Dearest Family,
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LEE ANNA TOMORROW -
20 YEARS OLD!!! I know I say this every year but I'll say it again -
Lee Anna used to spend quite a bit of time with PaPa and me when we
lived in Orem and I can remember thinking that if she ever stopped
smiling it would be the end of the world. She was always such a "Ray of
Sunshine" and brought such happiness into our home. NOW SHE HAS TURNED
INTO A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN!!! I know you will have some kind of a
birthday party and I hope you have a WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY!!!
Christmas is over and I hope each one of you
had as WONDERFUL a Christmas as I have had!!! I have also had a
WONDERFUL Birthday and I thank each one of you for remembering me and
making everything SO special. We met at the Weinerts about 4 o'clock in
the afternoon last Wednesday and by about 5:30 everyone had arrived and
we started eating. Claire and Jeannie had made the "fixings" for a
Chinese buffet dinner that was absolutely delicious - rice, cooked
chicken, gravy, chopped celery, toasted coconut, toasted almonds,
maraschino cherries, cabbage slaw, homemade rolls, etc., etc. We were
eating in the Weinert's breakfast room and also in their dining room
when MUCH TO OUR SURPRISE, SANTA CLAUSE CAME TO WISH ALL OF US A MERRY
CHRISTMAS. My neighbor, Margaret, always hires a Santa to go to her
children and grandchildrens' homes and she had him come to our party
too. He really is one of the best Santas I have ever seen and he was a
BIG hit - I hope Jeannie & Claires' pictures turn out. My camera was in
my purse and I couldn't get to it.
After we had eaten our dinner we all went to
the Weinert's family room downstairs and played a game that Annie had
organized. It was called a "Tie Game" where she had two ties, a red one
and a blue one. We all sat in a circle and passed the ties around -
the red tie had to be tied twice and the blue one once and the person
ending up with both ties got to choose a person to do a "joke" that he
planned for him. I take my hat off to Laura R. - she was such a good
sport and when she ended up with both ties she had to massage Jimmy's
bare feet going in between his toes - YUCK!!! After playing the game we
watched the videos of Lake Powell and Guatemala that Claire had prepared
- NONE OF US COULD BELIEVE ALL THE WORK AND EXPERTISE THAT CLAIRE HAD
PUT INTO MAKING THOSE VIDEOS!!! She really is an expert and as Jeannie
said, "She's SO generous" to do all that but it is something everyone
will love and enjoy for the rest of their lives. She gave all the
credit to the photos taken by John, Roy and others!!!
THEN - we had Annie's delicious dessert -
brownies with peppermint ice cream on top. It was special for all of us
to become acquainted with a young man who belongs to Ron's BYU Single
Ward who is from Malaysia. He couldn't go home for Christmas and he is
such a delightful young man and speaks excellent English. He joined the
church in Malaysia and went on his mission to California and has been at
BYU for several years. It is so much fun to meet the young people
belonging to Ron's Ward. It was also very special to have Jessie's
friend/boy with us - Cody Campbell. He was with us for Jessie's
graduation activities but I haven't seen him since that time and I
REALLY like him. Jessie left yesterday to go with Cody and his family
to Hawaii for a week-WOW!
I want to have a record of everyone who was
with us: The Woolleys, Ron, Ann, Jessie, Cody, Russell, Lee Anna &
Jimmy - The Weinerts, Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Boyd, Preston,
Mary Ann, David & Sarah - The Bob Mellors, Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura,
Brett & Jimmy - John and Laura R. Susanna, Steve & Jackson went to
Florida on Christmas Day to spend a week with Steve's parents so they
couldn't be with us. Laura R. said that Bren was being a "typical
teenager" and chose to not come. We missed all who couldn't come
including Roy, Patrice, Emily, Timothy & Jesse.
Christmas Day I was SO thrilled to have
Barji and Preston come over early in the afternoon before they were to
leave to go to Eden where they would spend the day with Boyd's family.
I was also thrilled to have many of my family come for my buffet and
they even liked the Thai curry - Ha!!! The Woolleys all came, Ron, Ann,
Jessie, Russell, Lee Anna & Jimmy and that was really "going the extra
mile" since that meant coming North twice in two days. The Weinerts,
Rick, Jean, Ricky & Sarah came too - Mary Ann & David went to be with
David's family. Bob, Laura, Michael & Brett came - Claire & Katie were
with the Ezells. John went with Laura R. to her Mom's home. I
appreciated SO VERY MUCH having them all come and we had a good visit
and just about the time Ron & Ann were leaving to go home it started to
snow and IT HASN'T STOPPED!!!
Friday when I awakened I couldn't believe
all the snow - it has snowed periodically before but it has always
stopped before it got very heavy. It was kinda' funny because in Davis
County it snowed almost two feet and in Utah County it snowed about 5
inches. Bob & Claire came over on Friday night to see if I needed help
and BOY DID I!!! And I didn't even know it!!! Bob shoveled my driveway
and if he hadn't done it, I would never have been able to go to the
temple on Saturday morning. I didn't check on it because Margaret had
called me earlier and told me that her driveway had more snow on it than
mine did - I don't know where she ever got that idea. Our Condo manager
says it isn't in his contract to keep our driveways clear - he is
responsible to keep the main road in front of the condos clear but not
the individual driveways. I have known them to shovel part of the
driveway anyway and since I can't see it from my condo I didn't bother
to go out and check it. Bob came over yesterday and shoveled the snow
off my deck in back of my condo and we figured it was at least 1 1/2 ft.
deep. It is a beautiful sight - the trees are all loaded. When I
learned that Roy, Timothy & Jesse were coming for a skiing vacation I
worried a little that maybe we wouldn't have enough snow - I won't worry
anymore!!! I'm SO excited for them to come and wish Patrice & Emily
could come too.
I had such a Happy Birthday!!! I went to
the temple and since the roads were SO bad, when I got home I just
"snuggled" in and stayed put. My car really handles well in the snow
and I go to the temple so early that traffic is not a problem - the
church makes sure the roads leading to the temple are cleared. I had
MANY phone calls from family and friends and that means SO much to
me!!! Last night, about 7:30, Bob appeared with Katie and two of her
friends, Jocelyn & Abby and they had a gorgeous ice cream birthday
cake. They put candles on it, sang Happy Birthday to me and then we all
ate pieces and it was DELICIOUS!!! I'm looking forward to having more
of it tonight. I hope the pictures that Bob took will turn out - I
won't ever forget that!!! I saw Jeannie & Ricky at the temple and that
is always just WONDERFUL and I know that Lynn is rejoicing - last week
I saw Bob & Michael.
Let me write some of the news you might be
interested in from my Christmas cards: I had a letter from Aino Mayers
who was our neighbor in Phoenix and she said that Dale Cantrell had died
but she didn't know the cause. I'm sure you all remember that he was
the one who gave Bob the gasoline that just about took his life. Robert
Mayers and his wife and daughter were going to spend the holdidays with
Aino - John Mayers has never married. Dorothy & Dan called me last
night to wish me a Happy Birthday and we had such a good time talking
about our neighborhood in Little Rock - they had just gone home from
being with Carol in Chandler, Arizona where she had a little baby girl.
Terry was with them with her six dogs - HONESTLY!!!! Pete Hipp just
celebrated her 88th birthday!!! I also had a letter from Judy Ayotte -
my brother Dee's former wife. I wanted to learn some news about Dee &
Judys' children but she didn't even mention them - she had a picture of
their home in Oregon and wrote about the time they spent landscaping
their yard and they are very happy.
There was a WONDERFUL article about Art
Willardsen in the Deseret News this morning. I will scan it and send it
to Roy & Patrice - they have a GREAT family but my heart aches for them
because I know how hard it is and it doesn't get any better. He was 67
years old - 4 years younger than Lynn was when he died and I believe
Carol Ann must be about 62 - TOO YOUNG!!! I am going to meet John in
South Salt Lake on Tuesday morning and we will go to Provo and meet
Annie and then go to Ephraim and on to Manti for his burial. Bob is
going to try to make it but I told him they would surely understand if
he couldn't - he has many surgeries scheduled for Wednesday and he said
they would come in for preparations on Tuesday. It will be a VERY COLD
and snowy day and especially sad for him to die on Christmas Day. I'm
sure all the Mellors will be there and that will be good.
I understand there was a nice article in the
Salt Lake Tribune about Boyd and Barji with a picture including
Preston. I don't take that paper so I haven't seen it but Jeannie said
she would save it for me. I normally would have gone to the store to
try to get a copy but the roads were too bad. I'm proud of them and it
will be fun to watch Boyd's progress in the papers.
Annie & Ron planned to go to Jerome
yesterday morning to spend the day with Ron's Father. I haven't heard
if the snow storm stopped them - I hope not. Russell spent Christmas
day with his daughter Joanne in Boise - he does mighty well for his age
but the holidays can be lonely without family support and I appreciate
mine SO VERY, VERY MUCH!!!
The Weinert family is going to Las Vegas
tomorrow to attend the Celine Deon New Years' Eve Program and then they
will go to St. George for a few days of golf. Mary Ann - Thank you for
your phone call yesterday - very thoughtful! Have a GREAT time!
That's all the news - I think. I LOVE EACH
ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN
EVERYTHING YOU DO. GRANDMA B XXXXXOOOOO