Gunderson Adventures.... where all 6 of Us live life to the fullest!

I am so thankful for all these guys God has blessed me with! It has been a wonderful month of finding gratitude in each day and reflecting on the little and big ways God is always present in our lives. Looking forward to a wonderful weekend ahead spending time with those I love the most. 🍂  Jacob Kyle💚  Andrew Marvin💚  Caleb James💚  Micah Robert💚  Us❤️ Our thankful jar is a fun tradition we do each November. Looking forward to reading these together before heading to the soup supper with our church family tonight.🍂 Happy Thanksgiving! 🍂 •I will post soon on the Turkey trot 5mi, our family time this weekend, and Kyle and Drew heading out to Honduras on Saturday! I love our full and adventurous life.

This photo reminds me how God desires for me to live daily on the narrow path that leads to living a full life for Him. I love sharing my faith with my boys each day and walking alongside them as they go through real struggles and heartaches....I find that when I keep bringing them back to how much God loves them they look at me with a new lense of understanding. There has been some sad feelings this last week in finding out what baseball teams the boys made, and this has lead to many discussions about following the narrow path for Christ even when life seems so unfair. 🍂Thankful for the ways God reminds me to stay on the narrow path that leads to many blessings, especially sharing how good God’s ways are to our boys.

These smiles. Oh how Caleb and Jake LOVE life.  They enjoy playing together wherever we go and don't mind one bit if a friend would like to join. These boys find their confidence from spending time with God each day by reading their bibles or working on memorizing scripture each week. 🍂Thankful for healthy boys who love our family and live out Joy each day.

Drew and Micah are two weeks into school ball and really enjoying it!! Both the guys are happy about their teams and coaches they got placed with.🏀  Micah’s 7th grade team  have won all their games so far and next game their coach said he’d wear a suit and tie for how good their playing. He is a stout student and having fun coaching these guys.  Drew’s 8th grade team have also been undefeated and lots of fun to cheer for! School ball is a fun opportunity for our guys to play with all leveled abilities and they are being great leaders on their teams.🍂Thankful for my two guys having fun playing school ball and sharing Christ’s love on the court!

I began reading and studying One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp this week and really enjoying it! I plan to read this right up to Christmas. Ann Voskamp is a very unique poet/author and I enjoy her style of reflection and teaching on living a full life. I know I will learn so much from her in the weeks ahead! 🍂Thankful to be reminded how to live each day in gratitude and thankfulness.

I love to read. One of my 19 for 2019 Goals was to read 52 books this year, and I am right on track. As an Upholder (basically very type A personality) I thrive off making goals for myself and seeing them come to flourish. This has been a very rewarding goal as I have read so many great reads this year. Let me share my two favorite self help books that I highly recommend. 📚  The 5AM Miracle by Jeff Sanders AND Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin. The BEST. These two books have really helped me change my habits and keep myself accountable each week/month to achieve what I set to do.  Some examples of habits I’ve set for myself were-  Drinking more water each day. Floss and brush each night before bed.  Paint my nails on Wednesday’s and Saturday’s. Memorize a bible verse each week.  Both of these books really helped me make my habits doable and I began seeing instant results from them! I highly recommend reading these books and setting a reading goal for 2...

It was a nice weekend at home. We took it easy but also got everything checked off our to do list. This always feels really nice to me. Yesterday we also took a nice rest in the afternoon. I really enjoy resting on Sunday afternoons. Kyle and I also enjoyed time with our small group last night connecting and growing with a great group of friends. 🍂Thankful for people in our lives who love God and love living out their faith in our community. My Sunday long run view Nov. 18th❄️ 🍂Thankful for Sunday's to run and rest and connect. 

I am thankful for Saturday’s at home. Today was perfect enjoying a big breakfast together and getting things done around the house. I also enjoyed working on a puzzle with Micah, watching the boys shoot hoops in the back yard, seeing Jake go back and forth in the street on his rollerblades and taking the dogs on a walk with our headlamps.  For supper we tried a new recipe and loved it! I will definitely make this lasagna soup and homemade bread again. So yummy! 🍂Thankful for Saturday’s at home being together as a family. 

Running with friends make these dark early morning runs so much more fun! They always make me laugh or get me thinking about interesting topics like face lotions, great recipes or home decorating among the few. 🍂thankful for running friends who encourage my crazy goals and love running as much as I do!!! 🏃🏼‍♀️ 🏃🏼‍♀️ 🏃🏼‍♀️ 

Today I am thankful for being refreshed. It has taken me most of my 30s to realize how much I value and truly need quiet and stillness each day. I’d try to push past it some days claiming the day was just "too busy" to stop. Or rush around doing mindless things around town or in my house when what I needed was to be still. Being still doesn’t need to be hours long, even just a brief 30minutes, enough time to focus my brain and mind to read my bible or close my eyes and think of absolutely nothing. In my stillness time I enjoy doing a variety of things like read my bible, work on my bible study, or go to my fun reads 📚 but sometimes what I need that day is a nap. I love that when I substitute teach the kids have what’s called WIN (what I need) time each afternoon for 30 minutes. I just love this because it’s so true how we all need a window in our day that is for what I need .  Being refreshed  makes the rest of the day feel so much better. WIN time is so needed everyday so...

Headstart 4K program  has made its way right inside my heart. Working with kids who come from very difficult homes has really been an incredible experience for me. An example that always comes to my mind is when one little boy wore shoes with yarn for his laces. He was so proud of his shoes and I remember tying his shoes each day when he got to school and after rest time❤️I am thankful God has placed me in situations where I am exposed to real life not surrounded only by comfort. I am a better wife and mom because I am out in our community sharing Christ to those kids that need His love. 🍂thankful for subbing and the ways it has made me grow. 

Grandpa Curt 93yrs old. My grandpa looks so great for 93! I still learn so many great things from him like how to be financially wise and how important spending time with God is everyday. 🍂Thankful for him and his good health. My grandpa Vern passed away last Friday Nov. 8th❤️he was 92yrs old. We will miss him lots but thankful he gets to be with my grandma now in heaven. Prayers for my dad as he lost both his parents this year, not easy. He has been the primary caregiver to both of them as well so feeling a huge loss, yet also a bit of relief that comes with this role. 🍂Thankful for amazing grandpas in my life.

November 8-10th💕ladies weekend! Mom and I had a wonderful November weekend away together. The weather was a bit chillier this year but it was perfect for resting and reading by the fire place. I love spending time with my mom and look forward to this trip at the lake every fall. Friday lunch- Panera!! Our #1 mother/daughter spot. We both really enjoy their autumn squash soup. Studying Gods word with mom is so special to me and this year we took a dive into studying 6 different women in the Bible. I especially enjoyed studying Eve and Hannah, their journeys w God really spoke to my heart.  It’s amazing how good sleep, time with God, reading good books, being with mom, drinking coffee, a few great walks and a solid run makes my soul feel refreshed and alive again. God is so good to me! 🍂Thankful for an amazing husband who supports this time for me.

First Snowy Run Nov. 6th❄️ It’s officially recorded for 2019! Wednesday marked my first snowy run! It was a track morning too so it was pretty funny whipping around the track in snow! Still nailed it with some speedy 400s and enjoyed how pretty the morning was❄️ Today, the snow is gone but the temps are so cold. Thankful for warm blankets and hot coffee on these chilly days!🍂 ☕️ 

Kyle has decided to do the Boulder CO Half Ironman next summer!!! This is a great Friday share because we are really excited about this. The boys and I will for sure be cheering!!!! Kyle,  I love that you enjoy setting goals and going on adventures! You are so much fun to do life with. Thankful to be your forever partner.🍂

I am so thankful for Wednesday nights with this special boy! I can’t believe Caleb is already in 5th grade. I’m soaking up each Wednesday night because next year he will be heading to youth group with his brothers!  Our very favorite spot is the Mexican restaurant here in town- Cancun!!😃 last week we played pass the pigs  and had the best time together laughing at rolling two little pigs around and counting up our points! We ate loads of chips and a big bowl of cheese dip with no worries in the world. The greatest way to spend time with my funny, gentle, and caring 10 year old.🍂thankful for special moments with Caleb James.

Having lunch out with Jake was a highlight to my week! My sweet boy has been battling anxiety and sadness in going to school this year. We decided to set up a fun lunch date to look forward to and enjoy his favorite chicken tenders and dipping sauce at Arby’s.  I love you so much Jake. You are so brave. We are praying for you to be strong in school!  Jake and I made bracelets to wear when we are apart and I’m praying this helps make him more happy during the day when he misses me.🍂thankful for my sweet baby boy.

As the first week of November is in full swing over here, I’ve been reflecting on how thankful I am for the many things Kyle and I have done this year that have been fulfilling but also very hard and time consuming. I am so thankful for the ways we have done hard things this year to reveal God’s goodness in and through us!  Kyle Graduating from Bethel was a huge accomplishment in May! We were so proud of him and all his hard work in getting his masters degree in transformational leadership.  Becoming lead pastor in August was a beautiful celebration of Kyle’s obedience in following Gods direction for our church and our family.  Being In His word  on a consistent basis has been hard at times to find the time but once I began saying "no" to the extra little things occupying my time, it really opened my day for quiet space to be with God. What a huge difference this has made in my life.  3 Marathons in one year took a lot of dedication and hard work. I lear...

Getting Sick! The start of my week was a bit rough with losing my voice and not feeling the best! Getting sick is the worst and I am so glad my boys haven't gotten my terrible, rotten, no good, very bad cold. It is Friday Nov. 1st and I am finally feeling most like myself! However, it was a very good week as a family so here are our top5 for the week! 1. Subbing and spying my boys! I was para subbing on Monday and came into the library to find my boys working together on a project! Best part about working at the school my boys go to! 5th grade students work with 2nd grade students as "classroom buddies" and my boys happen to be buddies this year! This is so cool because it is the highlight to Jake's week.    2. Tuesday time with Drew! Tuesday I scooped Drew up from school and we headed to Eau Claire to eat lunch at our favorite spot, Chipotle! Then headed to TJ Maxx and Scheels for some black sweatpants and a fresh sweatshirt. It was a really nice afternoon t...