February 24, 2002 Farmington, Utah

Well - the closing ceremonies for the Olympics will be held in about an hour and I want to watch them on television so I'll hurry to write my letter. The article in our newspaper says, "The 2002 Winter Games will end tonight with a massive fireworks display that organizers promise will light up the Wasatch Front. The 4 1/2 minute display at the end of tonight's show will feature eight 24 inch shells, the largest fireworks ever shot off in the United States. A total of 10,000 fireworks will be shot off from 11 locations across four miles of the Wasatch Mountains between the illuminated Olympic rings above downtown to just north of I-80". I will look out my window to the South and be happy I am not in the crowds but I hope some of you will be there. The Olympics have truly been the great success everyone in Utah had hoped they would be and I have just LOVED what I have seen of them.

Roy Mellors - thank you SO much for your card and the darling "Jesse dollar bill". I want to put that some place special because I love that picture!!! I want to come to Little Rock sometime in April when it is convenient for you - if that time happens during the 50th wedding anniversary of Dorothy and Dan that would be fine but it doesn't have to be then. I can come anytime. I appreciate Annie accessing their website and signing their guest book and I hope the rest of you will find time to do that too and if you need that address again let me know. Emily - a young woman played a flute solo in our church meeting this morning and I thought of you - it was just beautiful!!! Timothy - are you going to play ball this Summer?

John - thanks SO much for your phone call. I'm glad you were able to come home for some of the Olympic skiing events and also to see the awards plaza. You sound VERY busy and I'm sure that's the way you like it - I don't believe you are traveling as much as you used to and in these times that's good. New York sounds like a fun place to be now that the Olympics are over - Ha!!!

Annie - thank you SO much for your message. It's wonderful that you were able to go to the Olympic hockey game in Provo and also see the sights in Salt Lake even though it was bitter cold. I have enjoyed seeing the ice sculptures that were done in Provo and I marvel at how they can do that and put so much effort into them just to have them melt and disappear. Jessie - how fun to be able to go to the Olympic ice dancing, speed skating, snow boarding half-pipes, etc., etc. You could really be an Olympic athlete if you set your mind to it - BUT DON'T!!!

Weinerts - thank you SO much for a wonderful evening on Friday. Jeannie has had tickets for "The Light of the World" program at the conference center for many months and she ended up with one extra ticket so she invited me to go with them. I had already seen it but when she told me they wanted to go to the Rice-Eccles Stadium and see the cauldron I definitely decided to go and I am SO glad I did!!! It was just WONDERFUL to see that in person. I didn't take my camera and I was sad about that - Jeannie had her camera but I take better pictures with my own. We saw some of the preparations for the closing ceremony too - huge white balloons and we could hear music so we knew they were practicing for something. I haven't been in that part of Salt Lake for at least fifty years and it was SO special for Rick to take us all around everything AND we were very crowded but comfortable - seven of us in Rick's truck. We parked in the Crossroad's Plaza and had dinner in the food court downstairs and that was so much fun and then we went to the conference center - it was packed and many people stood in line to get standby tickets. WAY TO GO JEANNIE!!! We met Bob and Claire there and they had parked in Bountiful and taken the shuttle into Salt Lake and they were going to walk around in Salt Lake before coming home. We went to Abravenel Hall and saw the spectacular glass decorations - a glass blowing specialist (I don't know if that is what he is called) is in Salt Lake for a month and he has some of his artwork on display. They have a huge yellow "tree-like" ornament in front and Jeannie couldn't take her eyes off it - I told her I expected to see something like that in their front yard sometime - Ha!!! They have a huge red "tree-like" ornament inside the hall. I hope those of you who go into Salt Lake will take the time to go to Abravanel Hall to see them.

I went to the Weinert's ward young women's "New Beginnings" program on Wednesday night and I have never seen such a good program. I have been involved in those programs for many years but I have never seen one that was done in such a way that the young women could relate to as well as that one. Sarah was in the program and did such a GREAT job and I was very proud of her and I was proud of her family too - Rick, Barji and Mary Ann were there to support her. Jeannie is President of the young women in her ward and she gave a WONDERFUL talk and then the girls sang a beautiful song. I kept looking for Jeannie and couldn't find her and about that time I noticed the good piano accompaniment for the song and there she was at the piano. I haven't heard her play for a long time and I am SO happy she is keeping up with that - it was too difficult for any of the young women to play.

I asked my grandchildren the other night if they ever read my weekly letters. Ricky said he read every word while he was on his mission but now he just "skims" it. Barji said she just skims it until she sees if I say anything about her so Barji this if for you - "you are a beautiful pregnant young woman" and I was SO happy to be able to spend an evening with you. I was thrilled to be with Ricky too - I haven't seen him for a long, long time. He loves Logan and doesn't come home very often. He has such a fulfilling job - he tutors fourth and fifth grade students in math, English and science in the Logan Public Schools - I'm proud of you Ricky.

I went to my D.U.P. meeting on Wednesday. I missed my Thailand Missionary Reunion so I was kinda' upset when nine members of the group didn't attend for what I thought were quite flimsy excuses. One of the members belongs to the Weinert's ward and when I told them I was upset they said, "But my word she is almost 90 years old"!!! In church this morning we were told that the Lord will judge us the way we judge others so I am in for some trouble - Ha!!! A couple with whom I served in Bangkok had come from the State of Washington to volunteer for the Olympics and the reunion was especially so we could see them - OH WELL!!! I do have a real problem relating to things like that because I have such good health (I'm knocking on wood) - I can't think of anyone I know who hasn't been ill during the Winter months - Margaret is even ill today. I know my time will come and I hope no one knows about it!!!

Russell - I keep hoping I will find some information on the internet about you from your folks. It's hard for me to believe that your letters are months apart. I know you are doing good though and I hope you and Michael both know you are greatly loved and admired for the great work you are doing. I'm always happy to hear news from Michael which is quite often. It's funny how much closer the world has become for me since you have been on your missions - I scan the paper for news about Madagascar and it seems like there is always something about Italy in the news. I am not snail mailing my letters to Michael anymore since Bob put his e-mail address on my family letter - I feel like I am sending Russell's letter to the dead letter office but maybe someday they will catch up to him.