March 1, 1993 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:
Hooray - it's March and the sun is out!!! I still have big snowpiles in my front yard and they are frozen so I guess they will be there for a long, long time but I believe it will soon be time to think about planting. My daffodils are about an inch through the ground and it reminded me of last year and how much Daddy enjoyed watching them bloom.
Bob & Claire are on their Caribbean cruise - they left Saturday afternoon and I know they will have a wonderful time. I talked to Bob on Thursday night and then on Friday, Laura called to tell me about a birthday party she had been to. It scared me for a minute - I was afraid it was her birthday and I had forgotten it. I have to make notes of things I am to do and put them all over the house - I am getting so forgetful!!!
John is home from his big trip. I talked to him for a few minutes last night and he said they had had a really good time. He said he had taken a lot of pictures and when they were developed he would bring them to show me. I just feel better knowing he is close by.
It was fun to talk to you Roy, Patrice, Emily & Timothy the other night - I couldn't believe that little Timothy - he just talks so plain and grown up. I was with Ramona the other day and I told her that I felt the original picture of Grandpa Mellor should be yours Roy. She was REALLY sweet about it and said she agreed that if you wanted it, you were the one who should have it. I felt better about everything when I said, "I wish someone had put a date on it so we would know how old he was" and she said, "Does he have grey hair in it?" That made me realize that she really didn't know very much about it. When I explained to her that he had brown hair in the picture she said, she thought it must have been taken soon after he came home from his mission to England and he would have been 21 - 22 years old. That whole thing is all cleared up now and we'll wait for Kim who wanted the picture to ask about having a copy made!!!
Jeannie - when are you coming down to see my new drapes and my new picture? It was SO much fun being with you and Ann last Tuesday and I believe that is the cutest shopping place I have ever been to. When Patrice comes again, all of us "girls" will have to spend an afternoon there. (Jeannie had found this old mining settlement in Midvale that has been turned into a shopping place and they have about twenty little shops with specialties in them - we had lunch there too!) I bought a picture at another place called "The Black Goose" that Jeannie had been to also and it has transformed my den and you won't recognize it!!!
Annie - I should get my "swag" in a day or so!!! (Ann called me the other night and told me there was a lady in their ward who made beautiful wreaths, etc. and she would make me a decoration to go above my fireplace if I would take a pillow from the draper material in for her to match.)
I have to admit that it is a joy to go in the den and not be greeted with the Indians and the bloody animals on the wall - Ha!!! Daddy loved those Charles Russell pictures and I loved them too while he was here to enjoy them but I have decorated the way I want it now and I just LOVE it!!! I will hang the Charles Russell pictures downstairs when I get the furniture moved around down there. I got a little sick to my stomach when I took them down and put up my new picture but after I make these changes I feel better.
I had such a beautiful luncheon last Thursday. I was so excited to use my ten new chairs and then I ended up having twelve people. I put up another card table with four chairs in the hallway and it worked out just fine. I ran into Ramona at the grocery store the night before the luncheon and decided to invite her - she knows most of the people in the club. THEN the husband of one of the members was celebrating his 80th birthday that day so I invited him to come too. It worked out so nice and everyone said the food was just FABULOUS - Ha!!! One of the ladies in the club is crippled so I went to get her and it would have put me in a bind at the last minute but Ramona came early so I put her to work and she REALLY helped me out.
They asked if I would have time to work at the Genealogy extraction office about 10 hours a week. I thought it over and decided I would be called to do something else if I didn't accept that so I said yes. I went this afternoon after my Book of Mormon class and it is going to be HARD. The records are very old and almost impossible to decipher. The temple work has been done for these people that I'm working on so I don't feel quite so responsible - they want to put the records on an index file and need what I will be doing. The office is in the same building where we will be having our church meetings and it isn't very far away. The Young Women Secretary job isn't nearly as time consuming as teaching was so I guess I need to do something else.
I made a dessert for Family Home Evening last night and it is that pudding dessert that is one of my favorites. The Woolleys couldn't come and instead of taking it to a neighbor I ate half of it, then some neighbor children brought me some cookies they had made, and this morning John stopped by and left me a bar of REAL Swiss chocolate - I am loving "getting fat"!!!
I love each one of you so very much - PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - Let me know how I can help you!!!!