April 21, 1997

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

It is raining outside today and everything is so green and beautiful. I won't be able to work on my "hill" - I still have a lot of broadleaf grass to dig out before I can get it prepared to plant some ground cover. I just about have all the Iris dug out!!!

Bob - I know you are home safe and sound by now. I didn't know you were going to Mexico until I received the e-mail message from Michael telling me - THANKS MICHAEL. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU BOB for giving of your time and talents to help those poor people in Mexico and I'm anxious to hear more about what you were able to do. Michael - how are you enjoying your work at Smiths? It will be fun to be with you while your parents go to Little Rock.

I also didn't know that Jeannie and Barji were going to California last week. I knew they were planning that trip but I didn't know when. Jeannie said they had a WONDERFUL time and their dance team came home with trophies. I can't imagine anything more fun than going on a trip like that. Jeannie and other mothers of the girls in the dance team went to Los Angeles for dance competition - the girls all stayed together in rooms and the mothers all stayed together - kinda' like a "big sleepover"!!! I also think it is wonderful that Rick could take care of the family at home.

Rick had surgery on his eyes last week so he won't have to wear glasses. It is called something but I don't know exactly what so I won't try to spell it. It sounded terrible but Jeannie said he looks normal and could even drive home after the surgery. Medicine has improved so dramatically from what it used to be, it is unbelievable. I watched a medical program on television not long ago where they were using some kind of "suction tube" to remove fat from parts of the body. It looked SO simple and I thought, "Now that's for me" - Ha!!!

The Woolleys had a WONDERFUL time at Lake Powell. Ann called me last night and she said they got along just great and even though the water was cold they had lots and lots of fun. It is so much easier now that their children are all older and able to help. They had a "Sea-Doo" and their boat and the weather was beautiful. Ann said she took lots of Rhodes Bake and Serve dough and since it was cool enough to use the oven they could fix things like that. When we go in July we have to take things that can be cooked on top of the stove. She also said they put their cooler inside the big cooler on the deck so they didn't have to clean that and it was much easier to not have so much to clean. We have had some very cold weather but the days they were there turned out to be really nice and then today it is cool and rainy again.

John and Julianna are doing fine. They're both busy with their jobs and church callings. John was telling me how impressed he is with the young men he is teaching in his ward - he says they are so much more knowledgeable about the gospel than he was at that age. The young people in this area have unlimited materials to learn from. They probably do all over the world now but we didn't have these things in Arkansas. I am impressed with the things they are doing with the Institute in back of me - they are doubling the size of it. They have had huge moving vans parked on the street to move all the furniture out of the building as they remodel.

I know Roy and Patrice and their family are doing good too. Chris Jordin called me in the middle of the day one day last week and it alarmed me - as it turned out, she has the kind of phone service where it doesn't matter when you make long distance calls. We had a good visit and she said Little Rock was beautiful but cooler than usual.

Did you all get your Reunion Letters??? Ann said she would have to wait until later in the week to read it all. Carol Ann has taken a great deal of time to plan such an elaborate reunion and I hope everyone will support her. We had a Home Making Meeting last week and it was about planning good reunions. They had many displays and I realize that I don't really know what reunions are. I thought they were just to get together and have a good time but according to most of the people in my ward they are much more than that. I am very worried that we won't have enough room at the park if everyone comes and I hope everyone comes. Elaine said they are remodeling the "hospitality room" at the condominium complex where she lives and she will reserve that in case of bad weather.

John has some excellent ideas for the T-Shirts and he said he and Bob would work together to come up with a good design. Carol Ann has already sent me her money and the sizes they want and she has ordered 22. I am concerned about the group picture and what part the T-shirts will play in that - we surely don't just want the plain white T-shirts to show do we? I am also thinking this would be a great time to have another family picture made and maybe we should contact Philbrick to do it - what do you think?

Elaine has had another very sad thing to endure. Her daughter, Jill, was taking a beauty course at Bon Losee in Provo and while she was cutting a patron's hair she had a seizure or something that caused her to fall on the floor. She hit the back of her head very hard and became unconscious. That was about ten days ago and she has not regained consciousness. The surgeon opened her head from one ear to the other at the back to drain the clot and he says only time will tell what will happen. I haven't talked to Elaine since Friday night but she was extremely upset at that time - it had happened the week before. Jill and her husband have two darling little boys - they were at the reunion last year at Ann and Rons' home. The boys are being cared for by their Aunt in Logan. Elaine has more unusual things happen in her life than most people.

The skit for the Orem Women's Club was okay. There weren't very many people there because it was the school district's Spring break and they were on trips. The Fashion Show on Saturday was very good - much better than last year and the food was much better too. I felt kinda' bad that I hadn't asked my family to come to it. The Woolleys wouldn't have been here and then I had to leave right after to go to the temple so I guess it wouldn't have worked out anyway.

I need to clean out Daddy's work room. Every time I go in there I think, "Now when will Bob and John come and tell me what these tools are used for?" I have decided to just go throw things out that I know aren't any good and put the other things away so it looks neater anyway. There is a lot of paint and "stuff" that is much too old to be of any use so I will just throw that away. I also need to clean out the canned food that is in there. I have REALLY been lazy this Winter and now I need to "get with it" and do some Spring cleaning. I don't mind the cleaning - I mind the decisions I have to make about what to throw away and what to keep.

That's all the news. I LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU SO VERY MUCH - PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO AND LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN HELP YOU.

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