January 24, 1999 Farmington, Utah

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CLAIRE ON TUESDAY!!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL day Claire and also a wonderful year ahead. I surely do appreciate all you have done for me while I have been home from Thailand - every day I am made aware of things you have done. I should make you a HUGE Birthday cake!!!

The big news for this letter is the terrible tornado that hit Little Rock on Thursday late afternoon. That was such a shock to me. I hardly ever watch television continually so I didn't turn it on that afternoon. Friday morning when I turned on CNN they were interviewing Pres. Clinton and he expressed concern and sympathy for the people in his home state of Arkansas. When I found out they had had a tornado I hurried to call Patrice - she was very calm as she said, "We're okay". She told me that it had hit mainly in the historical part of Little Rock but there were few fatalities. Roy was on call that night and he hadn't come home yet so she assumed there were many injured taken to the hospitals. She also told me that Beebe was practically blown off the map - that is SO sad!!!

I have watched more coverage of it on television and I have also talked to Chris and then I had a long e-mail from Dorothy telling me about it. I AM SO SORRY!!! Dorothy said many of those huge historical homes had extensive damage and I used to go visiting teaching to a church member's home there and I hope she is okay. She wasn't very active and Chris didn't know anything about her - I couldn't remember her name. Dorothy mentioned that President Clinton was going to be there today and he hoped to find Chelsea's tree house that was in the Governor's mansion yard. I thought that was funny but I understand how the Woods feel about Pres. Clinton - Ha!!!

I will mention the impeachment trial since this letter is also my journal (I hope someone is printing and saving it for me). I have watched more than I really should I guess because I have more time than I have ever had. I have found out how really wishy washy I am. When I listen to Asa Hutchinson I think Pres. Clinton should be convicted and then when I listen to Dale Bumpers I think he shouldn't. I would never ever be a good lawyer but I surely do admire the professionalism I have seen when they have presented their different views. It would be wonderful to have good command of our language like they do - I have a difficult time remembering simple words to express what I am trying to say. This next week should be very interesting. I am betting they will end the trial and dismiss the charges even though they say they won't - it is costing so much money!!! What do you think???

I had such a good time at the Bob Mellor's home last Sunday night. Claire had prepared a delicious dinner and then Michael gave a beautiful Family Home Evening lesson. Laura and Brett played the piano so well and Brett also played his drums for me - next time Katie will have to play for me. Bob and I tried to figure out where my furniture will go in the condo - he had some graph paper to work with. I have decided I won't really know until we get it moved.

I have all my doctor checkups completed except for my eye examination. I couldn't go to my former eye doctor in Provo because he has retired so I will start with a new one here in Layton. I had really good reports - my cholesterol count is 141 which is much better than my last checkup. Annie - the Zocor you have been sending me has done the trick - THANKS SO MUCH. I had another bone density test for the osteoporosis but I won't know for another week how that turned out - I'm hoping the fosamax has worked too. Someone told me there is a new way of treating osteoporosis - inserting something directly into the bones to strengthen them.

I went to lunch with my friend Margaret Jost here in Farmington and then we went for a ride around Centerville and Bountiful. We drove up to the new temple and I couldn't believe how beautiful it is - it is way up in the mountains and it had snowed the night before and I have never seen a more beautiful sight. I had looked forward to working in the temple but Janet Asper who has just received a calling to do that told me there were so many people who wanted to work there that they were restricting their callings to only two years. I will work in genealogy instead - I REALLY need to do that. My very good source of family material on my Father's side was a cousin who lived in Brigham City and I just learned that he died. His name was Don Johnson.

Fourteen of the volunteer teachers who were in Bangkok with me met for lunch yesterday in the "Garden Room" of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was just wonderful to see them again and talk about our experiences. We met at 12:30 and talked in a special room until 4:30. Then Virginia and I shopped at the ZCMI mall (I bought a wind up alarm clock) and then I went with her to her apartment. She lives in Zion Summit which is a huge apartment building right next to where the church is building the new "meeting place" or whatever it is called. They had just started it when we left but they have done a lot - it is scheduled to be finished for conference in April 2000. We had a fun visit.

I hear from quite a few people from Bangkok on the internet and it is so much fun to read their letters. They have all the right words in their sentences but the structure isn't quite right - they like to "practice English" by writing to me and I love to try to help them. That was such a special experience I will NEVER forget and I miss my friends there.

The Weinerts are doing fine - they have finally selected the carpet for their new home. I would not like to have to make all those decisions. Mary Ann and Sarah and a friend dropped by to see me on Friday morning - that is always a treat for me!!! John has been in Canada all week - he called me from Toronto to set up the time for the closing on my Orem home. We will meet tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. to do that. I believe the moving people will move me on Saturday, Jan. 30th - that is a BIG job and I am not looking forward to it one bit. Bob said that he, John and Ann will be there to help me. I will stay in this apartment longer than I had planned because I forgot to give them notice that I was moving. That will be good though because then we won't be in such a big hurry.

Chris Smith called me one night last week. That's the first time I have talked to them since I got back. They travel back and forth between Alabama and Arkansas all the time. I told them Roy & Patrice would be in Gulf Shores in March and they said they expected to be there too. I believe Rick and Linda and their children are planning a trip there during the Arkansas Spring Break in March. Rick and Linda and their children are coming to Utah with Chris and Wayne in June - they are planning a camping trip. Linda Garrett (their daughter) is going to fly out to be with them. That will be a fun time and I know they will want to stay in Scofield.