Five on Friday

Featuring Deb Stafford '89, manager of alumni operations

You, your husband and your kids are all very active. How do you make time for each other as a family?
Our evenings during the week are really designed for family time due to our family being involved in so many athletic, church and school activities after school and on Saturdays. We are a game playing family, including board games of all sorts that we gather 'round to play.

Our Friday nights, often times, are spent at Barnes & Noble enjoying books, cheesecake and cocoa. Sunday afternoons - between church services - are our Sabbath and we do not take that lightly. We usually plan on taking it easy at home.

What's one thing your kids do that really makes you laugh?
I have a very witty son (12 years old) who brings daily entertainment to our home. I should have started writing a book on him the day he was born! My daughter (14 years old) loves to take pictures of herself and her friends with her camera - and sometimes they are most comical and silly in their poses. Oh, memories ...

You were a pastor's kid growing up. Did you move around a lot?
As a "PK" I did move quite a bit and I would say that it was part of family life that I did not enjoy. It took me until adulthood to sort out all the challenges of living in different communities, adapting to different schools, making new friends and understanding the call on my father's life as a pastor. I had moved six times in 18 years - although it may not seem like a lot to some, the adjustments each time grew more difficult the older I became.

Students have begun moving back to campus and classes begin next week. Do you remember how you felt gearing up for your first week at Olivet as a freshman?
I could not wait to come to Olivet! I still have the photos of my parents' car packed from the front seat to the back window! My parents had made sure that my dorm room was just how I dreamed it would look, and I was more than blessed for their generosity and care for me. I knew that Olivet would be a safe "home" for me for the next four years! Looking back, I know I made the right choice to come to Olivet.

As you know, Homecoming order forms were mailed this week. What is one of your favorite Homecoming activities?
One of my favorite activities at Homecoming is the Friday night basketball game. I love looking through the sell-out crowd in the arena to see if I can recognize anyone from my graduating class, as well as those students who graduated a few years before me and those who followed me. Homecoming at Olivet really is a home-coming.