April 17, 1995 Orem, Utah

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JEANNIE YESTERDAY!!! I didn't realize that your birthday would be before my next letter - I should have included your birthday in my last letter. I hope you really celebrated big on your way home from Sun Valley!!!

I hope your Easter was a fun one. We are having weather like we usually have earlier in the month - it is COLD!!! I have been digging out some old rose bushes and planting some new ones - I don't know anything about planting roses but if you're not supposed to plant them when it's cold then they will all die. I took out the ones between the Theobald's home and mine - they were all budded out and looked so healthy but every year they grow and grow and NEVER bloom and it was hard to care for them so I dug them up. I would like so much to have pretty roses - I am going to concentrate on the ones between my house and the Smiths and see what happens.

John - thank you SO much for coming to turn my sprinkler system on. I was humiliated last Monday. I put that long pipe down into the ground where you are supposed to turn on the water and then I couldn't turn it and I couldn't get it out of the ground. That is a "tricky" system and I was afraid to ask anyone else to come do it - John and Ron are the only ones who know how. I was worried that someone would fall over the pipe so I tied an orange Halloween bag over it and called John to see if he could come by and turn it on for me. About an hour after I called him on his cellular phone I got a phone call him from San Francisco telling me he couldn't come that day but he would the next day. I would NEVER have called him if I had known he was out of town. He did come the next day and fixed it for me.

Roy & Patrice - thank you SO much for your phone calls. I REALLY miss the children - after I have been with them and pretty well know their schedules I just want to know everything they're doing and how many times little Jesse has fallen and skinned his knees, who Timothy is soaking with his "super shooter water gun" and what art object Emily is making in her art class, etc., etc. I am anxious for your visit - ROY AND PATRICE AND THEIR CHILDREN WILL BE HERE FROM JUNE 17TH TO JUNE 24TH. I hope you will plan things to do with your children that are closer than Zion or Bryce - I would LOVE to care for the children if Roy & Patrice want to go away but it isn't fair to them to have them travel so much. Vernal would be exciting to see the dinosaurs - I haven't been there for a long time but I'm sure it's still interesting.

Claire - I LOVE the things you have done to your home. I couldn't believe it!!! You are SO talented and would be in demand as a decorator if you ever wanted to be. Your tastes and mine are quite similar - the only thing is, you can DO IT and I just dream about it.

Jeannie - I LOVED our little visit last week. I keep thinking of the "mess" you are in and how calm you are. They are doing such great things in their home. Their basement remodeling is coming along slow but sure and will be WONDERFUL when they are finished. Jeannie decided to sell their china cabinet so all the things that were in the cabinet are now on the floor. There is no easy way to accomplish the things you want to without a lot of mess and you will be happy after it is all done.

I hope the Woolleys are having a great time. Their little dog, Wicket, is such a darling and smart dog but I have decided he is more like a cat than a dog. He is a very small dog and can squeeze through every little opening I have in my yard - you should see all my "barricades". I just get secure in thinking I have all the places plugged up when I see him in the Theobald's yard. I wouldn't care if he stayed there but he goes right out through one of their front gates and I am SO afraid he will get run over and "dognapped". Hans and Frauie are eager to be his friends but he is too frisky for them!!!

This is a busy week for me. We are having our Homemaking meeting on Thursday. I am SO happy that I am on the right course for my knitting lesson - Patrice, please tell your dear Mom how much I appreciate all her help. I have signed up to make a flower craft for my front door - I hope I don't get that fouled up.

We are having our annual Visiting Teaching Workshop on Saturday morning and we will serve a brunch. I have to give a talk in the program but I'm not too worried about that. I am going to talk about my experience in Little Rock while I was with Roy & Patrice. The church that Dorothy & Dan go to, Bible Fellowship, is supposed to be the fastest growing church in Little Rock. Chris Jordin told me the key to their success is the fact that they have adopted the Mormon's program of Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching. They don't call it that but Chris says that is exactly what it is - INTERESTING!!!

Michael's Eagle Scout Court of Honor is Saturday afternoon so I will leave right after the workshop to go to that. I am excited to go to that and I am really proud of you Michael.

Claire - thanks for your phone call yesterday. I was happy to hear that you and the Weinerts weren't completely "snowed out" on your trip to Sun Valley. You sounded like you made the best of things and had a good time - I'll bet it was WONDERFUL.

Julianna - thanks for dropping in even for just a few minutes. Julianna had been working out at a spa and she made me feel guilty - I have had a hard time getting back into my exercise routine!!!
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