Running....and then lots of eating!

I ran the 5K Race for the Cure yesterday. The event had 30,000 people!! So cool. After the race, a whole crew of us went out for breakfast and ate all the calories (and probably more!) that we just ran off. Such fun. I do so love and miss my friends. I took this photo for Hannah of her pals Rosemary, TJ and Ella.

After the breakfast fest, I stopped by church and paid my respects to one of St. Charles finest, Terrence Dearing, who died on Monday. Such a nice man. I just chatted with him last Sunday at church. RIP Terry.

While I was in the D, I made sure Ro's pond in the Village was fully operational with filter, plants and fish. It was really peaceful working outside yesterday afternoon. I got it all hooked up. Our next-door neighbor is on the Home Tour next Saturday so I wanted to make sure it was all set for Stan. My Mom and I are going to be docents at the house. It will be a great way to say hi to a bunch of the neighbors all at once!

Tim and my Mom and Dad went out for dinner last night to celebrate my Mom's birthday earlier in the week. Look at this dessert! This picture of my Dad cracks me up.

Jackson's Prom Date

You have to love Uncles. They can solve all your problems (especially when they have whiz bang computer programs). Uncle Dave saw a need and filled it for his nephew Jackson. Thanks Dave. I'm sure Jackson was the hit of the Graded School Prom with his date, Hannah Montana.

While I've Been Gone

I left Sao Paulo a week ago. Since I've been gone, Jackson went to the prom Saturday night and Hannah was honored at the Graded Athletic Awards on Friday.

Jackson decided to go "stag" to the prom and the after-party. (Do they still use the word "stag"?) He said that a lot of the guys do that. He passed on the tux and just wore a nice suit. Of course, this morning I asked him how it went. The typical information-filled teen response: fine. Lot of people there? Yes. Did the girls look pretty? Yes. What time did you get home? 3:30. Guess I'll have to pry some more details out of him later in person.

Hannah, on the other hand, was all chatty about Friday's Graded Athletic Awards. She got some bling as the "most improved player" on her volleyball team but she seems to think the award was destined for another player who just didn't show up so they gave it to Hannah. She laughed a lot about it. We'll have to find out what the real story here is and whether she'll have to forfeit her hardware.
The last photo is for Ro. When I was visiting his family yesterday in Milford, I drove by the canoe rental where we worked in high school and college. We both have fond memories of the place and the nice family, the Ruckers, that ran it. Back then, it was kind of falling apart but the Ruckers did their best to keep it occupied and maintained. It looks like the town has rallied around this old powerhouse and preserved it. The change was startling.

I am definitely missing my family on this long holiday weekend. I went to church today at St. Charles and said hello to a few of my favorite Detroiters. I drove by our house and it looked great with lots of flowers out front. Stan is doing a fab job taking care of it. Tomorrow, I am going to partake in Santoscoy BBQ (aren't you jealous?) on the street. Maybe I'll take a few photos of the house so Ro can relax.

Acting Fashionable

I leave tonight for LA, then Detroit, then Alabama. So for my last night in Brazil for a few weeks, we went to the Graded "Fashion for Humanity" event. Graded has a program where they build three houses in a rural area in Brazil with Habitat for Humanity. These high schoolers really know how to shake the last coin from the community. It was a very high class event in the richest mall in Sao Paulo, Iguatemi. Jackson worked stage crew. The student models were dressed in clothes from the retailers of the mall and it was all very, very professional. Great music, lighting, everything.
Ro still fell prey to the salesman-ship of the Graded kids for more support.


This is Jackson's art teacher, Miss B.

Hannah hung with some friends, Maru and Janna.

Are Dogs Supposed to Sit Like That?

OK, it is bad enough that Java parks on the couch and watches Scrubs (complete with Portuguese subtitles) but look how she is sitting! I think she is human! Of all of us, Java has had the biggest adjustment. She used to be able to roam free in our Detroit backyard and hang with her boyfriend black lab, Logan. Now she is in a 14th floor apartment and has to go down an elevator on a leash to go outside. So maybe without any dog companions, she has decided to become human. If she starts changing the channel, we're in trouble.

Recognize anyone?

We were at Graded School last night for a play so I finally had a chance to snap a picture of Jackson next to his self-portrait that he did for a recent art show. Pretty good, eh? His school really has an amazing art program. I liked the play (Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward) but the art show was the highlight. They used a ton of media and the students expressed themselves well. Good stuff.

This summer Jackson hopes to get accepted for a two-week program in July at the Cleveland Institute of Art. (Dave and Wendy, get ready. I'm sure he'll need a meal or two while he is there on campus.)

The kids seem to have settled into school here in Sao Paulo. They take their studies seriously and are learning a ton in class and out. The thing I like best is that they are relating to their new friends even though everyone is from different countries. Hannah and Jackson are both in early training for the basketball season that begins in August.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms!

Vamos Gringo!

The Nippon Blue Jays beat the Sao Paulo team 11-10 and won a big baseball tournament yesterday. I give Jackson a lot of credit. He has spent most every Saturday and Sunday that he has been here working out with the team. With the exception of one kid and one Dad who know a little English, Jackson has had to muddle through in Portuguese.

The first game was on Friday but Jackson screwed up his back on Thursday playing basketball at school so he sat out. But the team won the first round. Jackson took his SAT tests on Saturday morning so he met up with the team after their Saturday victories at the camp. They spent the night there on Saturday and played in the championship yesterday. It was a long game and there was a lot of back and forth in the score.

This park at Ibiuna is like a professional baseball park set in the mountains. It took us about an hour to get there but it was worth the drive.

The best part was when Jackson got up to bat. He was playing DH (designated hitter) because his back was still a little tender. The crowd screamed "Vamos Gringo" which translates to "Let's Go Gringo." They then thought it was hilarious to yell at him in English, "Let's Go Jackson." Such an enthusiastic crowd.

Jackson's team went out to a churrascaria to celebrate the victory so he went with a teammate to the restaurant and then took a cab home. It is tough to be the Mom when you send your baby off with people you hardly know to a place you've never been in a foreign country and then tell him to get in a cab home. But of course, he did fine.

We couldn't go to the celebration because we met up with Pete, Shannon, Rick and Judy and went to my favorite place so far in Sao Paulo, the Bananeria. Their web site is here if you want to take a look. The food was great, friends were fun and it was just a cool venue. I had this shrimp stew dish that was just delicious!