April 18, 2002 Farmington, Utah

I got home last night from a WONDERFUL 5 days in Little Rock and I hope I can remember everything to write about in my letter. First of all I want to thank John for buying my plane tickets for me and making all the arrangements to make it SO easy for me and I appreciate it so very, very much!!! I have never had an airline flight go so smoothly and I want to thank Claire for taking me to the airport and showing me how to use a "skycap" so I could go directly to the gate where I just stayed until time for the plane to leave. Patrice did the same thing for me in Little Rock and she had to park and go inside the airport to get me settled before she went to work and that was SO nice!!! I am really a very brave person but I have never been comfortable in flying and getting around in places like airports - I think it is very confusing!!!

Roy, Timothy and Jesse met me in Little Rock on Friday night and I was SO thrilled. When I saw Timothy and Jesse it reminded me of the time I saw them when they got off the roller coaster at Lagoon - they have these special expressions on their faces that I LOVE!!! The airport in Little Rock has changed SO much and it is beautiful - they have built one entire addition onto it. Roy kept saying, "our weather has turned so hot" but to me it was very comfortable.

I must tell you about an experience I had on the plane just before it landed in Little Rock. There was a man sitting right next to me in the plane and he was watching a movie on a computer and I had never seen anything like that before. As he closed it, I said to him "can you just put a video on your computer?" and he told me it was a DVD. Then I asked him if he lived in Little Rock and he said that he really lived in Utah but was going to Little Rock to hold some "football coach conferences". I was reading the book "The Other Side of Heaven" and he asked me if I knew they were making a movie about that and it would be shown internationally. That made me think he might be a member of the L.D.S. church so I asked him and he said he was so I told him I wasn't sure it would be accepted by people who were not members and we talked about that. He asked if I lived in Little Rock and I told him about Roy and Patrice and their family and how they had attended Brown University but wanted to live in Little Rock where Roy had grown up. He told me one of his best "coach" friends also coached at Brown and he also had a friend who coached football in Arkansas so I asked him where he coached in Provo and when he said BYU, a light came on in my brain and I asked him his name. He was Gary Crowton, the head football coach at BYU. I wish we could have had longer to talk - he is such a nice, nice man. He told me that his wife had given birth to their 7th child right after the Olympics and they had attended the opening exercises. I did have the presence of mind to tell him we were very happy to have him at BYU. I had spent most of the flight talking to a young woman who was going to Little Rock to attend a wedding of one of her friends and she was SO excited - she had lived in L.R. a few years ago and moved to Ohio and wanted to move back.

When we drove up to Roy and Patrices' home I could tell the azaleas were in bloom and I was SO happy. Patrice and Emily were attending something at Emily's school and didn't get home until after I had gone to bed. Their guest room is just fabulous and I am always SO comfortable when I go there - it is on the other side of their home from their bedrooms so I don't worry about awakening them if I turn on the television or use the phone. It is THE perfect room for Emily and I know she would love to have it when it is the right time. Sammie was there to greet me too and she is really the best dog I have ever been around and they all love each other.

Saturday morning I spent with the family out in their WONDERFUL back yard. I hope my pictures turn out so you can see all they are involved in in their yard. They have a lettuce garden that is "out of this world" with every kind of lettuce and it is absolutely delicious - I could just stay out there and "graze". Patrice went out every day I was there to pick fresh greens for salads. They also have an "herb" garden and I thought how smart because just a week ago I had bought a little sprig of thyme for about $2.00 and it wasn't nearly as good as their thyme and they also have cilantro, sage, parsley and all the other herbs. Patrice told me that Roy had designed the gardens and they have special soaker hoses to keep them moist and then they have glass covers for Winter. I was just amazed that Sammie is out there all the time but they have trained him to not disturb the gardens. They also have a "soccer field" and a "basketball court", a fireplace (portable and otherwise) and a deck for entertaining. They have a great barbecue "spit" where Roy cooked some chickens on Sunday. With all of this they also have gorgeous azaleas and dogwood that were in full bloom and it was like the garden of Eden. Roy is SO much like his Dad and I know that Patrice is the "masterminder"!!!

Saturday afternoon Roy and I went to Dorothy and Dan Woods' 50th wedding anniversary open house and I just simply cannot describe all the emotions I felt for the three hours we were there. We drove into the parking lot of the "Fellowship Bible Church" in the Western part of Little Rock and David Bass and other Bass family members drove in about the same time. The 18 years of our lives in Little Rock flashed through my mind and it was like we had never moved away. I believe you all know that Donald Bass is VERY ill (David says he isn't expected to live much longer) so he wasn't able to attend but his wife and young son came and I was very impressed with them. Her name is Betty and she is very pretty and their son is very nice. David called Donald and gave me the phone so I could talk to him but I didn't talk to him long. I know you all remember Roy Jr. - his wife Betty and their three daughters came and they are all just darling. Roy Jr. passed away about 5 years ago I believe. They had come from Arkadelphia and we took pictures of them. They told me that John Robert's first wife had been to the open house with some of their children and she is so pretty and doing good - John Robert has remarried and lives with his wife and 13 year old daughter in Otter Creek.

I LOVED seeing Carol and her husband Rich and their adorable little children - Haven and Jack. Carol is beautiful and so very sweet and we talked and talked about how she and John used to play all day long every day until they were in Junior High. They like living in Arizona and she told me that she used to work with quite a few L.D.S. attorneys when she worked with a group in Phoenix. Rich is managing a health thing for a big company in Arizona - I had never met him but I like him very much. Dana and Nick and their children were also there and they are doing good - their home is on a large piece of property where they have goats, chickens and grow their own vegetables. Terry is still the same - a very sweet friend who still spends most of her time training her five Eskimo dogs. The three daughters put on the open house and they did a GREAT job!!! Terry especially has spent many months working on e-mail messages as well as letters to Dorothy and Dan from their friends.

It was just marvelous being at the open house with Roy - more people knew him than they did me and they were all SO happy to have him there. Then we went to Roy and Patrices' Unitarian Church annual fund raising dinner and it was SO elegant. It was just for adults and Patrice wore a beautiful dress - I wish I had taken a picture of her in it. It was velvet and see through net - navy blue. Roy was in charge of the loud speaker system and did a great job. We had to get there a little earlier than the other guests so I got to visit with some of the people preparing the food for the dinner and that was fun. The "chef" who was a member of their church is in the restaurant business and he prepared two of the most delicious casseroles I have ever eaten - one had chicken and broccoli and the other one was vegetarian. Timothy was one of the servers and I was so proud of him. They put on a skit and there was so much enthusiasm in everyone participating as well as the audience and it was hilarious and fun. There were about 200 people there and I believe everyone of them came to tell me how much they love and appreciate my family in their church.

Sunday was such a special, special day. Roy had made arrangements to take his Sunday School class to the Mormon church on Rodney Parham where we spent the greater part of each week for 18 years - 1964 - 1982. I was SO proud of Roy - he did everything right. He called Bishop Andrews early in the week to ask permission to visit so he met us in the chapel and explained the sacrament to the visitors. Roys' class members were wonderful young people - so polite and attentive and they also had two adult leaders with them. We all met in the parking lot of the Unitarian Church and Roy introduced me by saying "I flew in a real live Mormon" to go with us. I was SO pleased with the services in our church - they saw a baby being blessed, the sacrament, a youth speaker (Joy Geisler's grandson), and the high councilman did a good job even though he was quite new in his calling. I learned from Chris Jordin that he is married to Susan Bohn - do you remember her? She was on a trip with her husband and little boy right after we moved from Little Rock and they had an accident and her husband little boy were killed. She later married this man. I also met the Mission President of Arkansas - they will be released in July.

Sunday afternoon I played games with Jesse and Timothy (also Sammie) and you know me and games - I LOVED THAT!!! Patrice planted her tomato plants and also prepared a delicious dinner. Grandma Suzie came and ate with us too and she is doing good and I was very happy to visit with her. Roy had marinated two big chickens all afternoon in a very special marinating sauce and then he barbecued them on their spit (he gave me his recipe), Patrice fixed artichokes and I haven't had them for a long time and her special greens and also a delicious peach pie with ice cream.

Monday morning Chris Jordin came to get me and we drove to Hot Springs to visit with Cissy and Charles Beyers. They live in a high rise apartment that is very, very nice, overlooking Lake Hamilton. Cissy says she is doing good but Chris and I both didn't think she looked very good. Charles has started his own "tailoring business" and he told us all about that - he has his business apartment in the same place as where they live. He deals with an Italian tailor and buys Italian silk and linens from him and then he has his previous clientele in Arkansas and is doing VERY well. He showed us some of his clothing and he had a pant suit that I asked about and he said "For you Barbara, I would sell it for $1,495.00" - I ordered several - Ha!!! Charles took us to lunch at the Applebee restaurant that was close to their apartment.

I wanted to go see Jesse in his swimming lesson and Timothy in his tennis lesson at the Racquet Club (in the Foxcroft area) so we got back to Little Rock by 3:30. I'm SO glad I got to see them doing that - they have marvelous opportunities and I know they know that. Jesse is a really good swimmer and it reminded me of the time John decided to be a swimmer and he and Ronnie Caveness went to swimming meets all over until they got involved in other activities. Timothy is a natural athlete and Patrice said his coach wants him to have private lessons.

Tuesday morning Joy Geisler came and got me and we went to one of my favorite dress stores in Little Rock - Feinsteins. They have some lovely clothes and it was fun to see the store even though it is a different one from the place I shopped 20 years ago. Then we went to lunch at the Red Lobster and she got me "up-to-date" about a lot of church friends. She took me to Chris' home and I discovered I didn't have my dark glasses so she took me back to the restaurant and I had left them there - she was so sweet to take me all these places. Then we went to see Helen Bridges and you wouldn't believe Helen - she looks exactly like she did 20 years ago and they have a lovely home. Dean Bridges has dementia so I didn't see him - Helen says she can't leave him at all. I saw pictures of Janie and she looks quite different - she is a professional, is married but doesn't have any children. Mary Helen, Helen's granddaughter, was a friend of Johns so I saw a lot of pictures of her too. Then we went to see Bobbye and Tom Dennis and they are just the same. They have lived across the street from the Astons and they told me that Jaral died of cancer but she didn't know where it was. Jaral and Marialyce had moved into a condo before he died.

Tuesday evening we went to Forest Park School where Timothy and Jesse go and saw the cutest play. The title of the play was "The Phantom of the Music Room" and Timothy had the lead part - he was the janitor and also played the piano as the Phantom. I was SO proud of him - he played the piano just wonderful and in front of the parents who were crowded into their cafeteria. He has so much self confidence besides being so darn good looking - Ha!!! We all went including Grandma Suzie and I practically insisted on going for ice cream afterwards and I felt SO bad because their only ice cream place is a LONG ways from where they lived - they were good sports though and I'm glad we were able to go because it brought back many memories - the Baskin & Robbins Ice Cream place is in exactly the same place as when we lived there and I loved their hot fudge sundaes and I still do.

I wanted to hear Emily play her flute so when we came back from the school play she played some gorgeous solos for me with her Mother accompanying her. I wanted to cry when I heard her play - SHE IS VERY GOOD!!! She plays with the Arkansas Youth Symphony Orchestra and Roy had taken me with him when he went to pick her up from her practice with them so I knew she must play well but I had no idea she was that good. I kept wanting to take pictures of her too - she is SO beautiful and SO sweet!!!

Roy drove me all over the "old familiar places" and we went to visit with Pete Hipp since we had missed her at the open house and she told us she was 86 years old and she really doesn't look any different from when we lived there. We walked so we could see the back of our home there and it is still beautiful - I am where I should be but I am VERY grateful for all my friends in Arkansas and the wonderful memories of our lives there and I LOVE to visit my wonderful family there. I like to think about what Jesse said to me one morning when I left him at his school - I had walked to school with him and Timothy. He looked at me with great concern in his face as he said "Grandma, do you know how to get back to our home?" They have been taught to watch out for older people and I could see that in every thing they did and I know he would have been late for school if he had to, to make sure I got to his home. I also like to think of Emily helping me with my artichoke so I didn't eat the wrong thing - Ha!!!

I didn't access my computer messages until this morning and I was VERY surprised and worried about the situation that Russell is in in Madagascar. I appreciate your phone call so much Annie - she called me this morning to tell me they had evacuated all the missionaries but she doesn't know where they have taken Russell. They think he is probably in Johannesburg, Africa. I was relieved to know that Ann and Ron are not worried about his safety - they feel bad they have had to take them away from all the people they were teaching but it is very possible they will be able to return. The church would never leave missionaries in a place that was dangerous for them and it's kinda' sad that the mother of one of the missionaries made such a big fuss - she will regret that in future years. I have just finished reading "The Other Side of Heaven" and Russell's experiences reminded me of the things some missionaries go through. Russell is "up to it" though and will be a great leader for his Mission President.