February 8, 2002 Farmington, Utah

I'm writing my letter early this week because I am going to Park City this afternoon and won't be home until the first of next week. I never drive my own car so I don't really know what to expect - Margaret plans to stay until Wednesday but she may come home on Monday for a birthday party of one of her grandchildren. I would like to come home then too but she is going to go back to Park City and if that means she would be there alone I would stay.

CONGRATULATIONS TO EMILY - I am SO proud of you!!! Emily came in fourth in the "Math Counts" competition in Central Arkansas. I think that is just wonderful - I have a difficult time relating to anyone who is proficient in math and it is even more special because she enjoys it. Patrice - thank you SO much for sending the pictures of Emily, Timothy and Jesse. I can't believe you have snow in Little Rock - I don't believe our children even had snow clothes when we lived there - we just layered the clothes they had and hoped they stayed warm - Ha!!!

John - Thank you SO much for your phone call. John calls me on his way home from his work and it is SO fun to talk to him and hear the background noise of New York. He told me that Laura had gone to Eagle Mountain to see the torch bearer during the Pony Express relay and that she was going to the opening ceremony rehearsal that night - I heard that it was bitter cold for all those watching it so I hope she survived!!! John wants to come home the last of the month so he can get in on a little of the Olympic atmosphere. Let's get together if he can get home - I'll treat everyone to dinner at the 5-Star Thai restaurant in Roy and we'll use the birthday gift certificates from Bob and Claire to help - OKAY!!!

Annie - thank you for stopping in for a little visit yesterday (Thursday). I appreciate your doing that when you come to Davis High to work with your student teachers because I know how limited your time is. I'm glad to hear that Susanna is feeling better - she surely is in a stressful situation and can't give in to her morning sickness during this last semester of her schooling - WAY TO GO SUSANNA!!! The Woolleys have tickets for the Olympic Hockey Competition tonight and I'm anxious to hear all about that.

Claire - thank you SO much for your many messages and the pictures you took at Park City. Claire went with her parents to look at a condo that her brother is buying into. The condo looked beautiful in the pictures and I know they will LOVE the time they spend there. I just love Park City but I have learned that it isn't a place I would want to live in all the time - most of the people living there have homes other places too.

Jeannie - how is your "Rag Time Quilt" coming. I hope this isn't a surprise for Barji!!! Jeannie brought some material she had bought to make this quilt to show me last Sunday. Since that time I went into a fabric store and saw one on display and it is simply darling - I hope she gets it made in time before their baby comes - Ha!!!

This has been such a fun week. Jessie came to stay overnight with me on Monday night and of course I LOVED that. Her friend boy's sister was in a rehearsal for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and she met him in Salt Lake to see it and then came back here to stay. When I watch the Olympic skiers on television I think about Jessie - she tries to ski once or twice a week and just loves it. When I was in college I used to go skiing on the same slopes where she skis and it is scary to even think about it but I know she must be very good. She used to stay with me very often during her first year at Utah State but I haven't seen a lot of her since that time - she's a doll with LOTS of ambition and talent.

Tuesday night I was invited to sit in the VIP section of the Conference Center to se the "Light of the World" and that was special. My visiting teacher is a member of the Relief Society General Board and she invited me and another widow in the condos to be her guests. I enjoyed seeing many of the General Authorities - Elder Oaks was there with his new wife and I also saw Janet Lee and her fiancé' - fun!!! President Hinckley and President Monson weren't far from us. I ran into Mary Richards - do you remember when she and her husband Dick were in Little Rock and he was Mission President. Their son, Mark, is your age Roy and she asked about you and also wanted to know how "Johnny" was. She hasn't changed very much. Her daughter, Stephanie, was with her and she is just the same - very sweet and has eight children. I believe this production is the best I have ever seen the church put on - it was just magnificent and of course the conference center was full - 21,000 people.

Last night I went to "Snow White" at the Rogers Memorial Theatre here in Centerville with my condo friends. It was very, very good and I am always amazed at all the singing talent - the Queen had a beautiful voice and so did Snow White. I was surprised that they couldn't use the seven dwarf names that we are all familiar with - dopey, happy, bashful etc. They used names like flubber, blubber, etc. and someone told me it was a copyright rule that Disney has.

This is such an exciting time in Utah and I just LOVE it - I have always wanted to be where the action is even though I'm not part of the action. I have been watching the "Today" show and it's funny to hear Katie Couric talk about the terrible snowstorm this morning - she hasn't seen anything yet - Ha!!! When Mitt Romney was interviewed not long ago he said "If we have anything different from bright skies and moderate temperatures for the opening ceremonies I will be disappointed" - I'm afraid he will be disappointed. The weather forecasters are saying the storm will move out this afternoon and I hope they're right because it could prevent some of the competitions from going on - it's too windy for the skiers!!!

President and Mrs. Bush are on their way to Utah and we're all wondering if he will be the one to light the cauldron - they have kept that a secret. Margaret, Roseann Tonehoeve and I tried to get to Antelope Island to see the Olympic torch bearer but they closed the road after too many people had the same idea so we turned around and stopped in Layton to wait for about two hours to see the torch bearer there. We weren't far from Bob's office and he said he went to see it too but the crowd was too heavy for him to take the time to see it - we got there PLENTY early. We had so much fun - it was SO cold and we all had so many clothes on we couldn't move. We put a tarp on a UTA bench to save it and then went to the Pizza place and ordered pizza - Margaret had brought hot chocolate and we laughed and laughed at three old ladies mingling with all the young families (really I'm the only one that's old). I took LOTS of pictures and I believe I got the back of a girl's head instead of the torch bearer - Ha!!! I was SO happy to read in the paper that one of the torch bearers in Orem was my former home teacher, Steve Frisby, and he was also featured on television last night when they honored a young woman who was battling cancer - Steve organized and is helping a group called "Team in Training" that runs marathons to raise money for cancer victims. Steve and his son spoke at Lynn's funeral - I'm sure you remember them. Lynn knew Steve when he didn't know me during the last days of his life - he surely does deserve this honor.