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!

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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.