February 7,1988 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 Johnny is home so he is showing me how to use the computer again - I have to re-learn every time I try to use it!!!!!
Daddy & I had a WONDERFUL trip and we appreciate so much all the things everyone did to make it so nice for us. We are really getting old and especially ME and that is more obvious when we get out of our regular little routine and familiar surroundings. We need a personal guardian to care for us when we travel anymore. Daddy has always done everything and I have just tagged along - he isn't as capable in doing that now so things go haywire every once in a while.
We left Roy & Patrices' home on Monday morning (Jan. 25th) and just about the time we got to Houston we remembered that we had left all our coats in their closet. The temperature wasn't as cold as in Utah but with the humidity it seemed much colder to us and I could just see Daddy out fishing on the Gulf with Wayne in a little thin borrowed jacket (Wayne and Chris don't have any warm coats - they had to borrow some from their children to take to Alaska). SO we stopped at a shopping center in Houston to try to find some warm coats - we bought the warmest ones we could find but they were nothing compared to the "Hutterite" one Daddy had left at Roys. THEN we worried that Roy & Patrice would find our coats and try to send them to us - I THOUGHT it would be impossible because the Smiths only have a box number and not a street address - so we called and told Patrice to not worry about them. Would you believe the next afternoon when we drove into the Smiths there was the Federal Express truck delivering our coats????? We just couldn't believe it - they had beaten us and I thought it would be impossible to even send them. I just wish I would have taken a picture of the Express truck. Thank you so much Roy & Patrice. Daddy had his Hutterite coat on within five minutes and he and Wayne were out on the Gulf within ten minutes. It was really a blessing Daddy had his coat because as it was he got bronchitis and probably would have had pneumonia because there was no way he would have stayed away from fishing and that cute Wayne had every minute planned for him. We found out that Roy called Wayne and got the name of his county and then with their telephone number the Federal Express people could deliver the package.
Chris & I had fun while Daddy & Wayne fished - one day we went into town and had lunch and shopped around at some of the cute gift shops. They are adding on a little room at the back of their kitchen and it will really help their home - Chris has a washing machine for the first time and she loves that. Wayne is constantly building little additions and their home is very comfortable and they love it. They had their neighbors for dinner one night while we were there and it was fun visiting with them - this neighbor is the one who had the boat that goes quite far into the Gulf (Horace). Wayne goes fishing two or three times each day and then comes home and cleans them and Chris gets them all ready to put in the freezer and then they give most of them away. They really don't care too much for fish - isn't that funny!!! Wayne had a huge pot of seafood gumbo all ready for us when we got there and Chris always fixes hush puppies to go with it and it seems like all we did was eat. We went into Pensacola, Florida one day and they took us to the big airplane museum there on the base - it was fun.
We stayed with the Smiths until Saturday (Jan. 30th) and then we headed for Little Rock. Wayne told us it would be a ten hour drive but it took us over twelve so it was late when we got there. We got up early on Sunday so we could get to the Pinnacle Ward by 9 o'clock (as it was, we were about fifteen minutes late). It was a typical Sunday in Little Rock - rainy and cold!!!! It was the funniest feeling to go into church - the only one we recognized right off was Sharon Brown Jones who was leading the singing. There were others we recognized as the meeting went on but not very many and it was completely full. We had planned to drive to Hot Springs to see the Beyers but we found out they were coming to Little Rock at noon so we went out to the new Stake Center at Otter Creek and attended their meetings. We knew a lot of people out there - the McKells, the Tom Browns, Clarice Nance, the Richard Kings, etc. etc. The Stake Center is beautiful and the people from the Little Rock 2nd Ward and the Benton Ward go to it. We met Cissy & Charles back at Little Rock and had a great visit with them - they haven't changed one bit. THEN we attended Little Rock 1st Ward and saw lots and lots of old friends - Chris Jordin, Joy Geisler, the Culwells, the Littlefields (Neil is Bishop there now), the Adays, the Millards, the Jim Browns, etc. etc.!!!! The only ones we didn't see were the Cobbs and we think they must have been out of town. Then we went to our old neighborhood and no one was home - we left notes at the Dennises and Woods but we didn't tell them where we were staying because it was the Super Bowl and we didn't want to interfere with that. We drove over to North Little Rock and visited with Doris & Louis Corpier for a little while. Monday morning we went back to see the Woods - it was fun to visit with Dorothy and we went to Danas so we could see the grandchildren and they have two darling children. We took pictures of our old home there - they have painted the trim and we don't like it nearly as well as when we lived there - Ha! We'll send you pictures if they turn out. Daddy was getting tired of visiting - he has never been much of one to visit anyway - so we didn't go to see anyone else.
We got to Bob & Claires' home in Germantown about one-thirty that afternoon. Their home was so quiet - Brett was asleep and Laura & Michael were at school. Daddy & I had a wonderful visit with Claire and she showed us the things they had done to their home - they have it in tip top shape - Claire has done a lot of painting and wallpapering and it is beautiful. Daddy was thrilled to pieces with the things Bob had done to the fishing boat - he had really fixed that up so it looks like new - Michael had helped and he was so proud. Chris & Wayne had insisted that we take some fish to Michael because he had enjoyed it so much when they went to see them 0 some if it had thawed so we had to cook it right away SO we had another delicious fish dinner. After dinner we enjoyed "Family Home Evening" with the Bob Mellor family and it was so much fun to see the things they are teaching their children - that night the subject was on saying kind things to each other. For refreshments we had Daddy's favorite - root beer floats!!! Bob stayed home from work on Tuesday and we had fun visiting and getting the boat hooked on to the car, etc. They have had so much rain and they have a few leaks in their roof so Bob spent quite a bit of time repairing the roof.
It was such a treat for us to spend time with Bob & Claire and their family and with Roy & Patrice in their new home. It's wonderful to see workshops and other things that mean so much in the upkeep of homes - Daddy has always loved his workshop and I was so happy to see this carry over into our sons' homes.
We didn't have very good roads through Oklahoma - there was a lot of rain and ice almost all the way home. We stayed in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night (Feb. 3rd) and then in Cuba, New Mexico on Thursday night. We got home to Orem about 6 o'clock on Friday and we were SO glad to be here even though we still have a lot of snow and it's cold. Bob gave Daddy some antibiotics for his bronchitis and also some good cough syrup with codeine in it. He is MUCH better than he was but he is still coughing too much to suit me - we'll go to the doctor here this next week - we need to anyway.
Johnny got along just great while we were gone and he had our home is such good shape - he had really cleaned out the garage and it was plenty dirty with all the dirt from when we left. We were so pleased - he had a very nice dinner party while we were gone and used our good china, crystal and sterling - we couldn't believe it!!!!! He was thrilled to have his gun back Roy - I HATE THAT THING!!!!! - and he loves the case you got for it - he owes you one!!!!! He was thrilled with the computer software you sent for him to copy Bob and he'll get that back to you soon. He decided to drop his chemistry class and we think after talking to him that he is smart to do that - it was either that or do poorly in all his classes - now he is getting A's on his tests.
Daddy & I went to see the Woolleys tonight for a little while - they have their pleated shade blinds all over their home now and it is beautiful and they needed the privacy. They all love their home and the children are settled in their school and church classes and that has been a real adjustment for them. The Weinerts' line is busy but we know they are fine. We love you all very much. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO.