August 3, 1992 Orem, Utah

Dearest John; Roy, Patrice, Emily & Timothy; Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura, Brett & Katie; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Mary Ann & Sarah; and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell, LeeAnna & Jimmy:

It is going to be another HOT day here today. It is just beautiful and cool until about 2 o'clock and then it starts getting hot. I don't believe I have ever heard of so many forest fires as we have had this Summer - the fires have come so close to a lot of expensive homes but so far none have been burned.

I am SO excited to have Roy, Patrice and their children come for a visit. They will be here the 14th and stay for a week - Roy said the other night that they planned to stay at the Marriott in Salt Lake for a couple nights before coming here. It's hard for me to compete with the Marriott but I hope they change their minds and come here when they first arrive in Utah - I feel so silly living in this great big house and then have my family rent a hotel room!!!

I hope I can keep everything straight for the next week - I have notes all over the house. The ward mutual is at their camp this week and I promised to go for at least a day - I told them I wouldn't spend the night there but would go to our cabin instead. I plan to leave Wednesday morning and go to camp and spend the day and then see what happens - they put on a skit that night and they wanted me to see it. I'm little "leary" of driving from the camp to our cabin after it gets dark.

Saturday morning I will drive to Lake Powell - I will be happy to take anyone with me!!! I hope someone will be able to take me back to the dock on Wednesday and then I'll come home. I'm going to ask my neighbor, Jon Theobald, to water things and take care of the dogs. I'll just hope the vegetables won't wither and die in the heat - I have been watering them really often. I am picking tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, egg plant and raspberries and they are just WONDERFUL!!! I took bags of squash to my visiting teachers this morning. Paul Theobald brought me a big bag of beet greens this morning and more peaches from their trees - everything tastes SO good!!!

Wednesday is Daddy's birthday and I remember all the fun times we have had together. I'm glad I have something planned to be away from home that day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LAURA on the 9th. I will always remember when she was born - we were traveling in Montana and the Elders left a message at our motel for us to call the Mission Home. That seems like such a long time ago.

A couple who served with us in Montana came by to see me yesterday - they hadn't heard about Daddy's death and were kinda' upset that I hadn't called them. They live in St. George and said they would have come for his funeral had they known.

I have our porch all torn up. Jon is going to refinish the wood railing and paint it for me and the carpet was so worn that I decided to take that up too. NOW, I have to figure out what kind of sealant to have put on it - I pulled the carpet up and it looks like a tar sealant. I have ordered new carpet from R. C. Willey and they will put it down after Jon gets the railing painted. It is so funny - I have been working with Jon for at least a month and it would have taken Daddy one day to have it all done.

I went with the Woolleys up to the Sundance Summer Theatre last week and it was WONDERFUL. They put on "Lil Abner" and it was the cutest play I have ever seen. Ann got the tickets and she got front row seats so we were practically in the play - I loved it because I could hear every word. I didn't expect it to be that professional - Ann says some of the players come from out of town and they audition for the parts.

The next play is going to be "Carousel" and she already had tickets for the 20th so we called Roy to see if they could go with us that night and they said they could. In the meantime I talked to Jeannie and she said they would like to go too - so if Ann can get the tickets we will all go. I guess the theatre is new - they have been putting on the plays for many years and people would bring things to sit on the grass but now they have seats kinda' like an amphitheatre. That is such a gorgeous setting and it gets so cold that you really need a warm jacket - I have plenty of warm coats that will do for you Patrice & Roy so don't pack any and I'll bet Ann will have one to fit Emily. I'll get a baby sitter for Timothy.

John is home from Chicago and they had a successful and fun trip. He came home last night to groom the dogs and to put together a "Hose Mobile" that I had bought for the downstairs patio. This is the second one I have bought and he put the first one together so I sat out on the front porch the other night using that as a guide and got most of the second one put together. I couldn't put the wheels on and the hose connection kept coming out so he "re-did" it. He said "Mom, you're nice but you're not very good at putting things together" - I never have been!!!

I'm going with my Family Home Evening group tonight to eat at "Chuck A Rama" - that will be fun. It was fun to visit with the McKells last week - the children they brought with them were really nice. Two of the girls sang and played the piano and they are good - they want to come out to go to school at UVCC. The have spent some time at Saratoga (that resort in Lehi) and they said it was really fun. The Bohn & Dortch families from Little Rock have bought it and are running it - I hope it works out for them. That used to be THE place to go in Utah County when I was a young girl. That's all the news!!!
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