New blog is here!

Our new blog is here, head on over to www.annandnick.com.  We will no longer be using this blog.

New Blog Coming Soon!

Be on the on the lookout for our new blog to be up within the next 48 hours!!

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

Albert Einstein once said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” I’ve heard that quote a few times, most recently from my mom who has it hanging in her office at work.

This Saturday that quote came flowing through my mind, and God revealed to me the truth in that statement. I spent this past weekend at Camp Courage near Clearwater, MN. Nick has been bugging me for years to join him in his mission with Children’s Grief Connection, formerly Camp Amanda. I finally gave in, and after two cancellations this year, I made it to an actual camp this weekend. I have to admit, I was incredibly nervous on what I would say to these kindergarten and first grade students assigned to me as their camp counselor. I had no clue how to counsel grieving children.

Then my first camper, Natalie, arrived. She held my hand the moment her dad left and didn’t stop holding my hand until he came back to get her the following day. To recap the weekend, I went swimming fully clothed (you would think my co-director husband would have informed me that this camp had a pool or just maybe I should have read the packing list), went way out of my comfort zone to talk to family members and children who had loved ones die, trampled through wood-tick, raccoon infested woods (without screaming), managed to get five young girls to sleep, managed to convince those five young girls that my sound machine sounds GREAT, and came to realize just how much I love Gods children.

I had an Aha! moment when I was in the cabin with our group and little Natalie was passing me notes telling me that she wanted to cry, that she missed her mom, and that she loved me. I realized just why God tells us the greatest command is to love him with all of our heart and next in line is to love our neighbor as ourselves. I told God on Saturday that it is in fully serving others with no care about myself that I truly feel alive. I’m not going to lie, that doesn’t happen often. But when it does, I feel freedom like I’ve never felt it before. I feel like I have found my purpose. I encourage all of you reading this blog to go do something this week that is completely selfless. Ask God for direction on what he wants you to do, and listen. You will be blessed!

My ear hurts daddy...

We spent much of the evening up with Kaleb as his hear hurt.  He started with a cough a few days ago and now has an ear infection.  Kaleb and I made a trip to the walk-in clinic this morning to get some antibiotics.  Poor little guy keeps saying, “My ear hurts daddy, make it better.”

We made a trip to Target, or in Kaleb’s words, “The Red Circle Store” to fill his prescription.  Since he was such a good boy at the doctor’s office, he was able to get a new car.

Both Ann and I aren’t feeling up to par either…shall be an exciting weekend at the Tunheim home.

Weekend in the Metro…part two…

 

  

  

  

  

 

Weekend in the Metro…part one…

We spent the weekend of February 5- 7th in Plymouth, MN to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Erika’s (Ann’s cousin) baby girl. We also celebrated the return of Erika’s brother, Karl, from Iraq. (see part two). Both events went off without a hitch. We had a fabulous time visiting with the Gustafson family. It was such a joy to see Karl, his wife Becky, and daughter Greta relishing in their time together.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Here's the proof, I really did it!!

A genuine heartfelt thank you to all of you who gave financially to Children’s Grief Connection in support of my Polar Plunge.

I received the Golden Plunge Award for raising the most money individually, over $1,500 and still counting.  In total, we raised over $10,000.  If you still would like to donate, visit http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Nick-Tunheim-Is-Taking-The-Plunge.

It was quite a trip.  Ann wasn’t too happy to be going, especially with the impending storm that we were supposed to get and not knowing when she would make it home.  To top it off, about five miles away from camp, we received a call from my mom (who was watching Kaleb) that Kaleb had thrown up in the back of her car.  Not to mention, she has a brand new car.  Of course the motherly instinct came out in Ann, and she insisted that she “needed” to be there with him.  The ignorance in me came out when I said, “We aren’t turning around now, my mom raised two kids, she’ll do just fine…”  Thankfully we were almost at camp as the rest of the ride would have been awfully quiet.

Kaleb woke up Saturday morning and ate cold pizza for breakfast.  I was right this time, “She did just fine…”

Although it was a difficult decision, it became very apparent that in-order to ensure the safety of our campers, camper’s families and volunteers we needed to cancel Hearts of Hope Camp and Teen Retreat. 

The weather was treacherous from the 1/2 inch of rain that fell Friday evening to Saturday morning and more still coming making traveling less than desirable.  Two of Lake Beauty’s staff, who drive to the facility multiple times a week, ended up in the ditch on their way into work Saturday morning.  The forecast was telling us that we could expect another 2-5 inches of snow on top of the 1/2 inch of rain we had already received.  Along with freezing temperatures, it was a recipe for disaster having families and volunteers on the road on Sunday.

Thank you again for those of you who supported me in this endeavor.  I’m forever grateful and so will be the children who attend our camps.

God bless!

Kaleb - 2009

Here's a fun little video I put together for Kaleb's 3rd birthday party.  It's a collection of photos from 2009. It continues to amaze us at how fast he grow...he has become such a smart little boy!

View Video

If you are viewing a video for the first time, you may be required to install the Photodex Presenter plug-in.  The plug-in is required to view the video and is 100% safe and will not harm your PC.

Long overdue update...

We’ve been really lax at keeping our blog up-to-date. This could be because we are too lazy, or because we are too busy. I like to think it’s the latter.

We had a wonderful Christmas with family. The great joy during the holidays was to see the many smiles on Kaleb’s face and to worship our Lord and Savior on Christmas Eve. FYI - Uncle Matt bought the drum set...

Kaleb turned 3 years-old on January 15th! Can you believe it, 3 years-old already?!? We continue to feel overwhelming blessed by the joy and love that our precious child continues to bring into our lives. God has been so good to us!

We had a Cars themed birthday party at the Courtyard by Marriott in Moorhead on January 9th for our little guy. Although it was a lot of work and a fairly costly event, it was so much fun to see all the fun the kids had. The kids had fun swimming, eating pizza, swimming, eating cake, swimming, getting candy from the piñata and did I mention, swimming?

Ann’s birthday was on January 16th. She got the short end of the stick, as I was hanging my head over the toilet for the majority of the weekend. She spent some quality time with her parents, my mom, Luke and Jess while I hung out at home traveling from the bedroom to the bathroom and back. I promised her a redo for her birthday.

This coming weekend Ann and I will be traveling to Little Falls for the next Children’s Grief Connection (formerly, Camp Amanda) camp. This will be Ann’s first attempt at attending camp. After reading her camper (ages 5-6) applications she said, “I’m not going, I can’t do this…” I hope that camp has the same effect on her has it has had on me.

While at camp, I will be taking part in our very first Polar Plunge fundraising event for Children’s Grief Connection. To date, I have raised over $1200.00 to support grieving children. If you have any interest in supporting this cause, please visit, http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Nick-Tunheim-Is-Taking-The-Plunge.

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!

We hope this blog post finds you and yours enjoying your Christmas! We are all cozy and well here in the FM area. The Fargo Forum reports that we have already gotten 11 inches of snow, with 5-6 more inches possible throughout the evening. So, we are all staying warm inside! We have Nick's mom, brother, Jess, Ann's brother, Nick's grandma and Nick's aunt Denise here with us.

The week leading up to Christmas is always busy and fun. We'll share some photos of the good times we had. Kaleb tried skating for the first time. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not, but he sure looked cute! Kaleb also had his Christmas program at daycare. You can always expect a few laughs, and tears, there!

We are looking forward to 2010! We are starting it off with a birthday party for a big boy who is turning 3! God's blessings to you and yours!

Making a difference!

Dearest family and friends,

As many of you know, Children’s Grief Connection (formerly Camp Amanda) has a special place in my heart. For those of you who may not know, Children’s Grief Connection is a non-profit organization providing grief programs for children and teens with a mission of “Bringing Hope and Healing to Minnesota’s Grieving Children.” While the cost per camper is approximately $300, all of our services are free, thanks to the on-going commitment and generosity of our donors. For more information on Children’s Grief Connection, visit www.childrensgriefconnection.com. I serve on the Board of Directors, and am also an active volunteer. This January we will have our 22nd camp which will be held at Lake Beauty Bible Camp near Little Falls.

I’m excited to say that I will be taking part in our very first Polar Plunge fundraising event at January’s camp. I’m asking for your support in this exciting endeavor. My goal is to raise $500 by February 1st. If you feel led to donate towards this cause, visit my GiveMN.org pledge page at, http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Nick-Tunheim-Is-Taking-The-Plunge. My life has been changed by this organization, but more importantly, so have the lives of the hundreds of grieving children who have attended our camps. Please consider supporting our mission.

Thank you for your support and consideration. I will share photos of my “plunge” when I return.

God bless.

Outdoor Fun

It has, once again, been awhile since we’ve taken time to blog. For some reason I remember when we created this blog, it was fun to take time out to blog. It now feels like another chore…and really, do people read this?? Nick thinks so, but I have my doubts.

At any rate, we spent Thanksgiving in the lovely city of Grand Rapids, MN visiting both sides of the family. We were happy to stay with Nick’s grandma, and Kaleb was happy that Nick’s Uncle Gary lives right next door to Great Grandma Jean. Gary took Kaleb for a ride on both his tractor and his four-wheeler. Needless to say, he was in heaven. He also got to feed the rabbits and see the horses. He is so his father’s son…no fear of anything.

Speaking of no fear, we took Kaleb sledding yesterday for the first time. Nick found, what I believe has to be, one of the biggest hills in the FM area. Did this bother Kaleb…oh no. He couldn’t get down the hill fast enough. There were lots of giggles and smiles. Maggie enjoyed chasing after the sled…

So, that is what is happening with the Tunheims. We are looking forward to Christmas…singing “Oh Holy Night” at Dad’s church on Christmas Eve, sharing dinner with both sides of the family and rejoicing in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! May you find time to celebrate Jesus, the true reason for the season, during this holiday season.

Happy Harvest!

Fall is flying by at the Tunheim household. It seems like the older we get the faster time flies. A couple weeks ago we traveled to southern Minnesota to see my cousin Karl who was on leave from Iraq. It really felt like old times just joking around and being silly with the Gustafsons/Kraywinkles. We are so proud of Karl and his service to our country.

Kaleb and I took part in the Inaugural Fargo/Moorhead Half Marathon a few weeks back. We walked for my friend, mentor and speech/language coordinator, Barb Swegarden, as she battles breast cancer. Kaleb was a trooper…

I have to say that the evening of Halloween was one of the best times I’ve had as a family. It is such a blessing to see your child grown and develop into a beautiful person. Kaleb was so proud of being “Larry the Cucumber.” It was tear-jerking to watch him listen to the gospel being shared at story-time at church last night. Our hearts are so filled with love for him.

We attended a two-hour church service today at Calvary. The presence of God was there, and it was a truly moving experience. Jessica (Nick’s brother’s girlfriend) and Nick’s mom came with us. Can I just say how much of a blessing they are?? The time we spend with Luke and Jess is such a blessing to us. To see our son love them so much is one of God’s richest blessings. Above all today, God reminded us of his great love for us. That when we are lost, he searches for us. When we are hurting, he wants to wrap us up in his arms and hold us till the storm passes. When we repent the entire heavens break loose in praise! How great is our God!

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:24