Dearest Family,
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PRESTON ON FRIDAY,
JULY 22ND!!! Preston will be three years old - the "magical" age for
children I think and I can remember talking to Barji and she said she
was going to have a "combined birthday party" for Preston and Gracie.
They will be able to do that for many years and that's GREAT!!! I know
it will be a VERY happy time with all Preston's cousins.
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RON ON SATURDAY,
JULY 23RD!!! Ron will be "thirty something" and a mighty young one - he
has many hats to wear and he wears them all very well!!! I know he will
have a celebration of some kind and it will probably be combined with
Jimmys, since his birthday is in a few days. I know it will be a happy
one!!!
I think an interesting thing that is
happening in our family at this time is the trip to Turkey for Jared &
Jessie. I was thrilled to come to my computer on Friday and find a very
long and interesting letter from Jessie, written in Istanbul - I was SO
surprised and it was just WONDERFUL to be able to know they had arrived
safely and are doing exactly what they wanted to do. Annie had told me
she was worried they may be stuck in an airport for a long time because
they were flying standby but Jessie said they were able to get a direct
flight to New York and then FIRST CLASS all the way to Turkey and they
had celebrity status. I printed her letter because it is like a history
lesson.
They have gone into all the famous mosques,
including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia (one of the 7 wonders of
the world).. They have seen the original doors from the Kaaba in Mecca
and the original sword of Muhammad and some letters he had written to
his apostles. I'm quoting from Jessie's letter. She said everything is
incredibly historic there and they have preserved everything so well.
She made the comparison of the Muslims at all these places to the
Mormons at the Joseph Smith Museum. She also told about how you could
become a Muslim - all you have to do is say a prayer to another devout
Muslim, like him, and if both of you believe you are sincere in your
heart then you are a member of Islam.
They left Istanbul today and they are going
to Ephesus and will spend the next 9 days traveling through all the
historic Christian and Greco-Roman sites of Eastern Turkey. They will
go to Mt Nemru where Abraham died and was buried. AND to Cappadocia
where early Christians built underground caves after the death of Jesus
to hide from the Romans. The Virgin Mary's home is in Ephesus as well
as several of the early churches set up by Paul.
They have also sent pictures that are
fabulous - it's like going on the trip with them. I know they are
keeping good journals and I look forward to hearing about EVERYTHING
when they get home. They are spending some time in hostels, dorm rooms,
etc., and I'm SO proud of them for having the desire and energy to learn
all they can. It is "all over my head" but I am enjoying hearing about
it.
I'm sure each one of you has enjoyed the
FABULOUS pictures Claire sent to us on the internet - she "CAPTURED
EVERYTHING" and I LOVE them!!! I'm also happy that Sarah
took such good pictures of Claire and the
watermelon teams - they're just GREAT!!! I have pictures of everyone
from my camera but the only ones I have of Bob & Claire are of their
"back sides" - Ha!!! The ones I took of the Woolleys as they were
posing for their "wall picture" are not good at all - I believe it is
because I was taking them towards the sun.
I noticed that I had left many things out of
my letter last week about our trip to Lake Powell so I'm going to record
them in this one.
Roy, Patrice, Timothy & Jessie presented a
"devotional" one of the nights while I was there and we all enjoyed it
SO much!!! They taught us many things about their church and
illustrated with a candle and water (was that called a "chalice"?) how
to express the things we remember about our many trips to Lake Powell.
I just loved hearing about the experiences each one had remembered and
it added SO much to our trip. The Bob Mellors, the Woolleys, the
Weinerts, John and Grandma B learned a great deal about the Unitarian
Church where the Roy Mellor Family attends. We need to learn more about
it next time because they truly love their church.
I LOVED to listen to little Jackson as he
sang MANY songs and he knew every single word. I hope Susanna & Steve
are recording him singing them. It will be fun for him to teach them to
Caroline. I can tell Susanna spends MANY hours teaching him!!!
I appreciated Ron's interest in the letters
I have received about the Memorial being constructed in Townsville,
Australia where my brother Bob was killed during World War II. All of
that is SO important to me but it happened before any of you were even
born. I was also happy to see Ron "surfing" in the pictures Claire took
and sent to all of us on the internet. I didn't see Ron "in action" and
I worried that he may not be feeling well - after seeing him surfing I
won't worry anymore.
I also want to make clear the difference
between Astrology and Astronomy. I looked those words up in the
dictionary: Astrology is the "art of predicting or determining the
influence of the planets and stars on human affairs". Astonomy is the
"science of the heavenly bodies". I'll probably still get them mixed
up.
I also said that Jessie was in the "Forest
Heights" school district and I believe I meant the "Pulaski Heights"
school district. He will go to school out of his district when he goes
to Dunbar - Timothy & Emily both went to Pulaski Heights Middle School.
Claire has been in Cedar City this week with
her parents to attend the Shakespearean Festival. I admire anyone who
can understand, appreciate and enjoy those plays. They go every year so
I'm sure they enjoy them. They're "WAY OVER MY HEAD".
I went to Willard last week for a committee
meeting for my Box Elder High School 62nd reunion. We met at Helen
Jane's home and then Helen Jane and I went to Maddox to have lunch and
it was fun. I volunteered to make the "Reunion Reminder" letter so I
have been working on that all week. I need to get it mailed next week
so I am addressing the envelopes now.
SARAH - THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT YESTERDAY.
I was making cookies to take to a temple party when Sarah and her friend
boy, Dennie Flint (sp.?) came over. I had just come home from the
temple and decided to make the cookies and it was HOTTER THAN ----- in
my kitchen. I didn't want to turn my air conditioner on because I was
going downstairs to work on the reunion envelopes and it gets too cold
down there. I know they both think I am VERY weird!!! He is such a
good looking young man and he served his mission in Costa Rica.
MARY ANN & DAVID - THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT
LAST SUNDAY. I believe they will find out the sex of their baby this
week and I'm SO excited. Mary Ann is showing "just a little" and is
such a beautiful "expecting" mother. I love it when they come over and
I haven't seen them for quite a long time. They have enjoyed the
Parker's Summer home in Heber and they had also visited David's sister
in Vernal.
JOHN - THANK YOU FOR YOUR PHONE CALLS. I
told him I wanted to see his donkey and he said I would have to hurry
because it was bothering the neighbors too early in the morning and he
would have to get rid of it soon. He was involved in a neighborhood
party last night and he was going to take the donkey for the children to
ride. He said there is a special school or activity place for
handicapped children close by his home where they would like to have a
donkey for them to ride so maybe he will take it there.
I go swimming every morning and I find that
it makes me about 4 hours behind in my day's schedule - I REALLY need to
do some housecleaning!!! It is WONDERFUL excercise and also fun to
visit with other condo neighbors.
BOB - THANK YOU FOR YOUR PHONE CALLS TOO.
It is SO hot here and they keep reminding people to "look after the
elderly" - I'm in that group and I appreciate Bob's concern very much.
I'M DOING JUST FINE. We have had over 100 degree temperatures all week
and that's unusual for Utah. I spend alot of time in my basement and it
is almost too cold without a jacket.
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