night out.

Tampa Bay

Chris and I were blessed with a weekend away to Tampa Bay without the kids. The main purpose was ministry, but we were able to steal a little time to ourselves. We were refreshed and rejuvenated... and the best part is being to talk without interruption. Many thanks to both sets of parents for not only taking our kids, but making it such a fun weekend for them. We are so very grateful!

he loves being a dad.

If it's late at night, and I'm not sure where my husband is, I can pretty much bet he is upstairs bothering the kids. He LOVES hanging out with them. I can't tell you how many times he has woken one of them up from a deep sleep because he wanted to show them something, or hear their opinion on something else. Being a dad is his calling... and he loves every minute of it.

my boys.

It always the unplanned times of life that make my heart flutter.

So much love for the beautiful people God has placed in my life.

I could stare for hours.

Chris putting the kids to bed

Father/Son talks... on ice.

he's still the one.

Chris and Sharkbait.

I took this video a year and a half ago, right after we found our beloved goldfish, Sharkbait, had passed on from this world. Chris has finally come to grips with it and has let me post this video.

I have a confession....

I have a confession to make.

I eaves-dropped on my husband.... for over 1/2 hour.

I called him to see what time he would be home, and he accidentally answered his phone in his pocket. He had good reason. From what I gathered, he was in the middle of troubleshooting a machine that was pretty important to the owner, and fixing it was vital. 

I couldn't hang up.

I had to hear this interaction.

I wanted to see what he was like at work.

Here are my conclusions:

1. Eaves-dropping on your husband is border-line creepy.
2. My husband works his butt off.
3. His job is both physical and mental.
4. He has integrity no matter where he is at, who he is with or what he is doing.
5. He is brilliant.... seriously, brilliant.... and listening to the way people rely on him to have all the answers is remarkable... hearing him come up with them is even more impressive.
6.  I am a proud wife.

"Don't wait up... we will probably be pretty late."

I don't know who was more excited... Zoey or Chris... but tonight was her "daddy date" that she chose for her points. {We have a point system where the kids can do work around the house,beyond their everyday chores, to earn something they want badly}. She had the night all mapped out and was showered, pampered and prepped by noon. I kept telling her daddy wouldn't get home till 6pm, but she still spent 1/2 the day looking out the front window. They are now off on their date and I was told not to wait up.

to the most important men in my life...

To my husband,

It would take hours upon hours, page upon page, to explain to the world what kind of man you are and daily purpose to be... A man of integrity, a man of honor, a man who is selfless, caring and generous at any cost. I believe that out of all the amazing character traits that you possess, the effort and love you put into fatherhood is the rarest. The way you take time to pour into our children the love of God all throughout the day in various ways... the hours you put into watching them, listening to them, laughing with them, praying with them... the adoring looks and affection you give your daughter as she learns to be a little lady... the chest pats, pool throws and playful body slams you give the boys as they grow up into mighty men... the opportunities you seize to teach, train and guide our kids, even at the most inconvenient of times... the conversations you have with Isaac at bedtime, the snuggles you give Zoey after work, the wrestling matches you have with Elijah on the floor of the kitchen after dinner and the way you Jacob laugh together all day long... ALL OF IT proves that God has given you this mandate for a very specific reason:

To show them the love of the only Father greater than you. (1 John 3:1)

I love you, Chris Bunk, and am humbled by the fact the Lord chose me to serve our kids beside you.... and incredible mission beside an incredible man.

To my dad,

 I am blessed beyond measure to be placed under your care for my entire life. I'm confident that when the Lord was creating me, he also had in the mind the balance I would need to fulfill His will and then strategically and lovingly gave me to you. You have exemplified who God is to me my entire existence, and I am in constant awe of the sacrifices and selflessness you have chosen without merit so that I could walk the journey God set before me with joy. Thank you. Thank you for being there through the achievements, through the failures, through the questions, through the doubts, through the laughs, through the tears, through the pain, through the blessings, through the storms, through the valleys... and throughout my 34 years of life, always speaking life and truth, no matter the cost. I love you, dad, more than I could ever express.

To my other dad,

You are the man who raised, shaped and formed the father of my children... and I will be forever indebted to you for that. I see the incredible traits Chris possesses... hard work, perseverance, hunger for knowledge, integrity, generosity, steadfastness and strength... and I can't help but see a reflection of you. You raised a man who loves God, adores his wife and prioritizes his children- you couldn't have given the world any better gift. Thank you for loving us unconditionally. Thank you for giving to us without hesitation. Thank you for being our rock, our steady-hand and our biggest fan. You have not only raised Chris, but you have watched me grow as well, and I am a better person for having you in my life. We love you more than you will ever know.

non-negotiable

Chris and I both desire our kids to be COMPLETELY themselves... the way God created them... with all their talents, personality and creativity. We want to make room for them to grow and discover who they are and what part they play in this world.

BUT there are a few things in life that are non-negotiable for us.. things that we will make a priority for our kids to be and learn:

1. To know God and make Him known
2. To be mission-minded and have a heart for the people around them
3. To know how to properly throw and catch a baseball

give.

 

Today was one of those Sunday morning services that hits you right where you need it. I was challenged so deeply to be more generous, give more freely and to not hold back from sacrificing for others. My husband is amazing at this. He gives until it hurts. He's the guy that will pay for another tables dinner at a restaurant, or have me anonymously send a needy family in our church some money in the mail. When he gives, even out of our own need, he is quick to remind me how blessed we are, and how it is our job to bless others. I am learning a lot from him... how to listen to the prompting of the Lord, how to be quick to give, and why it is important that we see it as giving the Lord. So my challenge this week= give to someone who can never repay... and give as unto the Lord.

his hero web.

...but as long as you love me so, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Chris has been working insane hours at work lately, so when I got the call at bedtime that that they needed to be in full snow gear when he got home, I didn't argue. "I thought we were getting ready for bed, mom?" Once they figured out daddy was coming home to play, they couldn't contain the excitement. Smiles all around.

He might secretly be a Super-Hero.

Seeing him utterly exhausted last night reminds me how hard he works for our family.

He makes all of this possible.

After an almost 14 hour day, he doesn't even have time to change out of his work clothes before he is kissing boo-boos, correcting behavior and brushing little teeth.... and after all that he still has enough love and energy to give me the attention and encouragement I need to go another day.

I couldn't ask for a better partner-in-crime.

He doesn't miss a beat.

Superman has nothing on him.

Once upon a time...

It was 19 years ago today.... September 2nd.

The last school bell just rang and I was grabbing my stuff to head to the locker room to get ready for basketball practice.

My friend Jason asked if he could talk to me.

He pulled me over to the chapel exit.

He told me to wait here because someone wanted to talk to me.

Then I saw him coming towards me.... Chris Bunk.

My heart started beating a million beats per second.

We didn't talk very much, in fact, sometimes I would avoid him in the hallway because I would blush so badly when I would catch his eye.

His voice was very shaky.

He told me he liked me and wanted to know if I wanted to "go out" with him.

I told him I would have to ask my dad and then ran off to the gym.

I missed all my free throw shots that day.

The rest is history.

{This weekend all the kids jumped in our bed and Chris said "This all started 19 years ago!"}

Chris' Senior Prom 1996

New York City Mission Trip 1996

G.O. Team 1996

Daniel and Denise Slater's wedding 1999

At DTW right after Chris asked me to marry him in St. Louis 1999

Our wedding 2001

 Trust me when I say I could have posted A TON more pictures, but thankful our scanner is elsewhere. I have such a blessed life and I'm living it with the only man who has ever had my heart. On to our "Happily Ever After..."

the boys.

his big hand.

One of our kids had a pretty bad nightmare last night and was frightened, but wouldn't wake up. Chris wasn't home from work yet and I couldn't settle them down, so I brought them into bed with me so I could pray. They finally fell asleep and Chris put them back in their bed when he got home. 

This morning I asked them if they remembered last night at all.

"All I remember is daddy putting me back in bed. I knew it was daddy because of the way his big hand felt on my back."

I love that.

I could make a beautiful Father God reference, but I'll just leave it at that.

he is 34 years old... i've been by his side for almost 20 of them

Happy 34th Birthday Christopher!

 34 reasons I adore my husband Chris....

1. He is the hardest working man I know.
2. His generosity is unprecedented. 
3. Everything is a dare. 
4. You can ALWAYS make him laugh. 
5. His hilarious laugh when he is watching animals attack people on TV. 
6. The way his eyes light up when you make his favorite foods.
7. His need to know how everything works. 
8. The way he hogs the bed... and the comforter. 
9. The way he adores his daughter.
10. The pride he has in his sons.
11. He treats me like I am the best thing God ever made. 
12. His sense of adventure. 
13. His love for life... and the way he has passed that on to his children.
14. His faithfulness.... to everything.
15. The way he drops everything to help someone he loves... or just met.
16. His ability to remember random facts about arbitrary things.
17. His love for Biblical history.
18. The way he dramatically gags when he accidentally drinks my coffee with cream in it.
19. That he acts like he hates our goldfish, but is the only one who remembers to feed him. 
20. The way he challenges my Theology degree by making me prove everything I say!
21. His brain is always working overtime to figure things out.
22. That he calls me "Lori Carlson" if I do something he doesn't feel earns me the Bunk name.
23. His love of recliners.
24. The way he never compromises truth... for anyone or anything.
25. His ridiculous collection of pencils.
26. His obsession with tools.
27. That he always wants his kids around... and loves when they are climbing all over him.
28. That he can fall asleep anywhere, and very few things can wake him up.
29. The way he always breaks down my insecurities.
30. His humbleness.
31. His preference to hang out with the kids at a party, and never the adults.
32. His way of always inventing new ways to have fun.
33. The way he is always up for anything.
34. The fact that although he is always growing and bettering himself... he has always been the same incredible guy I married over a decade ago.