April 29, 2001 Farmington, Utah

I have put the video "Leave It To Beaver" on for Lamchuan to watch while I write this letter - she is laughing so it must be good. I got that for when Timothy and Jesse visit - I remember how much my boys liked it when they were their ages. I have been waiting to hear from Lamchuan all during the month of April and finally decided she had changed her mind about coming to Utah. I received a phone call at 1 o'clock this morning from a friend of hers who could speak good English asking me if I could pick her up at the Greyhound bus station in Salt Lake at 5 o'clock tonight. It is SO good to see her but it worries me that she had to spend almost $200 to come spend a few days here. She said it cost $45 for her trip from L.A. to Salt Lake but when we got her ticket to return on Friday it was $90. She says the baht exchange is 45 now and it was 30 while I was in Bangkok so she will have to work for a month to earn enough money to come to Utah.

I have done a little work in my flower gardens and I decided that John's yard was REALLY in need of some weeding. The big tree at the side of his home in Orem has a wonderful vine that is beautiful all year round if it gets cut short in the Spring so since I didn't have anything to do on Friday I decided to make a trip to Orem to trim it. John had called me on Friday night and I wanted to meet him to give him some "landscaping tips" - Ha!!! It was fun to see him and Laura there but he wouldn't let me do any gardening - he has hired some gardeners (I believe they are Mexicans) to get his yard in shape for Summer. They are going to plant some lawn seed in the backyard. I have kinda' felt responsible for his home but I won't anymore - I'm sure he has everything under control. Susanna and Steve passed me on the freeway as I was coming home - I believe Steve had graduated that morning from BYU. Congratulations again!!!

Ann, Susanna, Jean and I went to West Jordan for Mel and Paula Packs' daughter's wedding reception on Thursday night. It was so very nice - it was held in their former church cultural hall. I thought it was going to be in their church where they live now so I led Jeannie on a "merry goose chase" but we finally made it. I have a lot of respect for that family - they have accomplished A LOT. It was fun to have Susanna with us!!! Carolyn and Gerald Perkes were there also and we had a good visit. I haven't seen them for a long, long time.

They are going to do some work on our roads in the village tomorrow and we won't be able to drive on them for two days. Normally I would just leave my car in the garage and stay home for two days but I won't want to do that with Lamchuan here so I will take the car "someplace" and just leave it and then walk to it when we want to go someplace.

I got home from the temple on Saturday about noon and then wanted to go to Brett's soccer game but I couldn't find it. I had planned to go to the temple in the afternoon with a neighbor friend so I couldn't have stayed long anyway. There were three wedding receptions in our ward that night - one in Layton at the Chantilly Mansion and the other two at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake. Margaret and two other condo friends and I went to the temple about 2 o'clock and then started making the "rounds" for the receptions and we had such a lot of fun. One of the ones in the JSMB was very elaborate with a huge buffet of all kinds of foods - even sushi!!! They had a "boom box" with loud music and the adults danced with the little children - there were many children there and it was fun. Margaret went to get her car and left Pat and me waiting at the door of the JSMB and all of a sudden I heard "Grandma" and there was Mary Ann with her prom date. They had eaten dinner on the roof top of the building and were on their way to the Capitol rotunda for their prom. They had stopped by my condo on their way to their prom and I wasn't there so I was THRILLED to run into them. Mary Ann was beautiful in her dress and her date was handsome. Laura and her date went to that prom too but I didn't get to see them - I know some of you received the picture of her and she was beautiful too. I'M SO PROUD OF MY BEAUTIFUL GRANDDAUGHTERS and LOVE to see them in their beautiful dresses.