October 1995

October 1, 1995

Dear fourth generation,

You are the fourth generation you know, Phil and Josie (1), Dean and Sybil (2), and your personal parents (3), you (4). If you read these to your kids then they (5).

It has been a long time since I wrote to you. I wrote some notes about things I wanted to tell you and when I looked at them they were big time old news. I think one of the things that I wrote was that Jennifer was pregnant.

Ok, mostly news this letter. Grandpa and Grandma are doing ok I guess. I see that in some ways Grandpa is doing great. He is still loving and happy in most situations. He is most grumpy with Grandma. That is probably because he leans on her the most, and try as she might, and she is trying very hard, she can not do all for him, keep him totally straight, or make his aches and pains go away, or his eyesight come back. Grandma’s hip and feet cause her quit alot of pain. She loves more than anything to go somewhere with her kids, and to go to Kent’s SS lesson. Jennifer and Anne put alot of work in on their gardens this year. Jenny put almost all new plants and many perrienals that would grow back. Grandpa loves the gardens so much, but he can not do it and he has itchy fingers to just start ripping things out because they do not have a blossum on every stem at that very moment. Ralph and I and Brenda and Gary took them down to St. George this summer to Tuachan the new outdoor theater out by snow canyon to see the show “Utah!” But that is about the only traveling they have done this summer. Dad was an escort for Lee when he and Holly took out their endowments in Sept. I thought it was very thotful of Lee to ask Dad.

Kent and Sharon’s family. Cheryl is having a great time in Layton, it truly appears to have been a very smart move. The boys love it and still come to visit Grandma and Grandpa. The house is very cute and it is easy to get to work for Cheryl. She just goes over to the Layton mall and the bus picks her up and lets her off at the door. Then back again at night. Last I knew she was only working part time. Alison and Curtis are doing very well. Alison has got a job in the school down there, as an aid for the special education kids. She had been helping at the school and the principal approached her and asked her if she wanted to work part time, then it turned into full time. All the kids but Meagan are in the school and she will be next year. Ben was baptized this year. Kent and Sharon went down for it in the spring. Can you believe that. Sharon has quit her job at the Chiropractic Clinic. She just finally got fed up with all the malarky up there and so she is looking for another job. She will not have any trouble finding one. She is very good and the job market is hot. Andrea has two jobs. She is a receptionist at the Instacare and still working at Shopko last I knew. Kirt has got a job with Desert Star Theater. He is doing box office and other things like that. He had a chance to perform but he turned it down. He wants to go back to school. However, he did turn down the theater scholarship at Weber. Heath is still in school, and he is working for the training program in football at Cedar City, but he is being paid for it now. Kathy is at Wallmart still and working and taking care of Heath. Brent is in law school, says it is very hard, but he likes it and he goes nites, Teri works         days, so they overlap with the kids, and do not hire a babysitter.

Wayne and RaNae:   These guys are into dogs in a big way. RaNae is really learning alot about them and she is raising dogs to sell. She has sold at least one batch and another has been born just recently. I forget what kind they are. They are redoing their kitchen, gutting it, I think and starting over. Julie and Jeff are both working for Waste Management. They have their own apartment, now. Amy has been here for quite a while now. She got some sort of a virus and it caused some paralysis in her face. The doctors could not help her back there so she came out here to get some better medical care. They think it might be related to her miqraine headaches, now. The rest of their kids are back in public school except Melissa and Nathan. Wayne is giving them home schooling.

Brenda and Gary:   Of course that is where all the big news is, mostly. Jennifer is just a week or two away from having her baby, we do not know what it is. But we had a very nice shower here at our house for her and Holly and Amanda. They all got some very helpful things. Mostly ordinary stuff, which is what they truly needed. Jennifer in going to do the cloth diaper route. Us older people know how to do it too, however, Jenny will have disposable if she needs them, which we mostly didn’t! Jennifer and Randy are working on their house and barn, it is such a beautiful place, up against the mountains, with very little habitation around them. So very peaceful and quiet. We visited them for a while the other day, and to see those 2 big dogs of theirs go tearing off into the feilds and go as far as the eye can see, oh, well, this is just making me lonely for the West Jordan of the olden days. Holly and Lee were married in a beautiful ceremony in Logan Temple on Sept. 22. The man who married them was Keith Jorgenson (yes, the piano man) and he did a good job. Relaxed and even funny at times. They went on a honeymoon down in southern Utah, camping and such. Lee has been working for the government all summer and will continue. I think I heard him say he counts things..deer, cows, sagebrush etc. They are going back to Logan, Holly will be in school for this year and should graduate in the spring. We have alot of family members in Logan these days. Chris is in school at USU too. Anne ran into him in the computer lab. She is pretty homesick right now, so a familiar face probably felt good. Chris is getting a job working in a cabinet shop. He did that and fought wildland fires all summer. He really likes the firefighting stuff. I have not heard how Brad is for quit a while, but knowing Brad he will stick to it and give it his best. Neal in school, he is a student body officer this year.

Ralph and Diana:   Anne is finally off to school. I am missing her, but I know that she will do great. She has got a pre Calculas class that will give her fits all quarter. She says she may have to take it pass/fail so it won’t hurt her GPA. It is a son of a gun, I guess. I am sympathic, because Math was always my downfall. Other than that she will sail. She got a four year scholarship. It is the same one that Jenny had. she will have to teach 4 years or pay back the money, or two years if she goes rural. Mark is still working at Packard Bell, but has applied at DEC (I think that stands for Digital Electronics Corp), because it would be more building etc. and he wants to be in Networking eventually. He is still planning on a mission a year from now. Michael is on the Seminary council at the Jr. High and Sara is finally out of Elem. Oh, Hallalejah!!! Now, did I tell you that we all certified to scuba dive? We did! And in March we went to Mexico to have fun and dive. It was fun, though they say where we dived was not as good as the east side of Mexico.  We liked it tho’.  But we are going to Catalina over the Christmas holidays.  They say that it is a great trip and that you get to play with the Sea Lions.  However, you do have to wear wet suits!  Yuck!  We are having such a hard time getting help at the DB.  Last night one of my cleaning girls had to quit, because her step mother is kicking her and her sister out, sending them to live with an Aunt in American Fork, (Anne this is Angie).  They father is letting her do this.  I guess she sent away one of the boys last week. You guys do not know, maybe you do, how lucky you are.  The world is a mess!  All of our problems are very minor compared with what is going on out there. Mark bot a black 68 Camero this summer.  His is pretty proud of himself.  He has todrive it to school, so he can be admired.  Also he is managing to spend all his money on it!

Lynn and Gail: It is now the 3rd. Amanda had her baby last night October 2.). Everything is just fine. It is a boy and seems very healthy and happy. It was about. a 12 hour labot. Leri and Aaron are both working and doing quite well. They have bot themselves a condo ever on 6400 south about 7-9th east. By the way Amanda and Jake are living above Grandma and Grandpa in the apt. How many of you have all lived there. It has been a good place.  I’m glad they have had it. Paul and Mark and Michael are all playing in a Jazz band of some sort in their own schools. Paul in also on the swim team and does pretty well. Lynn and Paul are going to rebuild a truck that Paul bot out of the storage this summer. He will get his lincense sometime this winter.  Becky had a surgery on her leq this summer, gets to skip the next scheduled one, but there will be more. Nevertheless, she is good about the whole thing. Kay is in school, senior year, oh, joy! Gail is working full time at Case equiptment. She says it is mostly boring. Lynn says he likes the money, but misses her.

I guess some of us are going out to the gorge this weekend (UEA). But I fear that the deerhunts are going to fade fast. None of you younger generation are here to keep up the tradition. All of you off doing important things. Nevertheless, we love you and pray for every one of you, and are very proud of you.

Farm, again and still under negoitation. This is stupid, I think, but they do not like my input. I can not even tell what I think any more. I don’t know what to think.

You all are truly out in the world, some more than others. After this whole OJ Simpson thing, it has made me think. God’s laws are always moral and just. He has set standards of right and wrong, they are clear cut and sure. Legal/illegal is something different. Man voids God’s laws by declaring something morally wrong to be legal. This will never change the standard God gave us, and if we want to be happy, we must follow His standard. Keep the faith. It will take courage and perseverance. And when the time comes make sure that you are willing to stand up and be counted. Then you will truly count!

I love you bunches, and bunches!     Aunt Diana