My Loom is Ready for the Move

I finally finished the piece I've been neglecting on my loom all summer. The table runner was a real bear with little pieces of fiber coming off the warp and clogging everything up. But it is done and the loom is all clean and ready to go on the sea shipment.

We get to move our things in three waves--what we take in our suitcase with us, an air shipment of 1,000 pounds and a sea shipment to fill a 40 square yard container. The air shipment takes 10 days and the sea shipment can take as long as three months (thanks to customs!) We are going to ship our stuff in the very near future so it will probably arrive about the same time as Jackson and I do in January.

Ro got an e-mail that our visas were approved. That means we're about 20 days away from departure for Ro and Hannah. So not only will I be without my husband and daughter, but I won't have a loom either!

Motoboys SP

This is an example of the crazy traffic and the dangerous habits of the motorcycle drivers in Sao Paulo. Can't wait to drive!

Expat Angst

I just returned from a great trip to New York. I had to do a bit of work in the City on Tuesday and Wednesday so I dragged my Mom and Hannah along at the last second to celebrate my birthday on Monday. We had a superb time. In just a few days, we went through MOMA, saw Rent and Legally Blonde the Musical on Broadway, shopped, ate at some amazing restaurants, went to a great yarn shop (Habu) and just took in a big deep breath of one of my favorite cities, the Big Apple.

(This is Hannah at M&M World in Times Square and my Mom and Hannah in Central Park.)

I am sad I missed Colin's funeral but he was a city guy extraordinaire so it was kind of a nod to him too. I heard there were 750 people there....OMG! That says a lot about his impact on a whole bunch of people and what a special man he was.

Today, reality and anxiety are creeping in. Ro and Hannah could be leaving in two weeks!! Hannah has no school to attend in Detroit and all her friends are so excited to be starting high school. Graded School in Brazil isn't answering my e-mails begging to send Hannah some work. We STILL have no answers to where are we going to live, when are we leaving, what we need to take, when the visas will arrive. Should I engage in the marketing push of my life so Crain lets me work or just let them replace me??

I'll be glad when Ro gets home tomorrow. He and Jackson have been...what else?..salmon fishing up North all week. Maybe I should take up fishing to get through all this nervousness.

Detroit Just Lost a Good One

I found out this morning that my friend Colin Hubbell died yesterday. Remember a few months back (June 27) when I wrote about Colin's cool birthday party we attended at Traffic Jam with hundreds of his pals. Colin loved his family, his city, God, bike riding, good music and his friends. Such a fabulous man. Everyone he knew always got a huge bear hug and a kiss when he greeted them. I worked with his equally wonderful wife, Trish, at Mullen. They have four kids who will really miss him but they'll know they were loved big time by their Dad.

For that birthday party, I put together a 200+ photo slideshow with photos that Trish gave me. While I was scanning all those images, it gave me a chance to really feel for Colin's life. I've thought a lot about all those photos today.

Obviously, God needed some help solving some crisis up in heaven and Colin was the right dude for the job. Somebody today told a story about Colin calling up Kwame Kilpatrick when he was having election troubles and starting the conversation with, "Man, you need a white friend." Colin was a developer in the city and he was a real peacemaker in a tough business.

God bless you Colin, Trish, Kelsey, Devin, Miles and Alana.

Learning About Brazil

All four of us spent today at Berlitz taking cross-cultural training. I must admit I was kinda irritated at the whole thought of spending two full days away from work listening to people chat at us about our experience ahead. Since we know very few answers to anything (when we're leaving, where we are living, are we taking our dog, are you going to work while you're there), we just spent the day talking about our concerns about taking this big leap. It was good for Ro and I but we've been through it before with Japan, but I think it was especially helpful for the kids.

They had one teacher for Hannah and Jackson and another for us (no wonder GM is heading toward bankruptcy) and then they brought in a Brazilian lady for an hour or so to answer any questions we may about daily living in Brazil. Parts of it were kind of stupid but most of it was helpful. My big takeaways: eat with a knife and fork, dress well, leave the flashy jewelry at home, don't stop at traffic lights, it is OK to cry if you need to and get involved in the local community. Got it.

Girl's Weekend

Six 14-year old girls consumed two large pizzas, two pounds of chicken wings, Twizzlers, Sour Patch, M&Ms, Skittles, Oreos, Sun Chips, cookie dough ice cream, cheetos, pancakes, bacon and lots of waters and pops all within 18 hours of being in our house. Hannah had her BFFs over last night and they ate and ate and giggled until 6 a.m. Java even joined in and ate the bowl of mini M&Ms. Needless to say we're kinda tired at the Robar Ranch today.

Dan and Jackson are up in Frankfort (surprise, suprise!) pursuing the almighty salmon this weekend.

Working?

I'm up in Traverse City this week for work. Someone this morning called it the Management Golfing Seminars. All these auto execs come up and go to sessions all morning and then golf all afternoon. I'm downstairs every morning at 6:30 distributing our show dailies and setting up our booth but by about 2:00, it is dead. I've gone running every afternoon but I am ready to go home and get back to reality. Automotive News threw a great dinner last night for 90 clients at a local winery. It sure is beautiful up here but I'm getting antsy to get things moving back in Detroit.

Everyone here knows about Brazil now. I've had some good conversations about my hopes to work remotely from down South. Now, I just need all the bosses to talk with one another and give me the thumbs up or thumbs down. We shall see.

Back from Brazil

This is the door (we think!) to our new home for the next two years. After five whirlwind days in Sao Paulo of looking at about 20 apartments, we gave the relocation company our top three choices on Friday. Our favorite was a 14th floor unit that is about 200 square meters (about 2150 square feet). It has four bedrooms but what really makes the place is all the stuff in the condo complex--indoor and outdoor pools, hiking trails, great gym, etc. for the kids to do. It is like a resort. I think we can even bring Java. We looked at some really crazy places. I'll post them another time.


Hannah and Jackson's school is really impressive. Jackson said it looks like the TV show Zoey 101. Graded School has kids from all over the world that attend and the list of colleges they get into is amazing. They really work them too. Both kids already have reading lists and Jackson took a math placement test while we were there. Most importantly for my duo is that they think of art as something that is as important as the other core academic areas. They have 4-5 art rooms, lots of equipment and a real passion for the subject. They even have a guitar club for Hannah.



We met with the head of the Japanese baseball league and they are excited for Jackson to play with them. Soccer (football) is the big deal for Paulistas so there isn't baseball in the schools. But there is a big Japanese community there that plays baseball. It sounded intense enough for my boy. So Jackson may refresh his Japanese as well as learn Portugese.

Sao Paulo itself is crazy. The roads are not made for the volume of traffic. There are no highways. It is all two lane surface streets. It takes you forever to travel from Point A to Point B. The biggest danger is all these motorcycles that dart from lane to lane through traffic. I know I will have to drive there but I'm not looking forward to it.

Architecturally, Sao Paulo has no master plan. Lots of tall skinny buildings that are pretty ugly. There are some cool public art displays and a few pretty parks but mostly it is just street urban.

We are still trying to figure out our departure dates. Graded School is already in session. The admissions director was pretty adamant that if Jackson can't get there by September 1, he shouldn't start until after the holiday break in January. The junior year is pretty intense academically. It isn't as big an issue for Hannah since she'll be a freshman so she can start anytime. (Since so many kids there are ex-pats, they are used to people coming and going all year.) Optimistically, we probably won't get our visas until at least mid-September. So, we may depart in pairs. Ro and Hannah may leave in September and Jackson and I in January. Still to be determined.

The Old Ballpark

They are tearing down Tiger Stadium very, very slowly. We made a quick stop Thursday night. Funny, everyone who was there was sharing a story of a great time they had in the old ballpark. I hope Ernie Harwell and his group are successful at least keeping part of the field intact.

Stuff I Should Be Doing v. Now

This is the hotel we'll be staying in Sunday night in Sao Paulo. Oh, the stuff we have to accomplish before we get there.

The laundry isn't done (although I just put a load in). All the documentation crap we're supposed to take with us is in a million different piles on the landing, the computer room and in my bedroom. We need to organize Java's toys and food so he can go hang with Logan and Buster next door. Hannah isn't nearly ready for a week with my Mom and Dad.

So, what did we do today? I worked till 6, took a couple tables over to a friend in Grosse Pointe who is having a garage sale and then took Hannah out for dinner. Ro, Jackson and Arianna went fishing and then played Guitar Hero. (Ro didn't play Guitar Hero...that makes me laugh to even think about!) I just went for a run and now I'm goofing on my blog. Hannah is going with her friends to a midnight book launch at Border's for Stephanie Meyer's new book, Breaking Dawn.

Oh well, somehow it will all get done. One of Ro's colleagues just got back from Brazil and shared with Ro and I the link from their blog. It made me feel good to read. They loved it and had lots of great family time. (They are a lot younger, their kids are small and one was even born over there!) The blog is here if you want to peek at it.

We have until 7 a.m. Sunday right?? No problem.

Rosetta Stone

Ola.

I started Portuguese lessons last night using the online Rosetta Stone package. We leave on Sunday for our "look see" visit to Sao Paulo. Let's see how much I can get done this week. This feels like school!

Hannah can't go with us. We applied for our tourist visas while she was in Europe (with her passport) so she is going to hang with my Mom next week. Sure wish she could be part of the decision-making team.

Tchau.

Weird Thursdays!

Not sure what was going through Jackson's mind last night but he decided to use Dan's beard trimmer to give himself a little haircut on all his already close coiffure. It didn't work too well and now he has a bad stripe down the middle. Sharp!

Hannah and I went to Joe Louis Arena last night for the American Idol Live show. One of the Crain advertising clients called the office at the last second and was looking for tickets. We weren't planning to use the suite but I said sure, I'll go over and open it up and order up some food for the client and his family. The dude showed up with his crew, ate our pizza, drank some beverages, used the bathroom and listened to two songs. Then they moved down to the main floor. How rude!

Ro, Jackson and Denzel are headed North to fish with Rick and the guys this weekend. What used to be a week-long "guy trip" is now a weekend with everybody's busy schedule. You should see how much stuff they have piled up to take! Unbelievable.

Lori is coming down for dinner tonight with Hannah and I. Should be fun....and a lot simpler than what the guys do!

P.S. Jackson Hair Upate: Ro took Jackson to BoRics this afternoon and they fixed him up. It's really short but at least it is all one length now.

Trapped in Plymouth

I just survived a three-day sales meeting for Automotive News. There's something to be said for the "bonding" and "networking" that can happen when everyone is locked in the same meeting room for two-and-a-half days but it sure was fabulous to get home today and not have to talk to people anymore. The crew at AN is the best and they are in many ways like family so we did have a few laughs but I like my private time.

Departing the D

I started this blog in January 2007 as our family prepared to move to China. I thought it would be a fun way to chronicle the experience and keep in touch with people after we left. We started Chinese lessons, told all of our friends and colleagues and got ready to move across the world.

Then the Chinese government changed their mind about the need for a design sculptor and we were out. It took us almost a year to recover. I shut my business, took a fantastic job and the kids settled back into life in the D.

Now, I think we really are going to be departing. We're headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil the first week of August to look at housing and schools and make the final decision. We could be gone by September.

GM had some rough announcements this week which I thought might be the end of it. But after hearing Rick Wagoner mention Brazil three times in his remarks as a growth area, I don't think that is the case at all.

We first learned about this early in June but I didn't want to jinx it by telling too many people. We told our parents and I told my boss, Keith. Other than that, we've tried to be normal as we filled out visa applications and got so, so much documentation together. Slowly, slowly, I've started telling people. We've pulled Hannah out of Liggett. I told my team at work about the possibility yesterday. A few people have looked at the house to rent it. We've sold some extra stuff on Craig's List. This may happen.

Should I start Portugese lessons??

Hannah Cloned in Europe

Hannah now has a twin. Her name is Hannah too. Both girls came off the plane in matching People to People outfits, blue Italia jackets and french braids. Big fun!

Hannah got home Wednesday night and had a great time. As the last 48 hours of gone on, more and more details of her European adventure have been revealed. She is building a slideshow of the 500 or so photos she shot. I'm grateful that she had an amazing experience that I think will stay with her for quite some time. It sure seemed like a nice mix of learning, playing, shopping and just being 14.

Hannah Comes Home on Wednesday!

She lands at 11:30 p.m. tomorrow night.

OK, I've been watching Hannah's spending online throughout the past 20 days she's been in Europe. It is really the only way I've been able to follow what she's doing and where she is as she has trekked through France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. She's down to $36. Time to come home little girl!

Rock On Rob

This irresponsible-looking example of a brother-in-law doesn't look 40, does he? Could this guy with his psychedelic wall-coverings, garage man cave, Star Wars collectibles and Grateful Dead bootleg cassettes really be responsible for a wife and two adorable children?

Happy Birthday Rob!

Twilight Gathering A Hit

I took Thursday off (gasp!) and helped set up the Twilight Gathering auction for the Women's Caring Program. I don't know how this group of women does it but they sure have a lot of fun, while doing a lot of good. It was a totally enjoyable day and they raised about $250,000 to fund childcare for families coming off welfare. That will help 100 families have a fresh start. Pretty cool, eh?

The home in Milford where they have this event is just beautiful. Rolling hills, beautiful flowers, two big dogs and a very casual attitude. There were more than 600 women there but everyone felt comfortable. Jackson and my Mom helped out too!

The guys went up to Frankfort salmon fishing this weekend so I'm all alone. Very strange. I can't remember a summer where I've spent so much time by myself. I think Hannah's trip has something to do with it. She is in Italy now. She gets back Wednesday night just before midnight. Thank goodness.

I'm headed to a 40th birthday party tonight for Dan's brother Rob. I get the sister-in-law of the year award for going by myself. Rob is a lot of fun so I'm looking forward to it.

I just got back from a run so I better get in the shower. We sold a mission desk we don't use on Craig's List. The people are supposed to be here at 10 and I think I would scare them with my sweaty self. Man, is it hot today!

The Upper Terrace

Here are a few snaps of Ro's handiwork when the guy is on a deadline. Last week, he finished the patio. (If you remember, our deck collapsed last Fall during Sean and Amber's wedding reception.) It is now a beautiful landscaped patio at ground level. Ro calls it the "Upper Terrace." He did an amazing job with the three tons of fieldstone he had delivered.

This week, the butler's pantry! All I have done is laundry.

Home!

Jackson got back yesterday from ROTC camp. He was hungry, smelly, tired and sunburned...but he seems like he had a great time. Tucked in his hand when he got off the bus was a trophy that recognized him as the best cadet in Delta company. He is very proud of that piece of hardware!

We had a great time in East Aurora. We drove through Canada and even made a quick stop at Niagara Falls. The Roycroft Inn is beautiful. We couldn't get to the rest of the campus (artisan shops and stuff) because of the Fourth of July holiday but we made the most of it. We even took in a smalltown parade from the patio where we were having dinner. (Ro kept looking for the Animal House cake float.) That night, we went down to the ballfields in the park and they had a fireworks show. Pretty amazing display for a small town!

On Friday, we went to Graycliff which is the Frank Lloyd Wright summer home of the Martin family. It is right on the Lake and had great windows and gardens everywhere. Before we dashed yesterday morning, we went to the Darwin Martin estate in Buffalo. Both houses are undergoing a lot of renovation but you can tell they are doing a stellar job at bringing the houses back to life.

Hannah called from Austria yesterday. She is at her home stay house for the next two days. Sure seems like she is having a great time. I'll be glad when we're all together again.

What a surprise! The guys are out fishing now.