October 30, 2000 Farmington, Utah

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JESSE ON THURSDAY!!! YOU WILL BE 7 YEARS OLD - WOW!!! It doesn't seem possible that it has been seven years since I went to Little Rock to greet my new little grandson - you were an absolutely beautiful and perfect baby and SO good!!! I have WONDERFUL memories of that visit and remember how Patrice drove me to the airport in a blinding rainstorm with little Jesse in their car and I should have taken a taxi. I HOPE YOU HAVE A VERY HAPPY DAY ON THURSDAY, JESSE.

PATRICE - I was SO happy to receive your letter and I know how busy you all are with all your children's activities as well as work so I appreciate it very much. I laughed and laughed when I read your reaction to the "Halloween Skull" with the death march being played - (Patrice wanted to know how she could thank me enough for that). I am SO happy that I still have little grandchildren so I can send them things like that and when I saw that I just had to get it for Timothy's birthday. I hope it was a HUGE success at your church Halloween carnival - Ha!!!

ANNIE - Thank you SO much for your phone call. I LOVED it and I'm sorry I talked SO long - I miss you. (Annie called to see if I wanted to go to Manti on Saturday for Carol's marriage). Saturday is my temple day and I can get a substitute if I have enough time but it takes many phone calls. Shirley also called - on Friday night to be at her home on Saturday morning by 11 a.m. I get the feeling they think I am sitting at home waiting for their calls so I can jump at the chance to be with them - Ha!!! I have asked Carol Ann to send me their names so I can send them a card. The Woolleys' lives are busy just like all the rest of my family and it thrills me to know you are doing good things and your children are all doing GREAT too - I am proud of all of you.

JOHN - Thank you for all your messages too. When I think of all your traveling and your business challenges and opportunities I am SO glad I am as old as I am and don't have to "keep up". I know you got your abilities and "smart" from your Dad and I'm SO proud of you!!! I hope you will pass out Halloween treats tomorrow night. I LOVED to do that when we lived in Orem and I believe I will have many children come here this year because of all the new homes that have been built close by but last year I only had about five come. Steve Frisby used to come each year with his children and he wore a mask and I never did recognize him. I also remember when my Woolley grandchildren used to come.

CLAIRE - Thank you for all your messages too. I appreciated so much your sharing Bob's e-mail to you with me. Bob said they have done "millions" of surgeries while they have been in Guatemala last week and isn't that WONDERFUL??? When I went to see Dr. Washburn for a checkup on my eye he said, "A week is quite a commitment" and I agree. I told Claire this and she said, "Oh, but Bob just loves it" and I'm SO proud of him. There is an article in the Church News this week about one of Pres. Monson's recent talks and he said "I believe that when you meet your Maker he will not be interested in the positions you have held but rather how many people you have helped" and that is my philosophy too. Thank you too for your reports from Michael - I can relate to all the things he mentions and I LOVE to know about them Missions are fun but they are also "growing challenges" and he is a GREAT missionary and will help many people. I hope they find "Fredrico". I'm surprised his Mission President would check his apartment - that was my job in Montana. I think he is smart to not buy an expensive bicycle - too many poor people who would do anything to steal it and he might get hurt. Eleven hours in church meetings "is a little much". I wonder if the trains he is riding on are like the ones we had in Thailand - the ones there were very, very old and reminded me of the World War 11 trains I have seen in pictures.

JEANNIE - Thank you so much for inviting me to your home last night. I LOVE being in your home and I especially loved seeing Ricky. Ricky's best friend gave his missionary report yesterday so Ricky came home for it. Jeannie said it was a sacrifice to miss Halloween parties at school but he wanted to support his friend. I couldn't help but notice how much Ricky enjoyed his dinner - if I remember right, he used to be quite a "finicky" eater. He said he hasn't gained a lot of weight since coming home but he doesn't want to either. He surely is a handsome young man. Ricky said he sees Russell and Jessie quite often as they run into each other on campus. It was fun to visit with Mary Ann and Sarah too. Mary Ann had been to her school Halloween dance and Sarah will be able to go to them next year when she is 16.

I guess my big news for this letter is that I will be released from my nursery calling. I have been called to be the compassionate service leader in the Relief Society in our ward - that is a big job but I will have an assistant. When they came to see me they told me they already had an assistant for me so I am sure she was asked first to be the leader and I can just hear her saying "I will help someone but I won't be the leader". I am so relieved to be out of the nursery that I would have accepted a janitorial position - Ha!!! I believe I could have enjoyed my nursery calling and actually I was getting quite excited about planning lessons and activities BUT it is really difficult to handle it with the many men who come in with their little children on the pretense of helping them adjust. The gospel doctrine class is over crowded so these fathers come into the nursery to visit with other fathers. The room is much too small anyway and it just causes a lot of confusion - I finally asked them to leave yesterday so they did and they took their children with them. I'm sure they will be happy that I am released. Last Tuesday I went to an educational store and bought many rhythm band instruments for the nursery and then that night a member of the bishopric came to visit with me. I just donated all of them and yesterday when I taught them how to use them they really LOVED it. It's difficult for me to pass up opportunities to teach children rather than just feed them to keep them happy.

I went to the temple three times last week. One of the sisters with whom I have worked in the nursery has been taking the temple readiness lessons with her husband and they finally decided to take out their endowments and asked me to go with them. This is an interesting couple - it is the second marriage for both of them and they each have children from former marriages and then they have one little boy together. They are VERY happy and just darling. Then, on Thursday I substituted for a lady on the late shift and I didn't get home until after 10 p.m. I decided I much prefer my early morning shift even though 4 a.m. comes early - I'm getting used to it. I really LOVE the temple.

My cute condo group waits for me to come home on Saturdays and then we go to Logan for the Utah State game. The weather forecast was for a clearing on Saturday afternoon and we kept reminding each other of that while we were driving in a rainstorm all the way. When we got to the stadium we went to the "Big Blue" place where they sell hot dogs and hamburgers and THE MOST DELICIOUS COOKIES. Big Blue is the name for alumni who donate money for the college. By the time we sat in our seats the rain had stopped and even though our hair was all "messed up" we had so much fun and the game was SUPER - Utah State beat Arkansas State by about two touchdowns. They were ahead by about four touchdowns but the coach put in the second team almost too soon. It was fun to think about Arkansas too and even though I didn't go to Jonesboro often I heard a lot about it - Jeannie went there for cheerleading camps. We left Logan and then stopped in Kaysville at the Arctic Circle and had sundaes, cheeseburgers, corn dogs, etc.

Who do you think will be our next President? I was with friends the other day and they were talking about Democrats and I said "You hadn't better talk like that to my daughter and son-in-law." they couldn't believe I had children who were Democrats - isn't that funny??? I want Bush but it is might close. I LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. Grandma B XXXXXOOOOO