October 31, 1988

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 an absolutely gorgeous morning here - we have had practically a full month of Spring and early Fall weather!!! I know this can't last much longer but there isn't any forecast for stormy weather. Utah is really in need of moisture so we hope there will be some soon.

This will be a short letter!!! Daddy and I are going to Layton about noon and daddy will have his hernia surgery this afternoon. We appreciate so much the things Bob has done to get this all scheduled. We went up on Friday afternoon and Daddy had all his preliminary work done (blood tests, etc.) so he is already for the operation. We had thought we could just come back home after it was over but Bob doesn't think that's a good idea and wants Daddy to stay with them tonight. I will come back home tonight and take care of our Halloween trick and treaters and then go up in the morning and stay until they think it is okay for him to come home - hopefully tomorrow. It will be good to have that taken care of.

When we went into the Tanner Clinic in Layton last Friday we were standing at the front desk filling out all the forms when here came Jeannie. We were SO surprised - she was there for appointments and some of them had cancelled out so she was able to spend a few hours with us - WE LOVED IT - and she looked SO cute!!!!! She took us around to see things (her office and the building where she teaches some classes) and then she took us to Bob's office. HIS OFFICE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!! Bob looks so good in his white jacket and we were thrilled to see all his certificates all framed on his office wall. It was so funny - when we went into his office who was in his waiting room but Carolyn & Gerald Perkes and two of their daughters (Carolyn is the daughter of Ramona & Winston). One of their daughters was hit in the nose with a baseball bat when she was very small and her nose was broken and it hasn't healed right and they want Bob "to fix it". Carolyn told us that when she called Bob she could tell he didn't have the faintest idea who she was - he admitted it.

We stopped by to visit with Claire and the children for a few minutes and that was really fun - to just be able to drop in. Little Brett was at their dining room table putting a puzzle together - it is unbelievable how he can do that. Michael was just coming home from school and Laura was into "dress-ups". I held little Katie for a few minutes until she realized I wasn't her mother and then she rebelled - it is going to be that way with little Emily too!!!! Their yard is really something - Bob has built Michael a tree house with a rope ladder and it is just a heavenly place to play.

We have talked to the Woolleys and they are doing fine. Susanna had her birthday party yesterday. I think. Little Jimmy's bump has turned every color in the rainbow but he is doing fine. We heard Susanna play a very difficult piece on the piano and Jessie play an equally difficult piece on her violin when we were up there last week - they are VERY good and the best thing about it is that THEY love it. Russell also played a piece on the piano for us and we couldn't believe it - he has only taken a short time. I am as pleased about Ann's ability to accompany Jessie as I am about the children's ability to play because I know she has had to do a lot of practicing.

Johnny is doing fine - he had a fun weekend. We went to Moab with some of his friends who are mountain bikers on Saturday for a special mountain ride that he tells us is nationally famous - he said there were lots of people there from all over the United States. We knew he was going and since he doesn't live here all the time we had locked up and gone to bed Saturday night. About midnight I was awakened with Daddy & him talking at the side of our bed. His friend girl, Julie, had had some problems at her apartment and wanted to spend the night with us and he just wanted to tell us she would be in the guest room so we wouldn't 'be surprised - that would have been quite a surprise!!!! They stayed here and studied yesterday morning. Johnny went deer hunting again on Friday afternoon but he didn't see anything.

Daddy & I went to the cabin last Tuesday and put carpet wall to wall in the living room and one of the bedrooms. That is some of the hardest work I have ever done - I'm almost glad Daddy won't be able to do anything like that for a while - Ha!!!! Daddy & I love to go to the cabin - there is still a lot to do there but it can wait until next Summer. When we were leaving we saw a young man dragging a deer to his truck quite close to where our cabin is and it was a four-pointer. We both said "what a lucky duck- he was probably just driving around and saw this buck and shot it" but Daddy got out to talk to him and he told him he had been dragging that thing for five hours. No deer is worth that!!!!

Daddy & I went to a very nice wedding reception last Friday in Springville and guess who was there?? The famous Howard Ruff and his wife. We met them and visited for a little while and it wasn't until we got home that I realized who he was - Ha!!!! It was a fun reception because we met people who had gone to Utah State and one of the ladies was a sorority sister of mine and knew lots of our friends in Logan. The reason we got to visit with them was because the line was so long we had to wait for at least thirty minutes to get to the bride & groom. It was held at the Springville Museum of Art building and the groom was in our mission with us.

OUR PICTURE APPOINTMENT HAS BEEN CHANGED. IT WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 25th AT 11:00 a.m. I misunderstood Bob and thought he would have to work that day and that is why I scheduled it for the evening of the 22nd. Annie called and said she would try to get it rescheduled while we were at the cabin and she did - thanks!!!! That will be a fun day too - we will come to our home after!!!

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