October/November

We just got back from our Disney trip and I have had to go thru so much email and do so much work to catch, but it was worth it!!
In all there were 12 of us that went a a group -- Me, KC and Jack. I also brought my nephew, Brandon who is 14 and would be able to hang out with KC and do the thrill rides while I got to be with Jack. My mom, brother Drew, his wife Mauriah, and their child, Jonah - who is 2 also came with us. And my neighbors - husband, wife and two kids (ages 5 and 3) also came with us. We got down to Florida and got into our two rooms (My family and I had a two bedroom suite and the neighbors had a traditional hotel room) and we went to Magic Kingdom. When we got back for the night and I tried to sleep there was something wrong with the air conditioning. So after calling down to the office, getting someone to try to fix it that night and the next day, they upgraded all 12 of us to a Grande Villa which had three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a full kitchen -- it was nicer than my house!! We had a great time and were able to share breakfasts together and talk about our days at the part since most of us didn't try to stay all together. My mom got to spend lots of time with her grandkids -- it was great.
Jack really enjoyed taking the pictures on the trip. He used my digital camera and probably took 300 pictures. Most are really good, some were not so good, and we have lots of pictures of his face (he liked to turn the camera upside down and take his own picture), the floor, random feet, and other things from a 3 year-olds perspective. ha ha ha
KC also had fun - he had a lot of freedom on the trip. I told him and Brandon to go to the parks and meet us later for lunch and dinner. Of course teenage boys don't want to miss a meal so they were there and we got to hear about the thrill rides. He got back to school and has been busy with making up homework and getting ready for college visits. Also attached is a picture from the Homecoming Dance. This is the fall celebration around visiting your former schools, football and fall. There is usually a parade (where KC played the bass drum in Marching Band), the football game at the high school (KC and Marching Band performed at halftime), and the dance (KC went with his girlfriend Ashley).
Everything else is going well. I am busy as usual, but getting closer and closer to getting done with my coursework. I have one class left that I just signed up for next term. I have been studying for Qualifying Exams which are in February. And will figure out my focus for the dissertation soon.
Can't wait to see you all again and hear what you have been up to.
Enjoy the pictures,
Stacey

September

Holy Cow! (a weird common phrase we Americans say)
I can't believe it has been a month since you were here. I hope you are all back safe and sound. I am sure you are busy with school starting again.
I have been busy with my new job. I am the Web Content Administrator for the Office for Teaching and Learning for Wayne State University (wow, that's a mouthful). What that basically means is that I keep up the web site (http://www.otl.wayne.edu/) and work with faculty with their teaching and learning needs. I do workshops and one-on-one consultations with instructors. I work there full time - 5 days a week, a regular 9-5 job. My co-workers are great and actually just came over for dinner last night.

K.C. is busy with soccer -- he practices 5 days a week and has games three nights a week. He is also playing bass drum in the marching band. He is doing well in school, he is taking an AP class. This is Advanced Placement -- high school credits can be counted towards college. They are more difficult classes, but I think he needs the push.

Jack is doing well. He is liking school -- it is very different from before, when he was doing only three days a week, but he will soon be in Kindergarten so it's good practice. He is becoming so social and verbal --- it is fun!!

We are getting ready for our trip to DisneyWorld in Florida in just about a month.

So all is good!!
I hope it is all good with you and can't wait to hear you updates!!
Stacey

June

Last month I was telling you about the landscaping project or what Jack was calling the gardening project. I finished it up and see the pictures below. Jack and I made the bricks and I painted them. Then we moved the rocks into the rest of the area. I think it turned out great. You will have to see it this summer.

Jack and I have been busy, rearranging furniture in the house, doing gardening projects, cleaning up the outside of the house, working on crafty projects, playing, and spending lots of time together.

I am still working on my class and doing a few side jobs. Busy as usual!! Thank goodness I will be about done with my class when you get here.

K.C. has finished school for the summer, but is busy with sports still. He has swim practice every afternoon, soccer practice every morning and band practice once a week on Tuesday nights. He is also looking for a job – he is still searching for a car he can afford. I told him he can’t get a car until he has a job. So he is looking.

I am getting ready and excited for you all to come here. I can’t wait to hear what is new with family, school, technology, and everything else.

See you VERY soon,
Stacey

May

We have had tons of rain and cold weather for the month of May. It has been unseasonably cold, but the weather is starting to change – we have had a few nice days in a row and we are all looking forward to the end of the school year in a better mood.

KC has less than a month left of school. He is done June 14th. Track will be done around that same time too. He has discovered that track is not his favorite sport but he is glad that he is learning to run better – he says it is good practice for soccer (which is his favorite sport). I was talking with a friend of mine yesterday and she mentioned that he will be done with high school and off to college in two years!! So hard to believe!!

Jack is spending more time with Mommy this month. We have been working on a gardening project at the house and he loves to ‘help mommy garden’ and ‘get garden tools’. It is so fun to do stuff with him. Since I am not working full time and the work I am doing is from the house, he is taking a few months off of daycare (which he calls his school) so we are having a fun mommy/jack summer!!

I am working from home teaching MET 6203 all online for my American students – it is kind of funny that I teach online for the American students and on Campus for the Taiwanese students – most of the time you would think it would be the opposite – but I am glad – I am so excited to see you all and hear how your year has been. I am also doing some work for a few other Universities with their online programs, just as a consultant, on a part time basis. Like I said last month I am also taking just one class right now, it is one of my last so it is very self directed and doing a practice for my dissertation – so somewhat similar to your capstone class. I am looking for a new full time job, so there is always something for me to do. Let alone all the gardening projects, home improvement projects, and other things around the house to do – this year I really want to put in flowers out front and find a small fragrant tree to plant outside Jack’s window. I was thinking a cherry tree – with the beautiful blossoms might be a good idea. So if my house looks like I am in the middle of a project when you come over this summer for dinner – it is!!

The pictures below are the whole family out to dinner for Mothers Day (Jack is sitting with my mom Suzie, my sister Becca is behind her with her son Xander and husband Aaron, my brother Drew is on the side with me behind his son Jonah, KC and me, and Mauriah Drew's wife is across from me) and of course a few cute pictures of my Jack, and me and my best friend from high school - Amanda.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon, just a few short months!!
Stacey

April

We are having traditional April weather here. One day it will be warm enough for shorts and t-shirts, the next you have to bundle up in a jacket and pants. Flowers are starting to sprout, grass is getting green, it is Spring!!

Jack is loving all the extra outside time and has made a close friend with one of the boys at his school. It is so cute to see him and Braden playing together, sharing toys, and doing similar activities (he is the boy to Jack's left in the picture below). You will be amazed when you see him in just a few months! Right now (as I write this at 11am on a lazy Sunday morning) he is watching TV (it is cold and rainy out) he came to me and said “Mommy say Ni-Hao, that means Hello” – so I said Ni-Hao and he said Ni-Hao :) When you see him this summer make sure to tell him hello that way!! He watches Ni-Hao, Kai-Lan - http://www.nickjr.com/ni-hao-kai-lan/ so he learns about Kai-Lan’s culture and her family.

KC is finished with swimming season and has now started to run track. He is on the sprinting team and runs in relay races and in dashes. (Don’t worry if you don’t know the terms, I am just starting to learn them myself – I was never a runner). He is doing excellent in school and has started to get information mailed to him from colleges. He is looking forward to working this summer so he can save money for a car.

I am still moving along on at Wayne State. I have two more classes to take then exams and the dissertation, so it will still be another two-three years before I am done but I am still working on that PhD. I will be in one of my classes this summer. It starts in May and goes until August so I will be in class at the same time you are here!! So we will both have lots of homework – ha ha ha.

I just logged into my Blackboard for LTU and found the summer classes are beginning to be set up, that means you will be here soon!!
I am excited to see you again and catch up on all you have been doing!
See you soon,
Stacey

March

I can't believe how fast the year is flying by. KC is in his last trimester of school (they split the school year into three parts and he is in the last third). He had exams last week and did well (as usual). He will start new classes on Monday. He also just finished up swimming season and will start track (he is always in some sport!!).
Jack is growing so fast and putting together bigger and bigger sentences! You will be amazed at this growth when you are here (in just a few short months!!).
I am finishing up a class right now in qualitative research -- wow it is dense stuff!! I am looking forward to two more classes, but on research methods before getting started on my dissertation -- maybe I will get my PhD done around the same time the 2009 class finishes up (maybe...). My work at Wayne State is going great. I have presented at a conference on teaching in Higher Education, I am schedule to present at another conference on Distance Learning in August (we may have a few online class meetings then), and am presenting at a exhibition at Wayne State later in the month. It is nice to be able to share what I know and have learned.
Please enjoy the pictures of the boys!!
See you soon,
Stacey

February

Happy New Year!!!
Year of the Tiger (if I am correct).
February 14 is our Valentine’s Day, we celebrate love and give gifts such as chocolates, candy, balloons, flowers (roses), stuffed animals and other love gifts.
I am glad we all have reason to celebrate.
I hope your vacation is going well and that you are keeping warm. I have heard that it is cold and has freezing rain there. Make sure to stay bundled up and stay healthy.
We have had a little bit of snow and even had a snow day. This is what the students pray for, create little dances for, and check the news in the morning for. If there is too much snow or it is too cold outside schools will close for the day and students don’t go to school. We had a snow day last week. K.C. checked the news at 4am and let me know so that we could sleep in. Jack was excited to see the snow and to play in it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good snow for making a snow man, but we did play around and threw snow balls at each other. He liked ‘making tracks’ in the snow – he likes to see his footprints. Check out the video attached (you can even hear him singing a little happy song).
Other than that, things are pretty good. Busy with school and work. K.C. did get his driver’s license and is driving the car all on his own. Sometimes it scares me to think of him doing that, but I know he is a good trustworthy kid.
Jack is having fun at school and is doing so much art work that I have a whole wall filled at work with his pictures and projects.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

January

Happy New Year! – At least it is here. I know Chinese New Year isn’t for a few more weeks.
We are back in school, the new semester has started for all of us. I am teaching the intro class at LTU (MET 6203). I am taking two classes at Wayne State (only two more after this and I am done with course work and get to start on my dissertation!!) and am back to work at Wayne as a research assistant. So busy as usual :)
KC is doing great!! He is getting good grades and is really loving swimming season. He swims freestyle and backstroke. He has cut 2 seconds of his time in freestyle and about 8 off the backstroke – I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but for swimming it is HUGE!! He also just turned 16 and is seriously looking for a car. We will have to see how that goes. I am trying to tell him that the cost isn’t only the car, it’s also insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. He is starting to get it and has started looking for a job.
Jack is loving daycare and playing with his friends. He is starting to learn to ‘go potty in the potty’ Toilet-training!! Yikes :) His vocabulary is getting larger and larger by the day and he is so fun to play with.
The weather here is cold – today it is 26 F, which is about -4 C. We have been having a little snow (not a lot) and cold rain. We will have cold days for a few more months. Usually December and February are the big snow months, so maybe next month I will be able to send you some snow pictures. We had a little bit of snow (about an inch or two) and Jack was walking around in it and making snow angels. I wish I had my camera – maybe next time.
Talk to you soon,
Stacey