August 30, 1999 Farmington, Utah

ANNIE - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR E-MAIL!!! Ann hasn't been "connected" to e-mail for a long time but she is now and I am happy - mostly because "maybe" she will read my letters and "occasionally" she will write to me - anyway, I will feel more connected to the Woolleys. I loved hearing about the activities in their home - Timpview lost their game by 3 points on Friday and it was fun to keep up with them on the news (ordinarily I wouldn't pay much attention but with Russell playing it is fun for me). Larry King did some of the broadcasting and they had pictures of him on the news. I plan to go to some of their games - the traffic going South is horrendous!!!

I went to see the Bob Mellors for a few minutes last night and as I was driving into their home I passed Bob on his way to church meetings - he looked like he hadn't had any sleep for a long time - he said he had been to the hospital. Claire was also at meetings so I visited with Laura, Brett and Michael - they all start school today so they were excited. I had been over there during the week and Claire and Brett were involved in making two BEAUTIFUL quilts for the Kosovo Relief program. Brett had about a dozen of his Boy Scouts over on Saturday to tie them and they were finished yesterday - I believe it is his Eagle Scout Project. They are VERY WONDERFUL - so perfect for that country and I am VERY PROUD of them!!! I didn't see Katie but I'm sure she was there - I was anxious to get home because there is construction EVERYWHERE!!!

I believe Jessie and Barji are back in their apartments in Logan to start school today - WHAT A FUN AND EXCITING TIME IN THEIR LIVES!!! Susanna is at the BYU for a hard, hard Semester and I know it will pay off but I hate to think of her working SO hard - she is SO conscientious!!! I think about Emily starting a new school - middle school - and that is always scary and she also is VERY conscientious and I am wondering how Jesse likes his "big" school. Jimmy is also at a new school - WOW - my grandchildren are "marching on"!!!

I know you hear a lot about my neighbor, Margaret. WELL - her sister, Jeanne, who was such a close friend of Lela has been here to visit and I have enjoyed her very much. Ellen Mae and I organized a luncheon for her on Tuesday - it was at Oakridge Country Club and we had invited four friends from Provo to come. We were all Alpha Chips at Utah State over fifty years ago and we had such a good time visiting about "old times". She had remembered so many things about Lela that I had forgotten - Lela had the lead in the Senior Class Play but she became too ill to do it so Jeanne took her place. I didn't remember that and many other things. She told everyone that Lela was the sweetest friend she has ever had. She and her husband went to Sun Valley with their children during the week and came home yesterday and she came to visit last night. They live in Chicago now. She met Mary Ann when she was with Matt who is her nephew for a party last Sunday and she was VERY impressed with her.

I went to a stake church party on Friday night and it was FABULOUS. The theme was the "King Cruise" and I have never been to a better planned church party. Our Stake President's last name is King and it sorta' honors him. They served "haystacks" and they had the toppings on each table so it went very fast and the program was delightful - different church members impersonated Dean Martin, Sonny and Cher and Garth Brooks - a lot of talent!!! Excellent attendance!!!

Margaret invited me to go to Park City with her on Saturday to attend the Utah Symphony Orchestra Concert on the mountain in Deer Valley. There were ten of us and it was just spectacular - I have heard them before for short accompaniments but never for a complete concert and I LOVED IT. I was thrilled to hear the dual pianos play so beautifully and then a featured violinist. They ended with that 1812 (I think that's right) Overture and had cannons shot off. We were all quite concerned because it was cloudy so we all bought umbrellas - as it turned out it thundered and rained a little and there was a lot of lightning but no one left. Margaret always brings fancy goblets and serves that non-alcoholic carbonated fruit drink and it makes it SO festive. We all spent the night in her condo - that is SO nice - and then we came home yesterday afternoon.

I have heard some sad news this week. You all have heard me talk about my friends Barbara and Kevin Sondrup who now live in Georgia. He is an executive with UPS. Roy and Patrice - do you remember when Barbara and her daughter stopped to see me when I was with you several years ago? They were pulling a U-haul to take furniture to Utah. WELL - Kevin has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and not given very long to live. His father died with that when he was about Kevin's age - 55 years old. They came to Utah to have the surgery at the University of Utah Medical Center - they have a lot of family here and their daughter Nicole was expecting a baby this week (she had a little baby girl on Friday).

I am going to start a new experience this afternoon. You all know that I have wanted to work at ZCMI since Daddy died - I really would like to be a greeter at WalMart but Bob said I would have to go to South Salt Lake to do that - Ha!!! I went to apply at ZCMI on Thursday and they said they would call me if they could use me - they called on Friday and offered me a job in customer service. They said I could work "on the floor" if I wanted but they really needed maturity in this place. I don't know what I will be doing - they asked if I could use the computer and work with money so I may end up on the floor - Ha!!! I believe I will have to manage the clerk's cashier's boxes during the day and answer the phone and things like that. I said I only wanted to work part time - this week I will work every day except Friday and Saturday but just a few hours each day. I think it will be fun and I know I will enjoy having something like this to do - a complete change for me. I tell people it is "in my genes". When my Father retired after 30 years in the Post Office he first worked as an usher at one of the movie theatres in Brigham City and then later sold houses for a housing development - I have friends now who bought homes from him.

I' M LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR REUNION ON SATURDAY. I have been on the phone a lot with families giving me the numbers we could expect for the dinner. I gave Bob the final count last week and then last night Shirley called and asked if she could bring two more - it will be very interesting to see how this all turns out. Bob has worked SO hard trying to get this organized and I will be the first to nominate the "Pinegars" to do it next year. JOHN - HOW ARE THE SHIRTS COMING???