Dearest Family, February 26, 1998

BOB - Thank you SO much for your letters and for those WONDERFUL snow pictures. I am experiencing frustrating things I haven't experienced before and the computer is one of them - there are four of us using it and one of the four is difficult to deal with and she is my companion!!! She is on it constantly and when I want to use it she comes and stands by me so I will hurry so she can use it again. We received a warning from Thailand Internet one day this week telling us we had used up our disk space. The problem was that the new sister who is living with us had a picture sent from her son in Arizona and he sent it to her former companion's computer and it isn't capable of accessing pictures. WELL - she forwarded it over here and when I tried to access it, it would get so far and then stop (I think you know what I mean). Finally I left the computer on for an hour and it went across but the picture didn't ever show up. Then we trashed all the things we had on the e-mail (I do mine immediately anyway) and the disk space cleared up. WELL - today when I had some pictures to access my companion (Helen) said “Oh no, not pictures again” - it makes me SO angry but there isn't anything I can do about it. Anyway - I could only access the first four and then I got the notice that I didn't have enough space to access anymore and when I tried to just trash the ones I had seen, it trashed all of them. She wants everything HER way - she prints everything she puts on or receives from the internet and I NEVER print anything!!! I will not cause problems so I just smile and let her have her own way but I am not going to change the way I use the computer. The funny thing is that I really like her. I LOVED the snow pictures in your backyard and the front yard and the ones of Katie and Brett in their snow clothes - they are the only ones I could get. They make me SO homesick. Our weather is unrelentingly HOT AND HUMID!!!

I didn't ever receive Brett's letter - did you write one Brett? You wrote about going to the Hardware Ranch and seeing the deer and elk at the elk reserve. My parents loved to go there and watch them feed the animals. I'm SO happy that Brett is a good camper - I LOVE camping. I hope Claire's leg is better - one of my friends had to give up tennis because of leg problems. Let me know what you find out about condos in Centerville. Some of the American Teachers in our program are requesting to finish their missions the first of October. Schools are out in Bangkok during October so they think they would like to go home rather than give workshops. I won't know for quite awhile what is planned but it would be good to have things planned so I will have some place to go if we do finish our missions in October instead of November.

JOHN & JULIANNA - I loved hearing about your Sunday School class and also the missionary farewell for Cade Frisby. I personally feel that all the Albrechts are spoiled and kinda' make their own rules - they are good friends of the Kunzlers who took our place in Billings and they are very much alike. Have you decided which home you like the best? When I visited with Bishop Patch he told me he thought you were leaning towards your home in the Cherapple (sp.?) Division. I surely don't want you to make any changes if you don't want to. John - thank you so much for taking care of my money - I TRULY APPRECIATE IT!!!

SUSANNA - what a wonderful letter!!! Your classes at BYU sound very hard and I am SO proud of you for choosing to take that kind - many students just “glide” through taking easy classes. I was interested in what you said about the students in Jerusalem having to just stay in the Center because of the problems with Iraq. Our “gate guard” told us the other day that he had heard that the USA had sent a missile to Iraq and it killed 92 people - we haven't been able to find out anything about it so we think he was wrong. I'm excited for you to live with your former High School friends - they are such special young women. I don't know where King Henry is but it sounds perfect for you. Dianne and Garry Powers' twin daughters have been accepted at BYU and they will live in their condo just off 9th East - do you remember meeting them? I'll bet Rosie will come home to go to BYU rather than stay in Brazil. Please let me know where Ryan is going on his mission.

JESSIE - what a wonderful letter from you too!!! You have so many things going on in your life that reading your letters makes me DIZZY - Ha!!! I would be thrilled to pieces if you and Barji go to Utah State. I would LOVE to show you my yearbooks (The Buzzer) from when I was there. John could find them for you if you want to look at them before I get home - they are on the top shelf just above that old computer downstairs unless they have been moved (I wouldn't blame them if they did move them). I am happy you received your Patriarchal Blessing before you graduate. My blessing told me that I would have “great influence” on the lives of young women and I have had very little church teaching experience with them - I have been mostly in Relief Society and Primary - Ha!!! I hope you get your music scholarship and I hope your cheer squad does well in their competition - I always remember last year how you were all disappointed - Ha!!!

ANN - I have marked on my calendar JULY 25TH - TO AUGUST 2ND. THAT WILL BE JUST WONDERFUL!!! Janet's sister and her husband are coming in a week and they plan to go to Chaing Mai and maybe on a trip to the Southern part of Thailand with the American Teachers. They will be here two weeks. They will fly to Chaing Mai, I think. I will plan anything you want me to plan. I want you to go into the schools with me and see things like the Grand Palace etc. but if you want to go to Chaing Mai I will look into it - it would be fun to go on the night train. I don't know how much time I will be able to have free. You will be able to stay with me - we will sleep together and I have my own bathroom. YOU WILL LOVE IT AND I WISH YOU COULD BRING THE GIRLS TOO!!!

I almost hate to tell you what I did last night - you will think I do nothing but play. Two of our teachers took us to the “CHAO Phraya” River and we had dinner on a big boat while cruising and sightseeing - it was absolutely fabulous!!! They asked me if I would like an American Salad and I said, “Yes” thinking that would be all I would order - WELL - we had 8 courses!!! Two huge fish - one of them cooked in banana leaves, soup with prawns in it, a million other things to put on rice and then we had mangoes with sticky rice and coconut cream and watermelon for dessert!!! I really felt guilty because they can't afford things like this but it was heavenly. We left our apartment at 6 p.m. and got home about midnight. We had taught all day.

This morning we were invited to a special program that was planned by my two roommates, Janet and Darlene, at a school close to our apartment. It was very well done - the teachers all presented things they had learned in the English classes and then the little children sang some songs they had learned. They served dinner after and then we all did “Thai Dancing”. IT WAS FUN. Beverly and Doug Jenkins were there Ann and they have been sick again - all the people from my stake who are here have been sick except me - I am in good health!!!

We only have the first two days of next week to work until May. I don't know what they have planned for us but it will be fun to work on my photos along with lesson plans - it could get quite boring though!!! Vicky is still with us and I feel sorry for her - our director, Marc Hall, won't let her teach by herself and no one wants her to go with them. She has hired a taxi every day this week to take her to her former school. I don't know what is in store for her and she is very frustrated and I don't blame her. I don't think this whole problem has been handled very well.

I go to the Ministry of University Affairs tonight to teach - that is fun. I teach adults and they love things like tongue twisters and stories with good morals and also idioms.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL. Grandma B