Alright so we just finished with a fabulous day in San Diego, first camp, then the beach, then a San Diego Padre game. The only down side of having fun and playing all day in San Diego is that we still had a nine hour drive (without stops) in order to get to our next camp. So, that meant we had to pile up into our three fifteen passenger vans and begin the truck up to the bay area. It was definitely a long day. Drew did well but towards the end of the drive he was ready to be out of his car seat. As he got older he would get bored in his car seat and want someone to play with him. So, we did our best with the trip and got up at eight and started. We actually didn't even get to dinner until close to 8:00 pm. Luckily for us we ate at PF Changs. Not only that but when we walked in to the restaurant the manager came over to let us know that he was giving all of us free lettuce wraps. If you haven't had those they are amazing and considering we were going to order those for all of the staff, we probably saved $30-40 just on lettuce wraps. Not only that but after we ordered he brought out soup on the house. It was awesome and just what our staff needed to relax. Then we finished the drive and arrived at campus late but with our bellies full.
So now we are at Menlo College and happy to be there, sort of. One of the things you may not realize or have spent time thinking about is that we rent these college campuses. We provide them a list before every week of which particular rooms we are going to use in the dorms they have assigned us and we trust them to have those rooms ready for us. Well... sometimes they are not ready. This was the case with Menlo College. We arrived on campus about 10:15 pm and everyone is exhausted and then you find out that you can't unpack because your room is not ready and you are put in a totally different room. Well when you hae a two-month old son that becomes even more complicated. Needless to say it was not the welcome we were hoping for at Menlo College.
However, once the sun came up and we had some sleep in us, we were still in not our room but we were a little more relaxed about it and ready to get camp started. We only had around 65 students at that particular camp but they were a great group of students. Menlo is a very small campus and so it was a very relaxing week in many ways as we got to enjoy a quiet week of camp. The other great thing is it got nice and cool at night, I mean in the fifties. Like sweatshirt and jeans weather in the evenings. It was AWESOME!!!
After camp ended we decided to head up to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Angela and I have seen it twice before but it was always so foggy and you couldn't see much. So we were thrilled when we got there and it was not foggy and we could see the whole thing... than we realized when it was all said and done it was a bridge and we were ready to go because even though it wasn't foggy, it was still cold. Then we had to say goodbye to one of our families that traveled with us, the Cooks. It was hard to say goodbye to them because in many ways Dell glues things together for the faculty. Ginny is also so instrumental. Not only did Angela love time with Ginny but Ginny also helped us so much over the summer. She gave advice when we needed advice, she gave space when we needed space, and was always there to provide a hug when we needed that. As a camp director it is my job to make sure everyone is happy at camp and has what they need. Well, Ginny truly makes my job easier. She is always there to volunteer to go get food for the staff or to take a sick student to the doctor. But, even more than that, just to know that she is there is of great comfort to me as a director. I wish the Cooks could be with us next summer...
From there we drove up to Red Bluff, California and spent the evening relaxing with the staff. We had time to take a dip in the pool and the girls found time to paint their nails and do other girl things (not really sure what those are). The staff really enjoyed their down time and just to be with each other.
The next morning we got up and drove to Oregon!!! Angela and I were so excited to get back to our home state. It really felt like it would never come and it finally arrived and we were so happy to be back and driving through our home state. So, we drove up I-5, and arrived at Oregon State University. We had set it up so that we would meet my dad and his friend Becky for dinner that night as the staff went up to experience the double rhino. For those that do not know, the double rhino is an epic burger. It is one pound of ground beef after it is cooked. This is in eight different patties piled onto a loaf of bread (not a loaf but a very large bun), then there is eight strips of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Whew... It is a masterful burger I must say. But, not only is it well over the top, but it also is one of the best tasting burgers ever. Anyway, so Angela, Drew, and I waited for my dad at the dorm. My dad had not yet met Drew and we were so excited for him to get to meet his grandpa. So, when he arrived it was great. Drew was not sure what to think but being around new people all the time at camp, Drew was quick to adapt and was soon quite taken with my dad. We picked up his friend Becky and went to dinner at Baja Fresh. From there we just spent the next couple hours talking and hanging out with Drew before returning to campus.
Once we got back on campus it was time to get back into camp mode. Every Saturday night we have a brief staff meeting to go over the schedule for the next day as well as anything the staff need to know for this particular week. Angela and I had made the decision that we were going to jet out for most of the week and spend the week with family up in Beaverton and my staff directors were going to run camp while I stayed up to date with them over the phone. So, I made the decision that Josh, my male staff director, was going to run the week as though it were his camp. This was to place someone into authority so that when I left they did not feel abandoned but knew that someone was in control of camp. So, Josh led staff meeting for the first time on Saturday night and got them prepped for the week to come.
Well, that is quite an update... It is fun looking back on various memories from the summer. It is because of you and your prayers and support that we are able to serve in this ministry. Thank you for selflessly giving. We trust that God will continue to use you mightily in our lives as we seek to honor the Lord together. Praise our Lord!
It is all for Him and only Him,
Mike Tiland
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