Sylvia's baby, Vietnamese

That summer, 1975, Sylvia and Brent were moving to Montezuma Creek, on the Indian Reservation in Southern Utah and we were going to help. At first, we had a large trailer hooked up to our station wagon with all their furniture but the load was too heavy for our car. A truck was rented and Leon, Nancy age 5, and I started out on the trip. Sylvia and Brent went in their own car. I couldn’t believe how often we stopped for gas for that truck. We had to fill up in Victorville, which was just barely starting out on the trip. I think the truck got about three miles to the gallon and we stopped at every little town on our way. The kids had either rented or bought a trailer in Montezuma Creek and everything was unloaded Brent worked as a teacher’s aid at the elementary school.
I can’t remember whether it was on the way to Montezuma Creek or on the way home, but we stopped for the night at a motel. We made a little bed on the floor for Nancy to sleep on, made of blankets. Returning from the Barlows, a sheep ran into the road and we hit it. Nancy felt so badly about that, it really upset her.
In September, when Sylvia’s baby was expected, Leon, Alan and I drove back to Montezuma Creek to help out. Jennifer Lynn, our first grandchild, was born in Monticello on September 5th. How exciting, such a sweet little baby. Leon returned to Garden Grove to continue teaching. On September 6th, Brent and I celebrated their first wedding anniversary by eating out at a restaurant after visiting Sylvia in the hospital. After about a week, Leon drove back up to bring us home..
Sometime during 1975, many Vietnamese came into the U.S. Members of the church were asked to help out so we opened our home to two boys, Nien and Xuan Van Vu. Nien was the oldest about 27, and had been a teacher, Xuan was about 18. Leon had partitioned part of the garage so that we had two little bedrooms in it. Doug and Mark had bunk beds in the first room and the other boys in the back. Shortly afterwards, their brother Gon joined us. It was quite an experience! They took turns in all our activities and prayers. For family night they played the guitar and sang songs but never changed chords. It sounded very different to our ears and we never could figure out if they just didn’t know how to play or if that was really how it was supposed to sound. When I brought out the clothes basket with the socks in it to fold, Nien would say "the sock game." Sylvia, Brent and Jenny came for Christmas and when Nien prayed, he would say "and bless bebbee." meaning Jenny.

Sylvia's Wedding, 1974

Brent Barlow came home from his mission but Sylvia was a little nervous meeting him so she went to April General Conference with Leon and me. But things worked out just fine when they got together. They planned a wedding in September. Sylvia picked out the pattern for her wedding dress and asked me to make it. Things were a little hectic at our house, Nancy being just four years old and Mark a year and one-half older so my aunt Mona offered her home in San Diego for me to use. What a neat thing. Mona was out-of-town and Leon and I had the whole place to ourselves. I could lay out all the dress parts on the carpet and sew to my heart’s content. No little children to bother or need attention. I think we were there for about three days. The last day, my parents came down to visit.
The night before the wedding all the family, including extended family helped decorate the cultural hall at the Valley View Chapel in our stake. Gina and her girls Debbie and Melanie came, also my Mom and Dad. The wedding took place September 6, 1974 in the Los Angeles Temple. A very lovely affair. Many family members were present. We had a luncheon afterwards at Brent’s parents, Miriam and Maurice Barlow.
For the reception, Sylvia had Tricia plus cousins Deborah Honey, Debora and Melanie Morris and Nancy, as the flower girl, in her line. Brent had his brother Carl and Alan as his attendants. Both sets of parents were also in the line. My Mom had written a special wedding song just for Sylvia. Leon also wrote a special song, as did Brent’s brother Carl. We had lots of music during the evening. Our family had now started to shrink, one less around the table. Of course, David was already gone, serving his mission in Hong Kong.
The next summer, the family went camping along the Colorado River again. This time, Syl and Brent came too. We really liked that protected spot by the river and had a great time. Sylvia was expecting so it wasn’t a very fun time for her.

Dance Festivals and David's Mission

MIA Dance Festivals were very big in California the 14 years we lived there and many of our children participated in them. They were held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. One year, Sylvia and Tricia had dresses with miles of tulle or net in the skirts. Of course I made them. Another year, Alan was in a minuet dance and had a very elaborate costume with black satin knee britches and coat with a yellow vest and lace cravat. That was a challenge to make too. One year I made four costumes, three for our kids and one for a friend. The festivals were very fun to watch.
One summer David and another young man in the ward, Brent Barlow, needed to work on a swimming merit badge. I don’t remember just how far they had to swim but Leon swam with them, back and forth across Newport Bay until they had the required distance. My first memory of this young man was as a 15-year-old. He came to a Mutual costume party dressed as the Jolly Green Giant. When he received his call to the mission field in Germany, Sylvia asked him if she could write to him. Of course he agreed and they corresponded his whole mission.
In 1974 David received his mission call to the Hong Kong Mission. All of us were very excited about this, our first missionary. We all went to the airport to see him off for Salt Lake City. Shortly after he was sent to Hawaii where the missionaries going to Asian countries had what was their MTC. Being a violinist with a very good ear, he readily took to the Mandarin language. He not only learned to speak it well but also to read it. He served an honorable mission and we were very proud of him.
I was not very impressed with his mission secretary. When it was time for him to come home, David told us the date but said the secretary would mail us the flight number and time. It never came. On the correct day we went to the LA airport and met every plane coming in from Hong Kong but no David! My mother also had come with us. After being home for a while we got a phone call from David at the airport. He had flown first to San Francisco then to Los Angeles! Back we went to the airport, about 50 minutes away, and were finally reunited with him. I felt so badly we were not there to meet him but he was very understanding.