June 24, 2001 Farmington, Utah

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MICHAEL ON TUESDAY, JUNE 26TH, AND TO BARJI ON SATURDAY, JUNE 30TH!!! Michael will be 20 years old and Barji will be 21. I'm thinking that some of the missionaries or members will make Michael a birthday cake if they know it is his birthday and since Barji is home I'm SURE someone will bake her a cake. I love to look at my pictures and see the times when you were both little and it's hard to think how much time has gone by but I'm surely proud of you and hope you have WONDERFUL birthdays!!!

John - it has been WONDERFUL to hear from you several times this week. He called me one day and I could hear a lot of background noise - when I asked him what it was, he said he had been in traffic and had gone about five miles in thirty minutes - reminded me of Thailand. I'm SO excited that you plan to be here to be with the family to go to Sundance and see "Funny Girl" - that will be so much fun and we all appreciate the effort Jeannie has made to organize it and get the tickets. We will get together for the "Fourth" too and I wish you could be here for that.

Emily - I'm SO looking forward to your visit and I know you will want mostly to be with your cousins but when they are involved in things I hope we can spend some time together - maybe go to the movies or something. I'm sure we will be hearing from your Mom soon about your travel plans. Jesse - thank you SO much for writing to me about your activities in the Arkansas Jr. Arts Academy. I'm kinda' surprised that you aren't interested in drama - you would be a "natural" for that. Are you going to play ball this Summer? I know Timothy loves to play ball.

Michael - your Mom shared some news from your letters with me and it sounds like you are doing an excellent job. You will be getting a new Mission President this next month won't you? You will probably stay in Parma for a little while longer while he gets "squared away" in his new calling. It will be fun for you to tell us about him.

Russell - Your Mom told me that you are a very happy missionary and anxious to get to Madagascar and start your mission. It will be a great experience for you to be a leader among your companions - you have SO much to offer!!!

It is definitely Summer in Utah - it is HOT and dry. The condo swimming pool is really being used and the golfers don't know it is hot so the golf course is filled with golfers just about all day - it's fun to watch them. It was fun to have Jeannie, Rick, Ricky and Sarah come over last Sunday and they came when the sun had gone down behind the trees so we sat out side to visit and it was SO pretty except I hadn't cleaned my patio and it was very dirty with things the wind had blown in. Bob and Claire came over one night too and of course I loved that - I want Brett to come over sometime and explain "his" video of Guatemala to me.

I had a phone call from Annie on Tuesday morning while I was swimming and she left a message saying she was coming to Layton to pick up Jimmy and would stop by to visit for a little while. WELL - whenever she comes she has one eye on her watch explaining that she has to be someplace within a few minutes. She came about 1 o'clock in the afternoon and we visited and then she called Jeannie and she came over and then Margaret came over and we stayed outside until we got too hot. It was about 4 o'clock when we came into the house and Jean had to go home shortly after that but Ann stayed to visit. I JUST LOVED IT. She stayed until about 5 o'clock and then went to Jean's home to see her new rug and then to see Claire and get Jimmy. I wish she could do that more often and Claire, Jean and I could show her where we go for lunch - TASTIES!!!

I went to a "Health Seminar" with Ellen Mae on Tuesday that has to be one of the strangest things I have ever heard about. It was sponsored by a company called "Fit For Life" or something like that and they demonstrated liquid calcium, magnesium and then all kinds of "oils" that are supposed to help with certain ailments. It lasted almost two hours and the man in charge was very well informed and explained everything but I guess I am too much of a skeptic. They had all kinds of printed material to hand out so it must be successful - I believe it originated in Idaho.

I went to the Layton Amphitheatre Park program last Monday night and it was very, very good. My condo friends, Patt and Darrell Guthrie, and Margaret have season tickets so we had reserved seats and it was a beautiful evening and very cool. Roy Clark was the entertainer and of course I love country music so I really enjoyed it. Do any of you remember him? He was on "Hee Haw" for a long time. He's 66 years old so his voice isn't as good as it used to be but he also plays the violin and other string instruments.

I went to the Rogers Memorial Theatre last night with Margaret to see "1776" and I couldn't believe how good it was. The theatre is all done on a volunteer basis and they are financially struggling for maintenance costs like lighting, costumes, etc. so they had a buffet dinner last night for dignitaries and potential donors. Margaret and her family have kept them "afloat" for many years and it's an excellent thing to do for the community. Bob - one of the players in it works at the Davis Medical Center and he knows you. I can't remember his name but I'll show you the program when you come over sometime. Everyone in the program is musically talented and I am just amazed at how good their programs are. 1776 is really a lesson in history and I found out how much I don't know - John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin were the main characters and they were EXCELLENT.