May 9, 1988 Orem, Utah
Dearest Johnny; Roy, Patrice & Emily; Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura, Brett & Katie; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Mary Ann & Sarah; and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell, LeeAnna & Jimmy:
What a beautiful day!!! It's still a little cool outside but we have had cold weather with quite a bit of moisture and everything looks like it has just been scrubbed. Daddy was so excited to get up early this morning and go get some more bricks so he could enclose a part of the patio that for some reason he had overlooked. He was out side one day last week and just stood for a long time looking at this part of the patio - I thought for a little while that he had gone asleep. When he came in he said, "Why didn't I enclose that part of the patio to keep the dirt from coming down from the hill?" When we both looked at it we decided it was clearly an "oversight" - SO he is out doing that now and Johnny is helping him. He and Johnny have REALLY worked on our yard - Johnny must have "wheel barrowed" at least fifty loads of top soil to the back of the yard and they have tried to stabilize the hill so the shrubs and plants will grow. It will be beautiful and I have decided that we will never be finished and I guess that's good!!!!!
The big news this week is that Bob & Claire have bought a beautiful new home - it is between Layton & Farmington - it will be interesting to us to see what their actual address is!!! Bob says their children will go to school in Farmington. Their new home just has everything you could possibly want in a home - their week's stay in the area surely did pay off and we are thrilled for them. We can just see Michael exploring all the new areas and building a "hide-away" in the trees in the back of their home - the builder has stacked a lot of the excess lumber in their basement and Michael will have a "ball". It will be fun to have more of our family in that part of Utah and Jeannie & Rick are really happy about that!!!! Claire's parents have bought a lot in "The Hollows" and that is close to where Bob & Claires' new home is - they are going on a mission to Connecticut for a year and will build when they return.
Roy & Patrice - it was fun to talk to you Roy for a little while this weekend. Sometime I am just going to call and talk to Patrice - each time when we hang up I realize that we didn't get to talk to you. We're thrilled that little Emily is on a pretty good schedule - Roy says that she is sleeping through the nights and that is wonderful and as Bob says, unfair for your first baby - Ha!!!! We just loved the pictures - what a beautiful little baby girl!!!! The profile of Emily with Roy is just precious and shows her little "pixey nose" and the one of Susie with the three of you is beautiful - all of you smiling!!!! We loved the one on the hammock too - she looks so healthy and perfect in every way. It was SO fun to hold little Katie - she was SO good while she was with us and looks just about ready to smile back at us.
Daddy, Johnny & I met Bob & Claire at the Weinerts on Wednesday afternoon and went to see their new home and then we all went to have Mexican food - it was fun. Bob, Claire & Katie came down here on Thursday morning and we had a fun day together - we drove over to Lehi and Daddy, Johnny & Bob did some target shooting and then we drove to see the meadow & pasture lands. It really was a miserable weather day - windy, cold & stormy!!! Friday morning Daddy & Bob went fishing and Bob says he has never been so cold in his life - AND they only caught one fish - they didn't stay very long!!!! Claire's parents came down to get her Friday morning and she spent time with them and her sister and her family up in Centerville. Bob left here on Saturday morning and I believe they got back to Memphis that evening. They had an older woman staying with their children so they were relaxed and didn't worry about them. The Woolleys came here on Friday night and we had fun playing Pictionary and visiting!!!
Thank you all SO much for making my Mother's Day such a special one!!! Our church services were really good - Johnny went to his BYU ward in the morning and then cancelled "social plans" so he could spend the evening with us. Our church doesn't end until 5 o'clock and he was through at 12:30 - he had a date at 4 o'clock but cancelled it. We went to Chi Chi's for dinner and it was good and then we watched "The Bourne Identity" on television. Daddy & I are getting to be TV freaks- we have never watched it much until this past year and now we really enjoy it.
Johnny is going for a job interview this afternoon - he's excited about it but it is purely on commission and really isn't in his field at all. I am hoping he will be convinced he needs to get back in school for the Summer Semester if he doesn't get a better job. Ron has helped him SO much but the competition for jobs in his field is mighty strong in this area - there are a million young men looking for jobs like that. He hasn't even heard from his friend in Boston and he was supposed to call him two weeks ago - do you all remember this time in your lives???
Daddy goes to see Dr. Middleton (the urologist) in Salt Lake tomorrow - I believe he will have that PSA test taken again. The last results of that were: 33, down from 73, but normal is 4. Daddy is feeling good and likes to keep busy working and fishing.
I believe that is all the news. We love each one of you so very much. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. Let us know how we can help you.