January 23, 1995 Orem, Utah

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CLAIRE THIS COMING THURSDAY!!! I hope you will have a wonderful day and I'm sorry our plans to take you to lunch didn't work out - maybe next year.

We just finished our Presidency meeting!!! We keep trying to do things simple but for some reason they get complicated. Our Bishopric insists on our keeping within the budget so we end up doing "creative" things that take a lot of time - I guess that's one of the purposes of the budget. My neighbor, Kathy Frisby, has a little business that she can do and still stay home with her family. She rents a place in the mall where she has special "stamps" and other things to make cards. I asked her to come over this morning and show us how we could make inexpensive Valentine cards for the 130 sisters in our ward - she has some cute ideas that we will try to do.

Jeannie - it has been fun to talk to you some this week. I am SO excited about your plans to finish your downstairs - that is such a smart thing to do. I remember my bedroom downstairs in the house I moved into in Brigham City when I was about 16 and I just LOVED it - Ricky, you will love it too!!! I told Cissy & Charles Beyers I would try to go to their grandson's missionary farewell in Centerville this coming Sunday - the 29th. I won't drive up there if the weather is bad but if it is good weather I am going to leave my meetings a few minutes early and go. Their meetings start at 1 o'clock. I would love to have you go with me if you would like to - they would love to have you go too!!!

Bob & Michael - Thank you so very much for coming to visit with me yesterday - I LOVE VISITS LIKE THAT!!! They went to New Mexico where they went fishing in the San Juan River and stopped on their way home. It was SO much fun to hear about their fishing trip - it reminded me of some of PaPa's fishing stories. They had a guide and he took them out in a boat and he furnished all the fishing flies, etc. Michael was so excited about them catching "Shamu". Bob got a HUGE fish on his line and it jumped in the air and they said it looked like a big whale - I guess it gave them quite a show before the line broke and they lost it. They said it snowed on them the first day but after that it was cold but pretty and they had a WONDERFUL time. I have always said the reason we had such good children was because their Dad took them fishing a lot. I LOVE to see fathers and sons enjoying being together in the outdoors - and mothers and daughters enjoying being together in the malls - Ha!!! PaPa would have had a hard time catching and releasing the fish he caught, wouldn't he? I worry that it hurts the fish but Bob & Michael explained how expertly their guide takes out the hook so it doesn't.

John - thank you so very much for coming to trim Hans and Frauies' faces - NOW THEY CAN SEE AND HEAR!!! Hans had the funniest little growth coming out from under his chin - it was sharp almost like a nail and very hard and about 3/4 of an inch long. John operated on him and took it out. I have been treating it with a dog antibiotic and it is almost healed over now. I love it when John pops in and out. He hasn't been here for almost two weeks - he has been in California and then the people from Motorola have been here and they have been in conference up at the Homestead for a week. Julianna - John says you are going to be in a friend's wedding and you're getting ready for that. He also told me that you loved your teaching.

Annie - thank you so very much for giving me a permanent. I went to their home on Saturday morning and she does such a good job and I LOVE it. John even helped me with the solution after I got home. Ann had taken their children to Sundance where they were going to spend the day skiing - I think that is SO neat that they live so close it only takes about 30 minutes to take them and it's a wonderful place for them to ski. Ron was out of town until that night. He is doing such a neat thing - he is taking a seminar type group of lessons to keep up to date on the things he is doing in his business.

Patrice - thank you so very much for your sweet letter and those absolutely WONDERFUL pictures. I laugh right out loud whenever I look at little Jesse with his birthday cake all over his face - they are just precious!!! Emily looks like she would like to get right in the act and have it on her face too - Roy & Timothy are just "putting up with it". I have them on my refrigerator and they "make my day" when I look at them. The one you took of me and Jesse is SO flattering of me I will never take it down!!!

I went to Dick Richard's funeral and viewing last week. When I was going through the line and you know how frustrating that is for the family - Mark just grabbed me and hugged me and said, "Sister Mellor, how is Roy"? He wanted me to tell you hello and asked me to have you call him when you come to Utah - he is married and they live in Sandy.

I gave the litany in Orem Women's Club last week but the speaker was the son of the senator - this Arthur Watkins has been a professor of languages at BYU. He was a wonderful speaker and I really enjoyed it - he was born in Lehi.

The beautician who is working with me in lightening my hair has taken all the dark color out of it. It was a light brown until I had the permanent on Saturday and that took all the color out of it. People looked at me so strangely yesterday in church - it isn't grey and it isn't brown, it's just ugly!!! She will color it on Friday and I will be SO glad - I have to wait a week after a permanent. I try to not do this when I have a lot of "public appearances" but that's hard now - I have something on everyday this week!!! HAIR IS A PAIN.

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