Garden Party

Tour Day 2007 is behind us. It was about 90 degrees (you should see my sunburn today!) but there were thousands of hardy souls (with some of the strangest hats) in the neighborhood. We chatted nonstop from 10-5 with lots of really interesting sorts as they were traipsing through the yard. Ro's hard work was well-received. I think we inspired quite a few ponds of the future. They parked a '65 Cadillac convertible in the front of the house for a fun extra touch. Hannah, Wesley and Stephanie had a good time pretending it was their car. Glad we did the tour....and even more glad it is over.

Home Tour

Why, oh why, did we agree to let 3,000 people walk in our backyard on Saturday? Our "garden" is on the Indian Village Home & Garden Tour tomorrow. We've planted, swept, mowed, edged, de-pooped, trimmed and washed and I think we're almost there. I have one more flat of lillies in the valley to plant along the driveway this afternoon. Our yard is so little. People will walk in, "ooh and aah" over Ro's pond and leave in a minute and a half. I'll post some photos tomorrow so you can see all the people peeking over the fence at our neighbor Byrum's yard. (He has a great yard too!)

Men...Gone Forever

Ro got his dream boat yesterday. The Fish Master is now officially part of the family. As soon as we learned China was out of the picture, Ro and Jackson decided they wanted to spend a good part of the summer fishing. They sold Paul the small green boat they used to have and bought the new one. Yesterday was the inaugural journey. Rick and Trevor came down from Milford and Jackson, Denzel and Ro captained the ship. They ran the boat and the motor through the testing phase all along the River. I guess they got as far as Trenton. It is a gorgeous day today (Saturday was kind of rainy) and they're looking forward to a big day of fishing.

New Neighbors

After sitting empty for two years, the house next door is finally seeing life again! Sean and Amber closed on Mary Lou's house and are in the final stages of getting ready to move in. Since we share a driveway with this new duo, it is really important that we get along with them. So far, so good. They seem very flexible and a lot of fun. Ro and I keep saying they remind us of ourselves 16 years ago. Totally naive about how much work lies ahead! They want to get married in the house this September. I hope they can put up with all of our weirdness, including our mutt Java. (We originally potty trained Java to use their lawn. :) Hope we've cured her of that.)


Our pond and garden is on the Indian Village home and garden tour next weekend. It is supposed to be a rainy Memorial Weekend so everything should be nice and green by next weekend's tour. There will be 3-5,000 people in the neighborhood. (Let's hope Java doesn't take the plants out!)

Punctured

I got a flat tire today. I came out of the Bridge office's in Warren ready to sprint to my next meeting in Dearborn...but alas, it wasn't to be. There's nothing worse than having to play the damsel in distress card. I took three years of auto mechanics in high school (to meet guys) and I still don't know where to put the jack or anything.

After all of those years where my Dad (the world's best AAA agent) made us buy AAA memberships so he could win contests, I had let my membership lapse after he retired. Luckily, I reached out to Ro who was in a Thai restaurant with his GM pals, and he told me to push the OnStar button. OnStar connected me to GM roadside assistance and within 40 minutes, a nice guy came out to rescue me. (My wonderful husband also came over as the guy was pulling up.) No charge either. Very cool.

Being the road warrior that I am, I took the punctured tire to the Tire Center and got it repaired. There was a piece of steel in it. Felt pretty damn proud of myself too that I got it fixed without relying on Ro to do it. Sure glad it didn't pop this weekend on our way to or from Chicago.

One Hell of A Weekend

We did the "L" architecture tour. We went to Bubba Shrimp at Navy Pier and relived Forrest Gump. (I bought Jackson a "My Momma thinks I'm special" shirt. I'm sure he'll wear it everywhere.) We walked and we walked until we all had blisters. We had our photo taken with weird painted men with guns. We did tea at the Pennisula. We watched a guy pull tiny rings down his body. We saw Wicked and bought $35 (!) t-shirts. We shopped at Macy's and bought $7 designer t-shirts. We had brunch and bloody Mary's (the Moms, not the girls) at the Grand Luxe Cafe. It was a lot of fun....but man am I tired today.

Off to the Windy City

Put together three Moms, four 13-year old girls, one aging Envoy, one room with two beds and Wicked tickets for all (OK, maybe a bottle or wine or two tucked away!) The end result: a fun weekend ahead. Wish us luck!

A Walk Down A Recycled Path

On Saturday, I got to enter the heads of the next generation. I walked through the student show at CCS. First, a bedspread made entirely of sponges....

Two awesome dresses, one made from Wonder bread wrappers and the other from caution tape

Mollie entering a porta potty woven from Costco's largest bag of toilet paper (the inside was lined with candy dots to keep you busy while you were inside)



A piece woven from Capri Sun juice containers ....

And then they have the nod to the aging population....I mean continuing ed. (We're recycled, not the art in this case!) Jenny and I were so proud to get our pieces in the show too. Her's was a gorgeous boucle wrap and I put my bumpy scarf in. You'll be happy to know that the bumpy scarf is moving to Colorado after the show (you have great taste Corinne!).

After the show, Bev took her rep piece of the loom so in celebration, I thought I would show it off. (She'll have to put it in the show next year!) Bev is the one standing in the back going "I'm so glad to get that damn thing off the loom."

Mother's Day in Cleveland

On Sunday, we sprinted down to Cleveland to help my niece Paige make her first confirmation. (I'm sure she could have made it without us, but hey it makes us feel good.) Six kids made their confirmation in a very nice ceremony. Paige even played the clarinet. They had a tasty lunch for all of us family types in the basement afterward. A few years back, Dave painted a Keith Haring-like mural on all four walls of their church basement that is way cool.

Yesterday, Dan went to DC and I went to NY so Mom was a savior once again and got two kids shuttled back and forth from games. NY is the coolest place....too bad I was locked in a conference room all day.

Tomorrow, I'll post all the great shots I took of the CCS student show. Would you believe there was a dress made from Wonder Bread wrappers and a porta-potty woven out of toilet paper?

Bye Ms. Norwood

I'm selling my Norwood loom on EBay. I hate to part with the old gal but I don't really have room for it. There is a new Mighty Wolf in my life (which I bought to take to China....grrrrr!) so I have to say goodbye to the cherry Norwood. The auction ends on Sunday and there is already a bid or two on it. Sure hope someone local wins so I don't have to take it apart to ship. That would be a pain! It is 50 inches wide.


Hey, my bumpy scarf was accepted in the CCS show. This is a crummy photo but the piece turned out well. I made it from a kit my Mom bought me at Convergence. The purple wool shrinks and bumps the cotton up. Very fun.

Fishing Mania

Ro and Jackson have been bit. And bit bad. Their sole purpose in life these days is fishing. If they are not putting line on, they are at Bass Pro or Gander Mountain buying more tackle. This is a shot from last weekend on the Detroit River. The fish is a "catch and release" muskie that Jackson parted ways with right after the photo. They did catch a lot of walleye that morning. They've been rehabbing one of the ugliest fishing boats on the planet most of the winter. Hannah has nicknamed it "a piece of pooh." They just got back from a Sunday morning outing today and the gas line broke.

Which all the more validates Dan's decision yesterday. He bought a new Starcraft Fishmaster. Poor guy, he's been researching and stressing about whether or not to do it all week. Jackson and Ro are both so pumped. It should arrive in a week or two. Hannah and I have already resolved that we've lost them until it snows.

Military Man

My little boy just left for his first high school dance. He is going to the Military Ball tonight that Cass Tech hosts for the ROTC. He took Melani, his friend from his days at St. Clare. She looked beautiful. I love my son....but he forgot his shoes at school and didn't try his shirt on until the last minute and then realized it was too big. Ro sprinted up to Men's Wearhouse for a new white shirt and loaned him a pair of shoes. The best part was when Jackson opened Melani's door and helped her in...and then looked at Dan like, "do I sit in the front or the back?" I'm sure Jackson won't fill us in on all the details, but I bet Melani will!

St. Clare Happenings

Hannah was an Indian last week in St. Clare's production of Peter Pan. It was way cool....four of the kids even flew. You should have seen those sweaty Dads backstage jumping off ladders on the other end of the pulleys. Glad nobody had a heart attack. I helped Lynn and Helen backstage with props. Big fun. Jackson and Ro helped move sets.


Hannah also made her confirmation last weekend. Hannah is here with Joan, her wonderful sponsor and her fab group of friends. She made it early because of our impending move to China. NOT! (I'm still not recovered enough to talk about that!) The girls all took time to come to the Mass to cheer Hannah on even though it was a sunny day and they were all tired from the play the night before. Thanks Ella, Taylor and Rosemary! Hannah took Taylor's name as her confirmation name even after the religious ed teacher kept giving Hannah back the form asking her to look up "Taylor" in the bible. Taylor is going to take Hannah's name next year. I think Hannah and Taylor will always be together. They are starting to chat about what college to go to...the latest is somewhere in Boston. Taylor's Mom and I are taking this same group of girls to Chicago next month to hang and see Wicked. Should be fun!

Bunnell & Company

I had dinner last night with five people that I worked with 20 years ago. My first internship was at the Berline Group working for Pat, Rich and Sandra while I was still at CMU. Sandra got the bright idea to start her own company so we all followed and added Sue and Dan. We spent the first year working out of Sandra's home in Rosedale Park. We had lots of laughs...oh and even did a little work too. Sandra is writing a book about her psychic experiences (don't ask!) and invited us all to get together to help her remember some of the ghostly happenings. (Sue and Sandra thought a painting in the office was haunted with the spirit of a young girl...boo!) The rest of us don't remember a thing but it was a great excuse to raise a glass with some wonderful friends. I learned a lot from this crew. Sandra makes jewelry now. Rich sells auto fabric and does weekend comedy. Sue works for a great research firm and Dan, Pat and I still dabble in PR. ( I think Sandra shrunk!)

CHINA IS A NO GO!

Dan got the news yesterday. We're not going. GM's partner in Shanghai would not bless sending a digital clay model manager so we're out. I'm still trying to digest it all and figure out what the next steps are. Of the four of us, Jackson is the happiest we're staying. He loves Cass, ROTC, driver's ed and baseball.

So any ideas what I should rename my blog?

Lots of time in Windsor

This week has been filled with lots of trips back and forth across the Ambassador Bridge. I am now helping the Bridge folks with some of the PR activities surrounding their efforts to add another six lane span adjacent to the current 75+ year old bridge. (This photo shows what the new bridge will be when complete.) We've had public forums in Windsor every night this week and I held a big news conference for them in Detroit yesterday. Fox National News was out this morning. It's a fascinating issue with lots of NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) perspectives and political intrigue as people debate ownership, permits, trucks, routes, profits, etc. I'm having fun with it.

Still no official word on China so it is good I'm staying way too busy with international work of a different kind.

I have no more babies

Today is my last day with a child. Effective at 4:08 p.m. tomorrow, Hannah turns 13 and I have only teenagers! Heavy sigh....it is a good thing I don't get any older.


To celebrate, we're taking advantage of our neighbors. Lynn made the mistake of inviting us over to dinner on Saturday. (Indian food, yum!) After I quickly accepted, I gave her the guilt trip of telling her it was Hannah's birthday and that we were giving her the honor of cooking way better than I ever could. (I am bringing dessert...Hannah wants an ice cream birthday cake so... oh darn, I'll have to buy it!) We're looking forward to the celebration. Ro and Jackson are helping St. Clare move the sets for Peter Pan in the morning and then Hannah has a softball game at noon. I have my CCS weaving class in the AM so all in all....it should be a great day.


Our birthday girl got a guitar so now she'll never come out of her room!

Easter

Big fun this weekend. My folks on Saturday...Dan's on Sunday. Lots of family and food...doesn't get any better than that. Here's a shot from Dave of the family yesterday at Sue's house.

Hold the phone

OK, I'm at Metro Airport fishing through my briefcase for my wallet to get a credit card and the silly parking ticket I got 24 hours ago so I can get my car and hit the road home. I lean the briefcase atop a trash can next to the rail....open it up....and then...bim, bam, boom...my phone falls out of the unzipped front pocket, cascades over the rail and just misses the Checker Sedan lady two flights below. (I wonder if I would have got sued if the phone had hit her?) I screamed down apologies to my near victim and raced down two escalator flights to check out the damage.

Anyone who knows me knows that that stupid phone is like an adopted organ that is necessary for all human function. It is always with me. All of my clients use that number (usually before they call the office), it has my personal and work email "sync"ed in, my calendar and contact list is in there.....everything. I'm out of my office most of the day so even though all the info is backed up on my computer, it is a lifeline for my insane world.

The glass was broken and it had a huge dent. I tried pushing the button and I had a cool piece of backlit modern art but no service. Heavy sigh.

Even the ride home was weird. I couldn't call Ro to tell him I was on my way. I usually call my Mom from the road so that didn't happen either.

The next morning, I had a meeting with a client and I couldn't call my colleagues to see what entrance they were at....my meeting ran long and I had a 12:30 conference call I was supposed to be on...Normally, I could call from the road but I couldn't get the number off my calendar. I missed it. I was running late for my 1:00 and I couldn't call and tell her.

Luckily, I finally made it to the Sprint store last night and they put the Treo into triage and were able to perform LCD screen replacement surgery. It was fine. Does Hallmark make cards for this kind of happiness?

Hannah and I celebrated with a trip to DSW for some fab shoes and the "Blades of Glory" movie. (Review: it was so stupid that I laughed for almost the entire 90 minutes)

LA Baby!

Greetings from the West Coast....

I'm here for the briefest of jaunts helping out with a satellite media tour. It's kind of cool. We gather in a studio at 4 a.m. with Designers Paige and Eduardo from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and we have 25 different interviews with local TV stations across the country in four hours. Ford is sponsoring an Edge giveaway with the show and I sure hope at least a few anchors ask about that...and not all home makeover tips. We'll see.

I left the D at 9:30 this morning (Wednesday) and I'll be back home by 6 p.m. Thursday. I'm reading a good book (19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult) which makes the long boring crowded Easter flights a little easier to tolerate.

Spring is Here

How can April Fool's Day and Palm Sunday fall on the same day? At St. Charles, Palm Sunday is kind of fun. We get our palms down in the basement and then march around the block with the drummer and the choir singing away. (Bet they don't do that in China!) I think we wake up the neighborhood but hey, it's only one day a year and it is 11:00 for goodness sakes. The route is a lot nicer than it used to be....finally some new construction in the hood. Hannah helped the altar servers today so she got to lead the procession. Mass was back upstairs today which was great. Our heating bills in the winter are outrageous so we have Mass in the basement right after Christmas through Lent. So the Tiger's have Opening Day tomorrow....St. Charles has emerged from the basement...add in the tulips in the backyard and Spring is definitely here.

Mr. ROTC

Isn't this the scariest photo in the world for the mother of a 15-year old? Jackson is so into ROTC. He has a big drill team competition on Saturday and a baseball doubleheader. The Cass program is pretty awesome. If Jackson is slipping in a class, then we just mention it to his ROTC leaders and they put the pressure on. I do like that part of it. But oh, all this military mania makes me nervous!

The Party is On

Tomorrow night I'm chaperoning the St. Clare 7th and 8th grade dance. I've threatened Hannah that I'm going to show off my best boogie moves. What do chaperones wear?? Probably something that allows them to blend into the wood paneling so they can bust any teens that get too close, eh?

Jackson is taking part in the Military Ball next Wednesday with his ROTC group. I guess it is a big deal. He even asked Malanie to be his date. Dan is going to have to do the pickup and dropoff because I'm headed to LA for work. Too bad...it would have been fun to see him all dressed up and nervous.

This weekend is the St. Clare Auction too. Ro gave them a pot, my Mom donated a couple gorgeous quilts and I even put in an angora silk scarf that I wove. Hope we don't buy too much...we're supposed to be moving. One year we bought a terrific Mexican vacation with the Santoscoys at the Auction. It was one of the greatest vacations ever.

Last night, the auction set-up began. Man, some of those Moms have such design/decorating vision. It is a '20s theme and they have way cool centerpieces and stage decorations. I'll take some photos on Saturday and show off how they transform a dark church social hall into a party haven. Helen and I had a lot of laughs last night trying to measure everything correctly so we didn't get busted for doing something wrong.

World Headquarters

I am supposed to be writing a provocative feature story on a new Ford partnership but my mind is wandering so I'm going to write up this blog entry first. I thought you would like a tour of my world headquarters here in the D. The entire space is about 12 x 12 square and its located on the second floor of a great historic home (built in 1896) on Jefferson Avenue. It has been converted to offices and there is a wonderful ad firm downstairs. I look out the front window at the Detroit River. It's the best and I am so comfortable here.




The first photo shows my desk and the all-important coffee pot.






OK, quick look the other way and you see my conference room. Dan made me a great office table (graced by a Ro pot and one of my weavings). On the wall, I hung some old automotive ads that target women ...I like the one that says "What A Difference Our Second Car Has Made for Our Girls."

Next to the window is the radiator with the all important John Kerry singing doll (he's the president here!), a signed snap from Kermit, a photo of the kids and one of the 100+ distinguished clowns I worked with at the Thanksgiving Parade, a Happy Feet windup doll from a press kit for Great Lakes Crossing, a Christmas ornament sent from White Castle, a Ford Warriors in Pink magnet, an invitation for the Crain's House Party that I worked on, an American Idol Finale ticket and a bracelet from this year's Auto Show. I also squeeze in my XM Radio (usually tuned to Bluesville).


Before leaving this time-killing tour, you have to take a minute to admire the Pumpkin Spice paint job. My Mom and I stripped a bunch of yucky blue wallpaper and painted the room before I started the company in the Fall of 2005. (Thanks Mom!)

"The window has opened"

Ro just called. He got an email from Asia and they said that the HR team has reopened the clay modeler manager position. His name still needs to be approved by some sort of board later this month before we're official, but this is great progress. It's enough anyway for me to get through the day. :)

Back to work....

No official word yet

We're still in limbo on our Shanghai Adventure. Our hope is that we get word by the end of the month so we can plan a "look-see" visit soon, with a departure late June/mid-July. Dan and Jackson got things in motion this weekend. They rented a 10x20 storage unit and started moving some of our big boxes and the boat/trailer into it. It is amazing how we've successfully filled every nook and cranny of our house with crap. Even if we don't go, it looks like the house next door has finally been sold to the nicest young couple (Sean and Amber) so we need to clear out anyway so they can have their half of the garage. I think Mary Lou would have really liked them. They want kids and dogs and really seem like they will make the house a fun place. I knew Jackson had a serious "man crush" when Sean told him he collects skateboards and bikes.

I think all this waiting is making us all a little crazy. We're suddenly on a fitness binge. Ro bought an elliptical machine and a BowFlex and has been getting up at 5 a.m. to use them. Hannah even asked to go running with me last night. Maybe there will be a little less of us to move to China.

Hoops

Basketball season ended last week for Hannah and her friends. Hannah and her best bud, Taylor, took home the hardware at the sports banquet. Taylor was most improved and Hannah won the sportsmanship award. When Coach gave Hannah the award, he said the school would really miss Hannah next year when we moved. I expected her to be sad but not Hannah. "I can't wait to play ball in China" was her reply. How cool. The 7th Grade Falcons didn't win many games but they had lots of fun and were coached wonderfully by the oh-so patient Coach Bruce. Hannah and Taylor move on to softball season next.

Jackson is playing baseball for Cass Tech. He's going to catch. They've been conditioning all winter. Cass doesn't have a baseball diamond (the old high school has to be torn down first) so they play at Northern High School. He said they have something like 24 games. It is going to be a long Spring.

Go Green

We had a blast at the Run and Parade yesterday. This is our neighbor Lynn and her son, Nathan. Living near us is dangerous. I invited Lynn to come run with Jackson and I in the Corktown Races and before you know it, we sucked them into the Greening of Detroit party and Nathan was dressed as a tree walking in the Parade passing out green beads. Lynn and Jackson kicked butt in the 4-mile race...Jackson did it in 28 minutes and Lynn in 36. I got as far as the Greening office (still 3.5 miles!) and ran in for a beer. How embarrassing. I had to mail my time chip back today! Big fun...awesome weather. We all marched in the Parade and were joined by Hannah's pals--Rosemary, Taylor and Phoebe--and Trish and Alaina Hubbell passing out beads. Jackson rode his skateboard alongside. The Maucks and the Stanleys were waiting at the Greening Gig when we finished. We are sure lucky to have such fab friends.

Jackson is a star!

Top of the Morning! Jackson's photo from last year's St. Patrick's Day Parade is in the Free Press Twist! section today. Tomorrow is the big parade. We're going to run in the Corktown Races first and then go to the Greening of Detroit "Big Gig!"

China--On Hold

GM gave us the word today. We're officially "on hold." Now what?

Eventful Saturday

One of the reasons I started the blog was so I could learn how to post a lot of photos once we get to China (we will get there...got to think positive!). So I wanted to show off a few images from yesterday. At weaving class yesterday, two of my buddies finished major projects. Kathy finished half (!) of a 9 foot rag rug and Jenny took a boucle two-piece shawl off her loom. I am so not worthy. I'm working on a bumpy scarf.





After class, we dashed across the street for Noah's birthday party. Hard to believe he is six years old already. I love his pirate hat.



Ro and Hannah went to the Daddy Daughter Dance at St. Clare last night. Obviously, they rocked the place! Notice, you don't see Ro dancing.




Does anybody know how to put the photos next to one another? But hey, they posted! One step at a time, right?

All Night Long

Man, I am so old. I don't think I've gone 24 hours without sleep in a decade and that was when I walking sick babies around the living room all night long. I helped with a Ford press conference on Thursday morning where we debuted seven new ads. The ad side was way slow with the final edits (in California) so I didn't get my last tapes, screen grabs and mpegs until the last possible second. I worked like a wild woman from 9 p.m. Wednesday (after a full day of already working and two hours of Chinese class) all night long, did the press conference at 8:30 a.m., took part in a meeting at 1 p.m. and rehearsed for a new business pitch at 3. I finally got to bed at 9 p.m. Thursday night. The new business presentation was at 7:30 a.m. on Friday. So, I was off again early on Friday. SIDE NOTE: Our pitch went great and I think we got the business.

Needless to say, my old 43-year old bod doesn't bounce back like in the good old days. What happened?