July 9, 2000 Farmington, Utah

This has been such a fun week for me and I hope each one of you has had a happy, fun one too. I'm looking at my calendar and realizing that next Sunday will be Ricky's 21st birthday - I hope he has some kind of celebration in El Salvador because he won't be home for it. It doesn't seem possible that he will soon be home - there have been many changes while he has been gone and it will take him awhile to adjust (maybe ten minutes) - Ha!!!

PATRICE - thank you for your messages. I LOVE to hear about the Arkansas Arts Center Library and your job there. I don't remember too much about it before it was remodeled so I will be excited to visit there when I go to Little Rock again. I think it is GREAT that your boss has lots of exciting ideas for it but I hope you won't have to work too many hours in order to make him happy. I'm proud of you Patrice for being able to work in something for which you have spent many hours preparing and I know you will be a great asset to the library. I'm proud of you too Roy for being such a good "gardener" - I can't imagine, squash, tomatoes, tomatillos (whatever they are), pumpkins, watermelons, etc. Do you have to spray often to control insects, etc.?

I think Emily, Timothy and Jesse are very lucky to have such a good young woman to care for them while their Mom is working - she sounds like a perfect person for them and I'll bet they keep her mighty busy with activities they want to do. This is good experience for her too and she'll learn more than she will at Vassar - Ha!!! I'm sure Boyd and Barji will be at Susanna's wedding and reception - they wouldn't miss it. Our entire family will be together with the exception of Michael so I will plan for a family picture of some kind and then we will get Michael in it someway.

Our Fourth of July was just fabulous and I appreciate SO VERY MUCH the Woolleys' hospitality and Ann's graciousness as she accepted my Thai friends into their home. I have thought about the imposition it was for me to put onto Ann and she was SO sweet about it when I really believe she would have liked to kill me. I have worried about doing something for my Thai teacher friends and it just seemed like everything I planned didn't work out. My big problem was that they wanted to spend time with Ann - I could have brought them to my condo for dinner but that isn't what they wanted to do. Ann's position at BYU was important for them. I thought we would shop for groceries that morning and then get to the Woolleys about 2 o'clock but then I found out the stores where they wanted to shop wouldn't be open on July 4th in the morning so they bought the groceries Monday and I picked them up at 11 a.m. and we were at the Woolleys by 11:30.

Annie had prepared LOTS of American food for the family - hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans, fruit and Jeannie brought a huge and delicious green salad. THEN the Thai friends cooked LOTS of THAI food. They love to cook and besides that they don't like American food. There were about four hours before they would start to cook so Annie spread blankets on her lawn and fixed toasted bagels with all kinds of spreads and juice for us to snack on. THAT WAS SO SWEET ANNIE!!! I took them for a drive up Provo canyon and they LOVED Sundance and took millions of pictures. They also took LOTS of pictures in the Woolleys' home and with everyone there. I forgot my camera - darn it!!! Bob was on call so they couldn't come but Laura, Brett and Katie were with us and everyone kept asking where Michael was. John brought a young woman with whom he works and it was fun to become acquainted with her - she has a little 11 year old son and she brought him too. John brought his famous avocado and fresh corn dip. Susanna and Steve made homemade ice cream - and Ann had cheesecake and we had brownies. WE ALL ATE WAY TOO MUCH BUT IT WAS WONDERFUL. That is an experience my Thai friends will take back to Thailand with them and I LOVE MY SWEET FAMILY FOR MAKING A MEMORY FOR THEM!!!

On Wednesday my friends from Arkansas Days came to visit with me. Do you remember Jim and Mary Nance from Hot Springs? They live in Salt Lake now and their son-in-law, Ross Dredge, brought them here for lunch. I was SO grateful for all the leftovers I brought home from the Woolleys - I still feel guilty about that. I ran to the store and picked up some sandwich meat and rolls and with all the extra food I had a delicious lunch for them. We had SO much fun visiting about all the things we did in Arkansas and especially as we traveled together in the Gulf States Mission.

Thursday I had a "Bridesmaids and Cousins" luncheon for Barji and Susanna. Margaret let me use her membership at Oakridge Country Club so I had it there and I thought it was very nice. I LOVED having all of us together - Jeannie, Barji, Mary Ann, Sarah, Annie, Susanna, Jessie, Lee Anna and Barji's friend Rachel Wheeler, Claire (Laura and Katie were at a camp at BYU) and then Boyd's Mother, and his sisters, Sharon, Rebekah, Elizabeth and Mary. His sister, Julie, couldn't come.

I asked my daughters about a month ago to give me a date to have this luncheon and they said July 6th would be a good day. We didn't have any idea it would be such a BIG day at the Oakridge Country Club. It was the State Amateur Golf Tournament and the parking lot and golf course were completely filled. We got there right in time to see Boyd "tee" off and that was special. I was VERY worried about where the Woolleys would park but by the time I made a fuss about it they had already parked on the street where they were supposed to and met me at the entrance - I get much TOO nervous when I am in charge of things like that (just like my Father)!!! Boyd and his younger brother Danny were involved in the tournament and it was fun to hear about them and then Barji and Jean went with his mother to check on them.

The tournament lasted all week and I have enjoyed watching all the activities out in my backyard. Boyd did very well the first day but after that his lack of practice from being gone from the golf course for two years caught up with him and he was disappointed in his performance. His brother Danny did FABULOUS and I just heard on the sports news that he won this morning and is now the State Amateur Golf Champion. He is only 16 years old and was competing with much older men so I know he is thrilled. I also know that Boyd is thrilled for him. The Summerhays name is famous in Utah for their golfing championships. It has been fun to read the sports articles in the paper - the one this morning told about how Boyd had given Danny his Oklahoma State University Golf Cap for good luck - it worked!!!

GUESS WHERE JOHN IS???? His company has taken some of their employees on an incentive trip (I guess that is what it is called) and they are in Thailand. I wanted to hide in his suitcase. They left on Friday and will be gone for ten days - they will spend about 4 days in Bangkok and then go to Phuket and that part of Thailand. He was going to go see our tailors - Sam and Jesse Gulati - so I asked him to see if they would make me a black blazer. They made me two while I was there and I have loved them. I believe Bob was going to order some things too. I am anxious for him to get back so he can report all about Thailand. THAT IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO GO!!! My Thai friend here suggested that he hire a driver and a van to take him and others around rather than to depend on taxis or busses.

Ellen Mae came over this afternoon and we had fun visiting. She just came home from Lake Powell where she went with her family. Mel has had extensive dental work done and his dentist wouldn't give him permission to go so he stayed home - his mouth wouldn't stop bleeding. I went to a home for a missionary welcome right after church - they served lunch to all the ward members.