June 20, 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:
It's Monday afternoon and Daddy & I just finished eating our lunch out on our lower patio - it is so nice and cool down there and we love it. Our mulberry tree is producing berries now and it's fun to watch the birds in the trees - it's not so much fun cleaning up after them though!!! Daddy has his vegetable and flower gardens all weed free now and they're so pretty - our tomatoes are really doing well and of course our zucchini is too!
Yesterday was Father's Day and Daddy really appreciated all of you remembering him. We decided to have a Father's Day Brunch at 10 a.m. because there was only one hour during the day that we could all get together - Johnny's church is at 11, Annie had to be to a leader's meeting at 11:30 and Ron stayed here with the children until he had to go home to get ready for their church at 1, our church is at 2 and the Weinert's church is at 3. I believe that must be some kind of a record. Next year if our times are like that we'll try to get together for a Father's Day picnic on Saturday - that would be fun and we could meet somewhere between Provo and Farmington. We always appreciate the Weinerts making so many trips this way and they're always SO sweet about it. I made crepes yesterday for the first time and they were good!!! Claire - do you remember sending away for that crepe pan when you and Bob were caring for John when you first moved to Little Rock? I believe it was advertised on TV and Johnny wanted you to order it. Anyway I used that and it really worked neat - they're much easier than I thought they would be.
It was wonderful to talk to you yesterday, Bob & Roy, and it meant a lot to Daddy. We're happy Patrice & Emily are home - I have wanted to call and find out about their trip but I have just kept putting it off. I'm sure it must have been difficult for Patrice to have to come home when Roy was on call (Roy said they came home on a Tuesday but he didn't see them until Wednesday). We watched the special on San Antonio the other night as they had a program on the new Sea World and also the River Walk - it was so much more interesting to us because you had taken us to so many of the places they focused in on and we loved it. I couldn't believe that they had actually brought the killer whale, Shamu, from the Sea World in San Diego to the one in San Antonio - they showed how they had transported him in the transport airplane and how they had to keep putting ice in the water to keep it at the right temperature. We're thrilled that you are taking advantage of all the things like that in San Antonio - you did in Boston too and that is SO smart!!! It sounds like you are enjoying your neighborhood swimming pool too - that's great!!!! We hope you enjoy your visit with Rich and his wife (Rich was Roy's first roommate at Brown and they are visiting in San Antonio). We want an update picture of little Emily - okay!!!!
Bob & Claire - this will be the last letter I will send to Germantown - that doesn't seem possible!!!! This just has to be an emotional time for all of you - after living in a place for that long we know you feel like it is home and it will be hard to leave. It won't last long though because your new home in Layton will take its place in no time and you will love it. We'll be at the airport at 12:27 on the 28th - Flight AA443 (that's what Daddy has written down so if it is different let us know). We would be happy to bring two cars if you want us to. I may let Daddy come by himself to make more room in the car unless we hear you want two cars. WE CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR YOU TO GET HERE!!!!
The Woolleys and Weinerts are fine. Ron's family had a family reunion at Lagoon on Saturday - his sister and brother-in-law and their family came from Idaho as well as his parents and sister Mimi and then his other sister and brother-in-law from Layton all met early Saturday morning and they stayed until almost midnight. They said they had a hard time getting Ron's mother off the rides - she is such a good sport and fun loving person!!!! That would be a fun thing for our family to do sometime - the only thing is the expense - Ann said it cost their family $100 for passes for the day for all the rides. Lagoon is a fun & clean family place.
Johnny has decided that he and the truck are aliens - Ha!!! His ward planned a skiing party at the Yuba dam last Saturday and he took the truck and his boat. He & his friend, John Lant, each had a date so there were the four of them in the truck. They had a wonderful time skiing but about 8 o'clock when it was time to leave they didn't think they had enough gas left in the boat to get to the launching area so they decided to take the boat out of the water where they were. WELL - it was sandy and to make a long story short they sunk deep in the sand and by about midnight they decided to call a wrecker from Nephi to come pull them out. There are a few minor problems with the truck but we have decided to not dwell on things that can be fixed - we're just glad no one was hurt!!!!
I talked to Chris Jordin on Saturday - she said John & Marshas' wedding was beautiful - in a little church in Magnolia. She also told me that Tom Brown had a malignant growth removed from his stomach - they feel good about it and he is doing fine. Dick Cobb is retiring as General Manager of New York Life Insurance and they will probably be moving to Colorado where he plans to just sell insurance and get out of the managerial position. They have chosen Colorado because it will be between Dallas where Shelley is and Phoenix where Rick & Randy live. Their youngest son just graduated from High School (Brad or Scott).
I do 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.