Dearest Family,
I'm going to write my letter this morning
and listen to General Conference at the same time instead of waiting
until tonight. My brain works better in the morning and even then it
doesn't work very well - Ha!!!
First of all I want to congratulate Emily on
her FABULOUS achievement of being chosen as a National Merit
Semi-Finalist - WE ARE ALL SO PROUD OF YOU EMILY!!! That involves more
work and determination than I can even describe. I have mentioned my
experience with Emily as a young child many times and it keeps popping
up into my mind when I think of her as a young adult - I was staying
with the children while Roy & Patrice were out of town and we started
out from their home to get a video. I just knew it was one direction
and Emily knew it was in the opposite direction and I can still see her
as she put her hands on her hips and turned away from me to go in her
direction. That determination is such a part of Emily - AND SHE WAS
RIGHT!!! I love you Emily and I know that you will accomplish anything
you make up your mind to do!!! What a GREAT example for Timothy & Jesse
- (they surely don't have to be National Merit Finalists though).
Today is a special day in Utah because it is
General Conference for our church. Our family usually gets together to
have dinner together and watch the afternoon session but today we are
not doing that. The Weinerts invited everyone to their home and I am
going to be with their family where we will wish Rick a "Happy Belated
Birthday" and the Woolleys, Bob Mellors and John will stay in their
homes and watch conference. The Woolleys have been SO busy with Lee
Anna & Chris' wedding plans besides making trips to Layton to support
the Grondahls (Ron's sister) wedding plans for their son and his fiance'
and it is just smart for them to stay at home today SO the others
decided to do the same. President HInckley announced yesterday there
will be two new temples built here in Utah - in the Southwest part of
Salt Lake City. That will probably increase the value of our Lehi
property if they are close to Lehi. My friend, Virginia works in the
Salt Lake temple and when I was with her on Friday she told me there
were 40 marriages scheduled that day for that temple - the Bountiful
temple is busy on Saturday mornings but I understand the other temples
are busy all the time. I have MANY phone calls about the Lehi property
- I refer them to John and he takes care of it and I apprecaite that SO
VERY, VERY MUCH!!!!
John - thank you SO much for your phone call
this morning. He has been traveling ALOT lately and will have to travel
again next week so he is happy to stay home and kinda' get "caught up".
I don't know how he manages to take care of two horses, two cats, a dog
and his home and still travel so much!!! He was planning to watch
conference and it will be special for him because one of the speakers
will be the mother of his good friend, John Lant. Cheryl Lant is the
new General Primary President and John worked with her in "Frontline
Phonics" - she and her husband and family have been good friends to John
for many years - I remember them coming to the reception when he and
Julianna were married. He told me he was in Colorado Springs a week ago
and stayed at the "Broadmoor" - I remember hearing about that place when
we lived in Colorado. We stayed at the "Days Inn" when we were there
last week - Ha!!!
Bob & Claire - thank you SO much for all
your help to me this past month. I have promised to not ask them to
help me anymore for a LONG TIME - I hope I can keep that promise. They
got me a digital camera and gave me instructions on the phone on how to
use it just before I left to go to Colorado Springs - I still have ALOT
to learn but I surely am having fun. They also moved the computer that
I was using for my picture project downstairs to my upstairs television
room. Claire has spent SO much time trying to teach me how to use my
camera and even came over again last night to help me. She is also
trying to keep up with the scanning I have done for my picture project
and THAT'S A BIG JOB. She told me last night that she was helping at
Davis High with a picture project that is over whelming - that's what
she gets for being so talented!!!! I LOVE the pictures of Katie and her
boyfriend when they went to the Davis High Homecoming Dance.
I know you have all received pictures taken
by Claire at the bridal luncheon for Lee Anna yesterday at the Lion
House in Salt Lake City. We had such a good time and it was just
wonderful to meet Chris' Mother Janis and his Sister Mandi - they are
very lovely people!!! I love my granddaughters SO VERY MUCH and we
missed Susanna, Emily & Staci. Sarah isn't in the pictures but she was
at the luncheon - she had to leave early to meet her boyfriend, Danny
Flint, so they could go to the Saturday afternoon session of
conference. I kinda' felt bad that I scheduled the luncheon at noon
because that meant those who were traveling to Salt Lake would miss
listening to the morning session - we did get home in time for the
afternoon session though. Lee Anna is such a beautiful "Bride To Be"
and we are all excited for her wedding - she and Chris make a mighty
handsome couple and I LOVE their wedding announcement!!!
Jeannie told me they had a GREAT time on
their Alaskan Cruise. I hope they took pictures so I can see them - she
said they saw LOTS of whales and dolphins from their ship. She also
said the food was WONDERFUL - there were 24 of them who were good
friends and that would make any trip special. They were on the
Norwegian Star and I believe that is the same ship we went on when I was
with the Woolleys and Bob Mellors at Christmas time several years ago.
I had such a good time in Colorado Springs
at the "Cowboy Jamboree". I went with Ellen Mae & Mel and Helen Jane
and we left a week ago this morning and stayed in Montrose, Colorado
Sunday night and got to Colorado Springs the next day. Ellen Mae & Mel
have been going to these things for many years with their friends so
there were about 16 friends together - they are very sweet to include
Helen Jane and me. Mel just "comes alive" when he hears the cowboys
sing and tell jokes - we have the same dinner for three nights; chicken
or beef, beans, apple sauce, biscuits (they are out of this world),
spice cake and lemonade. There were about 1500 there and they serve
everyone in thirty minutes - AMAZING!!! One man, Charlie, comes from
Kentucky and he travels in a camper (his wife is a school teacher and
doesn't come) and he is such a fun person to be with and he helped me
learn more about my camera. Next year the Jamboree is going to be in
Wichita, Kansas and the following year it will be in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming. I can't plan that far ahead to make any promises but I'm sure
Ellen Mae & Mel will go.
We got home just in time for the Condo Pool
Party - we were all supposed to take meat to grill and a side dish. I
had eaten at the Golden Corral in Rock Springs so I wasn't hungry but I
went to visit and that was fun. They were supposed to have the road in
front of our condos resurfaced last week but the weather didn't
cooperate so that won't be done until next Spring. Friday I picked up
Virginia in Salt Lake and we went to the Thai Teacher Missionary Reunion
- we all met at "Mimis Cafe" and had dinner and then visited. I haven't
seen Virginia for a long time so I really enjoyed that. She has bought
a condo above hers at Zion's Summit and she is busy getting that ready
for visitors who come - she only has one bedroom in her condo and she
has alot of family company.
I'm excited to have new draperies installed
in the guest room upstairs and in the kitchen on Tuesday. I have had
them ordered for two months from J.C. Penney and I have even forgotten
what I chose. Chris & Wayne were here when they came to have me select
them so Chris helped me and about all I remember is that they are white
- Ha!
Brett & Jimmy - we all talk about you when
we are together and we're thrilled about the work you are doing. I know
Jimmy will be happy to be finished with the CTM and that will be soon.
Keep happy and make others happy - you have families who love you SO
much and want you to be happy and good missionaries.
I think that's all the news. I LOVE EACH
ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN
EVERYTHING YOU DO.
Grandma B XXXXXOOOOO