July 26, 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:
It is a very cool Monday morning here in Orem and it's hard to believe it's the end of July. I don't believe we are going to have Summer this year!!! I'm glad because I don't like the heat but I'm wondering why the weather throughout the country has changed so much. Those terrible floods in the Midwest have been devastating and the heat in the East and South has been bad.
Chris and Wayne are doing fine - Chris spent last Monday in bed and was feeling better the next day and has been okay since. We have had a fun week together and they will leave in the morning to go to Idaho where they used to live and then on to Wyoming where they will meet Wayne's sister and her husband who have a "Fifth Wheeler" and they will all travel to Alaska.
WE HAVE A VERY WONDERFUL BATH AND SHOWER AT THE CABIN. I went to the Young Women's Camp on Wednesday morning and Chris & Wayne followed me as far as Scofield and they stayed there while I spent the day at Camp Shalom which isn't far from the Mutual Camp. I took a craft for the girls and they loved doing it so I'm glad I went. I went back to Scofield that night.
Thursday, Chris & Wayne and I just relaxed at the cabin and we were invited to the "Bowery" for a Mexican dinner that evening. It was fun and the food was very good - a "real" Mexican had prepared it. The people who were there are interesting people but I have to keep reminding myself that they are very good people and who am I to judge them??? The man who owns all that area, Tony Rudman, has a different woman there every time he comes and the man who prepared the dinner lives in Helper and his girl friend lives in Salt Lake and the drinks they carry around with them all the time are not soft drinks - Ha!!! They are VERY NICE to me and I really need them when I'm there alone.
Thursday evening, Bob, Michael, Laura and Brett came and we were SO thrilled to have them with us - we had looked for them all afternoon. Friday morning Wayne cooked biscuits and gravy for all of us and then he and Bob started to hook up the shower. Bob had done all the hard work but he enjoyed having Wayne there to "consult" with. I am anxious for you all to see it - the tub is absolutely darling - Bob had cleaned out the inside and painted it white and the outside is painted a pretty blue and the legs are gold. He had also bought a larger water heater and he put that in the closet that goes with the bedroom on that side of the cabin. He & Michael "RIGGED UP" a dressing area so we have privacy too!!! Michael took the first shower and then I took one and I actually shampooed my hair and it was WONDERFUL, then the others took showers. THANK YOU BOB.
The children were SO good and they fished off the dock and they caught at least five fish and maybe more and they were beautiful trout. Claire and Katie came up on Saturday afternoon and it was fun to be with them too.
Last weekend when Bob took the tub up to install he took Michael and one of his friends. They were riding the four-wheelers and Michael's friend, Todd, had an accident with one of them - he didn't get seriously hurt - Claire said when they x-rayed him they found one of the small bones in his shoulder was broken but it will heal fine. Bob took both the four-wheelers in for service and only one was ready so they had to take turns riding it this past weekend. While Bob, Laura & Brett were riding it, Michael and I WALKED to the store - it was much further than we thought and we were glad when Chris & Wayne came to take us back.
Emily and Timothy - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE DARLING PICTURES. They are pretty enough to frame. I love your "banana" Timothy and Emily you are getting so good at your writing and drawing that I know you will be teaching the children in school!!! We miss you when we all get together.
Jeannie - thank you for offering to take me to "Les Miserable" - I'm anxious to hear how it was. (They wanted me to take Sarah's ticket.) I know that little Sarah enjoyed it. If it comes to Utah again I'll try to go see it - it just didn't work out this Summer.
John - I love your car!!! Yesterday afternoon, my neighbor, Ryan Fredericks, came over and said, "I love John's new car" and I said, "Oh, you like that Cherokee Jeep!!", and he said, "Oh, maybe I shouldn't have told you - he has a 300 ZX". He came over later to show it to us and it is beautiful - I have never been "into cars" but everyone told me it is a super sports car. He took me for a ride in it and it goes faster in one mile than I can get my Camry to go after fifty miles - that worries me but I have to keep telling myself that John is 27 years old!!! He is going to California this week for a trade show - I KNOW he works really hard and will miss our Lake Powell trip and he will start his school in a couple weeks - that will slow him down!!!
The Woolleys came over last night and we had a fun time. That little Jessie gave a beautiful Family Home Evening Lesson - I'm SO proud of you Jessie. Susanna played the piano for us to sing "America The Beautiful" and "As I Have Loved You" and I was very impressed because she sight read them and did a great job. Aldara will go back home to Spain tomorrow - they will miss her and she will miss them. I'm SO glad I got to spend time with her - that has been a very good experience for all of us and for her too - they have taken her to a lot of places - she is darling!!!
I'm going to take Chris & Wayne to that place in Salt Lake where Ann, Jean & Patrice and I went shopping - the Gardner Museum - I hope they enjoy it. I have FHE here tonight so I'm busy!!!