April 19, 1999 Farmington, Utah

This has been such a busy week and kinda' exciting too!!! Last week when Don and Cheryl said they would meet me at the genealogy library we tried to decide which day would be the best. Cheryl said "I can either go on Monday or Thursday" - I said "Let's go on Monday since I don't know when my friends from Bangkok are coming". I'm sure you have all heard about the shooting that happened there on Thursday so it is a good thing we went on Monday. We were in the very spot where the gunman started his shooting and at that very same time. Don called me right after the shooting came on the news so I watched it on television from beginning to end and I never have done that before - usually I get the news about tragedies like that in the late, late news. It is a very sad thing - two women killed and the security guard besides the gunman. There was a big genealogy conference going on at the time and one of the women was from California and I don't believe she was L.D.S. John - I appreciate your calling me to see if I were in the library or home - that was so thoughtful!!! The last time I was in the library was when Daddy and I took Roy and Patrice - probably right soon after it had opened.

I was thrilled to find so much information on the "Forrest" line when we were there on Monday. Some one is doing a lot of work on that line and the Wilson line because when I checked in the Ward Family History Records I could get to Archibald Forrest in Scotland, in the 1700's but there was no information further than that. I will enjoy doing more genealogy work when I get time.

I had a funny experience on Tuesday. I decided to go to the temple because our Stake President had asked us to do as many endowments as we could last week because of our Stake Conference. I got ready early and just as I was leaving the house, Margaret called and asked if I could go stay in a neighbor's home while they were delivering a bed - the neighbors had gone to a funeral and they wouldn't deliver the bed unless someone was in the house and Margaret had to go to a meeting. Anyway - an hour later I got to the temple only to find that I didn't have my recommend with me. SO - I came home to get it and by then I was hungry so I fixed some lunch and by the time I got back to the temple my day was gone so I stayed all day. I had planned to spend the morning there - Ha!!!

and she was very interesting. Thursday I spent most of the time watching television and ironing. Friday I went again to the Humanitarian Center to teach and Margaret Jost went with me. Saturday I went to Logan with Jeannie and we had such a fun day - it was Utah State Mother and Daughter Weekend. Jeannie had to prepare a breakfast for all the Medallion achiever young women and their leaders so she was at her church from 6 a.m. until she picked me up at 9:30. It was SO fun to be on campus again but it has changed so much I would get lost trying to find my way around now. It was fun to see Jessie and Barji too and I went through their apartment - IT IS DARLING!!! Jean had told me about this about a month ago but then she hadn't said anything so I thought she had forgotten about it. I kinda' thought Annie would come from Provo too but it is a long ways to come for such a short time. We left Logan about 2 o'clock - it was Mary Ann's prom night and Jean wanted to help her get dressed for it. We went through the Alpha Chi house and that was a treat - It is beautiful and I have never been in it. I was President of Alpha Chi on 1946 and we rented an old, old house by the Whittier school way off campus and I spent that Summer in Logan trying to get it ready - my Mother and Father helped me SO much. ANYWAY - I believe they built the new house on campus in 1948.

Saturday night I was watching the Jazz game and decided to go clean up my kitchen since I had been gone most of the day. I heard some water running and at first I thought it was coming from Margaret's condo but I had never heard it before so I ran through my condo trying to find out where it was running. I went downstairs in the furnace room and the rugs by the water heater were all wet. I hurried and turned off the water and CALLED BOB!!! He is SO good and even though I hate to call him he never makes me feel like it is an imposition and I know it is. He came right over and the first thing he did was take the cover off the water softener and the connection to it was making all kinds of noise so we thought that was what it was. I have never had a water softener before and I have NEVER smelled anything worse!!! The salt was all gone and the water in it was black as coal. Bob cleaned all that out but the water kept coming on the floor so he checked under the water heater and it was leaking. Bob spent so much time cleaning up everything and connecting a water hose to the water heater so it could drain and then when he got to his home he called a plumber and he is here now putting in a new water heater - OH ME!!! There are many things I am thankful for about this situation - it didn't do any water damage and I can get it fixed before my company comes. I APPRECIATE BOB SO MUCH - he is going to be sorry I moved here.

Sunday - we had our Stake Conference and it was held in Bountiful at the Regional Activity Center. I didn't even know where it was so I called Rick and he told me and then Margaret called and asked if she could take me. It is held in a huge theatre-like place that the church bought and it is just beautiful. There were over 2,000 people there and the acoustics are so good that you can hear from anywhere in the building - I was impressed!!! My meeting time was 2 - 4 p.m. - they had another Stake Conference in the morning and Elder Boyd Packer was their speaker because they were getting a new Stake President - I wanted to go hear him but I didn't think it was the thing to do. It was a gorgeous day and I was proud of the members who were there instead of playing.

I had an e-mail message from my missionary companion who lives in St. George. Our friend, Lamchuan and her husband and his friend are with her now and they will be with me next week. I will pick them up in Beaver, Utah on Friday morning. I am going to have to go get a map to find out where Beaver is - Ha!!! Chris and Wayne have friends who live in Beaver and they used to visit them and I believe it is a long way from Farmington. It will be fun to have them and I am SO happy that I can now plan for their visit. It has been kinda' hard not knowing when they would be here. I cooked a turkey yesterday thinking they might come in yesterday. I went to a "Saigon Market" in Clearfield and found a mortar and pestle so Lamchuan can make that good Thai carrot salad that I love - they make it with green papayas but I can't get them here. Helen said they have a lot of rice, fish sauce, chilies, etc. with them. I hope you will come and be with them here some if you can. Helen's letter said that Lamchuan's father is a Monk at the Thai Temple in Las Vegas - we didn't know that.