September 19, 1994 Orem, Utah

Dearest John & Julianna; 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:

We just finished our Presidency meeting and I am always SO happy to visit with my two counselors and secretary - they are all General Board Quality and also a lot of fun!!! While we were together one of our neighbor came over to report on an accident involving a sister in our ward. She is that sweet lady who has come to EVERYTHING I have ever had - she has a false eyeball and has had a lot of problems with that and her general health. She has a brand new car (I don't know what kind it was) and I guess it was totaled but she was alone and wasn't hurt. She was coming home from carpooling with her children. My two counselors left the meeting to go help her.

The Woolleys are in Europe and I am having fun being with their children and being in their home. The children are absolutely WONDERFUL to help - last night I opened the dishwasher and before I knew it, Russell had it all emptied and everything put away. The week has just started and I just hope I will be able to get them to all their activities on time - Ann has made me such a detailed schedule I would have to be a little dumb to miss anything.

Yesterday was the Primary program in their ward and Jimmy and LeeAnna had big speaking parts and LeeAnna & Jessie played violin solos. Ann & Ron felt bad that they were going to miss it so I asked John & Julianna to come to it. They missed part of their own church meetings so they could be there on time and they called to make certain they had the right time and everything. I DIDN'T THINK TO ASK THEM IF THEY KNEW WHERE THE WOOLLEYS WENT TO CHURCH. I could just cry when I think of the things they went through - they went to three different chapels and drove around asking people if they knew where it would be. The funny thing is that each one of the chapels they went to was also having their Primary programs so they stayed thinking they would finally see the Woolley children. FINALLY, when they knew it was time for the program to be over with they went to the Woolley's home to wait for everyone.

Ann had put a turkey in the oven and had potatoes all boiled and ready to be mashed so we had MARVELOUS dinner. I couldn't believe she had done all that when they had to leave really early on Sunday morning to get to their plane. They called from New York right when we got home from church and it was fun to talk to them. I worry that Ann will not be able to relax and enjoy herself. This is the first time she has been able to leave the children for any length of time and I hope so much that she will enjoy her trip. One of their former neighbor boys was killed last night in an automobile accident - I hope she doesn't know.

I had such a fun time last Friday. Some of our Brigham City friends got together for lunch. I picked up Ida in Salt Lake and then we picked up Ellen Mae and drove to Maddox. We talked as fast as we could but we still didn't get everyone talked about - Ha!!! When I went to get Ida, her maid answered the door and her gardeners were working on the yard so she said she would show me her home when we got back. YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE HER HOME. It really is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen - it is north from the Capitol. Ida is a very lovely woman and I told her that her home said, "Come in and sit awhile". She is a very talented decorator - I didn't know that!!! We had such a wonderful afternoon together. She said the last thing that Dee said to her way "Pay your tithing". I said the last thing Lynn said to me was "Don't go back in the hills with the Indians" - Ha!! She also has a beautiful home in Palm Springs where she goes for five months during the Winter. She has a very close knit family and she just lives for her grandchildren.

I also had a fun time on Thursday night. Linda Smithers Hill and her husband, David, came by to visit with me. I couldn't get the friends together like I wanted to on Friday and when the Brigham friends were getting together that day. I called her and she said they would come on Thursday if they could. I prepared some fruit and muffins but I didn't fix dinner like I wished I had. David is REALLY a nice man and I am SO thrilled for Linda - she seems happy for the first time for many, many years. We're going to try to get together in November when Barbara Sondrup will be in town from Georgia.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARY ANN. I am SO happy for you - (Mary Ann was elected Secretary of her class). I am also VERY happy for my grandchildren who try out for class offices and don't win - it is SO important to try out for everything even if you don't win. I am proud of you for wanting to be involved because that is where happiness comes from and you also learn a lot.

Our homemaking meeting last Tuesday was a HUGE success but WOW did we ever get in trouble!!! We had this lady come to teach us how to use our food storage and she prepared our luncheon using things from the food storage. WHAT WE DIDN'T EXPECT WAS FOR HER TO BRING HER COOKBOOK TO SELL. Her cookbook is excellent and many of the sisters bought it but it is against church rules to sell things like that in the church - it could ruin the church's tax exempt policy. We didn't know that and we didn't know that she was going to do it. Our Bishop called us in and we had a two hour lesson - Ha!!! He is such a sweet man that it was very hard for him to scold us. WE WON'T DO THAT AGAIN.

I'm getting excited about our reunion in Sun Valley. I am hoping the weather will be as pretty there as it is here - we are finally having Fall weather. My flowers in the back have mostly died but the ones in the front are prettier than they have been in the Summer. The Woolleys flowers pots on their patio are just gorgeous - I hope I don't kill them!!!
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