Dearest Family,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RUSSELL ON WEDNESDAY - MAY
5TH!!! TWENTY-TWO YEARS OLD!!! WOW!!! My grandchildren are growing up
and I'm SO proud of each one of them. Russell you are "busily engaged
in good works" and I know you will continue to do that as you study hard
in college and plan for your future life. Are you planning to go to
Summer school? You will be living in an apartment soon and that will be
a good change for you - I HOPE YOU HAVE A VERY BIG BIRTHDAY CAKE TO
SHARE!!!
WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY I HAD YESTERDAY WITH
THE WEINERT AND BOB MELLOR FAMILIES!!! Laura and Ricky both graduated
from Utah State University and I was SO happy they chose Lynns' and my
alma mater for their schooling. I thought about Jessie all day as we
were in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum where she had graduated two years
ago. I went with Jean & Rick and we left Farmington about 7:15
yesterday morning and got to Logan about 8:30 - there were MANY people
there and we had a difficult time finding a parking place - as a result
we just barely made it in time to see Ricky in his business school
processional march and Rick got a good picture. It was SO fun to have
him see us and wave and of course he was the most handsome one of all
the young men in his graduating class. I was disappointed to not see
Laura march in the processional - I believe she must have been in the
group before Ricky. We made up for it later though because we saw her
in everything else and of course, she was the most beautiful of all the
young women in her graduating class.
I didn't go to the commencement exercises
for Jessie's graduation - I don't know why???? Jane Clayson Johnson was
the commencement speaker yesterday and I have never heard a better
commencement address. She spoke directly to the students of course and
they could relate to everything she said - you could have heard a pin
drop AND there wasn't a vacant seat in the whole place. Rick finally
found some seats for us but it took a long time. She spoke about how
desparate she felt when she graduated and didn't have a job and she said
to herself "NOW WHAT" and then she used that phrase as a subject for the
rest of her talk. She went through some rough times and told the
graduates they would do the same but then she found great success as a
professional news reporter. The thing I thought was the most important
theme of her talk was for the graduates to learn that success in their
professions is not the most important thing in their lives - they should
strive for personal happiness in achieving lifetime goals as she
announced that she was expecting a baby girl in late Summer and she had
given up her news reporting job for which she had prepared as a
profession. I believe she is in her middle thirties.
I have been impressed with President Kermit
Hall since he became Utah State University President several years ago.
He came to Utah from North Carolina State and of course that was
important to me because that's where Lynn received his Ph.D. He was in
the final selection for President of the Tennessee University recently
and I imagine he will be offered other more lucrative positions soon but
I hope he stays at Utah State for a long time. He is such a personable
man and shook the hands of more than 3,000 graduates yesterday as well
as giving "hugs" to many of them. The University gave honorable
doctorate degrees to Jane Clayson Johnson, Merlin Olsen and others and I
REALLY enjoyed listening to all the speeches.
The College of Business which included
accounting, marketing, etc. gave their diplomas at 12:30 and I was SO
happy that all the family members made it for that: Brett, Katie, Barji,
Boyd, Preston, Mary Ann, David and Sarah. Michael had attended all the
exercises in the morning but he had to go to work at noon so he wasn't
there for all the picture taking and dinner. Laura had made
reservations for the family at a DELICIOUS Mexican restaurant in Logan
so we all gathered there at 2:30 and that was such alot of fun. This
restaurant is in the old railroad station West of Logan and there is a
big lawn where we all sat and little Preston had so much fun running
around - IT WAS PERFECT!!!!
I was THRILLED to come to my computer this
morning and find pictures of the graduation activities - Claire is such
an expert at taking these digital pictures and sending them so quickly.
I LOVE THEM!!!
My friends from Thailand came last Tuesday
about 9:15 a.m. and I had a VERY busy but fun week. I had watched the
weather news on television and knew that Tuesday would be the only nice
day for outside activities so after I brought them home and let them get
unpacked we got back in the car and went to Park City. I had forgotten
that I had taken Lamchuan there when she was here the last time but her
friend, Tan, had never been there. It was an absolutely beautiful day
and we went to Deer Valley where the Winter Olympics were held and also
Main Street where so many exciting things are held and we had an ice
cream cone at the "Cows Ice Cream Place". The only hard thing is that
they don't understand English and I don't understand Thai so we don't
communicate very well and I have no idea if they learned anything.
Wednesday I took them to D.I. stores and
also some grocery stores because the weather was terrible - in fact it
even snowed and that thrilled them. Their favorite thing to do when they
come is to COOK, COOK, COOK.!!! I'm SO glad I have found a good
reliable Oriental grocery store - actually Bob & Claire found it when I
first came home from Thailand. Most of the things sold there come from
Thailand and my friends knew EXACTLY what they wanted and they found it
there - it's fun to be with them because they are EXCELLENT cooks and
refuse to get anything but the best. We had to go to several grocery
stores to get things like salmon, crab, lobster, limes, etc. Tan cooks
at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas and she made Sushi besides Tom Yum
Soup, Red and Yellow Golden Curry, Oriental carrot salad, etc., etc.
They cooked all morning on Thursday and I
invited the Weinerts, the Bob Mellors, Vicki (she taught Lamchuan in
Bangkok), Virginia and Margaret to come for dinner. As it turned out
Bob couldn't come but Claire, Laura & Katie came - Rick & Sarah couldn't
come so Jean came alone, Virginia couldn't come and Vicky brought a
woman friend so we only had 10 BUT we had a wonderful time and everyone
enjoyed the Thai food. I watched Tan closely as she made Sushi and
maybe I'll be able to make it sometime. She made it a little different
from the way John made it for us but his tasted as good. I LOVE food
like that. I took them to "Antelope Island" Thursday afternoon and they
LOVED that. I have taken friends there before but I had never been to
the "Garr Ranch" and I would recommend that to any of you who haven't
been there. That Ranch is over 100 years old - Brigham Young started it
by hiring men to make it into a cattle ranch and used the proceeds from
selling the cattle to send to church converts all over the world to
bring them to Utah. We saw LOTS of buffalo and the museum there was
very interesting. It was VERY cold and windy though.
They wanted to go to "Sams" on Friday
morning to get some calcium pills for Lamchuan to take back to Bangkok
for Tan's parents. They had made rice after I had gone to bed on
Thursday night so they could make "Fried Rice" on Friday morning. I do
believe they think I don't have anything to eat when they're not here.
They made delicious fried rice so after we went to Sams we came back
here for lunch before going to Salt Lake. I wanted to take them to
Temple Square and the University of Utah before they left to go back to
Las Vegas. The flowers at Temple Square are just gorgeous and Lamchuan
took millions of pictures. I had them at the airport by 4:15 for their
flight at 6:45. It makes me sad when I think of all the money they
spend to come see me but I try to show them a good time - I drove 600
miles in four days!!! They keep talking about when they come "next
year" and Tan told me that Lamchuan paid $500 for two round-trip tickets
from Las Vegas because she didn't plan ahead.
John was here when I got home from the
airport and I was SO happy that I had not missed him this time. He
helped me some more with the picture project - I had LOTS of REALLY good
left over Thai food but he wouldn't eat one single thing. He was
anxious to get home to clean up their yard - we have had ALOT of wind
and I'm sure LOTS of broken limbs, etc.
My very dear friends and neighbors in Orem
had a marriage in their family on Friday and I was sad that I couldn't
go to Sara Frisby's reception that night because of my Thai guests.
When we walked into Temple Square on Friday Lamchuan and Tan were SO
excited to see a bridal couple walk from the Temple. I didn't recognize
Sara but I recognized her mother, Kathy, and ran to talk to her and then
I caught up with Steve and Sara & her husband - WHAT A COINCIDENCE!!!
Sara has completely changed and she is just beautiful and it was SO
WONDERFUL to visit with her and some of her brothers and sisters - I was
happy they recognized me!!! I received a wedding announcement from the
Fredericks yesterday - they lived right across the street from where I
lived in Orem. Their daughter Jenny is getting married and she is
another one who has completely changed in appearance - when Jenny and
Sara were young children they were quite plump and plain and now they
are beautiful young women.
I have worried about the weather in Arkansas
- Roy, Patrice, Emily, Timothy & Jesse - BE CAREFUL!!!
Jean, Sarah and Ricky and Bob came over last
Sunday night - I don't believe they will come tonight because we were
all together all day yesterday and I know they have alot to catch up
on. I LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY
CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. Grandma B XXXXXOOOOO