March 20, 1989 Orem, Utah
Dearest John; 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:
Happy First Day of Spring!!!! It is going to be a beautiful day here but it is mighty cold outside this morning - I believe it's in the 30's. Daddy has been outside since early, early working in his "garden". All his test results are very good and we are SO grateful for that - just the relief of having them good makes the biggest difference in how he feels. He has finished terracing the hill and we went over to his friend's place in Lehi, Dave Kunz, and got some good top soil and then Daddy went somewhere down by Utah Lake where he gets that black stuff to put on top of the soil. When Daddy can dig in the dirt and make a pretty garden it is better therapy than anything he can possibly do - every morning when he wakes up he is planning something for the hill or the front yard and he just loves it. I'll bet we have carried away a ton of debris from our yard during the past two weeks - dead leaves and trimmed bushes, etc. We take them to our pasture over in Lehi and dump them in a little kind of hole where they just deteriorate and go into the soil. It's hard to believe that much can accumulate because we had our yard really cleaned up in the Fall - we think those Box Elder bugs live in the dead leaves so we're trying to get rid of all of them!!!!!
We had a fun day yesterday. I had to give the lesson in Relief Society so we couldn't leave here until about 3 o'clock and then we drove to Farmington where we had dinner with the Weinerts - a delicious dinner and as Jeannie said, she started it and Rick finished it. She had to go to a church meeting so Rick was in the kitchen when we got there "winding things up". It was really fun to be with the children - we played "pit" and listened to them play the piano and violin. They have bought a new electronic piano - much like yours, Roy & Patrice, and they just love it. Ricky & Barji haven't had a piano to practice on for a long, long time but they are doing very well and Mary Ann is doing really good on the violin - they chose the right thing for her to perform with!!!! Sarah didn't perform but her little black eyes just sparkle and that's enough!!!! After dinner we went for a walk around their neighborhood and they live in a gorgeous area - I was amazed at how large their patio is - we have never really seen it without snow and it really is large enough to have a dance on!!!! We're thrilled for them!!!!
We went to see Bob & Claire and their children and of course, we loved that too!!!! Jeannie had invited them for dessert but Brett wasn't feeling good and had a temperature so they didn't come. What a darling family they have too. Little Laura was in a cute "dancing outfit" and Bob explained that was her fifth outfit for the day - she is "on stage" all the time. I worried about her all night but I'm sure they have done the right thing their orthodontist has put something in the roof of her mouth to keep her from sucking her thumb. Claire said she cried at night for a couple nights but now she is used to it- she is such a happy, happy little child that I'm sure it's a good thing. Michael also has an "apparatus" in the roof of his mouth to widen it or something to make room for all his teeth. We are very proud of all of you for making sure your children have the excellent dental and medical care that is available to them - I KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE THAT IT!!! While we were there Bob received a call from one of their neighbors - a child had fallen down some stairs (I think that's right) and they wanted Bob to come check to see if they needed to take her to the hospital. Claire said he is constantly getting calls like that from neighbors - that would be hard. Claire is doing a lot of planting and had some things for Daddy to plant some early tomatoes - it's a new thing and he is SO excited. We love to drive to their home in the evening because their backyard looks like a fairyland - their lights are just gorgeous and so is their home!!!
Saturday was a fun day for Annie and me. We went to the annual crafts show that we have gone to since we moved to Utah and saw lots of darling crafts (none of the wreaths are as cute as ours though) and then we went to the Orem Women's Annual Spring Luncheon at UVCC. It was fun to be with Ann and we just visited and visited and the food was really good too. Their family is going to St. George this Wednesday and spend several days just relaxing and hiking through the canyons - their children are out of school for Easter Break!!!! The Weinerts are going to Star Valley where they can combine Rick's business with a family vacation and they're excited about that. Bob is on call so they will have to stay home but I'm sure they'll roll eggs somewhere!
John was home for a few hours during the week and of course we love it when he comes. He is super busy with his business and also school - we keep warning him to not spend so much time with his business that he neglects school - that's his biggest business right now!!!! He came home to get his mail yesterday while we were gone but we missed him - we talked to him after we got home and he is doing fine - he surely does look good!!!! I loved answering the phone for his business last week - it makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile!!!!
Thanks so much for calling Roy - we loved hearing about your St. Patrick's Day Party - we thought about Patrice all day on Friday and wore a shamrock in her honor!!!! They had a party for Roy's staff friends - as he said, "just the worker bees and not the bosses" - and Patrice had prepared corned beef - I'll bet it was WONDERFUL!!!! Little Emily is now a whole year old - it won't be long until she and Katie will really have fun together. We miss not being able to drop in on you on a Sunday afternoon!!!!
My luncheon was fun - the ladies who came are all so sweet to me - I was so surprised that most of them do not take pictures and had to bring old ones of their families - they need me don't they? PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!!