Boxes Everywhere

Life in the D has changed radically in the last 24 hours. We are now surrounded by boxes and fairly raw emotions. The movers packed just about everything yesterday and will be back today to do the last of it and move it on out. Today is Jackson's last day at Cass and Hannah is headed out to lunch (thanks to the Jewish holiday a lot of her friends have the day off) with her best buds.

I snuck out of work early yesterday and took Hannah to get a pedicure. It was nice to just chill with her. (She is pretty accurately convinced that Ro won't take her to get her toes done in Brazil.) Jackson went out with Ari last night for a movie date while Ro ran a last few errands.

I love my husband. He was killing time yesterday and he called Hannah and I at the salon to see if it was OK if he bought a pre-lit Christmas tree to ship. So many things on his mind and he's thinking about the holidays. So cute!

I think I'm OK. Thanks to my fabulous company, I am going to the Sao Paulo Auto Show at the end of October for a week. I'll probably return to Brazil for Christmas and then I'm there for good after NADA at the end of January. So I'm not saying goodbye for months, just a series of weeks.

Tomorrow's the big day!

Last Post from this Computer

As soon as I'm done with this post, I have to unhook the computer and get it ready for the sea shipment. The movers come in the morning. Heavy sigh!

We have the best friends in the world. We did our Brazil or Bust party yesterday. I bet we had 100 people here. It was family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, babies and adults. Jerome from church cooked his heart out and we fed everyone hamburgers, brats, chicken and Ro's salmon. Pat made a sinful chocolate dessert and Lynne took care of the vegetarians. My Mom and Tim brought in the birthday cake so it was a true team effort. My job was to introduce everybody to the joys (or evils) of Caipirinha. It is a traditional Brazilian drink prepared with a sugar cane liquor called cachaça.

After getting up bright and early to clean up the party rubble, we thought we'd have all day to leisurely pack. After we went to the Clique for a yummy birthday breakfast for Jackson (he is 17 today), we were treated to a surprise visit from the Cleveland Robars. It was great to hang out with them. Then, someone called for pots so Ro sold them some clay jewels from the Laundry Room Gallery. Then, a guy we sold some cube chairs to on Craig's List called and wanted to buy some of Ro's tables. Needless, to say Ro had one of his best art fair days ever but we didn't start organizing our stuff for the movers until after 5. Oh well! We're getting it together.

I better get back to it.

Pride

I am so proud of my kids. We are totally rocking their world by taking them to a foreign country, ripping them away from their friends, enrolling them in a new high school and a myriad of other therapy-inducing, life-changing moves. Not only are they calm, but they are in pretty good spirits and have provided a lot of laughs throughout the last few crazy weeks. I really love that they have bought into this adventure 100%.

The Next 10 Days

OK, the visas are here. We're in full ignition mode now. Hard to believe that Dan, Jackson and Hannah only have 10 more days in the US. Here's a brief look at the stuff we know about during this crazy stretch:

Today--Hannah is at her girlfriend Elizabeth's baptism this AM; Jackson is going to the homecoming dance at Regina tonight with Ari; and I'm moving into the Dearborn Inn for the next two nights to run the Crain executive meeting

Wednesday--Both kids go to the dentist; Art Van delivers the furniture we bought

Thursday--Meet with the Merrill Lynch guy we've been avoiding for a year and then sit down with Jackson's counselor at Cass, Mr. Washington

Friday--Second round of immunizations for all; Hannah is going to Mercy's homecoming dance with her buddy Taylor

Saturday--PARTY! We're having about 100 people over to the house for our "Brazil or Bust" open house

Monday--Movers arrive and pack up all our belongings on the air and sea shipment

Wednesday--Plane leaves at 4:15 p.m.

The kids plan to go their new school in Sao Paulo on Friday. Whew!

We have an address

­­­­­­­­­­­­­Rua Itapaiuna, nº 1.800, ap. 142,
Edifício Thamyris,
Condomínio Villagio Panamby, Jardim Morumbi,
São Paulo, SP,
Cep: 05705-901

Dan and the kids will be staying in a hotel the first two weeks and then they get to move into our apartment. Guess I'm kind of jealous of all the firsts they are going to experience without me.

Total Rain Out!

We were supposed to spend today getting rid of clutter. For the past three weeks, we've been clearing out closets....one pile for sea shipment, one pile for storing here in Detroit, one pile for garbage and another for the garage sale. Man, do we have a lot of stuff for that sale. Unfortunately, all the rain from Hurricane Ike soaked today's garage sale. So now not only do we have the dining room and foyer filled with garage sale items, we spent the suddenly free day BUYING stuff to take with us. Oh man! We bought pillows, garbage cans, cookie sheets, mattresses, a chair, 10 pairs of shoes and a bunch of other stuff. We definitely went in the wrong direction.

It looks like the neighborhood garage sale may happen next Saturday. Please pray for a sunny day.

While you're praying, think of young Mr. Jackson tomorrow at 1 p.m. He is taking his road test for his driver's license. You can't drive in Brazil till you're 18 but we didn't want all his classes here to expire by the time he gets back. So if he passes tomorrow and then goes to the Secretary of State next week, he'll be able to drive for about two weeks. Poor guy.

SUNDAY UPDATE: He passed! Thanks for the good vibes all.

Awesome!!!

My way cool bosses at Crain today told me they are going to take a stab at letting me work remotely from Brazil. If I ever, ever, ever have complained about work, I take it back. Not only will I be the most loyal employee ever, they are going to get some great work out of me from the (way) southern bureau of Automotive News. The built-in desk that I'll be using in our Sao Paulo apartment office is pictured in this post.

As part of the deal, I'll be coming home every 4-6 weeks for a week or so at a time. How sweet is that?? I can stock up on tennis shoes, jeans and electronics in the U.S. and sell them from my trunk in Brazil. (Just kidding!)

Brazil or Bust Party

As if we didn't have enough to do in the next few weeks, we've set the date for our goodbye party. I didn't want the family to leave without having a chance to say "tchau" to their pals. I'm putting together an Evite invite and list now so look for it soon. So if you're in town (sorry Corinne!), come join us for some Motown fun on Saturday, September 27 from 4-8 p.m. The price of admission is to look up an important word in Portugese that we'll need to know and teach it to us. Should be fun!

A Perfect Detroit Weekend

Wow...I got up really early yesterday to help my energetic neighbor Amber sell green beans, peaches, pears and grapes at Eastern Market. What a blast! I saw so many people. It was kind of cool to see their reaction....it was like "why are you here?" We yelled at people, weighed their purchases and worked really hard for nine hours. I enjoyed it but I don't think I could do it every weekend. I give Amber a lot of credit. It's tiring work.

Last night, I kept the Detroit groove going and went to the Dally in the Alley in Midtown. Such a great mix of Detroit people all enjoying a beautiful night. The vibe there is perfect with its combination of bands, art, community groups and food. I wish I had taken some pictures. It is also kind of a hippie-ish gathering too with lots of attitude. It is one of those events that make you proud to be a Detroiter, not a suburbanite.

Stan and Barbara came over for dinner tonight. Stan is going to house sit for us when we move to Sao Paulo. We attend church together at St. Charles. They are a great couple and they'll do a fab job with the house while we're gone. How do you fill two people in on all the quirks of an old house?? But hey, I made peach cobbler with peaches Amber and I sold at the market so all was good!!

We Have a Date!

On October 1 at 4:15 p.m., my family is leaving me for Brazil. It was supposed to be just Ro and Hannah but now Jackson has decided to get started on his Brazil high school career, rather than wait for the second semester in January. I admire his decision because I know how tough it is for him to leave Cass.

What about me? I have promised my bosses at Crain that I would be here through Auto Show season. So, I'm going to be oh so lonely. I hope I can do this.

Mamas for Obama

We filled up the Buick yesterday morning with a bunch of Mamas and their daughters and went and saw (well kind of) Barack Obama in Hart Plaza. What fun! The lines and crowds were crazy. We marched in with the Teamsters during the Labor Day Parade and got right into the Plaza. We were way far away (the photo to the left is from the paper) and we couldn't hear very well....but hey we were "breathing his air" as Marcella said. Our view was the one between the two tents in the photo. Santoscoys hosted a great BBQ last night for a bunch of friends so we had a fabulous day to say goodbye to summer and hello to the future.

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.