Annie!

Glad you had a refreshing break from things! IT sounds like you are doing amazing things in Benin and that you are a huge asset to the community! (There were no doubts that you woulnd't make a significant impact!) That must be hard when people come up to you and want money or jobs....I can imagine how much you want to help when you see this need all around you, but that you can't. Just remember that your presence is a huge help in itself and that your friendship is worth more than any monetary amount!

Big news from G-castle....Matt and I are moving to Washington D.C.! He took a job with a company called Corporate Executive Board and will be doing sales/marketing. So, now it is up to me to find something in the area, which hopefully won't be hard since it is the event planning Mecca! Other random news...Leah just got accepted into the Peace Corps....she is going to Samoa!!! Also, Jaci Blackwell got engaged to P.J. (finally). He proposed through an Easter egg hunt. We are all gearing up for senior dinners. It should be scandalous (yes even me!) You also would have loved to have seen the AX Civil War that Jenny, Jessica, ERin and I instigated against Jill, Lisa, Alex, and Amy. Oh it was good times and pranks were plentiful!

I must go now, you know me...even as a second semester senior I am still overcommitted!
Love you!
Heidi

P.S. DPU bought the Walden Inn and is having Sodexho manage it. I had to reapply for my job (still have it) but the new management sucks....thought you might like to know some random G-castle news:o)

Annie, I would be interested in knowing what the PC administrative structure is in Benin. I know that you have a Country Director, and that there presumably is an assistant Director. There are also two work stations that I know of, and I'm presuming each of them has a director. How many staff are at each of these places? It's no emergency; when you have the time.
Warm weather has finally come to Plymouth, although the snow hangs on stubbornly in the Kettle Moraine, particularly on the southern slopes. The most interesting phenomenon is right by my pad, where the north side of the river is totally devoid of snow, but the south shore has hardly melted at all. I told Tom it was his first "Physical Geography" lesson! He, by the way, is taking three classes this summer in the hope of finishing in three years and starting his Masters while he is still receiving survivor benefits. We are also planning a "road trip" together this summer in late July and early August to Canada. The goal is Newfoundland and Labrador, to see icebergs, tundra, etc., etc. It should be a blast.
I will be in Germany and Austria again in late May, making a loop around the Alps (Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, back to Munich). Now that I know the area, it will be that much better. In late October and early November, I will be in France and the Black Forest area of Germany, along with a brief stop in Basel, Switzerland. I'm hoping to practice my French before coming to Benin at Xmas time.
Most of my playing is over for the season. I have one gig in April, one in May, two in June and one in August, with little liklihood that the schedule will be added to. It was a great year; four gigs in Oshkosh and Sheboygan, three with Green Bay and Fox Valley, two with Ripon college, and two with the Wisconsin Symphonic Winds. Hopefully, next year will be just as good or even better?! (unlikely)
I've been adding to my CD collection, trying to have a representative sample of Broadway, Jazz and Swing, Country and Folk, Blues and Rock, and World Music to at least compete somewhat with the full left side of classical CDs. I'm listening to Mozart on the computer as I type; what a way to live!!!!!!!!
Keep on leading a fascinating life, and when retirement comes it will be even better.
Love,
Dad

P.S. Mike and Michelle were up briefly on Easter Sunday; Michlle brought a framed enlargement of a picture of all four of us in front of Macchu Picchu. It will have a prominent spot somewhere in the Pad