Holidays in Southeast Michigan - Adventure Year Week 27

Anyone else have to balance at least 4 different family visits during the holidays?  I had a third grade teacher who was great about framing the challenges of divorced families... "You get twice as many Christmases and Birthdays!"  She was great at making divorce feel like a multiplication of blessings and family members rather than a shattering of family structure, and from then on, my childhood was about looking forward to twice as many Birthday cakes and Christmas cookies, even if it was actually much more difficult than that in reality.

As an adult who married into another family that experienced divorce and remarriage, holidays became 4+ families to navigate during the brief end-of-the-year holiday window.  Last year and this year it seems to be increasing to 5 locations in order to spend time with future in-law family as well.  While my adult self feels the pain of trying to meet everyone's expectations around the holidays, I always try to bring myself back to the idea that my life is blessed by having more family to visit.

This year, I was able to navigate these expectations among my side of the family by arriving in Michigan ahead of my original schedule, which gave me more time to spend exclusively with my family while they still have to navigate work schedules and their family obligations.  To make the most of the additional time, I also scoured local events on Facebook that I might be able to enjoy with family members outside of their normal working routines.  I find that extra special memories are created by engaging in events that are outside of our normal routines.

Here's a glimpse at some of the special holiday events I've been able to squeeze in with family while I've been here... my hope in sharing is that maybe it will inspire you to scour your local community events for special moments to share with friends or family as well!  I didn't know about most of these until arriving and searching facebook for local special events!

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Friday evening was a Hartland Music Hall tree lighting ceremony with a small but dedicated gathering of people who were treated to cookies, hot cocoa, coffee, singing a song together, and seeing @marlowcc covered in sleigh bells. A few people were getting a tour of the hall and it’s history, and a few families were getting ready for a Christmas pageant later on, and all were able to enjoy a little moment of community together. Some people may have even won a few tickets to some performances in the hall!

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Dec 8, 2019 at 2:20am PST

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When did we start doing Drive-Thru Live Nativity Scenes?! Is this just a car-loving Michigander thing, or is this happening other places too?! When we drove by the church earlier in the day and saw that it was only happening for one night, I just had to check it out. I mean, I couldn’t let such a rare opportunity pass me by! They didn’t just have one live nativity scene- this was set up in multiple scenes, with live music, live farm animals, and volunteers all freezing their butts off to make it happen. They even made a web app that could be played on smart phones in the car with high quality audio voice overs compete with sound effects! Wh-whaaat? As if it couldn’t get better, they raised the bar by handing out hot cocoa and cookies without asking for any donations?! What kind of Christians are these people?! (That’s a christianity joke.) Even if you aren’t religious or Christian, you’ve gotta give serious props to the dedication that went into this event. They had to set up traffic control and I’m sure everyone will have an opinion about whether they will do it again and how they will make it better- but just pulling off a production like that is already so much!! Have you ever heard of a drive through Nativity?! (PS. For anyone concerned about logistics and car safety- I was filming from the passenger side and we weren’t moving more than a walking pace the entire time.)

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Dec 9, 2019 at 4:06pm PST

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Experiencing Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo with my 14mo old niece is a totally different ballgame- especially now that she’s able to toddle her way through crowds! She couldn’t stand to miss any of the action, so when her stroller seat was kicked back into a laying down position, she would do sit-ups while pulling the entire seat up with her by the seat straps so she could keep seeing all the lights and the people. She’s soaking in so many things visually right now and making sense of it all- she just doesn’t want to miss anything! The weather was nice enough that even though it was cold, it was still easy to spend a couple hours outside while fully bundled. Being able to sit down inside for an hour and warm up with some @buddyspizzadet didn’t hurt either. Do any zoos or gardens near you put up lights in the winter that you can walk around in?

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Dec 14, 2019 at 4:01am PST

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Top Hats, Capes, and Victorian Era vibes at the Holly Dickens Festival.🎄

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Dec 15, 2019 at 7:54am PST

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Last night’s Alan Turner Christmas Concert at Hartland Music Hall fulfilled one of @marlowcc’s large hopes and aspirations: that this space would become a place that continues to support professional music throughout the year so that there are more reasons to gather community together in a neutral public space beyond the outdoor concerts on the lawn in the summers. Did you know that Saint Cecilia is often considered the saint of music? I don’t think my mom was named after the saint, but she sure has taken up the mission to keep the music alive in the community to heart in her role as the Director of Cromaine Library! A lot of people don’t expect a library to be running a music program, but there are actually a lot of great libraries in the world that make it part of their mission and service to the community! Do you know if the library near you supports music in any way? When was the last time you stepped inside a public community space in your area? Do you look for community events you like? My personal hope, and I’m sure Ceci’s as well, is that this support for music continues well into the future of the Hartland Community. I personally believe that music brings the light of peace, love, and hope even when the days are short and the darkness is thick, and I hope you find a little of that peace this holiday season. ❤️🙏

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Dec 16, 2019 at 1:03am PST

Francisco Family Adventure Pt. 2 - Newton Public Library

Not many libraries are open on Sundays.  However, the Newton Free Library is not only open, it's packed with people scouring shelves for something new to read or a DVD to check out, study cubbies full of people writing or working on laptops, people sitting in lounges reading magazines and newspapers, and even families sitting in the dark theatre watching a free Sunday afternoon movie.  This was the first Massachusetts library I've seen that reminds me of the modern amenities I found in the public libraries in Brisbane, Australia.





Visiting libraries is a regular adventure for the Francisco family.  At the age of 11, Hannah still identifies with the children's section in the library, and prefers adventure and mystery books that take her to far off places and beef up her wit and mystery solving mind.  She wants to be the first female to play on the New England Patriots and she's already started working toward her goal by playing quarterback whenever she gets a chance to play football.  She's still open to her mom's suggestions in books and she loves when her grandmother sings "like an opera singer" to her favorite country songs.





When I set out to photograph a family adventure, I never know what I'm going to get or what photographic opportunities I'll have or not have in each space.  That's actually part of the fun for me - the challenge of finding good light, an interesting background, and the right moment all while not stopping the action or controlling the scene.  This is part of what I love about wedding and event photography as well- the creative challenge of great images within whatever conditions exists.  



With limited time in her schedule to read, Rhoda was interested in finding a particular book, while Hannah was in the acquisition phase of building her personal collection of as many bookmarks as she could find.  One was even a sticker for the Sierra Club.






While Rhoda searched for a particular book, Rose and Hannah were happy to browse and pick up whatever they found.  I saw the opportunity to get a great shot that would combine the beautiful architecture of the atrium with the three generations of ladies- so Hannah and I went upstairs for a test shot.  Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that including both the grand architecture and a shot of them filling the windows was not going to work out- as you can hardly see Hannah waving from the middle window across the room. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don't, but it never hurts to try. ;-)



What did work, was hanging out with Hannah for a bit and catching her in this short candid moment when she was watching her mom below while resting her head on the stack of books she had already acquired.



Hannah's second favorite section is the movie section, where she's careful about selecting movies that are PG, or asking her mom for permission to watch PG-13 movies. 





Little did I know, Rhoda, Hannah, and Rose were hoping to surprise me with a gift of books from the library book sale racks. ;-)  I ended up with three lovely books from our adventure together!  I love this hint of expression with daughter telling mom how cool or uncool things are as she develops her own opinions about the world as she knows it.



Even though a family adventure is about creating a candid moments of life as it is right now, I always want to make sure that I get at least one image with everyone looking at the camera- because that's important too. ;-)





Not wanting our adventure to end... Hannah lingered in the snow and had a few more moments that reflect her love of play, silliness, and adventure.  I'm so grateful that we got to spend this afternoon together- they such are an inspiring little family with big hearts and joyful generosity.



Even if you can't have me follow you around for a day taking pictures of your little slices of life, I hope that my appreciation of these small ordinary moments will help you see the beauty in your own life.  As simple or complex as it may be, never forget to stop and appreciate everything just as it is, right now.  Life changes quickly, but we can save ourselves from regret by stopping to acknowledge the love and beauty that is already present in our current reality.  Celebrate life as it is right now, not when or if it reaches some ideal.  As Rhoda wrote in her letter to Hannah, "Weird is Wonderful."

Francisco Family Adventure Pt. 1 - Boston Buddha Vararam Temple

During February, I was on my own personal secret mission to give back and pay forward in whatever way inspired me.  When I read Rhoda's blog post, Why Weird is Wonderful: A Letter from a Single Mom to her Daughter, I remembered what it felt like when I was her daughter's age.  Eleven years old, trying to figure out my identity and where I fit in with my peers, while living with a single mom who was doing her best to be a sole provider.  Around 12 years old, during the middle school and high school years, my hormones kicked in along with my desire to rebel against my mother and carve my own path in the world as a moody and independent teenager who didn't need mom's help anymore.  How I wish I could have captured my mother and I just before that shift, when she was my biggest superhero and I was her little eager apprentice.

Another thing that struck me while reading Rhoda's post, is that I don't have any images with my grandmother, mother, and myself in the same image.  I have images of them separately, but I can't recall seeing any of us all together.  My grandmother didn't live long after I was born, and in many ways, not having a photo of us together makes her feel even more distant and separate to me.  I didn't want this to be the case for 11-year-old Hannah.  While her grandmother Rose has multiple children, Hannah only has one grandmother, and she's so lucky that they live together and get to spend so much time together right now.  As we all know, life is too short, and these moments don't get to last forever.

So, on an inspired whim, I offered the Francisco family a gift- to document a small slice of their life just as it is right now.  A day of them sharing and discovering things together, with me tagging along capturing moments as they happen on a random Saturday in February.  Here is what I saw, and what I learned....



We started our shoot with a few quiet moments at the Boston Buddha Vararam Temple in Bedford, MA.  Like most things in New England, the outside of the building is fairly understated and the real beauty unfolds as you discover the secrets within.  If you decide to become adventurous and visit a Buddhist temple, it is customary to remove your shoes at the door.





It is still through watching her mother and grandmother, that Hannah comes to understand the importance of rituals, sacred traditions, and ways of fostering a spiritual connection. The subtle differences in how they hold their fingers, whether they close their eyes, and bow their heads, reflect their uniqueness and similarities all at once.





Subtle moments, such as grandma Rose, remaining in her own space and prayer even after her daughter and granddaughter have stood up, show the differences in pace and ritual as they relate to their personalities and different stages of life right now.



While this particular temple mostly serves Thai speakers and visitors, it is open to everyone with guided chants and meditations on Sundays, and even melon carving lessons on Saturday evenings, which we discovered by speaking to the monk who was present while we were there.








Hannah loves taking photos with her phone and created some great little portraits of me, which she edited with filters and snowflakes all while we were having lunch at Flatbread Co. before we started our adventures together.  She sings along and dances in her seat when she likes a song- in fact, we both had a little jam in our seat moment when Mumford & Sons started playing- and she loves beautiful handcrafts like this paper bouquet sitting near the door as we left the temple.



Tomorrow, I'll share the second part of our adventure together. Feel free to sign up and have my blog delivered weekly to your email, or to subscribe for instant updates using any of the RSS feed options.