over in Lehi at the home of Bishop Berry. We had a party here last year and invited all of them and they had it this year. They are just like family to us and of course, they just love Daddy and want us to build on our lot over there. Bishop Berry has just completed his new home and it is huge and very, very nice - it is just down a block from our lot. The Broadbents were there and it is their niece and her husband who bought our old home there. I don't know if I have told you or not but they have a horse in the lot in back of their house and I told Alice Broadbent that I was really surprised they could do that. she is very upset with them because of the horse and also the way they are NOT taking care of the house. Anyway - she called us the next day and wanted us to call the mayor and complain about the horse. We don't really care unless we decide to build there and then it would make a difference. Those people in that ward are very special but I'm not sure I could be happy living in Lehi after living here, even though the people in our ward here are not as friendly.

Daddy, Johnny & I went to Salt Lake early on Saturday morning to attend the temple wedding of David Taylor (one of our missionaries). It was really nice - we were invited to the wedding breakfast afterwards but we decided to got shopping instead. We spent the whole day at the Crossroads Mall and the ZCMI Center and it was SO much fun - Daddy kept up with us and got along just great. He is feeling a lot better - I don't believe his surgery has healed as quickly as we thought it would but it is a little better each day. He has made a lot, of the butter mints - I worried about him doing that because it involves a lot of stretching with his arms but he insists it doesn't bother him. He stayed at church for three hours yesterday and then after dinner, Johnny drove us to Park City - that is such a beautiful and fun place to visit. On our way home we stopped in to see the Woolleys - their home is really beautiful and we are surprised at how settled they are thrilled with it and they should be.

We're going to have Daddy's sisters and their husbands for dinner tomorrow night - it will be fun to be with them. I must be serious about what I'm going to cook and do the shopping for it so I will close for now.

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. WE WILL REALLY MISS YOU AT CHRISTMAS TIME - WE HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY AND WILL REMEMBER THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS AND ALL IT MEANS TO US IN OUR LIVES.
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