Dearest Family,
CONGRATULATIONS TO MARY ANN, DAVID AND EMMA
JEAN!!!! This has been such a FUN & EXCITING WEEK!!! You have all
received messages about her birth so you know everything went VERY
well. Rick, Jean & Ricky came to take me to the hospital to see her on
Tuesday night and she is just BEAUTIFUL and Mary Ann is a "Natural" - so
calm and assured and VERY pretty even so soon after giving birth. David
was the same - acting as if it could be an every day occurrence - Ha!!!
I'm SO thrilled for them. I believe they went home from the hospital on
Thursday.
Congratulations to Sarah also - they got all
their wedding invitations out this week and they are SO nice!!! I am
betting that Rick addressed all the envelopes - he has such beautiful
penmanship and I know he addressed the one I received.
Congratulations to Ron too - I don't believe
I ever congratulated him in my weekly report. He will now serve in a
Branch Presidency at the MTC - I know you all know that. He is just
perfect for that job. I have a special feeling for the MTC and I know
many of you do also - it prepares young men and women to go all over the
world and feel secure in what they are doing, even though Bob thought
they had taught him the wrong language when he got to Colombia. Ron
won't be teaching languages but he'll be dealing with many other
teaching responsibilities and problems - that's GREAT Ron.
I have just "played" all week. Our little
condo village group went to the restaurant on the roof of the Joseph
Smith Memorial Building on Monday night for our annual Christmas Family
Home Evening. The food is outrageously good and the price is just plain
outrageous BUT we only do it once a year - Ha!!! After dinner we walked
around Temple Square and the lights are SO beautiful - the windows of
Meier & Frank are all decorated and they are spectacular!!! I hope Roy
& Patrice, Emily, Timothy & Jesse will want to see all of that while
they are here.
Brett - I was SO THRILLED to learn you have
been transferred. Your new area sounds just perfect for you - very
adventurous and a real challenge with a native companion who is probably
very different from you or any of your friends. I hope you will take
lots of pictures - we will want to learn all about EVERYTHING. I'm
anxious to learn if you are still making pancakes and those special
drinks. I'm sorry "spider man" got away with your hammock - he's going
to miss you!!!
Emily - I lOVED the picture of you in the
Arkansas Gazette with your friends who are also honor students. I think
it is just WONDERFUL for you to have the association of students from
varied backgrounds - especially when they are diligent in their studies
like you are. You are grasping every opportunity to learn and I'm proud
of you. Every time I am in a museum I think "Emily would like this" - I
think you would like the D.U.P. museum in Salt Lake. It would remind
you of my condo - Ha!!!!
Monday morning I went to my D.U.P. meeting
and it was held in one of the most interesting homes I have ever been
in. This home was built in 1853 and has survived the Farmington flood
that everyone talks about and also quite a few tenants. John Taylor
(one of the Presidents of the L.D.S. church) lived in it for a long
time. The lady who is in my D.U.P. company is Julia Haugen and she and
her husband and two boys have lived in it for about 25 years and they
just love it. It is filled with beautiful antiques and has a
"Historical Registration Plaque" at the entrance. She served a
breakfast in the dining room of the home with a large Christmas tree in
one corner and it was just lovely.
Tuesday I went visiting teaching in the
morning and then to see the "Parkers" in the hospital that evening.
David's sister Lara and her husband were visiting too - David has such a
GREAT family. Wednesday, I drove to Willard to get my permanent and my
friend Helen Jane got one also so we went to "Wendys" for a salad after
our perms. We drove around Brigham City and just spent the day visiting
and having fun.
Thursday my visiting teachers came in the
morning and we went to Margaret's home to see her Christmas decorations
- there isn't a spot in her living room that doesn't have a very unique
Christmas village in it. She has been collecting them for many years
and they are alot of work to put up but she loves it. THEN, I made
gumdrop cakes for my neighborhood gifts.
Friday I went to Salt Lake with some condo
friends for the annual L.D.S. church Christmas program and it was
absolutely WONDERFUL. The featured soloist was Renee Fleming and I have
never heard a more beautiful soprano voice. She sang with the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir in the background and really it was breathtaking. She
also spoke a little and she is very gentle and appreciative. All the
entertainers who perform in the conference center are overwhelmed with
its beauty and the kind audience - every one of the 21,000 seats was
filled. The program was held for three nights and it was completely
"sold out" - the tickets are free but you have to get one on the
internet or in person. You wouldn't believe the security!!! We had
planned to have dinner before the performance but every place we went to
was too crowded so we ended up eating at the food court in the ZCMI
Center.
We had a "terrific" snowstorm on Tuesday and
we got quite a bit of snow here in Farmington but nothing compared to
the snow where John lives. I watched the weather news on television and
it showed 12 inches in Alpine and John said he got 8 inches. It was SO
heavy in Highland that it caused a major power line to fall and a
neighbor in that area took videos of it and they showed it on the news.
It caught fire and actually burned a hole in the cement. John sent me a
message that said, "this weather is hard on horses". I know Tar and the
kittens can get into John's garage and the horses have a good barn but
I'm sure they all get cold.
Somjit, my Thailand friend, called me one
day and when I told her the temperature was 10 degrees farenheit she
couldn't believe it. She wants to come see me but I told her to wait
until Spring or Summer. Some of you remember Janet Asper - Somjit told
me Janet and her family are going to spend Christmas in Bangkok. That
week is very exciting in all of Thailand because they celebrate the
King's birthday and the lights are just beautiful all over the country.
I came home from my mission that week and the last thing I did was go on
the "Bridge on the River Kwai" where they had beautiful fireworks in
honor fo their King. They have MANY celebrations in Thailand.
Yesterday afternoon when I came home from
the temple Margaret and other friends were waiting for me to go to the
"Nutcracker" at the Capitol Theatre. I thought it was a little
different this year but VERY, VERY GOOD!!! I have such fond memories of
the times we went there as a family when Barji, Mary Ann & Sarah were in
it. Margaret likes to support "The Arts" so she buys alot of tickets
for her family and some of them can't go at the last minute so she
invites friends. We always have alot of fun because we make an evening
of it and go out for dinner - last night we went to "Little America".
I know this is "finals" week for all the
college students I'm looking foward to the bridal luncheon for Sarah on
Saturday - I'm crossing my fingers for good weather!!!
I hope Steve's knee is better - I haven't
heard from Annie this week. I also think about Grandpa Russ - will he
get homesick in Arizona during the Christmas holidays? I haven't heard
form Claire either - she is SO good to keep in touch but the last time I
heard from her she said her computer had "crashed"!!!
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