Maw-Maw's Version

OUR LIFE IN YOUNGER YEARS

Don and I were married August 16, 1960 in the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City,
Utah. Our honeymoon followed with a trip home from Salt Lake City to Baton Rouge.
Money was scarce and Donald was attending his 2lld year ofL.S.U and I was starting
L.S.U in September.

Our parents helped us a lot when we first were married. Mamma and Daddy were
renting a garage apartment on Huron Street in old Istrouma. This apartment was across
the street from Istrouma Elementary School. They were helping us out by letting us live
there until we could get a house. Don's parents would drop us off fresh milk and
sometimes fresh churned butter and vegetables each week to help stretch our budget until
Donald graduated from L.S.U.

On the way home from Salt Lake we took turns driving. Donald was asleep on the
back seat and I was driving. Of course there was no such thing as GPS units, only maps.
I took a wrong turn and took us 50 miles out of the way. When Donald woke up he
wondered where we were. Of course I wasn't sure. I've had a hard time over the years
listening to Don tell this story and laugh. By the time we got to our garage apartment,
Donald had come down with a bug and instead of him carrying me over the threshold; I
had to help him up the stairs.

We lived here for a couple of years. By March 1961 I found out Randall was on the
way. Of course we were very excited. I brought him home from the hospital and kept
him in a bassinet by the side of my bed. There was so much to learn about tending a new
baby. But both of us enjoyed every minute of it.

I was going to school at L.S.U until Randall came and then I stayed home with him.
The next March I found out Crystal was on the way. Donald graduated L.S.U before
Crystal was born. He was working part time at Sears store in the credit department and
decided to keep this job and teach school. He had majored in Education with a Science
major and a Math minor. He got ajob at Brusly High School on the other side of the
Mississippi River. He taught all the Math classes at Brusly High School.

We moved into our first home on Pointsettia Street in Glenoaks subdivision in Baton
Rouge, before Crystal was born. It was a new house of 1008 square feet. We had a big
fenced backyard. We bought the kids first swing set and first sandbox here. I had no
dryer or dishwasher. In March of 1964 I found out Clifwas on the way. Yes, the 3rd
baby was to be born in December. Randall's birthday was December 17, Crystal was
December 25 and now Clif came on December 8. By the time Clif arrived, it seemed all I
ever did was hang diapers on the clothesline outside in the backyard, then bring the
diapers in the house before it rained, then hang them outside again to dry. There were no
disposable diapers only cloth ones that I had to fold. I also washed a lot of dishes with no
dishwasher. We hardly ever ate out. All meals were cooked at home.

We had many interesting birthday parties for Randall, Crystal and Clif, all born in
December. I remember the year I let each of them invite 10 friends to a combined
birthday party. I never did this but one time. What a nightmare!!! We continued to have
many combined December birthday parties, but not with 30 friends.

Don and I decided I would not work but stay home and tend the 3 children. Donald
taught school for three months and decided to go to work for New York Life Insurance
Company. Pat, Don's brother, was working for New York Life. Donald was hired as an
agent and several months later he entered an office manager trainee program.
We transferred with New York Life to Oklahoma City, where Don was Office Manager
for New York Life. We moved in a house on Manchester Drive in Oklahoma City. We
made some life long friends here, Jerry and Sherry Renfroe. Jerry was an ear, nose and
throat doctor. Sherry became my best friend. We spent many enjoyable hours with them.
Don and I joined a square dance club, while living in Oklahoma City and had lots of fun
square dancing.

While in Oklahoma City I lost a baby in 1970. In 1971 Rachel arrived. We were all
excited to have another baby. Clif was 6 when Rachel was born. As always, we stayed
busy in Church and Don helped coach Randall's little league football team.

In 1973 we moved to Independence, Missouri and bought a house at 425 Leslie Drive.
Donald took a job as Regional Manager with National Inventory Control Systems. The
job covered the eastern edge of Kansas and the western third of Missouri. Scott was born
in Independence Hospital July 1973. He was the largest baby in the hospital, at the time
of his birth, weighing in at 9 Ib.12 oz.. I was Relief Society President when Scott was a
baby and I really stayed busy. But looking back, I had great energy and kept up with all
the kid's activities and 2 babies, and Church work. I spent many hours helping Randall
and Clif with Scouting.

Scott was about a year old when we left Missouri. Don had a chance to move to
Austin, Texas or Baton Rouge with New York Life. We decided to move home. We
were all excited to be coming home. We stayed with Mamma & Daddy until we found a
new house in Denham Springs that had just been built. We bought the house at 26100
Pete's Highway and spent many years in this home. The kids all went to Denham
Schools and all graduated from Denham Springs High School.

The best things in life are the wonderful memories I have of our family. The family
home evenings, the music lessons given to all 5 children, the sports they participated in,
the girl friends and boy friends going and coming and many, many church outings and
events such as speech festivals, plays, youth temple trips, girls camp, scout camp,
volleyball games and dances. Most of all the time we spent together; talking, eating,
laughing and playing games. Then Don and I moved again. That is a story for another
time.

Barbara Kleinpeter Richardson.