Dearest Family,
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TIMOTHY ON
SATURDAY, THE 23RD!!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday and when
your birthdays fall on a weekend it makes it much easier to celebrate
doesn't it??? When I work on my picture project it brings back so many
memories of the activities I have been involved in and this past week I
saw some pictures of Timothy when he was in one of his school programs
at Forest Park and he played the piano besides doing some acting - NOW
he is probably spending more time playing his saxophone!!! I expect him
to have a little "jazz band" or something like that where he can drive
his family crazy as they practice at home - kinda' like Brett - Ha!!!
Timothy will be 14 years old - time passes much too quickly.
I was SO happy to come to my computer this
morning and find some BEAUTIFUL pictures of the Bob Mellor family just
having fun together. They all met at a fondue restaurant last night in
Salt Lake and they all are SO happy being together and I believe one of
the pictures showed them toasting marshmallows - I'll have to find out
what else they did with the fondue. Michael & Staci are SO happy and I
think it's GREAT they will travel from Logan to be with their family for
special times. Brett has a lovely friend girl, Sienna, whose family
lives in Bangkok and of course that is of special interest to me.
Claire tells me her family lives in a gated community and our Mission
President lived in a place like that and they are WONDERFUL. I didn't
spend much time in homes like that so it will be fun to learn about
their lives. I taught in all Government Schools and the children from
families from America went to private schools but Claire says that
Sienna knows the Thai language and that is a real accomplishment. Katie
& Laura are SO pretty and it is amazing at how different they are in
their looks - Katie is a true blonde and Laura a true brunette. Claire
did a little painting in their home last week and she also went to Cedar
City for the Shakesperean Plays.
I had two phone calls this past week from my
friends in Bangkok. I don't want them to spend their money calling me
because it is SO difficult for them to understand me and for me to
understand them and when I told them that Somjit said "it only costs me
70 bahts". It has been such a long time since I figured money in terms
of bahts that I couldn't come back with an answer but I think that
is way too much for them. Lek & Anan sent me pictures of their little
girl whose nickname is Chin - she is just adorable and they are SO
happy.
John - thank you SO much for your phone
calls and for going to the Lehi City Council meeting. They have made
some REAL changes in the real estate developments near our property in
Lehi and these changes will have a big impact on us. They have endorsed
a plan to make it mandatory for home owners to have 1/2 acre plots to
build on. The developers are not happy about this because they have
built MANY very small homes on very small lots and they have made alot
of money for the land owners and also themselves. I am VERY happy about
this change even though it will devalue our property for now. I think
the property in the future will increase in value and it will surely
increase the beauty of that area. We are not interested in selling
anything now anyway. John also told me the reason Morris Clark's widow
did not attend his funeral or viewing is because his family asked her to
not be there - they had a very bad disagreement before he died and his
son got the family home and is living there now and he will also take
over Morris' cattle business. SAD, SAD, SAD!!! His son is quite
different - I think!!!
Annie - thank you SO much for your help and
concern for Jim Braithwaite's wife, Kallene. I was finally able to get
in touch with Carol Ann and she gave me the truthful information about
Jim's condition. Aunt Carol had told me that Jim was much better and
would go home from the hospital this week. Carol Ann told me it would
be weeks before he would be released and he is not doing very well at
all. Kallene is staying at the "Ronald McDonald's House" near the Utah
County Medical Center in Provo where Jim is in intensive care. I called
Ann and told her all this and she wanted to go see Kallene and invite
her to stay with them. She called the hospital before going there and
talked to the nurse who told her that Kallene was asleep and couldn't be
disturbed but she would give her Ann's message. She also told Ann that
Shirley Pinegar is the spokesperson for the family and we could contact
her for more information - I haven't done that yet. I had such a good
visit with Annie and their family is doing GREAT. Jessie is playing
with the symphony orchestra in Utah County and that makes me SO
happy!!! THAT IS ONE BUSY HAPPY FAMILY!!!
Jeannie - I hope you are home safe and
sound. Jeannie went to Disney World in Florida last week with four of
her friends to lend support to one of their neighbors who is terminally
ill with cancer. The lady who lives right in back of the Weinerts has
battled lymphoma cancer for many years and has undergone every treatment
available but it has come back and they are worried about it. One of
Jeannie's neighbors had an available time-share in a condominium in
Florida so her close friends went to show her a good time before she
becomes more ill - I can't think of a happier place to spend time
together and I know it meant alot to her.
I have been thinking about Russell who is
attending classes at UVSC and also all my former nieghbors. There has
been such alot of controversy about having Michael Moore come for a
speaking engagement this next week at that school. I really don't care
either way but it has been fun to read about all the interest. Shawn
Hannity was there last week and spoke to a sold out crowd.
I am very interested in politics and enjoy
listening to the debates, etc. - this is going to be a very close
election isn't it?
I have been doing some "Winterizing" this
past week. I dug up all my impatient flowers and did some much needed
weeding. It won't be too long before I will have to "dump" my gorgeous
planter but right now it is still just beautiful - Annie gave that to me
last Spring and it is still the prettiest thing in the village!!! I
stained my deck on Friday and I have crossed my fingers that it would
dry before it rained and so far that has worked - they expect us to have
rain tomorrow but it is almost dry now so that will be okay.
I am getting a new furnace on Tuesday. The
man who checks my furnace each Fall told me last year that it would have
to be replaced so I'm not surprised. "York" has a good deal right now
that gives a rebate if I also buy a new air conditioner so I will do
that too. Bob is going to help me this afternoon to move my downstairs
computer so they won't hurt it when they move the old furnace out - that
is going to be a big and dirty job and I HATE IT!!!! I would just die
if anything happened to that computer with the picture project on it -
that represents at least two years of work - Ha!!!
I watched the BYU-Wyoming football game last
night but turned it off and went to bed when Wyoming was ahead - I WAS
THRILLED TO READ THE NEWSPAPER THIS MORNING AND LEARN THAT BYU HAD WON -
HOORAY!!! I was also THRILLED TO READ THAT DAVIS HIGH HAD WON THEIR
LAST GAME - WAY TO GO DAVIS HIGH!!!
I LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH.
PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. Grandma B
XXXXXOOOOO