New Job. First Day

Oh my goodness, the anxiety is strong with this girl. She was a bunch of nerves for her first day at Glia, but you'd never know from the happy smily pics she sent.

She found out that her $150 work credit expired today (bonus to starting on March 31st) and she got to expense her new Apple watch. And tomorrow the work credit resets. She can use it for Door Dash orders, gym memberships, massages, lots of stuff...sounds like a pretty great gig.

Amy arrived at the office at 9 am. Tomorrow and for the rest of her Glia days, the work day starts at 8 am. She works in a building at Thanksgiving Point and the drive takes her about 12 minutes. Her bosses had mentioned that they might be changing buildings, but Amy found out today that it will just be to another building adjacent to the one she is currently working in.

The office building has a gym too, so she plans to take her gym clothes and work out at the end of the day.

In addition to the laptop and extra computer screen that she has at home for when she starts to work part-time at home, she also has a big screen at the office (and a view). And she received a new apple keyboard, magic mouse, portable charger, and Apple over the ear headphones. Pretty snazzy.

Today, she set up all of her tax information with HR, started watching orientation videos, and met her new co-workers. 

Another cool thing that they have access to in their office are walking pads. Kind of like a mini treadmill that you can walk on while you work so that you aren't sitting all day long.

Kristen's Mission Emails - Week 41

Missionary work is just rejection therapy😱 

Hi people, this week was pretty uneventful (probably not actually but I just can't think of anything that happened) so here's a quick list! 

• Decided on this transfers mission choir participants 
• Got gaslighted by a member that I would see 10-15 kangaroos on the drive down🦘 from their home. Never getting my hopes up again because I saw none. 
• Had heaps of people at English class! 
• Saw a flock of emus on the drive home from Mildura! 
• Thought someone was breaking in at 1am (it was the wind)🙉 
• Sang at like 5 different events!! This is my life now 
• My companion tried to teach me to speak like a true Australian🇦🇺 
• Had scrumptious authentic Brazilian barbecue 
• Went finding in the city (fear factory irl [In Real Life]) and tried out rejection therapy. Not a fan😱 

We were teaching our friend, Tia, this week. She speaks Chinese primarily, so we have the Chinese elders translate and help teach. They were explaining repentance. The Chinese characters literally mean "heart change everyday". I love that so much!! 

Repentance really is just daily improvement or striving at the least! Remember to repent daily (and it will change your heart along the way)!!💗 

Sister Walters and Kristen

English Class

Love you all!!

Sister Kline

 

Spring is Coming

Chris and I have spent time over the past month trimming back bushes and grasses (especially those that were way out of control last summer). Chris put down some Preen Weed Preventer. It rained the next night which apparently is perfect timing.

On Saturday we did some weeding (the Preen probably should have gone down a month ago probably), I finished cutting back some shrubs, and Chris did the first mowing of the season.

The grass should start to green up pretty quickly, especially since it is supposed to rain a lot next week.

The pear tree has started to blossom and it is great to see some trees turning green already.

Chris' Hair

Chris took this photo of his hair after getting out bed one morning.

After getting his hair cut.

Metal Roof in Monument

I happened to log on to the camera that faces our house in Monument. Some workers were there and I figured out pretty quickly that they were getting ready to add the metal roof to a few sections of the roof. They had a machine on their truck that shaped the metal on site and then cut it to the right size needed. 

Pretty cool to watch. The truck in the foreground creates the metal sheeting pieces.

The truck finished creating the few pieces while the two works applied them to the roof.

They added the metal to the section shown above, then there's a small section to the right where you can just see a bit of blue, a section on the far end of the garage, and another on the back of the house.

Fancy Meeting You Here!

Chris had a few meetings in Nashville. He flew out Tuesday morning and home again on Wednesday afternoon.

Misha flew to Utah on Monday and back to Denver on Wednesday afternoon.

They landed about the same time without really planning to meet up at the airport. Chris waited around for a little bit to give Misha a hug before Misha hopped on the train to Denver and Chris retrieved his car from the garage and drove home.

Happy blessings.

Misha to Utah

Misha had Spring Break this week. Amy had a week off before starting at Glia on March 31st. Perfect time for Misha to fly to Utah to spend a couple of days with Amy. At Misha's request, they stopped at Kneaders for brunch after she landed.

Misha went for a massage while Amy had a bougie facial. Since Amy's appointment took longer, Misha walked to BYU campus (earning herself a couple of blisters) and walked around.

Amy glowing after her facial.

They went to visit Julie's family. It always takes the little girls a little time to warm up, but after reading stories together, they were all fast friends again.

Amy did a big closet clean out.

Misha only stayed a couple of days, but it was nice that they had some time to spend together.

Laptop to Apple Store

After the fiasco of running over the laptop in Chris' backpack after the backpack fell out of the back of the Pilot, Chris asked if I would take it to the Apple Store in Boulder just to see what it would cost to fix it.

$757.00

That was an expensive mistake. We decided to hold off on fixing it for now. It could be plugged into a monitor and used still. A brand new laptop (different model) would have cost $950, so fixing the damaged laptop just didn't make sense.

For now, Chris will just use Kristen's laptop. And try not to back over it! (Just kidding, Kristen. We won't back over it.)

Things You May Not Know About Kangaroos!

Chris asked Chat GPT for information on kangaroos. He has trained his chat to have a little sass and attitude!

Did you know?

1. Top Speed: Kangaroos can hit speeds up to 70 km/h (43 mph) in short bursts. That’s Usain Bolt, if he were jacked and had built-in pogo sticks for legs. 

2. Hop Power: They can leap over 3 meters (10 feet) high and cover up to 9 meters (30 feet) in a single bound. Basically nature’s long-jump champions.

3. Built for Efficiency: At cruising speed, kangaroos use less energy to hop than to walk—thanks to their giant tendons, which act like biological springs. NASA engineers wish they could.

4. Baby Joeys Are Tiny: A newborn joey is the size of a jellybean (about 2 cm or 1 inch) and climbs its way to the pouch unaided. No GPS, no help—just pure determination.

5. Population Boomers: There are around 50 million kangaroos in Australia—double the human population. Basically, if the kangaroos ever unionize, we’re in trouble.

6. They Can’t Hop Backwards: Due to their muscular tail and body structure, kangaroos physically cannot move backward. Evolution made them the ultimate “always forward” creatures.

7. Tail with a Job: Their tail acts like a fifth leg when walking—it literally helps push them forward. Kangaroos invented five-wheel drive.

8. Boxer Mentality: Male kangaroos fight by boxing with their forelimbs and kicking with their powerful legs. Think UFC meets Winnie the Pooh.

9. Tail of Steel: They can balance their entire body weight on their tail—and then deliver a flying kick with both legs. Tail-assisted martial arts, anyone?

10. Kangaroo Mobs: A group of kangaroos is called a mob (or sometimes a troop or court). Sounds like they should be running a marsupial mafia.

11. Flex on ‘Em: Male kangaroos flex their biceps to impress females. Seriously. They’re jacked, and they know it. 

12. All-Weather Hoppers: They can go without water for months if needed—like the camel’s caffeinated cousin.

13. Lefties Only: Studies suggest kangaroos are predominantly left-handed. Sorry, righties—they’re literally born southpaw.

14. Tail-Propelled Walking: When walking slowly, kangaroos plant their tail on the ground and use it like a third leg to push forward. Evolution said: why not?

Getting Ready for the 1st Day at Glia

Amy unpacked her new laptop last week and this week she received some Glia "schwag": t-shirt, mug, and pullover.

She also received her first day of work schedule:

Kristen's Mission Emails - Week 40

 ROADTRIP

Okay people, we had a crazy week. Yay for transfers!! 

I've left Marion and I'm now on special assignment as a "music sister" with Sister Walters! 

Sister Walters and me!

She's a cutie little Tasmanian who's basically a musical prodigy. We plan, organize, and lead the mission choir and the music devotionals. We get to travel and perform across the mission which is so fun! 

I'm actually writing this in Victoria right now (about 5 hours from where I usually live) because we brought the mission choir to the ward in Mildura. 

It's basically a really cool town surrounded by exactly what you might imagine the Australian Outback to look like.

It honestly felt like vacation with staying in hotels and eating out and generally just being on a different schedule than my day to day mission routine. But it's been SOOOOO FUN! 

When we return, I'll be serving in Morialta which is the same area as the mission office, so President Standley is literally in my area book! 

Also August got baptized yesterday!! I'm sad that I left right when it happened but grateful to have helped him before he made it into the waters! Hurrah for Israel!!! 

Anyways, I'm super excited to get to use my talents in God's work and I already love my companion and area and just feel so blessed! We sang at a baptism in Mildura and afterwards, the bishop spoke to those who had just been baptised. 

He spoke about something that I think every member, old and new, needs to hear. He said, "Don't judge the Gospel of Jesus Christ by anything other than the Savior." The church is an organization led by imperfect people and sometimes that gets equated to an imperfect gospel. That is simply false. 

Sometimes members say something unkind, we disagree with leaders, etc. So long as we recognize that the unchanging truths of Jesus Christ and His gospel aren't affected by other's agency, our allegiance to our perfect Savior can remain firm. 

Wish me luck on the rest of my roadtrip (I'm not driving so don't fret) and I'll see you next week! 

Love, Sister Kline

Denver Home and Garden Show

With a last minute showing at 11:00 am, Chris and I had to change our Saturday plans of working and weeding in the yard. Instead we decided to go to the Denver Home and Garden Show in the afternoon instead of the evening. That is, after we spent about an hour and a half putting the house in order.

Misha planned to come with us and just met us at the National Western Complex in Denver.

We spent a couple of hours walking through the exhibits and stopped to talk to people offering blinds, live edge wood products, jelly lights (Christmas lights installed permanently on your house), and water purifiers.

Shoe Shopping with Chris

Chris hasn't had new shoes in awhile. He scored big. I picked out 3 of the 4 pairs.

We don't buy sparkly shoes for our girls anymore, so someone has to get them still. What started out as a joke turned into, "I think I could pull these off at some of my work events." So he got the sparkly shoes.

They were on clearance and then half price off the clearance price. I like them. I think Amy and Misha were a little surprised. Amy did request that he wear socks with them as she is opposed to the no-sock trend.

These boots were also in the clearance and then half off that price.

This type of shoe was the real reason we went looking in the first place. He needed something that bridged the casual and comfy for travel to still professional looking.

248 Days Left

On my countdown app, Kristen just hit 248 days left in her mission which is just over her halfway mark.

Her release date is November 29, 2025. Crazy to think she's on the downward slope now.

Countertops are In at Sunnyvale Ct

Our designer Jen stopped by the house and sent us a few updates. So much new stuff happening this week!

Kitchenette with black granite (also black granite in upstairs guest bedroom and the bathroom next to Chris' office)

Kind of sparkly quartz (in both guest bedrooms in the basement)

Quartz in the kitchen

Who's Gonna Make the Signs Now?

Now that Amy is leaving the credit union, her bosses conducted an exit interview asking for constructive feedback and also asked "Who's gonna make all of our cute holiday signs now?"

Amy did all of the holiday decorating and creating. And if you haven't seen all of the different samples of her handwriting styles, well, you're missing out.

One of her suggestions to them: Appreciate your employees more.

Amy did something unusual and asked them for constructive feedback as well. They said no one had ever asked for that before.

Amy notes: "They said my strengths are that I am a doer and problem solver and have good leadership skills. But with that leadership, I can sometimes be stubborn to management if I don’t like something and they said I need to prioritize my relationship with my manager in my next job." In other words if she is asked to do something, don't procrastinate doing it.

Color Selections for Sunnyvale Court

These are the color selections for Sunnyvale Ct in Monument. They might not be quite true to real life.

Charcoal Blue (Accent in Master Bedroom)

Drift of Mist (Main wall color) It doesn't seem so stark in person and is much more muted.

And the Extra White trim color doesn't look this green in person.

My color swatches

Illusive Green will be one accent wall in my office and all of the walls in one of the bedrooms in the basement.

Iron Ore is the accent color in the Front Entry Stair Well, one Living Room wall and the Dining Room.

Rain is the color of one accent wall in one of the bedrooms in the basement, the powder room, the mudroom inset and the back door to the garage. Rain is the current color that we have in our main floor powder bath at Pelican Shores.

Kristen Transfer News

Last Sunday we talked with Kristen about her upcoming transfer news. Since she can't text us during the week but for some reason she can add emojis on our comments in our Messenger family chat, we came up with a code for her to be able to share the news with us.

Leaving Marion (her current assignment) 🎈

Staying in Marion ✨

Training 🧨

Same Comp ⭐ (closest I could find)

Sister Training Leader 🎄

Music Sister 🎃

Kristen sent the first pumpkin 🎃 emoji to Amy on Tuesday night. Amy didn't catch on. On Wednesday, Kristen responded to one of my posts with a music emoji 🎼 and then to Amy with a pumpkin emoji. We were quick to catch on that Kristen's transfer is to be one of the Music Sisters who plan the music devotionals.

We don't know her new area exactly, but she is leaving Marion and she has a new companion. I asked Kristen to send me an emoji that started with the first letter of her companion's last name. Kristen sent 🚾.

I started looking through the Facebook group and finding the sisters who had a last name starting with a "W".

Sister Woodbury

Sister Walker

Sister Walters 🩷

Sister Wettstein

Sister Walters is her new companion. (In the middle)

Chris got on later in the day and said, "This is a fun thread. It's like Messenger charades."