August 2, 1998 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 Tuesday morning - it just seem that most Mondays are too busy any more to get my letter written!!!!

This will be a brief letter - Daddy is waiting for me to write it so we can go to the "cabin" again. He really wanted to leave early, early this morning but I had too many things to do and now he is saying we might as well not go - we'll see!!!!

Patrice - thank you for your sweet letter and also for the recipe for flank steak marinade - Johnny keeps telling me I need some new recipes and that sounds like a good one. His eating habits are exactly like Roys were at the age- VERY FRUSTRATING - Ha! I loved to cook for Bob because he loved potatoes and gravy and simple foods that Daddy liked also BUT Roy & Johnny just like to eat meat. (Roy liked vegetables but Johnny doesn't). Sunday for dinner we had ham and then I fixed potatoes for Daddy & me, a neck squash from our garden for Daddy & me, a pasta dish for John, and I fixed that delicious yellow crooked neck squash from our garden for Daddy & me and broccoli for John, and fortunately we all liked cantaloupe!!!! He will love on fast foods when he moves out!!!! You are in New Hampshire, Boston and Connecticut this week - HOW FUN!!! We are thrilled you will be able to visit friends and also family. Ann said you called and talked to her - she said Elizabeth was going to be able to care for Emily on your trip and that's wonderful. Children complicate things but they're surely fun and we know Elizabeth will love having that job. You have certainly had a lot of company - San Antonio is a special place to visit!!!

We have been in touch with the Bob Mellors, the Woolleys and Weinerts off and on all week and they are all doing fine. It was fun to drop in on Bob & Claire and have a delicious dinner with them not long ago - they are getting settled in and we can't believe all the work they have done on their yard - it is going to be beautiful - we love their home!!!! We called Jeannie on Sunday and she was in the middle of giving "bang permanents" to her three girls before going to church - Rick was out in the their back yard mountains with Ricky and his new BB gun. We are proud of Rick and the time he spends teaching Ricky how to use guns - that is a very difficult decision with little boys. Daddy always felt it was better for our sons to have those kinds of things and be taught the right way to use them. Little Jessie is doing good - Dr. Ririe is doing all he can to help them. They have a lot of other ophthalmologist throughout the country - it is so frustrating for them because they just have to wait and wait until her eyes heals before they can do things they would like to.

Johnny's friends girls - Kate Hunter - who served with him to Chile just called and said she is postponing her wedding. It was scheduled for this Saturday in California. Johnny hadn't made up his mind for sure whether to go to that or to go to Lake Powell for a few days with the rest of the family - now he won't have to make that decision. Kate just cried when I talked to her - I told her it brought back memories of that happening in our family and it is difficult time!!!! Johnny finally got his report card from BYU for the last semester and his grade point average was 3.87 - I had at the top "congratulations for an outstanding semester". We are proud of him because he took some mighty hard classes. He is registered to start next semester and I worry about him not doing so well if he moves away from home but I surely don't blame him for wanting to be in the mainstream of activities. He doing fabulous in his work!!!!

Daddy has had some eye problems and when we went to the ophthalmologist yesterday morning he called in all his nurses so they could see his eye - he said it was a perfect example of "herpes ulcerated retina" - I think that's right. When he told him he had had it for two weeks he couldn't believe it - he said most people with that condition would have been in his office when it first started because of the pain. He described it as kind of a cold sore in his eyes. He has drops that have to be refrigerated and put in five times a day and through the night. He also told him to wear dark glasses all the time - I have worried about him out fishing in the sun without any protection for his eyes.

We had our "card group" here last night and it was fun - we played hearts and also Pictionary. They gave Daddy a nice tie clip for his birthday which is this Friday. We are going to have a Hamburger and Birthday Cake party for him Friday night with all the kids and his sisters and their husbands - I wish Roy, Patrice and Emily could be here too.

Barb Andrews and her Mother came to visit - they didn't stay very long - Daddy was anxious for us to go to the cabin, Barb's family is doing good - Mickey and her husband live in Nashville, Rosemary is in Minnesota and David & Tommy are still in Little Rock. I didn't find out more news than I have already told you about friends in LORD.

Daddy has painted the roof of the cabin and I guess Bob is going to go with him on Friday to wire it. We know how much Bob has to do in his own home and we hate to have him leave all that to help us but he keeps insisting that he wants to - he is a master electrician and it really will help. We took lots and lots of lumber to the cabin last week and Daddy has BIG plans to fix it up - he just came downstairs now and said we are going to go to Chris & dicks up in Salt Lake and order the windows for it rather than go to the cabin today. He has SO much energy!!!!

We love each one of you so very much. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL!!!
Return to Home Page