GREAT VISITS

Dear Family,

Well the Christmas tree is put away, all the decorations are stored again and we begin a New Year.  We hope fr a year of activity and good health.

We had some visitors who dropped by.  It is always great to have our former missionaries stop by and bring us up to date.  Pete and Courtney Longhurst were visiting in Utah and stopped by for a quick visit.

Pete was one of my great missionaries; he served in the office for a long time as secretary and also served as an AP.  He was a little older in the mission field and the Elders referred to him as "Grandpa".  He was solid and a great example to the other missionaries.  He married Courtney and now they have a little baby, Ezekiel.  We did not get to see little Zeke, but I'll bet he is as good looking as his Dad.  Pete and Courtney live in Minneapolis, headquarters for General Mills where he does Human Resources work.  Good looking couple!

Shalayne Davis was in town visiting family and dropped by.  She was one of my great sister missionaries in Germany.  Shalayne went on to graduate from BYU, also get a masters degree from BYU and has decided to study law.  Shalayne is in Richmond VA in her second year of law school. She will be great!

She loves Virginia and may stay back there.  She is a very talented person and will make a great impression wherever she goes.  The only things is that we will not see her much back there in VA.

Well the biggest thing is the arrival of Scott and Suz and their four children, dog and parakeet.  Scott took a job with a Salt Lake firm.  I believe his expertise is in credit card account management but I am not sure.  At any rate they packed up and are coming to Salt Lake City.  They have the apartment downstairs and it is fun to have family around.

Here are the kids during a quiet moment; Julia (Juju), Alexzandra (Zandy), Matilda, (Tillie), and Timothy, (Timmy}  They are cute and full of energy.  Timmy is always coming up and checking on Opa to make sure he is getting over the flu.

The kids have started school close by and have made a lot of friends already.  Timmy started preschool and I asked him what did the teacher say?  "Don't look at Johnny!"  Timmy is in the same pre- school as Cheryl's boy, Johnny and the two of them are really a pair! They are best friends and play so well together.

It has been great to have the kids here.  Some of them come up and eat with me.  Suz and I have been shopping as well.  So much fun!!!!

Well we go to Spokane tomorrow to see Rob and Jeff and family and get an eye treatment.  I will give Julius his Patriarchal Blessing and he will be ordained a deacon as well.  Then John and Kaley and their two boys move to Salt Lake.  John has accepted a position with a law firm here in SLC and it is so wonderful to have them close by.  Their boys will fit right in with all the cousins.

We feel so continuously blessed.  We wish you Heaven's Blessings as well.

Love,

Mom and Dad