It's working for me

Thanks for the recent posts, kinfolk. And thanks to Auntie Carol for kicking some but! to get it started again.
Just wanted to say it's been great to connect with a cousin I haven't heard from in decades (literally), and a pair of cool brother-cousins I haven't ever really had a chance to get to know. It's fascinating to note the old family tone in their writing--interesting how we perpetuate ourselves (as a family character). And fun to know there's another of us enjoying the love/hate affair of living abroad.
Thanks to the others of you who have sent me emails of interest--hope you'll be posting here soon, too!

Elton

From Leipzig

Hello all,

I am glad that Auntie Carol shamed a few of us into writing more in the blog...good stuff. I am currently enjoying the nice weather in Leipzig and sweating the fact that I fly back to the states in about 43 days. Mixed feelings all around. I am definitely excited about seeing my friends, family and homeland, and the prospect of eating some REAL mexican food make me just about explode with excitement, but I have to leave someone special behind. Maybe just temporarily, but who knows.

Nothing new to report and no new pictures. Keep the posts coming. I am off to the Bierbörse tonight - sort of like a beer festival. It is taking place at the monument for the Battle of Nations which was fought here in 1813. On the winning side..Germany, Austria, etc., on the losing side France (Napoleon) and Saxony, which is where Leipzig is located. SO...we have a monument commemorating the winning of a battle located in a land that was one of the losers. I feel that it is a little humorous. At any rate, the monument was erected in 1913 and represents a typical Imperial German style and sensibility. Yeah.

Have a great weekend!

Casey

Hello from Leesville, South Carolina

Hi family,
Just a quick note before I head off to teach an "extended school year" session with one of my students and then off to Charlotte, NC (we actually have a house in York, SC which is just outside of Charlotte). We (my husband, Randy and I) are going to see Toby Keith tomorrow night. We are fine here. Staying busy - as usual.
Randy is a retired English teacher and is currently working on our houses. We plan to sell the one in Leesville and move to York to be closer to his parents. I am still teaching students with severe autism at Lexington High School and am close to finishing my Ph.D. in special ed administration - and much like Casey - what the heck did I do this for. But hang in there Casey. It is worth it.. I think.
I am going to Albuquerque on June 25 for 2 weeks to visit with mom (Billie) and Stephen (my son). they are fine and I am really looking forward to seeing them. My other two sons: Dustin is in Clarksville, TN working and planning on getting married soon and Patrick with his wife, Mary, and step-son, Zack, live in Washington state. He is in the Army and will be deployed to Iraq on Oct. 26. I will keep you posted about that and I will send this information to all of the boys in hopes they will join in.
Take care and this is so GREAT!!
Love you all, Sally

THE TUCSON BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE

Greetings from temperate (yeah, right) Tucson. Here's my update:

I live here in Tucson with my wife Tracey and our dog Gracie. I am very fond of both of them and I hope they echo such sentiments.

I'll go way back for those of you who may not know of my past few years. I got my MFA in Playwriting from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television (Francis Ford Coppola's alma mater) in 2004. I write as much as I can - but there are not, as it turns out, too many job options for us playwrights. Following our move to Tucson in 2005, I taught high school Drama and English for one year before going back to school. In 2007, I received my Master's degree in Education (with distinction, I might add) from Northern Arizona University's Tucson Campus and have been teaching Middle School Drama, English and Humanities. I also tutor several students from various grades (K-12) in Reading and Writing.

I am currently working on 3 new plays at one time - some times the Muses really smash me down. My future goals (aside from finishing these) are to start a youth theater, and a community educational outreach program. Hopefully I can accomplish these things in the next couple of years.

My wife Tracey just completed her Master's in Education in Counseling (also with distinction) also from NAU. She works for NAU in student services, and plans to continue on for a multi-disciplinary PhD in physiology and psychology (among other things).

Our wonderful dog Gracie spend many laborious hours perfecting her snoring techniques and generally loving us unabashedly. She enjoys walks, stealing our recliners, waking us up early, and being a very spoiled only-child.

I'm not sure really what else to add. One can never tell exactly what the future holds. Perhaps we will chuck it all and move to French Polynesia. If so, you're all welcome at our Tahitian hut.

Good wishes,

Jed, Tracey and Gracie Hayes

Stan Bungee Jumping in New Zealand

I'm trying to put a slideshow on the blog. Here are 3 pictures Stan sent me of him Bungee Jumping in New Zealand in February 2008. "Awesome!" in Stan's own words!
Click on the link to go see larger pictures...

The View from Elton's House (video)

Here's the view from our apartment in Japan. Just click on the triangle play button at the bottom left to view it....

Hello from Germany

Hello Alexander-Jordan Clan. I certainly hope everyone is having a nice spring. In Leipzig the sun is not so sure if she (feminine in German) wants to come out yet. We'll have one nice day of weather and then rain/snow or whatever. Make me wonder if Global Warming really exists (he he). Anyway, I am finishing up my second PhD year here in Leipzig and am probably going to continue back in Tucson in August. I am having one of those Graduate School.."what the hell am I doing all this for" phases. Oh, well...this too shall pass. Along with what I am doing for the Uni, I am working on a side project developing tests for business English. So far I have been developing scripts for listening comprehension tests and writing instructions for the writing portion of the exams. All that along with the occasional translation project. All in all, I have enough to keep me busy.

German Winters are pretty depressing, and this one was particularly hard on me. Being from the desert and seeing the sun almost 300 days a year has that effect on me. Things are turning around, however, and I look forward to rinding my bicycle to the lake and possibly getting some sun....who knows.

I have a blog of my own on Blogger called "Ruminations of a Desert Rat," unfortunately I haven't updated it since October. I have no real excuse for it, I just find it hard to blog. I guess that is why I have never kept a journal.

(By the way the picture is me in Prague...neat town)

Anyway, enjoy the spring and hope to read something from you all soon.

til then

Casey