The End of an Era

Today I attended and participated in the final graduation at TUFW.  It was a celebratory occasion with the graduates as well as a somber time since it was the last class to graduate.  The campus is now closing it's doors.  I was invited to carry one of the flags during the ceremony.  Since it was the last graduation, it was decided to show how TUFW has been represented around the world.  There was a booklet made showing the countries that either a student came from or graduates have gone to for full-time ministry.  There were 92 (known) countries.  Forty-four of those countries flags were carried in the ceremony.  (Not all flags were able to be located in time.)  I had the privilege of carrying the flag of Portugal.  I spent a month there during my junior year...even turning 21 while there.  

Jill, Caroline, and Deb are a few of the wonderful ladies I have had the privilege of knowing through-out my experience as a student as well as a staff member.

Getting ready to line up to carry the Portuguese flag.

Aaron was a freshman this year.  He came to Summer Honors College for 2 years and was also one of my recruits.  He has a personality that you can't help but want to be friends with him.  He can bring a smile to anyone's face!

Jean...I teased her today about following in my footsteps...first taking over my position and now following behind me in the flag parade.  I could have been upset about the first, but it wasn't her fault.  She really is a great woman to know.

On our way over to the AC for graduation.

Terrance giving the student address to the graduating class of 2009. Dr. Dodge, VP for Student Development addresses the graduates.

The senior class of 2009 had 92 graduates...that is more than double my graduating class of 1998!  At that time we were the largest to that date.

As the graduates were receiving their diplomas, I kept wondering why there were not as many of my recruits this year.  It was towards the end when I realized that everyone of my recruits had been home-schooled in high school.  This was the year that I only recruited home-schooled students as well as supervised the student workers in the office.  All the other years I had several states in addition to the home-schoolers.

I hope to post some video later.  I am waiting for the to be processed in order to post them.

Brent and Lacy.  I recruited Brent and Lacy worked as my student assistant in the Admissions Office.  They are getting married next weekend.

Devin...one of my local recruits.

Dominick was one of my recruits but not for the class of 09.  He will graduate next year I believe from the other campus.  Michael...he worked for me as my assistant during my last year.  He was a great assistant and a goofy guy as well.  He will make a great teacher!

Jeremy...my recruit from out east.  His mom was disappointed that he didn't smile for the picture.  If he had, it wouldn't have been Jeremy.  He is a consistent, even-keeled person.  This is his expression all the time.

Khrista...she worked for me in the Admission Office as a student worker and now has become a great friend.  We also share the same birthday. Meghan worked in the Admissions Office as a student.  She too has become a good friend.  She has a heart for the Burmese population here in the states.

Pearl has come a long way since I first met her.  I remember her spending the night at my house prior to being able to move into the residence hall her freshman year.  She couldn't move in until the next day, but her ride to college couldn't bring her then, so they brought her to my house the day before.  She really liked pink...and I really mean LOVED pink!  She has added more colors to her decor and clothing over the years.  She has had a huge impact on the campus and everyone with whom she has come into contact.  She will make a difference in the world.

Marc...one of my recruits.  There was a short time that instead of having one admissions counselor assigned to non-trad students (married and/or over 21), each counselor had students from their territories.  Being that I had out of state territory, I didn't get many non-trad students.  I believe Marc was my only one.  He took a little more than 4 years to finish...most non-trads do.  He and his wife are really sweet people who have a heart for reaching troubled people.  They moved to the city when he began classes...where did they move?  They moved in as house parents for a home for troubled kids. 

My twin Daniel.  Oh you didn't know I had a twin!?!  Don't we look alike?  OK so we are not really twins.  We got that reputation because we are so alike in some of our habits and so many times while he was working for me in the Admissions Office we started saying the same things or doing the same motion at the exact same time.  I did recruit him, but not for this class.  He came back to see some of his friends graduate.  

Matt...one of my recruits, one of the student workers for the Admissions Office, and a very talented videographer.  He is very creative and very active!  The medallion you see around his neck...he was voted as this years senior class student leader!  Congratulations, Matt!  He will be going to China this summer to teach English.

Christie...she and I worked in Enrollment Services together.  She was the financial aid assistant.  She is a wonderful friend and encourager.  She and I have attended Bible study together, have been walking buddies, and listening ears for each other over the past several years.  

Jonathan...one of my recruits from MN.  I remember Welcome Weekend when he arrived with his family for his freshman year.  He had a rather large family...meaning many siblings!  If I remember correctly the youngest was almost 2 years old.  Jonathan is the oldest.  Every time I see Jonathan he always has this big goofy smile on his face.  He enjoys picking on my height...which by the way he was doing during the photo!  He kept saying he can't believe how short I am.  

Cassie...one of my recruits (from the class of 2007).  She was the best student assistant I had.  It was great to see her again.  She now works with my good friend Verlin.

Joanna...one of my recruits from my hometown.  Today I found out that she will be working close to where I am now working.  We hope to have lunch soon.  She is also the third of three siblings to attend TUFW.  I recruited all of them.

Tashi...she has one of the best personalities I have ever experienced.  She came all the way from Jamaica to attend TUFW.  Not only that, she is deaf.  This did not slow her down.  She hopes to be a deaf counselor when she goes back home.  I have enjoyed getting to know her.  Even though I know very little sign language, we have been able to communicate pretty well.

Jenna...another of my recruits.  She has been fun to get to know.  She is such a sweetheart.  She is also getting married soon...to the chancellor's son.

Terrance...hilarious!!!  He kept everyone in stitches.  Very acrobatic and dramatic.  He also worked in the Admissions Office and was one of my recruits.  

Kelsey...also one of my recruits.  She will also be going to China this summer to teach English.  She is very sweet and has a heart for others.

Jessica...We have known each other since she came to TUFW, but we have recently gotten to know each other as friends during this past year hanging out with Kate a mutual friend.

Dr. Barcalow...thanks for not disappointing everyone by wearing your famous bow tie today.  Thanks for all you have done in the lives of students and the campus over the past 26 years.  Even though I was not a youth ministries major, I took a few of your classes.  I remember being the only girl in your Youth Guidance class.  You guys gave me such a hard time.  I enjoyed being your resident psychologist for the class.  I even remember the summer I worked on campus as a student you invited me and the other Jen over to crash your son's high school graduation party.  Your family was so warm and welcoming, it didn't faze him to open the door to two strangers and include us in all the activities as if we were life-long friends.  

Kristen graduated last year.  She worked for me in the Admissions Office.  Johanna flew in from NH to see her friends graduate.  She was one of my recruits that graduated last year.  Both these young women are sweet and I have enjoyed getting to know them.  

Where were you 10 years ago today?

I know where I was...I was at Newport Beach in California!  I was looking through my scrapbooks from my days with Camfel Productions and scanned some of the pictures from my scrapbooks.  (I didn't have a digital camera back then.)  I noticed that the date that was next to my pictures from Newport Beach was May 22, 1999!  Tara and I just arrived back to CA from being in the midwest and were the first girl team to arrive at the office.  This being the case, when we decided to go to the beach, it was the two of us and a few guy teams.  Tara and Ben were dating at the time and decided to go for a walk on the beach by themselves leaving me with the guys.  We had fun.  We even met a guy who was playing worship songs on his guitar and joined him for awhile.

This is a long post.  If you are interested in some of the places I travelled to during my 2 years with Camfel, feel free to read/look on...

When we were in the U.P. of MI, we saw the annual snow sculpture competition that takes place at one of the colleges.  This is my favorite from that year.

Buffalo in South Dakota.

Some of us went to Knott's Berry Farm after returning to CA the first year.

Above and below...two set ups of our equipment.  The top is the standard gym set-up.  Below is a one-time balcony set-up.  We had to take everything out of the boxes and balance them...praying hard that the projectors would not fall!

Andy and Lewis, one of the teams during my first year.  They did shows in the area my parents live in and stayed with them while there.  Andy loves trains and didn't sleep at all so he could watch all the trains that past by the house all night.

Kaylor and Tara.  They were a team during the first semester.  Tara and I were a team during the second semester when we switched partners.  Kaylor also stayed at my parents house once on her way back to CA from traveling out east.  I had already been home for about a week.

We stayed in Kenova, WV one night.  Michael W. Smith is from there, so I thought it was cool to see where he grew up since I had grown up on his music.

Even though we had driven through the hometown of the author of the "Wizard of Oz", we discovered this mailbox in an entirely different state!

Tara and I went to REI and she went rock climbing.  She tried to talk me into it as well.  I refused.  She continued to persuade me and I gave in and did it the next day.  I made it up until I was about 5 feet from the top and Tara told me to look down.  I lost it right then and decided to repel down.  (I am afraid of heights.)  Looking back, I wish I would have finished the last 5 feet.  There could be a lesson in this...don't look down, it can cause you to stumble...I'll have to think about it a little more.

Periodically teams would be close enough to each other that we would meet up somewhere and hang out.  Sometimes, the distance was irrelevant.  There were times that Ben & Nick really were close.  Other times, we would drive a couple hundred miles each to meet for the weekend since Tara and Ben were dating.  One of the weekends we met up, Tara's parents also joined us.  They introduced me to TGI Fridays, Bass Pro Shop (where this picture was taken), and Sonic Drive-In.  (I really like the cherry lime-aides but do not care for their food.)

That weekend we also discovered a "fork in the road" and stopped to take a picture.

This was taken at my cousin Diane's house during the 2nd year.  My partner that year, Lorraine, had never been out of southern CA and discovered snow for the first time in her life!  She really liked shoveling the snow...which was a good thing since we were all out there several times that weekend trying to keep ahead of the snow.  It snowed several inches to a foot in about a day and a half if I remember correctly.

I don't remember were or even what state this was located.  I do know that we past it often.  The first time we past, it was a snowman.  By the time spring came around, it had turned into...

the Easter bunny!

Lorraine had two favorite past-times at the hotel...jumping on the beds and surfing on the ironing boards!

I either need to be taller or find a longer ice scraper.  This was me on many a snowy and cold morning!

We visited the National Corvette Museum in KY.  We even got to sit in the 2000 model car that had a serial number of all zeros!  

This family lives in PA. Jason was one of the technicians during my 2nd year.  He and Lorraine started dating during training.  When we found out that Lorraine and I would be touring near their house, Jason's parents said that we could stay with them when in the area.  The day before we were to stay with them the first time, Lorraine and Jason broke up and Lorraine didn't want to stay there.  I am glad that I convinced her otherwise.  We spent most a lot of weekends with them and became friends.  I even stayed with them several times when I travelled to PA for TUFW.

We also were scheduled in the Buffalo, NY/Niagara Falls area quite a bit that semester.  We visited the falls on both sides a couple of times.  We enjoyed riding on the Maid of the Mist.  

When we went to schools and churches, we usually got a crew of kids to help us set up and tear down.  Here are two of our favorite crews above and below.

This is one of my favorite pictures of myself.  (I usually do not like my pictures!)  I'm not sure where we were traveling here, but we stopped to stretch our legs for awhile.  We found this pipeline of sorts and I decided to pose for a picture.

As if I didn't already look younger than I was, sitting in Robert Wadlow's chair made me look like a little tot!  FYI...Robert Wadlow is the tallest man to ever live according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

In Niagara Fall's, Canada.  We posed in front of this Mounty that greeted visitors.

I got to visit Wall Drug Store several times over the 2 years.  It is a cheesy tourist trap, but fun none the less.  Here is are portions of some of my scrapbook pages.  If you hadn't noticed, Lorraine has this thin for sticking her finger in noses!

There was this big hare in the backyard portion of Wall Drug.  I decided to see if it would get me anywhere...but it was much much slower than any tortoise!

Wyoming Mountains

Monique, Jason, & me during training.

Tim and his wife Wendi.  He was the my first boss after college.  We got along really well.  He is now a youth pastor.

During training the 2nd year, we all went to Corona Del Mar.  We were going to have a cook-out.  Patrick bought a new grill that needed assembled.  It took hours for them to get it together.  If you look closely, you will see the instructions setting next to the grill.  They refused to use them.  We finally ate...and it was good!

There is obviously no order to these pictures!  The same trip to Knott's Berry Farm as the above picture...I ran into Chris Rice walking around the park.  I got my picture taken with him.  We were there the same day that they were having Christian music artists performing concerts around the park.  I did attend his concert, but this picture was prior to the concert and he was really just walking around...I had no idea that he would be where he was at the time!

Tara posing under a tree branch at a plantation we visited in Louisiana.

Me at Mount Rushmore.

Tara is a Buddy Holly fan.  I never heard of him before knowing her.  When she realized we were going to be near the site where his plane crashed, we stopped and got directions to the memorial site.  We were told to look for a guitar marking the spot.  It took awhile to find for two reasons: 1) We were looking for an actual size guitar not this mini metal one; 2) we were not told we would need to walk about a quarter mile into someone's field to see it.  (That is until we went back into town and asked why we were not finding it!)

We drove 500 miles to see the bridges of Madison County, Iowa and so that Ben and Tara could see each other again.  Even though I did want to see the bridges, I really didn't want to go since I had to do all the driving (Tara couldn't drive the van) and it was in a big snow storm that police were encouraging people not to go out in.  We did end up going, but only got to see one bridge.  Once we were on the smaller roads where the bridges are located that I was finally able to convince them that it was too dangerous to continue.  We made it safely without any accidents, but we did get stuck in a snow drift once and had to have one of the farmers pull us out with his tractor.