October 24, 1999 Farmington, Utah

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SUSANNA TODAY!!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL 21st birthday and I also hope you're not studying too hard. The pressures you put on yourself to make "A's" in your classes can make life at your age TOO hard. You have always been that way though and I am very proud of you!!! I am wondering what kind of dinner your Mom is preparing for you today because I am certain you will spend your birthday at home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TO PATRICE AND ROY TOMORROW!!! Timothy's birthday was yesterday and I'm thinking you have probably been celebrating birthdays for many days. I hope you got your birthday package in time - they promised me it would take 3-4 days and I mailed it on Monday. I wanted SO MUCH to include some Halloween candy but then I remembered that the children would get more than you want them to have this weekend. I'm proud of all of you too and I hope you have a WONDERFUL day tomorrow and can go out to dinner or something.

I had a such a FUN experience yesterday morning. Annie and Susanna had gone to Logan on Friday to attend Jessie's concert and when Ann called to tell me they were going she said they had to be back in Provo by 9 a.m. on Saturday but they would try to stop at the Layton Hills Mall ZCMI and say hello on their way to Logan on Friday. I watched for them but they didn't come so I knew they had stopped to shop in Salt Lake and didn't have time. WELL - about 9:30 Saturday morning they called and they were at Layton Hills Mall and wanted me to direct them to my condo - they had decided they couldn't make it to Provo by 9 a.m. so they were taking their time. I told them to get on Fairfield Avenue so they did and then I directed them to my condo and they were here in about ten minutes - I couldn't believe it. It reminded me of when John called me from the Woods' driveway in Little Rock I am SO old fashioned and these new technologies just "blow me away" Ann, Susanna and Jessie all stayed together in a motel in Logan and they had such a good time - went to a Mexican restaurant Friday night with Jessie's roommates before going to the concert. They said the concert was WONDERFUL!!! I want to go to one before the year is out - I can go if I know far enough in advance so I can get someone to work for me.

Bob and Claire came over last Sunday night and visited and I LOVED that. Claire brought "Up to date" pictures of Michael, Laura, Brett and Katie for my "gallery" and it makes me happy when I go downstairs and see them on their wall boards. Now I have the Bob and Roy Mellors' children in their "up to date" photos - I laugh when I look at the Woolleys and Weinerts' childrens' photos of about 5-6 years ago. GOTCHA!!!

Jeannie goes to the Temple every Thursday and she calls me from her cell phone on the way so we can have a little visit. The Weinerts are all doing fine and they have invited me to go have some chili with them this afternoon - I LOVE RICK'S CHILI!!! I hate to interfere with my children's Sunday afternoons - you are all SO busy!!!

I haven't heard from John this week - I believe he is in New York. I have thought about Lynn and "my boys" so much lately with the deer and elk hunts going on - you have all stopped going hunting since your Dad died. He had lost a lot of interest in it in his last years too but I will never forget the time you took him on his last elk hunt - I'M SURE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET IT EITHER. I'm SO glad you did that though and even though he was in too much pain to really enjoy the hunt it meant SO MUCH to him. Cheryl called me yesterday morning to tell me that Don is back in the hospital with pneumonia - his elk hunt with his sons just about did him in. She took him on Thursday and then came home to get some sleep and they had just called her to tell her he was worse so she was on her way back to the hospital. She has been very good to keep me informed so I won't call her. I was surprised because the last time I talked to her she told me they were planning a trip to California to visit Bart and his family.

We are having the most gorgeous "Indian Summer" - it has been two years since I have enjoyed the Fall weather and I just LOVE it!!! Two teachers from Thailand have been here for about three weeks and I'm sure they think they have been in heaven - it has just been ideal and when our other Thai friends came in April it rained almost every day. These teachers are staying with some of their friends who live in Brigham City and we are all going to get together tomorrow for lunch in Salt Lake. They have found a Thai restaurant and I'm anxious to go to it because I have REALLY missed good Thai food.

I had my DUP group here on Wednesday and it turned out really good - there were 18 here and they were all comfortably seated. I made two desserts and then my co-hostess brought an almond "puff" and she also brought a delicious drink made with water, lemon extract and citric acid that was excellent. The ladies who come are mostly in their eighties but they are SO sweet and I enjoy them. I took a picture of them and the expressions on their faces are almost funny - I don't believe one of them smiled so I guess it was torture for them - Ha!!!

I went to Jeannies' dentist on Tuesday and for the first time in my entire life he said everything was okay. He took a lot of x-rays and gave me treatments with fancy names and then said to come back in six months. I was relieved because it has been 2 1/2 years since my last dental exam but then I am wondering if dentists just look at your age and decide you're too old to have any big improvements made. I WILL NEVER KNOW I GUESS!!! HA!!!