Dearest Family, June 21, 1998

I ACCESSED THE PICTURE OF MICHAEL AND IT IS WONDERFUL!!! I loved his picture and I also loved seeing him in your kitchen with all the familiar things in the background - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

We had Stake Conference this morning and our visiting authority was Bro. Kofford and he brought his wife. She started her talk by saying “Today is Father's Day” and I was shocked. I am having a difficult time keeping up with everything and especially all the American Holidays. I HOPE ALL THE WONDERFUL FATHERS AND FATHERS TO BE IN MY FAMILY ARE HAVING A VERY HAPPY DAY - I AM VERY PROUD OF ALL OF YOU. I also hope that someone has time to put a “posy” on PaPa's grave - he will understand if you don't though. I will make up for lost time when I get home. Our conference was SO VERY GOOD and Helen and I were thrilled to pieces to see Nurack and his entire family from Lopburi there. I hurried to go get President and Sister Goodman so they could meet them. They haven't been to any of the other conferences here since I have been here. They asked me when my son was coming - Ha!!! Their darling daughter, “Aw”, was there and I told her that when Ann, Jessie and Barji come I will call her so she can come over for a good spaghetti dinner with them - their other daughter “Air” just came home from Japan where she has been an exchange student and she will come too. That is such a special, special family. Their son “Oat” was here today also and he is such a good looking young man - he has a girl friend who comes with him.

Yesterday was a fun, fun day. Our teachers came for us at 11 o'clock and guess where they took us??? THE WEEKEND MARKET!!! I must tell you this - the teacher who drives has a new Mercedes Benz so she has a red license plate which means that she can't drive at night because of the theft problem here with new cars. She didn't dare drive her car to the weekend market so she hired a taxi to take us. They had another teacher friend who has a vendor place at the market and she met us and took us to some special places. All I could think of was the day Bob, Claire and Michael went with me - I will NEVER forget that day because of the rain and the big, big bugs!!! I bought a brown blouse yesterday to go with one of my skirts and I also bought a Chinese necklace that is really different and a conversation piece. It is made with little round wooden pieces that have pictures of Chinese men and women on them and they are covered with a plastic or glass. I was thrilled with it until we ran into some other friends (Noi, the man who was going to take the Bobs to Hua Hin) and he told me that those little wooden pictures are put in the bottom of whiskey bottles to help mix up the whiskey when it is shaken - NOW IT IS REALLY A CONVERSATION PIECE!!!

They took us to a restaurant in the market for lunch - I thought about what Bob said “Mom, you have adjusted to the Thai culture more than you realize”. I guess I wouldn't have dared to eat there when we first came but yesterday I thought it was delicious. We shopped for about three hours and I was SO tired and then they wanted to take us to their family “HOMES”. I couldn't believe it.

First we went to a big temple that is just gorgeous with many surrounding buildings and they showed us the plaque and picture that showed it had been built by our teacher's in-laws. WELL - next to this temple is a complex of lovely, lovely homes and that is where the in-laws all live. They are very, very wealthy and their homes are along a khlong (canal) but it is a clean one. We were ushered to the patios out by the khlongs and served refreshments and then other relatives started to come. Two of their relatives were educated in the United States - he received his PhD in Oklahoma and she received hers in New York - they are working in the Ministry of Education here in Bangkok now. They were very interested in what we are doing and told us to be sure to express their appreciation to the United States for our willingness to help them.

Then, we went to the home of our host teacher. She had a lot where her in-laws live but chose to build her own home (just like in our country, Ha!) Her home is also gorgeous but it is not by a khlong. Her husband brought out a famous Thai magazine and our teacher's picture is on the cover - she really is a beautiful woman and I can't figure out why she is teaching school.

Then we went to her family's estate - they have homes for everyone in their family right close to each other and then they have a large apartment complex which is managed by one of her brothers-in-law. It was like a big family reunion - they had all kinds of Thai foods and they had us make our own “papaya salad” so we could put as many chili peppers in it as we wanted to. As usual, I ate and ate - Michael they had fried chicken legs!!!

Then we went to one of her sister's homes right next to where they were serving dinner and it was SO beautiful and she and her husband were so gracious - their ten year old son was playing computer games and their little 7 month old baby girl made me homesick for my grandchildren. I admired their “cloisonné” jars so they got them out of their cabinet and wrapped them up for us to bring home. I am still embarrassed about that but Helen isn't - she is willing to take anything anyone will give to us, including help of any kind. That is very hard for me. Will someone tell me what cloisonné means? I call them that but I'm not sure that is what they are.

Now - back to the time when Bob, Claire and Michael were here. I am going to start when they came home from Phuket because I believe that is where my Friday letter was.

They came home from Phuket Friday afternoon - they caught an earlier flight and I was SO thrilled. They had a WONDERFUL TIME and they even went scuba diving. They went on a big boat and Claire got seasick but she got over it soon. It was Michael's first time to go scuba diving and I think he was very brave to do it. Bob and Michael and I “walked” to a good shopping place - Michael thought it was kinda' like the Weekend Market except it wasn't raining and there weren't any big bugs. Then they all came to my apartment for cashew chicken dinner.

Saturday we went on a tour with “Tour East” to the floating market and I thought it was EXCELLENT and I think they had a good time too. They picked us up at the hotel at 6:15 and took us to the Sheraton Hotel where we got on very nice air conditioned buses. It is about two hours away from Bangkok and we stopped many times on the way to see different things. We stopped at a coconut place where they showed us how to make coconut candy and Bob bought some and he also bought some coconut which I LOVE. They have markets at all these places and it is fun to shop. When we got to the floating market we got on a “long tailed” boat which took us along the khlong and it was very interesting to see how people really live there - they do their laundry, bathe, wash their hair, wash their dogs, wash their kitchen utensils, etc. and Michael and I even saw a woman drinking from the khlong. The floating market is one of the most interesting things in Bangkok. Claire and I “got took” - Ha!!! We paid 100 bahts to go a few feet in a boat where we could see all the fruits and vegetables and before we got out he asked for an additional 20 bahts for a tip.

Then we went to a Thai Village where we had lunch in the Rose Garden. It was all Thai food but I loved it. We went to the “show” there where they had Thai dancers, sword fighters, a demonstration of a Thai wedding and a monk ordination, boxing, etc. Michael and Claire rode elephants a short distance.

Then we went to a wood carving factory. I wish I had gone there when we first came to Thailand - I have never been there before and they have such nice quality things there - Bob bought a beautiful hand carved elephant. They use rosewood and teakwood and I have never seen such beautiful work.

Sunday, we went to church in the Asoke Chapel. Many of the American people have gone home for a couple months because the International School here has a holiday. I was happy our regular teacher was still here because I love to hear him talk - he is from Australia and talks just like Crocodile Dundee. Bob and Claire were impressed with the people in the church who are working here. We have people here from all over Asia and it makes it so interesting. We were invited to go to a “Jim Thompson” silk sale at the Queen Siriket Convention Hall but we didn't want to go on the Sabbath so we stayed at home and Bob helped Helen and me with our computer stuff. About 5 p.m. some friends from Channel 9 came and brought dinner for all of us - they had asked if they could take us to dinner and I said we didn't buy things on Sunday. “Nut” is an executive with Channel 9 and she and her staff have been here many times for different things and they wanted to meet my family. Michael and Claire were VERY WORRIED they would have to eat weird things so they ate first and then came to visit. They brought Vietnamese food and it was kinda' weird but they also brought pizza from Pizza Hut - Ha!!! That is such a nice group of people and we had a wonderful time visiting with them. Bob - I was SO proud of you for making English conversation with them - that's really why they come to our apartment and it is good for them to hear people other than the four of us. THANK YOU.

Monday was their last day here so I asked my roommates for a suggestion of what to do - I had to teach until about 4 p.m. They all suggested that I take them on a river dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya river. We got a taxi to take us to the “Yok Yo” restaurant and it took us about an hour to get there - the traffic here is just terrible. We got to the river about 6 p.m. and the cruise wasn't going to start until 8:30. It was so very, very hot and they hadn't packed and they had to get up at 3:30 a.m. to leave the hotel for the airport so we decided to walk around the river area and then go back to the Marriott. I AM SO GLAD WE DECIDED TO DO THAT. I had never seen the exercise room and pool at the hotel. Bob had mentioned that the pool was a “lap pool” so I thought it was like a wading pool - it is just beautiful and I have never seen water clear to the top of a pool like that. They also have water jets like a Jacuzzi. Claire and Michael exercised in the exercise room and Bob swam and I could watch all of them and it was SO fun.

Then Bob took all of us to the Chinese Restaurant in the hotel and the food there is “OUT OF THIS WORLD”!!! I have never seen lobster served like that and it was such a treat. I brought a fried rice “doggy bag” home with me and I ate that for several days. Bob walked home with me and he has taught me a “neat trick”. We get a motorcycle as a taxi to bring us about 6 blocks to my apartment and it is WONDERFUL. Bob - I have done that twice since you left and the last time I got a woman motorcycle driver.

Bob - I can answer some of your questions. Saturday night after the Weekend Market shopping trip Michael and I ate at McDonalds - you and Claire weren't hungry. I also hope you mentioned in your journal about the flooded streets and the elephant we saw several times on the street to my apartment when you walked home with me. Also - the Sho-Gun restaurant was in the “Dusit Thani” Hotel and that is quite famous here. I hope I didn't eat anything on Sunday night - do you remember I ate a full order of potatoes at T.G.I. Fridays??? You did not hurt my feelings about not wanting to go on the river cruise- it would have been much worse if you had gone and not enjoyed it.

Claire - I can't imagine anyone being interested in my photo albums but you are welcome to show them to anyone who is - I would be flattered if people want to look at them.

Weinerts - Ricky, I am SO proud of you for going to the temple. You are really going to be ready for your mission. I can't even think about not being there for your farewell or seeing you off at the airport. I think about you all the time when I see the missionaries here. I met a young Elder today, Elder Cella, from Layton and I could tell he is homesick for his grandmother - he kept holding my hand. I wish he could have talked to my Layton family when they were here. El Salvador will be a MARVELOUS mission and you will love it!!!

Brett - thank you for your message. It was fun to hear that you and Jimmy had such a good time at soccer camp - I hope you will always be pals.

THIS IS MUCH TOO LONG OF A LETTER. I know you won't read it but I want it for my journal. I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL. Grandma Bxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooo