Day three in Detroit...

Saturday morning, Leiya and I arranged to meet with Tony's mother again at a different bridal salon and Leiya's high school friend drove all the way from Columbus to join us for the day.

It was so good to see Erin again who actually is only in the States for a short time before she goes back to Tokyo and her husband.  These two girls, so close in high school have taken on completely opposite paths, Leiya marrying and staying in Detroit and Erin finding her love in Japan.  I have gotten to be with Erin and her mother both in Japan and in Ohio and I really appreciated Erin making the effort to drive three hours to Detroit for the day.

I think in the three days that we wedding dress shopped, Leiya must have tried on 50 dresses.  All of us observers, Tony's mother, Erin, Tony's sister who joined us for a while, and myself made sure to keep our opinions to ourselves saying that it was Leiya's choice, she would know when she found THE dress, we didn't want to sway her with our likes and dislikes...  but actually, maybe she caught on to what set our hearts to singing...

I too was expecting that Leiya would just "KNOW" the dress but as it turned out that didn't happen.  She tried on, she took off, she tried on again.  I was taking pictures of Leiya in dresses full length and then close-ups, back shots, pictures with veils etc. and then showing her the photos so she could get an idea of what she looked like... 

There were some dresses that I loved and others that I didn't like at all...  I probably said too much anyway.

"That's a lovely dress Leiya, but I don't think it photographs as well as some of the others and pictures are going to last a lifetime..."

Do I sound like a pushy mother-of-the-bride?  I sort of felt so getting all caught up in the excitement and possibilities...  Tony's mother and I whispered a bit about our favorite dresses...  We discussed what Tony might like...  We mulled over the pros and cons...

"Beautiful dress!  But for an outdoor wedding?  Shouldn't it be a bit more casual?"

We set aside wedding dress shopping for the day, picked up Tony and then went to visit Tony's grandparents (who aren't much older than Tetsu and me!) at their home north of Detroit.  This was another idea that Leiya had for a wedding venue and she wanted me to see the area and help her decide on a few things...   They have a barn...

 There are a lot of big trees...

 The scenery is gorgeous!

There were so many places on the grandparent's land where a wedding could be held... if it doesn't rain!

Anyway, I was so happy to meet more of Tony's warm and loving family and that night I spent another late night thinking of all the possibilities for a wedding, imagining what could be done or thinking about what measures could be taken if the weather didn't cooperate... 

Can you see me getting very much into this wedding planning mode?  I honestly didn't think I would turn into the stereotypical mother-of-the-bride but it seems I am going that direction...

 

Wedding Dress Shopping!!!

Friday was the big day for Leiya and my first wedding dress shopping!  This was the point of the my whole visit to Detroit...  to ENJOY the process of buying Leiya a wedding dress.  For awhile she was saying it was too much trouble, it was too much money to spend, she wasn't even sure if she wanted a wedding but once I suggested I spend a weekend with her shopping she began to get into the mood of things.  By the time I arrived in Detroit, Leiya had made appointments with a few bridal salons and had planned a visit to a wedding venue.

 Here we were in front of Leiya's apartment, heading out to our first appointment.

And here was the first bridal salon which I was very impressed with!  Of course I had no idea what to expect but the people were so nice and we had a happy couple hours of trying on dresses.  Such great fun!!! 

The dresses in this shop were all donated dresses and the proceeds went to a cancer center which was such a great idea!  I sort of hoped we'd just settle on a dress then and there and that would be the end of dress shopping!  But, as it turned out, though we found a wonderful dress at this shop, in the end Leiya found THE wedding dress at another shop.

This was the dress Leiya liked at this first shop.  By the time we left this shop with a possible dress in mind I was already calling my visit to Detroit a success!

"Well, I guess I can go back home now.  I've experienced the thrill of watching my daughter choose a wedding dress! I think you can settle on the pretty one we just saw and I am totally satisfied with the whole mother-daughter experience!"

The next stop however was for an appointment with the wedding venue at a small bread and breakfast place near a lake.  That too was just a wonderful place for a wedding and I would have put my stamp of approval on it also but as it turns out there are other things to consider than just a pretty location....

Oh, another important reason for my trip to Detroit was to meet Tony's family and Leiya had asked Tony's mother to join us for wedding dress shopping.  I was so happy to see Leiya's future mother-in-law beaming as Leiya tried on dress after dress, and together at this wedding venue the three of us discussed the pros and cons of having an outdoor wedding here.

The grounds are beautiful!  But it was a bit difficult to imagine what a spring wedding was going to be like.  I absolutely loved the rustic decor, the building and the scenery but there was a guest limit that felt like it was going to be hard to stick to...  There are a lot of people in Tony's family! 

And there were also the logistics of getting to and from the B and B and then maybe to someplace else for a reception and then maybe to somewhere else again for overnight accommodations for my side of the family coming in from California...  I THINK Leiya has shelved this location as a place for her wedding...

We had one more late afternoon appointment at another bridal salon and Leiya found a couple more dresses that she liked there...

How about that one?

We met up for a pizza dinner with Tony that evening and I got to visit more in depth with his mother without all the interruptions of oohing and ahhing at wedding dresses.

So far a very fun time!!! 

I tell you... between jet lag and the excitement of meeting Tony's mother and the considerations of wedding dresses and wedding venues, I couldn't get to sleep at all this night!  I felt like my brain had fireworks going on inside it and for most of the week that I was in Detroit I was on a hyper-high and would wake up at all hours of the night with more ideas running through my head!

And this was only my first full day in Michigan!

My first evening in Michigan

My week in the Detroit area was scheduled to the full...  Lots of wedding dress shop salon appointments, a venue appointment, meeting Tony's family for the first time, cake tasting.... etc. etc. All the things that I've dreamed of for a wonderful mother-daughter bonding experience.

Leiya and I haven't been together for about a year and a half though of course we chat often through the iPhone.  She had moved to Detroit in late April to be with Tony and this was the first time for me to see their apartment and the area of Detroit.  Detroit was cold!  (I was expecting that...) 

The autumn leaves were GORGEOUS!!  Oh, I so love autumn!

The apartment complex was large but had such a nice community feel and I thought Leiya and Tony's apartment quite adequate is size.

Leiya's decorated it with fairy lights.  Tony has his own computer corner.

On the wall of the bedroom is the quilt I made for Leiya when she was in college.  A couple of the quilts I've made for Tony and for both of them seemed to be being used in the living room. 

Artwork and flowers on the wall...

More artwork and flowers on the side table.

And flowers and amenities for me set out in the bathroom...  A T-shirt, towels to use, soft socks.

Tony was already busy cooking dinner when we got home from the airport.  Isn't he going to be a great husband!

Brussels sprouts for dinner from Trader Joe's.  I've never seen them on the stalk like that!

One of the first things Tony did for me was to go out that evening and buy me cough syrup as I was still sniffling and coughing after my trip.  I gave up on the mask though.

After a chat with Tetsu letting him know I'd arrived safely in Detroit, Leiya and I got down to planning for the following week.  And that was how Thursday ended. 

Flying to Detroit.

I've been away for a week and had a fully packed schedule the whole time!  I took my computer with me to Detroit thinking that I might find a couple of minutes each day to blog or at least check in but I never seemed to have any time when I was alone to even take my computer out of my suitcase.  I am now back in Japan.

I took the bus to the airport on November 1st rather than have Tetsu drive me there.  It is a three hour trip to the airport and as we now have John to think about, I decided it was easier for all of us if I just said goodbye at the bus stop.  I was still coughing from the cold I had caught earlier in the week and decided to be very Japanese and wear a mask on the airplane to keep from spreading germs and also to ease throat dryness from the cabin air.  This is probably the only time you will see me wearing a mask...

 Flying direct to Detroit on Delta!

I arrived at the airport quite a bit ahead of schedule and went up to the airport viewing deck to watch the planes take off and land.

I found it fascinating to see if I could time my pictures just as the planes passed me and headed into the sunlight and it took me a good 7 or 8 tries (like an hours' worth of photographing) to get the timing right.  There is a wide variation of where the pilots begin lifting off the tarmac and the angle of the ascent into the sky.

I had an evening flight out and spent 12 hours in the air...

 ...finally arriving in Detroit Metropolitan Airport. 

A very easy (and long) flight. 

Not long after I arrived Leiya pulled in to the airport loading zone.  My Michigan adventure had begun!
 

Weekend activities

What has been going on around here?  I came down with a cold this weekend and was in bed for a couple of days again.  NOT GOOD as I am heading for Detroit tomorrow afternoon!  I really don't have time to be sick!

Tetsu and I went to a Nikko wood carving exhibit this weekend because one of my former students (from like 10 years ago!) sent me a postcard saying that her work would be displayed.  E-chan was always a quiet girl who couldn't really find her place in school but she had let me know earlier this year that she had fallen love with wood carving.  I was very happy to go to the exhibit and E-chan and Tetsu talked at great length about the pleasure and difficulty of wood carving.

Nikko wood carving is a handcraft that developed in our part of Japan after the wood carvers of the Tosho shrine had finished their many decades of work. 

The shrine is covered in carvings that get refurbished every 20 years or so... 

Anyway...  this wonderful handcraft tradition has been carried on in Nikko and there are a few teachers in our area.  From E-chan we learned about the different tools and techniques used and about the differences in lacquer.

The many layers of carving into one piece of wood is much more complicated than one might think. 

I thought this was an interesting piece by one of the students that isn't even finished yet.  On the right side is the rough carved outlines of the cherry tree blossoms and on the left are the finished blossoms.  I assume that once all this is finished the piece will be lacquered.

Though most of the pieces displayed were flat sided pieces like trays and wall hangings, there were a couple of examples of the famous Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See no Evil monkeys that are on the walls of the Tosho Shrine.

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Even though John has been with us for a week, we still have a complicated relationship with him.  He loves walks and bounds along happily with me when we go out together.  He barks somewhat but seems to understand that that isn't behavior that makes us happy (he tones in down when he looks at us).  But John has definite aggression to possessions and he growls and snaps when I reach for his leash or blanket or whatever.  I have had to get very angry with him and then we have a contest of wills.  I have started wearing gloves when I go out with him just because I'm afraid if I reach down to do something with his leash that he will bite me.  John gets along fine with Mi but again that is more on account of Mi being a very laid back kitty.  And Chip has come back downstairs but hisses and growls herself when John gets too close...

Ah well....  As I say, I am taking off for Detroit tomorrow so I really can't worry about John training right now.  Hopefully John and Tetsu will have come to an understanding while I'm gone or else we are going to have to get a trainer involved to help us overcome the aggressive streak John has...  It is far more difficult to adopt an older dog than I thought it was going to be!  Any more advice would be appreciated!!!

Tomorrow I will be on an airplane for 11 hours and tomorrow night I'll be in Detroit.  The weekend plans hold wedding dress shopping for Leiya and Tony's mother and me!  It will be my first visit to Detroit and my first time meeting Tony's family.  I'm really excited!!