Joan and Dick met in their ward after Joan’s divorce from Cliff. We all love Dick very much and are happy he and Joan got together. They decided to get married around the time of my retirement. The weekend of my retirement party the whole family met at a cabin I’d rented close to Sundance Ski Resort. The first night the children did a hilarious program about my retirement. The next day we got pine boughs and Cheryl, with everyone’s help made the cabin beautiful. Joan and Dick were married in 1975 by a Bishop I’d found and we had a big party with various aunts and uncles, cousins and other relatives coming. Dick had 5 boys and Joan had her 3. Not too long after, Joan and Dick wanted their own child and at age 42 Joan got pregnant. Since each had boys, everyone was hoping for a girl, but mainly everyone wished for a healthy baby.
Joan’s last baby was born before I left for the plane in Salt Lake. It was a boy and Joan and Dick said they both wanted another boy. Joan went to the doctor Monday and he said she was ready to have the baby. The next morning they induced labor but every time she had a hard contraction, the baby’s heartbeat would slow down. They now have monitors they hook to the mother and baby to keep track. Finally the two doctors decided they needed to get the baby as quickly as possible. They found the cord wound around some way, so if they had let her go, the baby would have died with a regular birth. He is a darling and I surely enjoyed taking care of him…although between Dick and Joan holding him, I didn’t have much chance. I did give him his bath for most of the days I was there. When I left, it was a sad parting with him. He was named Matthew Austin and it was several months in May for Lewis’ wedding when I saw him again. There was nothing of that little red and yellow baby I took care of.
I sent Joan and Dick the twin maple beds that I had been using in the middle bedroom, now turned into a den. I had attempted to refinish them while there. I took off the old finish and sanded. I don’t think I did quite enough of either. Then got some new finish stuff that stains and oils at the same time so when it dries there is just the waxing to do. The day before I came back, I wanted to get them waxed and into the boy’s bedroom because Keith and Todd are sleeping on the floor, but the stain wasn’t quite dry, so I had to leave them.