Maria and Mark Elope, Christmas 1984 and Other News from the Year!

No Christmas card this year, in a disaster zone as far as the business is concerned and Maria and Mark eloped!!!   So I do not know what I am doing about now.  Maria saw Mark at the cash register at a local store and had us check him out.  Next thing they were dating and then went to visit Jimmy at BYU and came back married!  We had a dinner and cake celebration with friends at a restaurant at UTC and I can't find any of the pictures!!!!  

They both appear very happy, came to the L J office to share the news with me.  What a huge surprise!!!  

The only pictures I have of us at Christmas are of Kristi, Linda and Gary; John and Meagan.  Good grief, hope we do better next year!   

John poses with Meagan in her Dance Costume

Meagan at '84 Christmas

News from earlier this year is that my friend Carla from Glendive is also in the financial business!!!  She is a financial consultant for Shearson/American Express.  This, after all her years in the music business and then as music professors in a private school.

Evidently the Wall Street firm is experimenting with teaching highly educated individuals (Carla has her Doctorate) to be financial consultants and use their contacts as clients.

News about the Silver Gate Cabin.  I suggested to Dick sometime ago that we start having family times scheduled every year and that all families contribute to the cost and the ownership of the cabin goes into a Trust for all the heirs to use from now on.  I think we are all on board to finally make it happen.

News for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Meagan Coming!, 1986

We have been having some interesting Meetings with Compufund, we have a franchise with them and Choice Mortgage.  I think it will be good for us and they appear to be doing better than they were when we were Jones.

Another lender invited me (one of six from San Diego) to a meeting to introduce a new loan.  They said they like working with me because we bring nice clean loans and we are honest!

We have moved the loan business upstairs and it is fixed up really very nice.  It is so much better organized and neat and quiet.  Isaac B works with me as loan agent.  He also was at La Jolla Newport.  He is a Mexican Jew and has a son 19 and a girl 15.  He is very pleasant to work with and says the Jews have a fun religion with lots of celebrations.  Isaac has a darling 5 year old and he takes him to Jewish school.  He says he does not want to dedicate Willie to God.  He was joking but he means he is too adorable to give to anybody, even God, I guess. 

We sent Jimmy a package with 25 presents, not expensive and mostly edible.  It is supposed to be for him to open one a day till Christmas

Richard closed quite a few deals this week so was feeling good.  He is taking vitamins too and I do think it helps us.

My brother Dave and his wife Dorothy took Mary (wife of my brother who died) on a trip through the New England states and they had a wonderful tune.  Mary said they saw Mom in Utah and that she has gained 10 pounds and looks better than ever.  She does appear to be happy there.

Meagan is flying down next Monday for Thanksgiving and we are going to Disneyland Thursday and have our turkey dinner Friday night.  John will be going with us and I think the Fuquas and Maria, Mark and Michael.

I guess John will be going to Park City with us for Christmas, too. Yea!

We have our Christmas shopping done and the Ward is having a Christmas party at our house on the 13th.  We will have our house decorated by then and we leave for Park City on the 20th.

      

Happenings in 1987

News of 1987:

Maria came down and went to Church (La Jolla) with us and then she was tired after Sunday School so I was going home with her and the two babies  but Michael did not want to leave the Nursery--when Sis Jensen tried to move him over to us he defiantly said, "NO!" so I stayed at Relief Society and he got to stay till the end. Sis Hunsaker and Jensen are running the Nursery now and it's very organized and the children really enjoy it!!"

May 1987...Janet wrote to Jimmy(on his mission)..."John was here this weekend and Maria told him and  Ladd about all the letters you sent home so they wanted to read them from your girlfriends.  I told them they were just jealous and they said they were!  Anyway, they are both madly in love with Cathy--says her letters are so witty and full of personality!"

May 1987....Janet wrote to Jimmy..."All is well here, working very hard and paying off debts.  On Friday nights Richard and I go to a movie at Horton Plaza and have a bite to eat after work.  It is a fun, alive place with lots of people watching!

Carole was working at a flower shop today to see how she likes it, won't make much money but, Len still thinks he is going to make $5000 a week.  That would be nice!!!"

"I tell you Jimmy it is a real blessing to know how to work.  I am sure you can appreciate that in working with the other missionaries if you have a laggard or two.  You children area all so great, I want you to know how much Richard and I appreciate being the parents of children who know how to work."

July 1987...Janet wrote to Jimmy..."Maria is really getting me going on fixing up the house.  Yesterday we stripped your bedroom and the downstairs bedroom of their wallpaper...going to paint them white.  We had to steam and scrub, what a job, I'm so tired.  

Michael is such a happy boy all the time it's easy to do things and still tend him.  Maria is making the house child-proof and we're getting ready for Linda being here."

August 1987...Janet wrote to Jimmy..."It has been a zoo with workmen at the house and with Linda and Gary here.  But we do think of you all the time and talk about you--you are so special to us, we love you very much and enjoy hearing about you.  I like the phrase "Pied Piper" that the mission president calls you.  That does seem to fit."

"Meagan is now seeing a doctor about her cholesterol.  She has the same thing as you, John,  Linda and Dad.  Hyperlipoproteinemia, where the body not only doesn't use the cholesterol, it manufactures its own.  Evidently there is pretty good medication for it now and maybe you will all have to go on it.  When you come home we should have you tested again and see how you are doing.  We will see what they tell Meagan.  Anyway I am taking her to the nutritionist for Jennifer so I will see what the new word is.  In the meantime, eat well and stay away from the fats and sugars."

John and Meagan

"Craig is really a happy smiling boy who they feel looks like you!  He is very shy though so I haven't had a chance to get too well acquainted yet.  With all the work being done at our house Linda and Gary are out to El Cajon a lot. 

This last weekend the two workers were putting the tile in the kitchen and the one fellow and the boss had an argument and so they had to bring in someone else to finish and it looks terrible!!!  The rest of the house is looking pretty good excerpt for the shutters are bad, they said they can fix them, we will see.

Christmas 1987

1987  in Illinois

Christmas Card and Review of 1994

I can't believe how old we look in this picture.  Hard Times!

If I were an economist I would have to say,
1994 was not good in ANY way!!!
But since I'm not, you'll be happy to hear,
We've had many blessings and lots of good cheer!

The first blessing for the new year '95,
Is the fact that Richard Hardy is still alive--
Like the little pink rabbit that keeps going and going
Richard is there for us all without any slowing.

And then there's the children Linda, Maria, James and John
Who's support and love is with us though they are long gone,
With spouses Gary, Mark, Camber, and Jessica, too
Our cup overfloweth from their goodness so true.

The picture enclosed really tells the whole story,
Ten grandchildren of beauty and wondrous glory.

Is it that first gaze from an infants eyes..
Or the hug and helping hand from the big girls and guys
That makes a grandmother truly thankful and aware
She has gifts from heaven with which none can compare.

And what a blessing The Temple has been in our life
As we escape each Wednesday from a world of strife-
And serve with loving, beautiful sisters and brothers
In a labor of love that transcends all others.

Knowing our family will be with us forever and
that life is eternal and that Jesus Christ and God
live and hear and answer our prayers--
Can any blessing be greater than that?

So Greenspan and Feds keep raising rates high--
Keep hurting our business in the years by and by,
No one can take from us what is of real worth
We've an eternal family sharing our life on earth.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! from Janet and Richard

I like to put the Christmas tree up right after Halloween!!  Meagan helps.  I made some of my decorations.

Four Generation Pictures with Grandma Anderson

Mike and Matt at Christmas.

We were  being threatened that we could not use independent agents anymore and would have to have everyone as employees with health benefits, etc.  We could not have afforded all that.

So in 1994 we moved our office out to Rancho Bernardo, too.  We just worked the two of us trying to survive all the financial woes.

It was in this office that I watched as Richard had a TIA and I called Kaiser as I watched.  They took us right in and in the morning he had carotid surgery on both sides.  It would be two years later when he had his final cardiac arrest in Susanville.