Fly to Utah

Chris, Kristen, and I flew to SLC on New Year’s Eve. We got the closest parking spot possible to the terminal. Woohoo. 

We were planning to get Kristen settled into her new apartment on the 2nd, get groceries, find some kitchen things at DI, and pick up whatever else she might be missing. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip.

Kevin and Amy came to pick us up at the airport. We needed both cars to fit the three of us, our two bags,  and the 4 bags Kristen had packed to begin college life in Utah. Chris drove with Kevin and all of the luggage to Amy’s apartment. We unloaded the luggage into Amy’s garage. Kevin drove to his house in Springville, and we stayed to check out Amy’s new place and car. Pretty snazzy. 

Amy showed us around her office building.

We planned to spend New Year’s Eve with Kevin and his family. Chris and I would spend the night there, while Kristen would stay with Amy. 

Amy, Kristen, and Joseph playing Candy Land at dinner.

We went out for pizza, played games, and had fun with cousins.

Hair Cuts and Massages

Chris made appointments for us to get hair cuts and massages with our favorite hair stylist and massage therapist in Frederick (next to Firestone). 

I have looked for a new stylist in Monument, and prices for just a cut are so much higher. A cut and color are even more. I’m sure we’ll have to bite the bullet at some point, but for now, when we both go back together, the drive and time isn’t too bad.

Quiet House on Monday Morning

Amy returned home on Monday morning. Misha and Kristen were driving to Longmont so that Kristen could have brunch with a couple of high school friends and Misha was taking her car back to Subaru in Longmont to check on some work they had done previously on her car. 

Misha dropped Amy off at the Park n' Ride for her 9 am shuttle ride back to the airport.

Misha had her car appointment for a couple of hours and found that things were ok with her car. She and Kristen drove around Firestone a little reminiscing and then drove back to Denver where Misha put Kristen on the Bustang for a ride back to Monument.

Julie Visits for Kristen's Homecoming

Julie arrived on Saturday evening to see Kristen and attend Sacrament Meeting with us for Kristen’s homecoming talk. 

We were definitely hoping that Kristen had more than 5 minutes this time! Julie came without her family but we appreciated that she made the effort. She has been a great “Aunt Julie" to our girls over the years, and our girls are now “aunts” to her 3 girls. 

She stayed with us until Monday afternoon. I dropped her off at the Park n' Ride at noon for her shuttle ride back to the airport.

Kristen's Second Homecoming Talk

I suppose it was a good opportunity that Kristen had a second chance at giving a homecoming talk for her mission. 

When she talked in our old Longmont ward, she was left with 5 minutes and there wasn’t time to share much. She gave a great talk, sharing about the Flores family that she had helped to teach and who were baptized two weeks before Kristen came home.

Four Course Meal of Almost Nothing

Chris had a credit on his credit card for a fancy meal. He found a restaurant in Colorado Springs that was included in the promotion. It was called “Four by Brother Lucky” and was supposed to represent local foods in the four seasons of Colorado. 

I kid you not, I left this four course meal hungry. My first two courses could have fit into the palm of my hand. My third course was a little more substantial and our dessert course was a very thin slice of chocolate cheesecake.

Kristen to Temple & Meet Up with Paige

Kristen had her last temple assignment on Friday, December 26th. (She hopes that she will be able to continue working in the temple in Provo.) 

She was up early and out of the house by 6:20 am. She was excited to meet up with her friend, Paige, who had just returned from her mission to Brazil right before Christmas. 

After Kristen finished her shift at the temple, she and Paige went for lunch. 

Chris and I met both of them girls at the temple for the 3 pm endowment session. So nice to be in the temple with Kristen. Kristen planned to meet up with Paige again on Monday, so they said a quick goodbye. 

Paige returned to Longmont, and the three of us drove back to Monument. It takes about 45 minutes to get home from the temple in good traffic.

Sister Missionaries for Christmas Dinner

We invited the sister missionaries for dinner on Christmas evening. The girls wanted our traditional gnocchi with meat sauce. 

It takes awhile to make the gnocchi, so I started boiling the potatoes around 3 pm. Dinner was at 5 pm, and once the gnocchi dough was made, Amy and I worked non-stop on dinner until 5.

The other girls helped with drinks and setting the table. 

The sister missionaries were only allowed to stay for an hour and a half. We shared our Christmas cracker tradition with them and Kristen had fun making them personalized to each of us.

We had dinner and then Sister Romeril (in back) and Sister Sotela (in front on the right) went downstairs to sing and play the piano with Kristen. They all sounded great together. Chris recorded a short video and sent it to the sisters’ parents.

Christmas Day

The bonus in having older kids is that we can start opening gifts later and they are just as happy to stay in bed sleeping. 

We started around 9 am after a relaxed breakfast. I liked the basement setting for opening presents with our two couches and the love seat. Everyone had a comfy seat. And with girls who put more thought into their gifts, we are all happy to open gifts one by one and see other’s reactions to our gifts. 

Amy might have been a little miffed that she didn’t have as many presents under the tree (yes, they keep track of that), but we had shipped 3 or 4 of her gifts to Utah that would have been too bulky to take home in luggage.

The beautiful sunrise Christmas morning with a pink glow on Pikes Peak.

Hooray for presents.

Worlds Greatest CEO

New address stamp from Dallin and family.

After everyone else had opened their “Open Last” gift, Amy got a scavenger hunt around the house to find her extra gifts. Chris had printed out a picture of the gifts and Misha and Kristen jumped in to help Amy figure out the clues. 

They had to use one of the printed blog books and figure out that they were looking up the page number, entry date, paragraph, line and word. That took another 45 minutes but they all had fun.

Christmas Eve Traditions

Kristen has taken on the role of creating a fun family Christmas Eve activity for our family. This year she came up with a Survivor-based auction (Survivor as in tv show). 

She created Kristen bucks and gave each of us $600. 

She also had items for us to bid on with the caveat, that some of the items were hidden and we didn’t know what we were bidding on. We also wouldn’t know when the last item was being presented.

Chris won a “steal another person’s gift” envelope and Misha won “one free compliment”. 

I got some Garfield air fresheners for my car and a small case of Coke. Very fun and clever. 

Following that, we exchanged gifts in our anonymous exchange. I seem to always draw Misha’s name. 

And of course, there was the traditional bringing out the gifts. Not quite as dramatic as in previous years when Misha and Kristen ran the gifts upstairs from the closet in the gym. And Amy always got the easy job of placing the gifts around the tree. This year we planned to open gifts around the basement family room tree so there were no stairs involved. 

We filled stockings and then headed off to our respective rooms for the night.

Chinese Food Tradition

Our Christmas Eve tradition usually involves going out for Chinese Food for dinner. This year we had to search for a new restaurant, with the hope that it was good food. 

I made a reservation for 6 pm. Funny, the young man who answered the phone (obviously not a native English speaker) asked me if I wanted 6 in the afternoon or 6 in the evening. 

We arrived and the lobby was packed with people waiting for to-go orders. Another case of people not wanting to cook on Christmas Eve and not many restaurants open. The lady at the front desk said she could seat us but we would have to wait 30 minutes before ordering. Not ideal, but we waited. Our dishes came out in waves once we were able to order and be served.

The food was ok. We will keep searching.

Yeast Mess

I tried to plan ahead for dinner and wanted to get some hamburger out of the basement freezer. I had to move a few things around in order to pull the hamburger out. 

Unfortunately when I grabbed the yeast that was in a pop top container, the top had already been popped and the yeast poured out of the container into the freezer covering frozen chicken packets, frozen lunches, and all crooks and crannies. UGH. 

The bottom freezer drawer wouldn’t pull out without being detached from the stainless steel drawer front. After grabbing the vacuum, I had to try to get the yeast from the bottom of the freezer while working around the drawers. It was just one frustrating moment after another. 

I yelled for help. Chris had just gotten home with the girls. Chris and Misha dug in to help, even going so far as pulling the entire fridge out to vacuum the yeast that had fallen underneath. 45 minutes later we had the food back in the freezer, the lid securely closed on the yeast, and hamburger thawing on the counter. 

Amy to St. George

Amy made a quick trip to St. George to visit Liz, Tanner, and Hallie. Tanner was graduating and Amy went to support him... but mostly to see Hallie.

Organizing the Garage

Chris spent most of last week installing the gas heater in his garage (with a little help from me). This Saturday, he was excited to make some progress on the organization and cleanup of his garage.

I found some inexpensive countertops on Facebook Marketplace and he cut them down to size. They were heavy beasts. I had to help him lift the long one. Once the countertops were in place, he started emptying some of the bins that have just been sitting on the garage floor for the past 6 months.

A Week in Mexico

Chris spent a week in Mexico helping to train the new Mexico sales team. They loved him...and they didn't feed him anything crazy like cow tongue or ants!

They want him to come back!

Misha Got a Job!

Misha's second job interview with Gibbons White was on Wednesday in Boulder at their office. They asked Misha to do some research on their competitor sites and see what they can do similarly and differently in marketing.

The new position is for a Social Media Manager. Misha will start on January 7 working 20 hours a week. Gibbons White plans to work her up to 30 hours if things go well. In February, Misha will get a $5 wage increase as well if she is a good fit for the company.

Misha was notified on Thursday while she was out for a goodbye lunch with her bosses. She has worked in the Facilities Dept. part time and in the rest of the time with the Marketing Dept. They were all so excited for her. Misha had given her two weeks notice a couple of weeks ago, and December 19 (Friday) was her last day. She was definitely living on faith and a prayer by giving notice without a solid job lined up.

One more evidence that God is in the details of our lives for Misha's last-minute miracle.

Friday texts on the Family Chat:

Misha: Last day of work. Sad that it's over but ready to go. I've love it here.

Amy: It's been a great job for you. Now on to bigger and better things.

Mom: I'm pretty sure they have loved you!

Amy: They will feel the pain of not having you there anymore.

Misha: I'm sure they will. I told one boss that she can call me whenever but everyone else gets two phone calls to problem solve.

Dad: Great to go out when you are  on top and have good memories. Never as good to leave when you hate the place.

Misha: Exactly. And I can see people whenever, just doesn't have to be here.

A little later as she was leaving...

Misha: I cried. I love those people. And I made my boss cry big tears.

Grandma Ball

Grandma Ball came for a weekend visit to see Kristen and attend Kristen’s homecoming talk at our home ward in Firestone. Since her doctors have cautioned her about visiting us at 7200’, we have tried to take things easy. 

She arrived on Thursday afternoon and stayed until Monday morning when she went back to the airport with Chris—on his way to a week in Mexico.

We perused through the Garden of the Gods Trading Post and then drove to Old Colorado City to check out the Christkinlmarkt there. 

The market was soooo crowded with more food vendors than shop vendors. After a few minutes, we decided to leave and check out the cute shops in Old Colorado City. It wasn’t quite dinner time, but that was probably helpful in getting a seat at Pizzeria Rustica without a reservation. The pizza was wood-fired and met with two thumbs up. I had a yummy salad and meatballs on the side. 

With our bill we received a sealed envelope with a coupon for 10-40% off a return trip in January. Chris and I will definitely go back.

Garden of the Gods (filters added)

Grandma also worked a puzzle.

Kristen's Homecoming Talk in Longmont

We set an alarm for 5:15 am on Sunday morning to get up and be ready to leave the house at 6:15 am. Kristen was reporting to the Longmont Stake High Council and then meeting with our stake president before Sacrament Meeting at 9 am. It was good to see some familiar faces. The Stake Presidencey asked all of us—Chris, me, Misha, and Grandma—to come in while Kristen reported to the High Council. 

Kristen was speaking on a Sunday when another young woman was giving her mission farewell. Ally took up most of the time and left Kristen with about 5 minutes. Kristen gave a short testimony and closed. Hopefully in her report in our new ward in Monument on the 28th, Kristen will have time enough to share more of her mission experiences. People love to hear mission reports.

Amy's Birthday

Amy celebrated her 26th birthday. She is officially off Chris’ health and car insurance but is fortunate to have good health insurance with Glia. 

Her best birthday present is the gift to herself of a new BMW. 

Back in November, when we saw it on sale, Chris and I bought a KitchenAid mixer and had it delivered as an early birthday gift. You know you’re an adult when…

Amy’s coworkers treated her to a birthday lunch on Wednesday. Two others in the office were celebrating birthdays on the same day!

On Thursday, she took the day off and pampered herself with a pedicure, a chocolate-covered apple, a cut and color, and then dinner with friends in the evening.

When Amy was at the nail salon, there were two other ladies there who were also celebrating their birthdays. 

Garage Heater

Chris spent a couple of hours installing a heater in the garage. I checked on him every so often to make sure he was ok, and spent quite a bit of time helping him find studs on the ceiling, secure 2x4s to the studs and then lift the heater in place. It was not light. Once we got the heater to the top of the ladder, I suggested maybe we find something to set under the heater to lift it even closer to the ceiling.

A Rubbermaid tote fit the bill quite nicely. There were moments though as Chris tried to secure the heater to the 2x4s when the heater was literally being held up by my arms and head!

Finally Chris was able to get enough anchors in that I didn't have to lift it anymore and we moved the heater into place. He then spent time attached the pipe from the heater to the healing vent, hooking up electricity, and finally hooking up the gas that had been stubbed out for him during our build. 

Chris was quite thrilled when everything worked!

Kristen's 1st Temple Service

When our bishop texted Kristen about her temple service, he also included names of people who regularly served in the temple on different days of the week from our ward. 

Since Kristen chose Friday mornings to attend, she asked Allison Bird if she could get a ride to the temple with her. She was up and ready to go by 6:15 am for the 45 minute drive to the temple. Since this was Kristen’s first time as a temple volunteer, she was asked to be at the temple a little early. 

Her session was from 7:45 to 12:45.

Misha Job Interview

Misha had a job interview with a commercial real estate company. The first meeting was via phone and mostly the hiring manager, company president and a few others, focused on how they want to expand their branding reach with a marketing, design, and social media coordinator. 

The position is part time right now with the potential of moving to full time. She has a second in-person interview on Wednesday in Boulder with homework to research some of their competitor sites and see what the hiring company can do similarly and differently.

Dryer

Ever since moving in to our new house, our dryer hasn’t been working well. It would take four hours to get a load of towels kind of dry. 

Chris had cleaned the dryer quite thoroughly before we moved, and then again after we moved. We snaked the vent hose from the dryer hookup to the roof vent. It was clean. We were running out of options and thinking maybe our 11-year old dryer was dying. 

Chris finally texted the builder and expressed our concern with the dryer not drying. They sent one of the workers over to check the roof vent. And he returned with a screen that the roofers were supposed to remove from the vent. 

It was caked in lint. Here’s hoping the dryer works better now.

Kristen and Misha in Denver

Kristen drove back to Denver with Misha on Sunday afternoon to stay with Misha for a couple of days. They went to the Christkindlmarkt, went for breakfast at Pete’s Cafe, hit the gym at the Rec Center, thrift shopped, went to a movie on Monday afternoon, and finally had dinner at Cup Bop on Monday evening. 

The air ducts above Misha's head make it look as though she is wearing a crazy hat!

Movie theater.

Movie theater snacks.

Misha had to work on Tuesday, so she put Kristen on the 9 am bus to Monument, and I picked her up at 10:30 am at the Park and Ride about five minutes from our house

Empty Nester Dinner

I volunteered to host the Empty Nester dinner at our house this month. With busy schedules, sickness, and work travel, we only had about 8 people come compared to the 15-20 people that usually attend. 

We made hamburgers. They were pretty tasty and I even had one of the ladies ask where I purchased them because her husband had liked them so much. The secret? They were not as low-fat as the hamburgers I would normally buy. 

Next time we will host in the summer months so we can have extra seating on the deck.

Amy Test Driving and a New Car

It did not take Amy long at all to find a new car. She spent all day Saturday test driving cars to figure out what she wanted to buy. 

She drove a Honda CRV, Accord, and Civic, plus an Acura and finally a BMW. 

Guess which one she fell in love with? The BMW. 

She went back to the dealership (taking her friend Ella for emotional support) on Monday after work and bought the BMW. She LOVES it.

A Change of Cars

Amy has been driving the Mazda 3 (the kids car that we bought for Kristen to drive). Since Kristen was on her mission, it just made sense for Amy to sell her car last year and bank the funds until she needed to buy a new car. 

That time came when Misha found out that her Subaru needed some significant work. We asked Amy if she would be willing to buy her new car now and she was happy to agree. 

Kristen will be in Provo without a car for a couple of months but Provo has a good bus system and Kristen’s roommate will have a car that will help for getting groceries.

Since Chris, Misha, and I are flying with Kristen to Utah to help her get settled in Provo over New Years, we decided it would be best for Chris and Misha to drive the Mazda 3 back to Colorado. I will fly home and pick up our car from the airport in Denver.

We are hoping that Misha can sell her car and get a job that will allow her to buy something new. Then the Mazda 3 will head back to Utah for Kristen in May.

Stake Nativity

Chris was busy helping Misha with her car, so Kristen and I went to the Lexington church building to fill a volunteer assignment at the stake nativity. 

I stood by the front entrance and directed people into the Crèche setup in the gym or to the other side of the church where the live nativity would be held at 6 pm. Kristen sat by the gym door and used a clicker to count all of the people who attended.

New Christmas Tree

I have been searching for a new taller Christmas tree for the main floor of our house. I finally found one but it was in Aurora about an hour away from Monument. 

Chris kindly came with me to pick it up. The tree was in two tree storage bags that fit nicely in the back of the Pilot. The guy we bought it from was recently divorced and said he wouldn’t be setting the tree up on his own. 

I had only seen the tree set up in pictures that he had posted, so I hoped it would work nicely without any broken lights. The tree came in four pieces and was designed so that when you attached each piece, the electrical connection for the lights was made through the stem of the tree. 

It is 10 feet tall and lit with warm yellow lights. I bought some gold trim, champagne-colored balls, and white snowflakes. It is not overly done but still looks lovely. 

A picture after dark.