Dearest Family,
I just came home from the Weinerts - Ricky had
brought four friends from college and Mary Ann & David were there and
Jeannie had a delicious dinner. She served rice with creamed chicken and
then all those toppings - it's called "Haystacks"!!! The college students
are always SO hungry and it's fun to feed them - quite like feeding
missionaries - Ha!!!
Last Sunday after I had written my letter I went
to the Bob Mellors home and sometimes I forget to mention the things I do
after I write my letter on Sunday. Claire had fixed a delicious salmon
dinner and then we watched the video of their Costa Rica trip. Claire had
taken the pictures and then added the music and it was like watching a
television travel program. She had some very excellent pictures of them
going on the "line" down into the rain forest and I can't believe any of
them would dare to do that - it looked like they were jumping off a high
cliff. Bob kept assuring me they were safe but it didn't look that way to
me. I LOVED seeing the video and having them tell me all about it - Brett
and Katie had been in the same place a few years ago so it was fun for them
to see it on video.
Yesterday was a fun day for me. Jean and Rick
dropped in and we visited for awhile and then when they were ready to leave
they couldn't get their truck started - Rick tried his jumper cables and it
just wouldn't "turn over". There is an automotive place close by me so Rick
went there and had them come try to get it started. They put in a new
battery but it still wouldn't start so they had to call a tow truck to come
get it - hopefully they will get it fixed tomorrow. They said it had
something to do with the "celluloid" on the starter or something???
THEN Ron, Ann, Susanna and Jackson dropped in
and it was so much fun to visit with them - I haven't seen them for a long,
long time. That little Jackson is a "little person" now and SO cute - he is
starting to sit up and is afraid of strangers like Grandma B - Ha!!! They
had come to Layton to visit Ron's Father and his new wife and also to check
up on Mimi - Sue, Ron's sister, is taking care of her now and is doing a
GREAT job.
Bob and Claire came over on Friday night - Bob
was SO tired he could hardly stay awake!!! I had to go to the Tanner Clinic
one day last week for my annual checkup and I had a hard time finding a
parking place - that place is just packed!!! I know Bob must put in a 24
hour day every day!!!
John - I'm sorry I missed you today. I would
have stayed home from church if I had known you were coming. I have been
involved in fixing food all week and I could have fixed you a delicious
dinner if I had been here. It has been fun talking to you on the phone
several times this week. I think it's great that Laura has been able to
keep her job with Viewpoint when everyone else lost theirs.
I know the Roy Mellors are enjoying their visit
with Patrice's sister Liz and her little daughter, Samantha. They haven't
seen her for a long time and I also know Suzie is having fun. Patrice said
that Joan is going to bring her little son, Billy, to visit in March or
April.
My friends, Olivia and Jerry King, spoke in
church today prior to their leaving to go on their mission - we can't call
them farewells anymore. They are going to be headquartered in New Zealand
and will cover Southeast Asia and the South Pacific - that sounds like an
unusually large area to me. They will be Public Affairs Missionaries. I
helped with an open house for them last Saturday and then I had a luncheon
for Olivia, her mother, her daughter and other friends last Thursday and
that was fun.
I went to the musical, "The King And I" on
Thursday that was put on at the Roger's Theatre in Centerville and it was
just excellent. The stage at that theatre is very small and I was amazed
they could do such a big production. It brought back many wonderful
memories of Thailand and made me homesick for my friends there.
One of the teachers with whom I served in
Thailand was married on Friday and I wanted to go to her open house. She is
a special person - in her late sixties. She was a special ed. teacher for
30 years and is such a compassionate person. She met this man when we were
together in Rexburg, Idaho last Summer and it blossomed into a romance. The
open house was held in Harrisville, Utah and I had never even heard about it
and noone else had either so I had a very hard time finding it. It's in
North Ogden and the open house was in the Senior Citizen's Center. I have
decided I'm not supposed to go to wedding receptions by myself anymore.
I wanted to be at Davis High by 6:45 on Friday
night to watch ceremonies honoring the senior cheerleaders and their parents
before the school's basketball game. I made it in plenty of time and that
was a miracle - Ha!!! Sarah was accompanied by Jean & Rick to the
basketball court and they were given a beautiful bouquet of flowers - it was
VERY special. Sarah is a GREAT cheerleader but I always worry when they
throw the girls in the air and then catch them - they didn't catch her
during one of their routines and it was scary. She hurried and did the
routine over again so everyone would know she wasn't hurt.
Jeannie and Sarah spent last week in Florida for
the national cheerleading competition. I knew they were going but then I
forgot and kept wondering why I hadn't heard from Jeannie for so long. I
believe the cheerleaders got in the upper 20 percent of the competition and
that is GREAT!!! They had such a good time and went to Disneyworld and all
the special places.
I know that many of you remember Mary McKell
from our Little Rock days. I had a note from her mother, Floy, telling me
that Mary would turn 50 on Valentine's Day. Floy asked me to send her a
birthday card and to ask Ann and Jean to do the same - they were SO good to
Mary while we lived there. I didn't have time to let them know so I sent
cards for them. Mary has been terribly handicapped all her life and I
admire her so very much and also her parents - I believe it was cerebral
palsy but I'm not sure. Floy has dedicated her life to her and Floy is not
in good health. I hear that Joy Geisler from our little Rock Days is not
doing very well either - someone stole her purse from Krogers during the
Christmas holidays and she has had a terrible time cancelling all her credit
cards, bank checks and everything - the people who stole it have written out
checks in the amount of $2,000 and more and Joy has to go to court even
though she called her bank immediately. I can relate to people who have
their purses stolen!!!
It has rained most of the day today and THAT IS
GOOD. I believe it snowed for a little while and there is a little bit of
snow in the mountains - WE NEED ALOT MORE!!!
Are we going to go to war??? I surely have
empathy for President Bush - it seems like there are more people against our
going to war than the other way. I am thoroughly confused!!!
That's all the news. I'm thinking Russell has
gone to that Island he mentioned in his last letter and he will not be able
to write this week. I LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE
SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. Grandma B XO