I have appreciated the ability to join a telehealth Facetime with a medical practitioner and receive the care I need on a weekend or when getting in to see my doctor in person isn't feasible.
Amy had a telehealth phone call with her surgeon this past week that helped to answer some of her questions from her surgery earlier this year. So grateful that we have the ability to connect medically through technology and with doctors who are sensitive to our concerns.
Chris, Misha and I went to see the new movie "Wicked" on Saturday after Thanksgiving. Amy saw it on Friday night.
This was Misha's second time seeing it and she loved it just as much.
I am grateful to wake up, to have food in my kitchen, to drink clean water from a fridge that keeps it cold like I like it, and to be grateful that today is good. Seriously, I am thankful that today is probably not the worst day in my life. 99.999999% days are like this and I am grateful.
Beyond getting to call on P-days, Kristen also gets to call on major holidays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and birthdays. She called us on Thanksgiving afternoon (her Friday morning).
She thought she might be getting sick when we talked to her Sunday and sadly that came true. She and her companion, Sister Taylor, had both been sick. At least they were able to rest in the apartment for a few days.
Kristen and the comp were planning to go out on Friday to do some finding. Not too much to complain about when the finding happens on the beach!
It was good to see her face and see that all was well.
She did share an amazing connection though. Her flatmate, Sister Sydney Templeman, who is in the other companionship in the apartment is Kristen's 4th cousin. Sydney's great great great grandfather, Dee Albert Oviatt, is also our great great great grandfather (on my dad's mother's side of the family). Sydney's great great grandfather, John Franklin Oviatt, is the brother to our great great grandfather, Hyrum Parley Oviatt. How amazing is that!?
And apparently, the Templemans now live in Utah and are friends with Susan and her family.
I am thankful for funny memes, funny thankful lists, and funny people that make me laugh. Here's a few off the wall ideas on things to be thankful for that I found from searching online:
In an effort to make Amy's smile as awesome as she wants it to be, she has opted two get veneers applied to the teeth on either side of her two front teeth.
She went in on November 27th to see if she loved the fit. She had only thought to do one veneer, but her dentist had the foresight to order two.
Before
After
I'm pretty sure she will love the final result. She has to go back one more time for another fitting and then once more after that for the application.
Our world runs on WiFi. We would be lost (literally) without the connectivity. I am grateful for FREE WiFi when I travel, WiFi that works at home and when I am out and about.
If you are a list-maker, you totally get this: Checking something off your to-do list. It feels great.
Chris seems to have the curse of the red lights when he travels. Somedays, that curse transfers to me. I love to drive to my destination and get nothing but green lights.
I am thankful that Chris and I are blessed to be able to build a new house. Our experience this time around is much smoother than last time (though there is still stress). I love the creativity of designing our home, framing, and seeing our vision come to life. We have been able to work with great architects, builders and designers.
Misha set up her Christmas tree and added Christmas decorations around her apartment. "It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas..."
Chris spent a week in London from Saturday to Saturday. Most of the week kept him busy with meetings and training, but he did have a little downtime after Thursday. He tried to get an earlier flight home, but it was pretty expensive and he would have lost his business class seat.
He enjoyed meals with co-workers (some who brought their wives over to spend the following week on vacation in Europe).
Fancy desserts.
Fun Christmas decorations and markets.
A visit to the Temple of the Knights Templar. The knights were charged with protecting pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem in the 1100's.
And last minute tickets to "The Choir of Man" concert.
Chris flew home Saturday morning and arrived home around 2:30 pm. Yay for being home again.
You might think I just made a mistake and repeated myself, but I am so grateful for GPS—God's Plan of Salvation or Happiness. I heard a podcast earlier this year that called the Plan of Salvation, the plan of second chances or do-overs. I am so grateful for second and third and eighth chances. I am grateful that each day is a new beginning with no mistakes, and I am grateful to know that some days are do-overs for me.
Misha played a new game called archery tag with a bunch of friends. It left some giant bruises, but her team won!
Oh man, I would get so lost without GPS. I would have to study a physical map before leaving my house to find where I am going. I am grateful for the directions from my phone or car that help me arrive exactly where I need to be.
Kristen had her first interview with her new mission president. She found out her new area and companion and he was kind enough to text me a picture and a short note.
"We have just met with your wonderful daughter Sister Kline. We love her. She is a real credit to you as parents. Thanks for sending the finest."
I love to see that she is so happy. I can tell that she has a contentedness about her.
We look forward to talking to her on Sunday afternoon.
Another video posted on Facebook from President Standley as he is driving back to the mission home with a bunch of the new sister missionaries shows the sisters excitedly watching and photographing a koala. I thought it was funny when he said, “Showing the Americans a koala…”
Misha got tickets for the opening day of Wicked. She had planned to go with her friend, Olivia, but Olivia and her family had covid.
I thought about going with Misha but that would mean lots of driving in the dark and my eyes don't see so well for night driving anymore. Fortunately, Misha was able to return her extra ticket.
Misha LOVED the movie.
Her texts to us when it was over:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH. IT'S SO GOOD. I CRIED."
With my body getting creakier with the years, I am grateful for my massage therapist. She too knows exactly what to do when she asks, "What are we doing today?" and I respond with, "Just the usual." She knows the spots on my body that are tight, the spots where she can really dig in, and the spots where I am too sensitive for deep massaging. And I am really sad that I will have to find a new person next year!
Kristen's final day in the California Arcadia mission was Tuesday, November 19. Five months after starting her mission. To say she was excited to finally be on her way would be an understatement.
There was another elder in the California mission who had been a visa waiter for Adelaide as well. They flew out together and met up with a few other missionaries headed there as well.
She said a sad farewell to her current companions. One of her companions is actually from Lyons, CO and is in our stake. She and Sister Fullmer became great friends.
Her flight time and layovers took almost 24 hours. We tracked her as she flew on Tuesday and Wednesday. She arrived in Australia 17.5 hours ahead of us in Denver on Thursday afternoon.
Her mission president and his wife, Rhys and Jasmine Standley, met 21 new elders and sisters at the airport and recorded all of them arriving. Kristen was the last off the plane. I cried a little watching it.
Pres. Standley posts a lot of videos and pictures and posts them to Facebook, so it is fun to see Kristen every so often. He recorded the group of missionaries at the mission home having a Subway lunch and then again the next day as they all met their companions and left the mission home for the respective areas.
On Wednesday night, Kristen called. She had had a chill day (the president knows they have some jet lag). Her president said, "Go call your mums!" Amy, Misha and I chatted with her for about a half an hour. It was the middle of the night for Chris in London, so he missed out.
Sister Standley even popped onto our video chat for a minute saying how glad they were to have Sister Kline in the mission. Only mildly embarrassing that I was sitting in bed trying to stay covered up in my garments!
I am grateful for my hairstylist where I can say to her, "just the usual" and she knows exactly how to cut my hair. I will have to find someone new and let them get used to my hair next year and that's not a happy thought!
I tried twice to have a book delivered to Kristen that she could read on the long flight to Australia. I had to mail it to the mission office. The first time, Amazon tried to deliver it on a Saturday when the mission office was closed. Amazon canceled the delivery.
The second time I tried one-day delivery to have the book, Insights from a Prophet's Life about Russell M. Nelson, at the mission office on Tuesday before Kristen left for the airport. Again, no luck in having it arrive on time. I canceled that order... and she was off to Australia without the book.
This is going to be a year of perhaps having traditions on hold. Misha will be the only one home for Thanksgiving, Kristen will be in Australia, all of my Christmas decorations are in storage, and we are going to Florida for Christmas.
The constant in our traditions or "lack of" traditions this year is family. I am grateful that we love to be together; miles may separate us and circumstances may keep us from celebrating as we usually do, but family is the constant. With that, we can celebrate the beauty and blessing of family regardless of the decorative napkins on the Thanksgiving table or the Christmas lights.
Chris left for London Saturday afternoon. He will be there until next Saturday unless he can pick up a stand by flight to come home a day early. Fingers crossed.
He arrived in London on Sunday morning. He attended a ward not too far from his hotel, going to church as soon as he landed. He dropped his luggage off at the hotel and then took the train about an hour or so outside the city to visit the Battle of Britain Bunker.
"The Battle of Britain Bunker is an underground operations room at RAF Uxbridge, formerly used by No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Second World War. Fighter aircraft operations were controlled from there throughout the War but most notably during the Battle of Britain and on D-Day." Wikipedia
Chris noted that it was one of the better tours that he has done in London. "Fascinating how they ran the air war from there during the blitz."
He spent a couple of hours touring the bunker and then took the train back to London, ordered some dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening. He is 7 hours ahead of MT.
I am grateful for all the breakups in my life. Breaking up taught me to be patient, to persevere, to be grateful for new beginnings, to turn to God, to get through tough days, to be sympathetic and empathetic with my daughters, and most importantly to be thankful for the ONE guy God endorsed for me.
Grandma Ball got approval from her doctor to visit Kevin in Utah. She has to be careful going to higher elevations with her heart.
Amy was able to see Grandma on Sunday at Kevin's house. She and Zac joined them for dinner.
Misha was invited to a Friendsgiving on Sunday. She offered to take rolls. She came home to get the breadmaker on Saturday afternoon (and do some laundry) so that she could use it to mix up the dough.
She sent me pics and questions throughout the morning.
The rolls were a hit.
I know the world doesn't agree on modern medicine, but I am so grateful for medicine that helps me to feel better as well as helps me to correct the maladies that seem to be popping up with age.
Misha was home last weekend and was able to start on antibiotics for a sinus infection and started feeling better within a few days. I am grateful for pharmacies that are close by too.
I don't know how I would have survived having a traveling husband over the years without technology. It is so cool to be home and able to communicate with Chris as he flies across the ocean, rides a train into London, or touch base in any of the myriad of places in the world where we have chatted and texted.
I am thankful for the modern miracle of technology that keeps Chris and I in touch even when the miles separate us. I am thankful that I can chat with my girls wherever they are in the world, see them on Facetime, and still have contact with our missionary.
Following my endoscopy, I was referred to an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist in Longmont. Lucky for me, I got more lidocaine—this time sprayed up my nose—so that the doctor could run a small camera into my nasal cavity. He asked that if I felt as if I were going to sneeze, to try and point my face away from him! I did not sneeze.
So, I do not have overly enlarge tonsils as the endoscopy seemed to show. I do have a slight deviated septum (may be unrelated and not worth doing any surgery). I do have a number of symptoms of acid reflux—silent acid reflux—because I don't get heartburn.
I am grateful that Chris and I have lived in our Pelican Shores community for over ten years with some pretty great neighbors. There is a real friendship amongst the neighbors, and we have truly benefited over the years from their kindness, generosity, and willingness to help us out in a pinch. We are sad to be moving away from such great people.
Amy had a follow up visit to the dentist where they did a little touch up work on one of her front teeth that they just worked on. They are reshaping her gums on some of her smaller teeth.
Sadly, this meant that she had to be numbed again.
Gotta love her attempt at a smile after it was all done.
Misha was offered a second job working in the marketing department (I think with the fitness center on the CU Denver campus). She will still be able to work only 25 hours a week, but will be able to divide her time between being a Project Manager at the Fitness Center and with the Marketing Department.
She didn't even have to interview, they just called and told her she got the job!
And she was thrilled to find out that minimum wage in Denver is going up to $18.81 an hour.
I am thankful for glasses because my eyes seem to be changing more and more over the years. I am particularly thankful that bifocals are not so obvious on glasses anymore.
Working in a group on a class assignment isn't always wonderful, but in this case it seemed to have worked in Amy's favor. Her group got their final assignment done and handed in almost a month early. So now she only has three classes left to finish before she graduates.
Hooray!
Chris has traveled a lot in November. He went to Santa Barbara for a couple of days during the first week of the month. Next he spent a couple of days in Miami; too bad the weather was so awful!
He flies to London and will spend the whole week there the week before Thanksgiving.