Dearest Family, May 3, 1998

CONGRATULATIONS TO RICKY - GOING TO EL SALVADOR ON HIS MISSION!!! I am SO happy for you Ricky and for our whole family because I don't know anything about El Salvador and we will all learn a lot. I haven't wanted to write a family letter because I wanted you to announce it to the rest of the family first and I couldn't write without mentioning it. I believe San Salvador is the capital city of El Salvador - is that right? Since you said you would be assigned to the San Salvador West Mission, there must be more than one mission there. You will have a fun Summer, knowing where you are going and having time to golf and get prepared before entering the MTC on August 5th - PaPa's birthday - that makes it even more special. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RUSSELL ON TUESDAY, MAY 5th!!! WOW!!! Is this the big 16th? I really can't believe you are that old but you must be because your Mom says you are going to be driving - I can close my eyes and envision your driveway with cars going in and out 24 hours a day. I'M PROUD OF YOU RUSSELL AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A SUPER, DUPER BIRTHDAY!!!

PATRICE - Thank you SO much for your letter. I am interested in your “home office” - I am SO happy that Roy is building shelves in the closet for it. I LOVE “do it yourselfers” and I always remember hearing Roy say, “let the professionals do it” so I'm happy to hear he is doing some of it himself. He is good at that sort of thing. Is this office going to be where your computer was when I was visiting you? I am also VERY impressed with the garden Roy has planted - (he has started a garden at the county farm, 25 X 50 ft. plot that gets full sun all day). Timothy and Jesse will help, I'm sure and it is SO good for them. There isn't anything better than home grown vegetables.

JOHN AND JULIANNA - thank you SO much for sending me the mail that has been sent to my home there - I know Julianna did it!!! I was especially happy to receive the thank you note from Mimi Woolley - I had sent her an elephant t-shirt way before Christmas and I was worried that she hadn't received it. I surely do take my hat off to Russ and Bev for teaching Mimi the importance of writing thank you notes and she did an excellent job - I have saved it.

BOB - Thank you for your letter this morning. Ellen Mae has written to me and told me that she is still looking for a place for me to live in your area. We can discuss this when you come to see me - I AM SO EXCITED!!!

We don't have our teaching schedule yet and this life is very different from the way it has been. I keep plenty busy and enjoy it more than the hectic way it has been but I know it will get that way again!!! Our party last Monday night was such a big success - we had 25 people - we got the chicken and rice from a restaurant just down the street from the Marriott Hotel. The children and I played Bingo with the game Patrice had sent and they LOVED it. Helen's girls had brought some little trinkets from the USA and they loved them as prizes.

Some teaching friends came home with us from church today because they have to go by train to the place where they are teaching - Thong (sp?) - Marilyn and Rayol Lindsey. We decided to take them to dinner so we went across the street to a Vietnamese Restaurant - we had never been there before. The food was very very good but also very expensive and that is unusual for Bangkok - our bill was 3,000 bahts for the 6 of us and if I figure right that is about $10 per person.

Darlene and I went to the Baby Orphanage that is close by us and held babies one morning last week. WHAT A CLEAN AND SPECIAL PLACE THAT IS. The baby they gave to me was 11 months old and under developed - she was premature - and she was so clean and well cared for. I will go back when I have time - they tell us it really helps the babies to have that special attention.

I went to Ayutthaya on Saturday with Darlene. We went by van this time because we didn't have to go to Lopburi because of our teacher's meeting here on Sunday. The van is much faster and cooler. We taught 19 teachers - next Saturday will be our last time - it is a 10 week course. I don't know if they will give us another assignment or not.

We are going to the zoo in the morning with one of our teachers. I'm really not too excited but everyone says it is something I should see so I am going. I teach every night except for Friday. School will start soon and I will be happy - our supervisor needs to get in touch with us to give us our schedule.

I had a very long letter from Ann Willardsen. She says she is too busy - they are operating dental clinics in Rialto, Coronado and Palm Springs. She said that Jim and Jana (?) have moved to Las Vegas - they think they will get a better start there. They had opened one of the clinics for them so it has put them in a bind.

BOB - One of my roommates is having problems with her ear so she went to the drug store and got some medicine - it is otosporin - and it was 91 bahts. My companion, Helen, would like for you to bring “Ru-Tuss - 2 courses” for her if you possibly can. Don't worry about it if you can't.

Helen is waiting to use the computer so I will close. I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL.

Grandma XXXXXXXOOOOOOOO