Amy: Concert in Phoenix

Amy purchased tickets to attend a Morgan Wallen concert in Phoenix. He is a county music artist. She had the tickets before she found out that she would be going to Minnesota for Sync Week with Glia. The travel department was happy to work with Amy’s schedule and instead of booking her travel back to Utah from Minnesota, they booked a flight to Phoenix for her. Amy met up with her friend, Ella, in Phoenix for the concert on Friday. They had a blast together and both flew home the next morning.

For some reason, Amy booked her flight back to Utah at noon. Ella had to be at the airport for an early morning flight. Amy got on the standby list for an earlier flight at 10 am. This was her first experience trying to fly standby. She made it. And went home and slept for 4 hours that afternoon.

Amy: Glia Sync Week

Much like Chris’ sales kick off weeks, Amy’s company Glia has Sync Week which offers training, talks about sales numbers, and new goals. 

This week they were also hyping a rebrand of new company colors and designs.

As a new employee, Amy was able to meet the two Account Executives that she works with—Amber and Kyle. Amy is a rockstar in her new position and has received a lot of recognition for being so successful. Funny because Amy often jokes that she doesn’t know what she is doing! 

Glia brings all employees to Sync Week. This meeting was held in Minnesota. Amy is pretty thrilled that the January Sync Week from January 13-16 will be at a resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. There is rumor going around that the next one after that will be held in Barcelona, Spain.

Misha's Diploma

Misha received her diploma in the mail. Pretty sure she is enjoying life without homework. 

Maybe there is just as much stress trying to find a job though!

Amy's Moving

With Amy’s new job, she will need more space to have an office for working at home. She let her landlord know that she would be moving out and he began advertising her room so that she could potentially move out sooner than the end of her contract date. 

Good news, the landlord now has a signed contract for Amy’s room. Amy has been looking for a new place over the past couple of weeks. 

She found a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom townhouse with a garage. There is an area in an upstairs loft where she will be able to set up an office for the days that she gets to work at home.

New Bedroom Console

Chris and I ordered some new furniture for our bedroom during Amazon Prime Days. I hoped that I would love it as much in person as I did online. 

Chris and I put it together on Sunday afternoon while we chatted with Kristen on her P-Day. Good thing Amy and Misha were also on the call because we had to mute our sound every so often as we were using the drill. 

I love how it looks. We will have to move the tv over. Should have centered it with the bed instead of centering it on the wall.

Kristen's Mission Emails - Week 55

I love creampuffs🫶🙏 

Highlights from the week!! 

• Drove an hour to Cape Jervis to pick up some sisters. Scary, swervy, speedy roads but very pretty!! 
• Had the coldest, wettest day in Adelaide in over a year...luckily we got the car that day, bless up 
• Had homemade tortellini soup, lasagna, and cream puffs from our local Italian members 
• Had a meal appointment every single night (haven't had that since I was the only set of missionaries in a ward in California) 
• Teaching a Kenyan family! We started by helping their youngest son with reading months ago and now we're meeting with the whole family and teaching them the gospel! 

This week was very long and cold, but life's like that sometimes. As I'm writing this, I'm getting a pedicure and listening to good music, so all is right in the world! 

Here's a quote from this week's Relief Society lesson I liked: 

"There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. Yet this is part of the purging to become acquainted with God." (James E. Faust) 

Keep learning, keep trusting that God is in the details, even on the slow weeks and the sad days.

Sister Pratt and Parley P. Pratt

Just a little mission artwork by Kristen.

 Love y'all, prayers up from your fav Aussie missionary!! 

Sister Kline ❤️

Misha is 24!

Last Saturday after a morning of weeding and yard work, I asked Misha where she might like to go for a birthday lunch or dinner. Mentioning Georgia Boys BBQ (because it is our favorite and we will miss it) was a big YES from Amy. It may not have been Misha's choice, but it was still enjoyed by all.

We met up with Misha again this Saturday on our way back from Firestone. Yes, another trip. We needed to return a trailer that Brent Ashby loaned us for the move and needed.

We stopped at the house and did a little touch up weeding. The spraying that Chris did a couple of weeks ago really helped kill some of the weeds.

I went through the house and cleaned all of the toilets, flushed them, ran water, and tidied up. It will need a good dusting soon.

On our way back through Denver, we met up with Misha for a birthday lunch at Pita Central. Pretty yummy.

Health Issues and a New Doctor

I don’t know if it was the stress of moving and life, but during our move, I had a major eczema flair that was terribly uncomfortable. Debilitating at times. I went to Urgent Care and was given an antibiotic for a misdiagnosed condition. The antibiotic was mildly effective for a few days. I was able to get a doctor’s appointment with the doctor’s office associated with the Urgent Care. Happily, I now have a new doctor that I really like, but his diagnosis was eczema. Crazily enough, the medicine to help the eczema was sitting in my bathroom drawer all the time that I was suffering. It took a couple of days before the eczema flair started to get under control. I’m grateful to be feeling better and to have a new doctor that Chris and I both can visit.

Job Interview for Misha

Misha had a preliminary job interview with the recruiter. They screen the candidates for a job before recommending them for interviews with the company. Misha felt it went well and is hoping that she will get another interview soon.

Found a Doctor

When Chris and I were at the Urgent Care last week, I asked the nurse before we left if she could recommend a doctor. She mentioned a name and I scheduled an appointment for a follow up the next day. There wasn't an available opening for a new patient until a week and a half later. Becoming an established patient is a bit of a chore I am finding.

Chris suggested that I call the next day at 8 am and see if I could get that moved up a bit. Because I was coming in for an Urgent Care follow up, I was able to move my appointment to a week sooner. Yay.

And...I liked the doctor. So, we will keep him as a family doctor for now.

New Shower Glass

Our builder replaced the glass in our shower. Before, the glass ended 8" from the ceiling, however, it didn't have anything to anchor it and was easy to wobble. It seemed like a safety hazard.

The smell of the sealant was horrible, but it is nice to have that project done.

Kristen's Mission Emails - Week 54

I ♡ Patriotic MOTAB 

We are always so busy and yet this is all I'm going to report this week. Please enjoy! 

• I got to be district leader for a day (such a long story)!! Safe to say there has probably never been an all Sisters District Council in the AAM before until this last week for the first time (for the first 20 minutes because the elders missed their bus). Making AAM history!!! 
• 4th of July zone con!!! Jacob 5 goes so crazy and we are about to invite every single person in Australia to church so that's awesome! 
• We also listened to every patriotic MOTAB song ever!

Here's a quote I loved from an old Ensign article: "On a few occasions, I told the Lord that I had surely learned the lessons to be taught and that it wouldn’t be necessary for me to endure any more suffering. Such entreaties seemed to be of no avail, for it was made clear to me that this purifying process of testing was to be endured in the Lord’s time and in the Lord’s own way. 

It is one thing to teach, ‘Thy will be done’ (Matt. 26:42). It is another to live it." 

Are you learning what God needs you to from this trial you're going through? How can this experience make you better?

Kristen and Sister Pratt

A sister in Kristen's area makes a cross-stitch like this for all the missionaries in the area.

Love y'all lots, give yourself grace this week. You're doing better than you think! 

Sister Kline ♡

Snaking Drains

Two weeks in our new house and we never expected to have to call the plumbers for a fix. Misha and Amy had both noticed that their toilets would just gurgle and not drain.

Chris left messages with the plumber and the builder. It was when he saw the brown water in the furnace room (fortunately it hadn't pooled much) that he called the plumber's after hours number. They took some time getting here because they had to go to their shop first, but they arrived around 9:30 and were here until about 11 pm. They snaked the toilet and found that there was indeed a blockage. Not sure what but likely construction debris.

Whew! Glad we have a warranty and don't have to pay that bill!

Here's a nice photo of a rainbow instead of anything else related to the plumbers!

Weeding...Again

We returned to Firestone for more weeding...this time we brought extra reinforcements with Amy and Misha in tow. Hurray.

Chris had sprayed gallons of weed killer the week before and wasn't sure it would actually work. We were all happy that it did work and grateful that Chris didn't cry in despair.

You can safely assume, we hate weeding! So, our time at the house went down from 4 to 5 hours to an hour and a half. The girls helped with weeding, cleaning up at the beach, and mowing the back hill.

Since we had had a showing the week previous, I raked the carpet so it looked fresh again and cleaned and flushed all of the toilets in the house.

Our efforts weeding were rewarded with an early birthday lunch for Misha at Georgia Boys. There are some things about Firestone that we will truly miss: our massage therapist, hair stylist, friends, and Georgia Boys.

It's a Bear

We have numerous cameras around our house. The camera in the backyard picked up this visitor the other night.

Bears are the #1 reason why we don't have stairs to our deck.

4th of July in Monument

Apparently, the 4th of July parade in Monument is quite a big deal. As Chris and I drove over to Old Town Monument on Thursday evening, we were amazed to see tent canopies set up ALL along the parade route. There was hardly any extra space and even though signs requested that "seat saving" didn't start until 7 pm, those tents had been put up long before.

I wasn't feeling so great on Friday morning, so Chris, Amy, and Misha drove to the high school that is about five minutes from our house and hitched a ride on the shuttle bus to downtown Monument.

They found one spot that was empty, until a crotchety old lady came and shooed them away from her "private property"!

Free hot dogs and hamburgers were enjoyed!

They enjoyed the parade, a brief flyover, and being first back on the shuttle when they skies opened and began to pour.

The bus driver's young daughter started a conversation with Chris and asked all kinds of questions, even "How old are you?" When he pointed to his two daughters she replied, "You're older than I thought!"

The three amigos went to an afternoon showing of the new Jurassic movie. Six thumbs down on that one, so don't bother wasting your time.

Amy and Misha Home for the 4th

So happy to have Amy fly in for a few days. She arrived in Denver, took the train to Denver's Union Station where Misha picked her up, and drove to our new "home".

Sadly, Monument doesn't feel too much like home and Firestone may always have that claim. Chris had just finished installing the Ring doorbell and they were excited to see a small pic of the two of them  as a greeting.

Urgent Care

Up until November, I had never been to Urgent Care for myself before. Now I can count two times. Both times have involved a significant amount of itching, and by Thursday evening, I had finally reached my limit.

I don't appreciate how sensitive my body has become. The doctor gave me an Rx for an antibiotic ointment, confirmed that I can still take my itch pills (and even a little more often), and gave a few other tips.

Refinishing the Front Door

Our painter has worked really to hard find a color that I am happy with for our front door. It involved a custom mix on her part and multiple visits to the house.

This was the before color that was "supposedly" a match to the wood stain out front. (This is after the stripper had been applied).

This is the custom color that we like so much better.

1st Dinner on the Deck

Chris and I are trying to create new habits using our deck. Tonight was the first time for dinner on the deck.

The weather was perfect in the 70s and the view was outstanding.

Treating the Missionaries

When we contacted our sister missionaries about helping to unload some boxes from our moving truck (they offered and apparently they appreciate the change up in their day of being a missionary), they brought their whole district to help.

Can't even tell you how much that meant to both Chris and I. 

They came to help not once, but twice. And the second time we moved the hot tub into its place.

As a thank you, we treated them to lunch at Freddy's.

They were most appreciative of that.

From the left side, up and around, down to the right side of the pic:

• Sister December Jensen
• Sister Sarah Johnson
• Sister Isabella Bailey
• Sister Teagen Chatterton
• Sister Emmalee Maughan - our ward missionary
• Sister Sadie Gifford - our ward missionary
• Elder Bridger Keddington - going home in August
• Elder Jackson Biddulph

Kristen's Mission Emails - Week 53

Hello!!!

I missed a week because I was simply having too much fun at the op shops last p-day and it slipped my mind. Alas, here is 2 weeks worth of updates!! 

• Training is going well!! I love Sister Pratt, we are two peas in a pod and she understands all my niche references. She also enables my sweet treat addiction....🍦💃 
• We get the car once a week now which means I HAVE TO DRIVE on the other side of the road (pray for me!) I avoided it for an entire year, but there was no getting around it and now I'm quite proficient at hugging the line every five seconds, using roundabouts, and yielding for koalas (yes, we saw one crossing the other day). I am now inevitably nauseous and anxious for one day out of the week!🆘️🤮 
• I loathe winter. For all of you northern hemisphere peeps, enjoy it. Seasonal sadness + no Christmas to balance it out = nightmare. We've been caught in the rain many times, but we stay persistent nevertheless!! Rain cannot stop us talking to you at the bus stop!⛈️🗣 
• So much service lately. But after all I've said about winter, when it's not raining, it's actually really nice weather for yard work! I love getting to help people in the community!🚜☀️
• Interviews w/ prezzy!! OK real talk, I've been getting a little discouraged in the work, but he really gave some great advice on trusting in the Lord through the ebbs and flows of areas.🌊💪 We've really worked on inviting everyone to church this week. Like hour blocks of just finding people and inviting them to church. Most of the time they say no, but we found a few people this week that were actually really keen to come!! God is preparing people all around us!⛪️🤝 
• We did double exchanges, so we both stayed in our area with the STLs! It was nice to be able to kill two birds with two stones lol! And we even got some free tim tams🤭🍫 
• District switcheroo. As of yesterday, we moved our district leader....so we are all the district leader (kidding mostly)!! We're sad that the Noarlunga familia is switching up a bit, and some adjusting will take place this week, but I know everything happens for a reason!! And this is the closest I'll ever be to being a DL🤑🤪 

Sorry for the yapathon. Here's a quote from Sheri Dew's BYU-I Devotional, "Will You Engage in the Wrestle?" 

"Questions are not just good, they are vital, because the ensuing spiritual wrestle leads to answers, to knowledge, and to revelation. And it also leads to greater faith." 

I had the same conversation with one of our friends. He's married to a member and has been taught frequently because they feed the missionaries several times a month. He just has so many questions, which I've learned is a good indicator that someone is at least taking what we say at more than face value. 

Questions are great. This church began on questions. But they can lead to either of two very different outcomes. If we let them fester inside, don't seek answers, or get discouraged that there appears to be no answer in that moment, we can start losing faith. OR they can stretch us spiritually, teach us the language of the Spirit, help us have genuine faith, and inspire us to action. 

Which path we take is up to two things: 1) we take the time to search, ponder, and pray, and 2) we come to terms with the fact that we might not find an answer right now. And that's okay. Sitting with the wrestle is okay. 

God has given us the more crucial answers, the foundations of our testimony. And maybe questions about church history or life hereafter or God's timing or any other myriad of things is just an addition to that foundation, and not necessary (at this time) to those saving principles we have for sure. The point is if you have questions about the gospel and the church, great!! Turn them into faith builders, it's on you to seek truth now. 

But I promise, whether or not you engage in the wrestle will change everything, I know it has for me.

Love y'all, stay safe out there 

Sister Kristen Kline

Another 8 Hours of Yard Work

Chris and I got up early on Saturday morning for the hour and 15 minute drive to Firestone. We are getting weary of having to keep the yard up on the weekends. We have a young teen from our old ward who is mowing, but we can't expect that he will spend the time weeding and cleaning and making everything look nice.

So, we spent another 8 hours in the 97° heat weed whacking, weeding, spraying weeds, and cleaning up at the beach. No doubt it looks nice after we leave, but in another two weeks it will require another 5 or 6 hours.

We packed up most of the rest of the stuff in the garage and brought it back to fill up this garage.

Amy and Liz

While Liz's husband is away for the summer doing officer's training, Liz has moved home to stay with her parents. Amy has enjoyed having Liz and Hallie (1 year old daughter) around to play with.

Liz's parents watched Hallie one night so that Liz and Amy could go to a Cody Johnson concert together. 

New Color on the Front Door

While Chris and I were in Croatia, our front door was painted without my input. Sadly, it turned out to be a horrible yellow color.

This picture is after she applied the stripper to the door. 

Now I am working with the painter to try and figure out how to apply a topcoat to preserve the door that does not have a yellow hue. It is a challenge.