Dearest Family,
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JESSIE ON FRIDAY, APRIL
11TH - 23 YEARS OLD!!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL day on Friday. I miss
you SO much and I remember the fun, fun times we have had together - the one
that stands out is when you and I drove to the Young Women's camp when I was
Laurel Leader and it was close to Scofield. We spent some time with the
young women and did some kind of craft and then we went to Scofield and made
some hot chocolate, had a shower and just relaxed as we felt sorry for the
young women who couldn't take a shower and didn't have a very nice place to
sleep - Ha!!! I also LOVED the times you would come spend the night with me
when you were a student at Utah State - your bedroom is ready!!!
CONGRATULATIONS TO KATIE - SHE IS A NEW DAVIS
HIGH CHEERLEADER. I'm thrilled for her because most of her close friends
also "made it" and they will have a GREAT time. Last week was a stressful
time for Katie - I believe the tryouts lasted all week.
It is about 8:30 p.m. and the "End of a Perfect
Day". This weekend has been our church General Conference and we "ALL" got
together at the Bob Mellor's home for dinner and to watch the last session.
We missed the Roy Mellors BUT we were VERY happy that John came to join us -
he was gone when we all got together at Christmas time and it has seemed
like centuries since he has been able to be with us. We also missed Laura
and Bren because they couldn't come.
We have had snow flurries for the last couple
days and it has been a welcome sight because we need the moisture SO bad BUT
I was having a "little" snow when I left my condo and by the time I got to
the Bobs it was a "Winter Wonderland" and Bob was out shoveling his
driveway. It snowed for about two hours but the roads were dry by the time
we left.
I would like to be able to recapture the scene
at their home - every time I turned around there was a person I didn't
know. Michael had brought his friend Neil who is from Texas, Laura had
brought her friend who is from Florida, Brett and Katie didn't have
friends. Jeannie, Rick and Ricky came soon after I got there and then Sarah
came with her friend Brandt, Mary Ann & David came but they couldn't stay
very long because they had to go to his home - Barji, Boyd and Preston were
in Eden with Boyd's family. Then the Woolleys came; Ann & Ron, Susanna,
Steve & Jackson, Jimmy, Lee Anna with her friend Owen who is from Alaska.
Then John came and it was fun to see him visiting with Michael and Ricky.
Bob and Alice Ezell were there and Alice had made a delicious Mexican dip.
Ann, Jean and Claire copied the Mexican dish from "Cafe Rio" and it was so
very good along with LOTS of wonderful cookies (I loved yours Susanna) and
fruit - !!!
I LOVE to see all the young people together -
this is the way it will be from now on and that is JUST WONDERFUL. I was
sitting on the fireplace bench looking into the kitchen which was crowded
with most of my family and I thought this is what heaven will be like
because we were all together and it was a very happy time. I guess my
thoughts were in that direction because I had been listening to conference
for a couple days and the message is always the same - the family unit is
the most important thing in the world. I took a few pictures and I love
them because it means so very much to me for us to be together. Many thanks
to Bob and Claire for their hospitality - their home is perfect for our
family. I felt kinda' bad because I didn't get to visit with Neil's parents
and his sister - they had just arrived from Texas and I thought they were
going to come in for dinner but after I met them at the door they left. I
have heard alot about Neil and he is such a fine young man. I have also
heard alot about Owen - he has put his mission papers in so I may not see
him again for a couple years. He surely does like his Bishop - Bishop
Woolley.
I don't ever get enough of John but I worry that
if I make him stay longer than he wants to, he won't come again - Ha!!! He
surely does look good!!! I appreciate him helping me with my plane
reservations to go to Little Rock - it seems so easy when he does it!!!
We watched a "BRETT AND JIMMY AND FRIENDS
TELEVISION PRODUCTION" after we had eaten. I believe we will see Brett do
some serious acting sometime in his future - he has such a vivid imagination
and when he and Jimmy get together they come up with quite exciting stories.
We had a special time last Monday. Annie had
been in San Diego for a few days to visit with Jessie's doctor about doing
some surgery on her eye and then she and Jessie came back to Provo. They
decided to go get Susanna and Jackson and then they came to Farmington SO we
had a little party at "Tasty's" - Jeannie, Barji & Preston, Claire, Annie,
Jessie, Susanna & Jackson and I crowded into a little booth for our
sandwiches and donuts and IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. Tasty's is a popular sandwich
place that is close to me.
Ricky is planning to do an internship during the
Summer and he believes he will be going to Portland with one of his friends
to work for ComCast - the television cable company. He is such an
independent young man and it will be a good experience for him BUT WE WILL
MISS HIM!!!
Russell - we talked about you today and we
decided that maybe conference hasn't been translated into Malagasy yet.
They announced that it had been translated into 52 different languages -
isn't that remarkable??? I was very pleased to hear President Hinckley
defend the United States decision to go to war to make life better for the
Iraqi people. He didn't come right out and say that but he quoted scripture
to help us understand that was what he meant. It is the policy of the
church to defend our homes and families against terrorism.
This past weekend has been the 11th anniversary
of Lynn's death - time has gone fast. He is very proud of his family and so
am I.
I LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH.
PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO -- Grandma B
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOO
Dearest Family,
I forgot to write about attending my Thailand
Missionary reunions on Friday. I am getting much too forgetful but since
I want this for my journal I am going to write a P.S.
I went to Virginia's condo on Friday morning
and then she drove to Pleasant Grove where we were invited to a home for a
potluck luncheon. There were probably about 30 former missionaries there
who taught English in Thailand - many of them were not there when Virginia
and I were but we taught some of the same people and served in the same
areas. We just had a wonderful time finding out about how things went
after we left and we both have decided that the missionaries who came
after us had it easier. We had to make our own curriculum and find places
to live and acquaint the Thai officials to the English program.
Virginia took me to the University Mall while
she went to the State Mental Hospital to visit a relative of hers. This
relative refuses to take her medication so she is in a bad way - Virginia
says it is very difficult to even get in to see her. I was only in the
Mall about an hour before she came for me but it was fun to see the
changes they have made - I got lost and I used to spend LOTS of time there
when I lived in Orem.
THEN we went to the Humanitarian Missionary
Reunion at the Humanitarian Center and that was VERY special. They have
these every year and it is so good to see missionaries with whom we have
served and some we met at the MTC before going to Thailand. We had a
group snapshot taken and I hope it turns out - Thailand always has a
larger turnout of missionaries at this reunion than any other country.
Virginia's brother-in-law is Elder Robert
Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and he spoke in conference
yesterday. She always has her family for lunch on that day so it was very
nice for her to take time to go to the reunions. We always have alot of
fun together.
THAT'S ALL - I LOVE YOU - Grandma B