December 31, 2001 Farmington, Utah

WOW - I will never be able to describe our fabulous Hawaiian Christmas cruise in one letter but I can get started anyway. I had planned to write my weekly letter earlier today but my visiting teacher came and delayed my plans - she said she had missed my birthday and came to bring me a card but she actually had a luncheon that she said was for my birthday a few weeks before the holidays even started - OH WELL!!!

There is absolutely nothing that could have been better - it was more than I could ever have hoped for from beginning to end. Ricky took me to the airport last Sunday morning and I met the Woolleys soon after I got there - when I look back on that morning I have to laugh because it was bitter cold in Utah and I was dressed SO Wintery!!! I depend so much on Ron to take care of all the airline details - it's like I am one of his children and I couldn't do it any other way. He handed me my ticket and then he tied colored ribbons on my suitcase so it would match the ones they had. The security was unbelievable from that point on but I would be the last person in the world to ever complain. One funny thing - a little boy about 9 years old was picked out of the line for a "random" search and he looked so frightened - I guess they have to do it that way. We had a direct flight to Honolulu and just before we landed I changed my turtle neck sweater to a short sleeved one but I still wore my woolen pants and woolen jacket - Ha!!!

Part 2 of 2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BRETT LAST WEDNESDAY - HE IS NOW OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE - WOW!!! - 16 years old and I know he had a very Happy Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LEE ANNA ON SATURDAY - WOW!!! - 18 years old and I know she had a very Happy Birthday too!!! Since my birthday is in between their birthdays we had THREE birthday parties on the cruise ship and we think some of the waitresses may have thought it was a "put up deal" because they gave each one of us a delicious birthday cake to take back to our rooms - Ha!!! Brett asked for a "Sushi" dinner to celebrate his day - Lee Anna chose Italian food.

WOW - I will never be able to describe our fabulous Hawaiian Christmas Cruise in one letter but I can get started anyway. I am still having a difficult time comprehending the cruise - I cannot believe they could actually do something like that. The cruise ship is the largest cruise ship on the Hawaiian waters and it is new within the last three months. Ron told me there was as much under the water as there was on top and that is mind boggling to me - it was just beautiful to see it at night from the shore and I hope the picture Ann took will turn out. There were 13-14 floors and our rooms were all on the 9th floor - they even had "pent rooms" on the top - I guess that is what they are called (like penthouses on top of buildings). Brett, Jimmy and Katie made friends with a young girl who stayed in one of those and they were impressed. Our rooms were VERY nice and the beds SO comfortable. Jessie and I roomed together and I will always remember how much fun that was - she looked SO darling and I looked SO Wintery and OLD!!! I laugh when I think about the clothes I packed - it is SO hard for me to pack for Summer when it is bitter cold in Utah. It was also more casual than I thought it would be and I took a lot of dumb things I didn't even wear - OH WELL!!!

Ricky took me to the airport last Sunday where I met the Woolleys - I have to depend so much on Ron to take care of all the airline details. He handed me my ticket and tied colored ribbons on my suitcase so I would match their suitcases. The security is SO unbelievable but I would be the last one in the world to complain. The Bob Mellors were on a different flight schedule than we were - they left on Saturday afternoon and we didn't leave until Sunday morning. We came home last night (Sunday, the 30th) about 9:30 and they didn't get here until this morning, Monday about 8, I think. I talked to Claire this morning and she said Bob had to work all day today but they had been able to sleep on the plane. She said they enjoyed riding around Honolulu on Sunday until time for their flight which wasn't until 11:30 p.m.

The cruise was what they call "Free Style Cruising" which meant that we could eat wherever we wanted whenever we wanted and to say that was magnificent is to put it mildly. The food was just "out of this world" and we could choose buffet style at several places or we could go to very elaborate restaurants - all different menus. I don't believe you could name some kind of food that I didn't try - they had EVERYTHING except Mexican food and we laughed about that. I usually don't eat breakfasts but I found myself awake by 5 o'clock in the morning because of the time change and I went to the 12th floor about 6:30 and just LOVED every morsel - I usually had figs, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, French toast, smoked salmon and cranberry juice. They had many choices and LOTS of pastries. We most always fixed big green salads for lunch and then added all kinds of other salads, potato, fruit, macaroni, and shrimp and also LOTS of meat and cheese trays. You wouldn't believe their desserts - LOTS of choices and LOTS of different kinds of cakes, pies and fruits. We usually went to the fancier restaurants for dinner - any one of the dinners we went to would cost at least $50.00 for each person at a nice restaurant in Salt Lake. The Roof Restaurant at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building is about $40.00 and it is buffet and not nearly as many choices. I'll just mention a few of the entrees we tried; lobster tail, filet mignon, lamb chops, spinach lasagna, trout filled with crab, prawns etc., etc. They were all four course dinners and I couldn't even pronounce some of the appetizer names but they were all delicious. They also had excellent soups - I had minestrone soup for the Italian dinner for Lee Anna's birthday that was the best I have ever tasted. It is SO funny - we would eat and eat and then go to the Theatre for a program and then go up to the 12th floor for brandied peaches over ice cream.

One thing that I just loved was the Gingerbread Houses they had on the 6th floor and also at the buffet - they were huge and they were on a table with delicious cookies all over the table and I never did see the table when it didn't have cookies all over it. Another thing that was very special was a buffet by the swimming pool where you could choose between chicken or beef burgers and French fries, stir fry vegetables and fresh melons and pineapple. One person cut fruit all day long for people to help themselves. I didn't even miss the diet coke - Ha!!! Actually you could buy it if you wanted to but it cost $1.75 a can so we didn't buy it too often.

Something on the ship was VERY UNBELIEVABLE to me and it was their Theatre. It was huge and the programs that were presented could not possibly be better any place in the world. My favorite was a musical where they sang songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The First Night" - I have never been to one on Broadway but I know the ones on the ship were just as good. I have never heard or watched such talent - singers and dancers, etc., etc. The other programs were equally as good but that was my favorite. They had jugglers, acrobats, magicians, a violinist who was spectacular, etc., etc. They had programs every night so I tried to take a nap so I could enjoy them.

We docked at Kona where we spent a brief time seeing things. Then we were supposed to dock at "The Fanning Islands" but the current was too strong and the Captain decided it was too dangerous to take people off the ship - there were quite a few old people who used canes, crutches, wheel chairs, etc. on the ship. We were kinda' disappointed because those Islands are very primitive. I believe it is a rule that a cruise ship must stop at an international Island in order to get permission to sail on the U.S.A. waters and that is why we were supposed to go to Fanning Island. The Cruise ship delivers all kinds of things to them - educational supplies, food, medicine, etc. There are less than l,500 people on that Island and they don't even have electricity and they live in grass huts. We spent one full day cruising to get there and then just turned around and came back - Ha!!! I LOVED the cruising on the ocean.

We docked at Maui and that has to be one of the highlights for me. Bob and Claire had been there and knew exactly where to go to find a good beach. I didn't take a good thing to wear over my bathing suit so I just wore some pants and shirt which were quite uncomfortable - Bob and Ann took me shopping and that was fun and I found a cute "cover up". When we got to the beach I was SO excited to jump into the ocean so that's what I did. It was quite a shock to find that my legs wouldn't hold me up and I just tumbled into the sand and water - I would have drowned if Bob hadn't come to my rescue!!! I JUST LOVED THAT!!! I played in it until I wore both Bob and Ron out from trying to rescue me and then I decided to face how old I really am. I am still getting sand out of my hair and clothing but it was WONDERFUL and reminded me of the times we used to go to San Diego as a family to play on the beach. Steve did some mighty tricks on a surf board and it is obvious to me he is a professional - it was fun to watch him and he taught Jessie and others how to do it too. Jessie was completely worn out from an afternoon in the ocean.

On Saturday we docked at Kauai. Ron rented a seven passenger van but they squeezed me in and we drove to some beaches where Jimmy, Steve and Ron surfed and snorkeled and Lee Anna, Jessie and Susanna played on the beach and in the water. Ron has been to Kauai many times so he knew exactly where to go. Annie and I went to a little "Holiday Craft Fair" and shopped. Bob, Claire, Laura, Brett and Katie got a taxi to take them all over and then we all met that evening for an Italian Dinner to celebrate Lee Anna's birthday. We got our "wires crossed" and didn't get to spend the day together and we all missed that but it is VERY difficult to manage rides and schedules for all 13 of us.

Christmas Day was very special for all of us. We wanted to have a spiritual time remembering the Birth of Jesus Christ and Annie had brought a video from the church library. They let us have one of their private rooms for an hour and provided us with a television set and a VCR. Bob, Ron and each of us kinda' expressed special feelings we have about the real meaning of Christmas and Jessie had brought her scriptures and she read from Luke. THEN we did such a special thing. Ron had a pop bottle that was clean and dry on the inside so we took a paper and wrote some special thoughts and included our address on it - THEN that night we went to the back of the boat and Jimmy threw it into the ocean. Won't it be fun if someone finds it and writes to us?????

I am SO impressed with my family - wherever you are!!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kindness to me - I have always thought of Christmas as being a magical time and even at 76 it is still magical for me. It was WONDERFUL to come into my condo last night and find little messages and things from John, Laura and Bren which show so much thought and integrity. It was WONDERFUL to get my mail this afternoon and find a darling birthday card and picture from Roy, Patrice, Emily, Timothy and Jesse. Jeannie, Rick and Sarah were SO sweet to come to the airport last night and bring me home. I watched Claire and Annie during the cruise and their major concern was that their children were enjoying every single minute and were well taken care of. I was SO thrilled to hear from Susanna that she and Steve are expecting their first baby the last of July and Susanna was such a doll on the cruise when I could tell she could hardly keep anything on her stomach. THEN, this morning I was SO thrilled to have Barji call me to tell me that she and Boyd are expecting their first baby within two weeks of the Reeves' baby - SO EXCITING!!! I have wanted to be a great grandmother for a long, long time!!!

Claire's message this morning tells me that Michael has been transferred. I will be SO interested in hearing about his new area. He will make it a good one no matter where he is. The Woolleys all talked to Russell on the Saturday before we left for Hawaii - they are a little disappointed that he is not homesick - Ha!!! They feel SO good about him and he is very happy!!! I'm proud of you guys!

I am trying to watch on television the New Years' Celebrations throughout the world so I am sure I have forgotten to tell you many things - I should have kept a journal while I was on the cruise instead of relying on my memory. I will think of John and Laura as they focus in on New York's celebration tonight - John told me he definitely wanted to be in New York on New Year's Eve this year.