The Gunn Site: Gunn Shots 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

. . . of course this happened!

Frank & Lydia

As “empty nesters,” we continue to find creative ways to navigate this stage of life! We look for opportunities to connect with our adult children whenever possible. Annalise seems to be the one that gets the “privilege” of seeing her parents the most since she is only four hours away! Haha! New Year’s week was the first time that all six of us have been together since last Christmas (which explains the late New Year’s card)! Frank's parents rented a beautiful cabin for the family in Evergreen, CO, and we all had a blast being together and playing in the snow! We truly treasure time together since distance prevents it from happening often! Frank had a conference in Orlando in May, so he drove down to Miami to see Frank3. We both flew to Denver in October to see Mary Lindsay and Slater’s apartment and “stomping grounds” before they moved to their new home. Our extended family continues to grow – two weddings in May and two new babies this year! Our niece BethAnne Clark married Tyler Mitchell, and our niece Jordyn Gunn married Brandon Fletcher – two beautiful Mississippi weddings! We have two new great nieces – Presley Mac Beassie and Adalynne Gilbey Clark. Frank traveled to China this summer to partner with good friends doing Kingdom work there. They went on adventure travels, camping and mountain biking in the Himilayas—such an incredible trip! Lydia’s oil and gas work is centered in Texas, so we have enjoyed discovering historic Texas towns and antiquing in quaint Texas town squares. Our BGroup of young married couples continues to be such a blessing – we love them! Frank meets weekly for discipleship with several young men, and Lydia is still a part of the coordinating team for Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, as work travel permits. Frank has finished his course work for his doctorate, and only his final project and paper (or should I say book!!) remain! We continue to feel blessed beyond measure to serve God’s people at Broadmoor Baptist Church and be a part of His Kingdom work!

Mary Lindsay & Slater

Thanks to the natural beauty of Colorado, Mary Lindsay and Slater have taken full advantage of outdoor activities! They have hiked numerous 14ers (mountain peaks that exceed 14,000 feet in elevation); have enjoyed snow skiing in Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, A Basin, Winter Park, and Park City, Utah; have gone camping; and have vacationed in Pagosa Springs and Durango. Slater also ran a 10K this year. They loved hosting many friends and family members that have traveled to Denver! Mary Lindsay took a new position with Baylor University as a Regional Admissions Coordinator for a 7-state region, traveling primarily to Colorado and Arizona. She is so thankful to be working for her alma mater! We are so grateful that we get to see her more often since she travels to Waco several times a year! Slater continues to sell new homes for KB Home. They officially became first-time homeowners in October, and they are enjoying settling in to their home and community. Speaking of community, they found a great church called Northern Hills that is close to their neighborhood. They traveled to Austin to spend Christmas with Slater’s family, then practiced their great hospitality as our extended family converged on the Denver area for New Year’s week!

Frank

Frank finished out his school year at Barry University in Miami, then got to travel this summer to Bonaire, an island in the Dutch Caribbean, as part of his program in Sport Management in the Diving Industry. His classes included tropical diving and underwater photography. He took some incredible pictures! We loved getting to see him in October when he flew to Arkansas to be a groomsman in Matthew Pope’s wedding. He had a great time reconnecting with life-long friends. He loves all things outdoors, including riding his fixie bike and, of course, diving and spearfishing! He shot a beautiful wood duck on a recent duck hunt. Frank still enjoys cooking for friends and family. He put those skills to work some while he was home for the Christmas holidays, working for his former employer – Shaver’s Catering. They got to serve the Duck Dynasty boys at the Independence Bowl! When Frank is home, we realize how much we miss his easy laughter and joy for life when he’s not around!

Annalise
Annalise finished out her school year at Baylor, then spent her summer as a videographer and Bible study leader for CLEAR Camps. This is her second summer to serve with CLEAR, and she loved traveling with her team to conduct camps, vacation Bible schools, and day camps throughout Louisiana, Texas, and Tennessee. We are so grateful for the financial and prayer support from so many of you! She was also excited to be a counselor for high school camp for Broadmoor Baptist. In August, she began her senior year at Baylor (even as I type this, that doesn’t seem possible!). She is a junior in attendance, but she will graduate in May. She plans to continue on to get her master’s in social work. She started her internship at the Family Abuse Center where she leads support groups, meets with clients, and answers hotline calls. She is gaining such invaluable experience. She works as a tour guide for Baylor Housing, and continues being a part of Baylor’s Student Foundation. She loves being a team leader for Baylor’s Youth Ministry Teams, serving area youth ministries. She is a middle school Lifegroup leader at her church in Waco, Antioch Community Church, and she disciples a group of middle school girls. She and her numerous roommates have a new addition to the apartment – a kitten named Louis! Annalise wanted me to add that she did indeed pass neuroscience last semester!