Dearest Family, March 13, 1998

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EMILY ON THE 19th!!! This may be the last time I will be able to get on the computer before your birthday so I want to wish you a very Happy Birthday - I want to hear all about what you do to celebrate. Will you have a Family Birthday Party or will you have one with some of your friends? I am SO proud of you Emily and the GREAT student you are and the wonderful piano player you are - I'll be happy when I can hear you play and go to school with you again. I MISS YOU!!!

WEINERT FAMILY - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL LETTERS!!! Jeannie - it was SO funny - I had just written a letter to Bob and John and I have had such a hard time getting them sent so I had to wait a little while and when I connected to the computer to send them, your letter was here!!! I didn't have time to answer it until now. I LOVED hearing about Boyd's sister's wedding reception and I'm glad you were able to visit with Joanne and Dave - I haven't seen them for a long time. I imagine Pres. Doxey of the Manti Temple Presidency has become well acquainted with Aunt Carol by now - she is still playing the organ at the temple I think. You all sound SO busy doing REALLY fun things!!!

BARJI - I LOVED your long letter and hearing about your prom date and all your activities with the D'Ettes - I'll be anxious to hear how you do in your competition in California. I hope you will write and tell me about your prom dress. YOU AND JESSIE WILL LOVE UTAH STATE!!!

RICKY - THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO WRITE TO ME. I think of you every time I see a missionary and I see them very often - I can hardly wait to hear about your mission call. I kinda' hope you get called to serve in the States - you make so many friends on your missions and if you go out of the country you will probably never see them again. It is funny to read your letters and hear how you want Summer to hurry and get here - we have Summer ALL THE TIME!!! I hope you have fun in St. George playing tennis. AND when are you going to Hawaii?

MARY ANN - CONGRATULATIONS on getting a big part in your school play - “The Emperor's New Clothes”. I would LOVE to come to it and see you “act”. I am SO happy you are still practicing and playing your violin - getting a Superior in your Federation competition - THAT'S WONDERFUL!!!

BOB - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LETTER TOO. I appreciate SO much having you go look at the home Ellen Mae and Mel have found. I think it sounds TOO SMALL too!!! I really need three bedrooms - I had five bedrooms in my Orem home and I used every single one of them. I KNOW that something will come up - please don't spend too much of your time looking for one. If all else fails I can always build a home on my lot in Lehi!!!

Thank you too for sending that genealogy information - Helen and I have it all figured out now - Ha!!! We are third cousins, twice removed (or something like that). My Father did come from a large family - he was the youngest - twelve sounds like too many though. I wish you could meet some of my relatives in Brigham City who do a lot of genealogy - their last name is Kelly. There is probably more done on my Father's side than on my Mothers. It gives me such a weird feeling to know that I don't have a brother there anymore. Don would help you if you ever have the time. I had a letter from Cheryl last week and she said Don wouldn't be able to have his garden in Lehi this Summer because of his back - I guess he is having all kinds of back problems.

Helen's brother and his wife have been serving a humanitarian mission for the church in Pakistan. The wife fell and she wasn't hurt badly but her blood pressure went sky high so the Mission President told them to go home to Arizona. They were only one month from completing their 18 month mission. Helen's brother (Nephi Bushman) called her from Pakistan and told her they would have a lay over in Bangkok on Wednesday and he wanted her to meet them at the airport. We got up at 4:30 and took a taxi to the airport to meet them. It was just ridiculous - they were on one floor and we were on the other and Helen paged them but we couldn't see them because of security. Helen talked to them on the telephone but we couldn't even wave to them. ANYWAY - while we were there I picked up an information booklet and I have sent it to Bob - I don't know if it will help you when you plan your trips or not.

This morning we left at 7:30 to go on a “Khlong Trip” - it was fabulous!!! We took a taxi to the river and then got on a boat and went up the river to an inlet to a khlong (canal) and then we went that way. We saw beautiful homes and dilapidated homes but it was all beautiful scenery. The lady who took us has lived on the canal all her life and she is in her forties - we stopped at her home and she took us through it. I couldn't believe it - she has 10 dogs and she said she bathes them every week in the canal. People bring sick or hurt dogs to her and she nurses them back to health - this is a very spiritual thing with the Thai people - they never hurt any animals. This lady is very well educated and has a big job with the BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Authority) and she is beautiful. I could surely never live the way she does - she has banana and mango trees in the back of her house and she has to wade through water to get to them. Her mother and her sister live in a house right next to hers. Her parents raised 6 children in that house and there is NO place to play except in the canal. When I say canal it really is more like a huge river and it is very, very deep and is right off the Chuao Phraya River. We passed the houses all day and we saw women doing their laundry in the water - they don't have washing machines - they do everything by hand. We stopped at a restaurant on the river for lunch and then went up a ways and stopped at a Thai Dessert restaurant - we watched them make desserts and of course we had to sample some of them. We also stopped at a “Pottery Factory” on the river and watched them make pottery and I bought a darling jar and plate. I don't know how in the world I will ever get all my “things” home - I sent three boxes to John yesterday - it cost me $60 and they were worth monetarily about $100 - Ha!!! I sent them surface mail so they won't get there until probably May or June.

I want SO much for you to see EVERYTHING there is to see here. Janet's two sisters and brother-in-law are here now and I can tell by looking at them that they are worn out but they say they want to see and do everything and then sleep when they get back home. They had a travel agent in California arrange a trip for them to Chaing Mai and they got to go see the Hilltribe people and a lot of the things we have seen. They went to the floating market yesterday and they loved that. Janet has been working in this district since she first came to Bangkok and she is a very talented person - many of the district people are entertaining her family. I don't have the “clout” that she has but that is no reason why my family shouldn't see everything you can possibly see. I am making lists of things I want you to see but I am not going to impose myself on you - I know you are all capable of making your own plans.

I will go to Ayutthaya in the morning and then we will come back tomorrow night. We can't go to Lopburi this Sunday because of our trip to the South part of Thailand. We will leave Sunday at 6 p.m. by the night train and go see some of the beach resorts - we will come back here on Friday night - the 20th.

I don't know if I am doing everything I am supposed to be doing but I am surely busy. I teach every night and tomorrow we teach 22 teachers after a train ride of 3 - 4 hours. Helen, Janet and Darlene have all gone out to dinner with Janet's family and some other teachers - I begged to stay home so I could write to you and kinda' get prepared for tomorrow. Three of our teachers came to “visit” and they just left - this apartment is like Grand Central Station!!!

I probably won't write again until the 21st. I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL!!! Grandma Bxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooo