Posted in Ann Arbor, In the News, Personalized Poems & Writing, tagged Ann Arbor, Chloe Miller, chloe yelena miller, chris lord, esther hurwitz, Michigan, poetry ann arbor, poetry michigan, poetry reading, reading, sweetwaters, writers reading at sweetwaters on November 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »
I will be reading at Sweetwaters as a part of the Writers Reading at Sweetwaters series tonight (Tuesday, November 17th) at 7 pm. The room is a bit small, so please arrive early for a seat. Don’t forget to bring work to share at the open mike.
The reading is hosted by the lovely Chris Lord and Esther Hurwitz. Thank you again for the invite!
You are welcome to RSVP on the Facebook Event page (or just check it out to see the other cool people who are coming.)
Posted in Ann Arbor, Personalized Poems & Writing, tagged donald hall, Michigan, reading, teaching, teaching composition, teaching writing, university of michigan, unpacking the boxes on November 13, 2009| 2 Comments »
I am very much looking forward to Donald Hall’s reading at the University of Michigan on Dec. 1st.
I’ve been reading his memoir Unpacking the Boxes and want to share what he wrote about teaching composition at the University of Michigan.
When I took the Michigan job, I made it a condition that I teach no creative writing. Every term the department gave me a section of freshman composition. It is the hardest class to teach. Twenty students are twenty different sets of difficulty and the difficulty is only partly with writing. My freshmen were away from home for the first time – few came from boarding schools – and struggled with loneliness and liberty. In their essays they expressed or evaded their confusions. Language explains us to ourselves and conceals us from ourselves. Teaching prose style became exploration of the psyche, and I went home from conferences and office hours vibrating with the discomfort and distress of my composition students. (There were contrary elations. When a boy from a northern town suddenly brightens up and understands, or a girl from a high school in suburban Detroit takes first, the hard class becomes satisfying.) Eventually debilitated by teaching composition, I volunteered to teach creative writing. To my surprise I liked it – one class a year, ten or twelve people. I could choose the students after checking out their work, and take only those with some facility.
Thanks, Donald Hall. I’ll try to remember these lines the next time someone says, “Oh, you just teach composition?”
Posted in Countdown, Newspaper Announcements, tagged italian newspaper, italian tribune, italian wedding, italian-american, Michigan, New Jersey, Newspaper Announcements, Wedding announcements on October 5, 2009| 4 Comments »
I had no idea that you have to pay for wedding announcements in most newspapers. (Don’t look for our announcement in the Star-Ledger or NJ county papers.)
I guess it makes it sense: the announcement isn’t necessarily news and it is more like an advertisement.
That said, I really wanted to announce the wedding in New Jersey’s Italian Tribune which my family may (or may not) have been reading since it started in 1931. (It is not to be confused with Michigan’s Italian Tribune which has been publishing since 1908 and we subscribe to.)
We discovered that the Italian Tribune will publish announcements for free and we recently send in our information along with a photograph of us at a friend’s wedding in Tuscany last summer. We were so happy to see that it was recently published!
Thanks, Italian Tribune!
Posted in Cooking, Countdown, Gifts, Traditions, Wedding Cake, tagged bride, bridesmaid presents, cake tasting, chocolate favors, chocolate making, chocolate wedding favors, dj, hotel welcome bags, making chocolate, Michigan, mother of the bride, New Jersey, wedding, wedding cake tasting, wedding favors, welcome bags on September 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Today was a sweet, sweet day. It started off with cake tasting at our venue and ended with chocolate making.
The Mother of the Bride and I were each given a plate with four different generous slices of cake. The venue made four cakes total and we took home the rest of the four cakes. I had no idea that we would not only taste the cake, but be able to eat it for the rest of the week. That’s what I call preparing for the wedding.
Our meeting took about an hour, since we discussed many of the final details of the big day (seating, order of the day, etc.) How does time fly by so quickly? It seems just yesterday we were taking off our winter coats and meeting with the same people in January. I’m both overwhelmed by everything that has to be done at the end and amazed by how much we’ve already done.
I spent the afternoon making the chocolates for the wedding favors. I had planned to make 3 per person, but I ended up making 5 (apparently an odd number is good luck for a bride. I think any amount of chocolate is good luck for anyone!) It was fun, but I could use a massage on my lower back after leaning over for three hours. The Mother of the Bride and I still have to package them in little bags.
To prepare to make the favors, I had experimented with various flavors and techniques for chocolate making in Michigan. I thought that I’d try using squeeze bottles this time, but that proved to be a disaster yesterday. I kept melting the chocolate on low in the microwave and the chocolate wouldn’t melt. When it did, it wouldn’t flow nicely through the very small tip (even after I gave the bottom a good slap.) Finally, I microwaved the bottle some more and it imploded. The bottom was sucked inward and the chocolate was mixed with the melted plastic. That is not something you want to serve to your most beloved family and friends. I threw out the dreaded bottles and bought a new double-broiler on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday. So today, I knew what I was getting myself into and was ready.
If you plan to be a DIY bride like I am, I recommend practicing making the items ahead of time (especially if it is food!) I was able to practice in Michigan and then order everything that I needed to have it ready for me at my parents’ house when I arrived last week. I did overdo it a little; there were twice as many bags of chocolate than I needed and I even made more chocolates than I thought I would (see how important math is?) Anyone need a bag? Or seven?
Yesterday was a busy day, too. I finished packaging the hotel welcome bags and wrapped the presents for the Wonderful Women. (More on that after the wedding. Can’t ruin any surprises!) After shopping for the double-broiler (called a “bagno Maria” in Italian – literally, Maria’s Bath?), I bought some special wines to share with our guests at a wine pairing station. We’ve made sure that my fiancé’s home state and our current state (Michigan) are represented. A friend told me that there is New Jersey Exit Wine. Perhaps I’ll look for that. Am I allowed to make the joke about what exit I take for the store? I didn’t think so.
Tomorrow I’m off to pick up the wedding license, meet with the DJ and visit with my great aunt before going to a dance class with my parents. Somewhere in between then, I might have a slice of cake and a chocolate or two that went awry and wasn’t counting. Luckily, there are more than a few.
Posted in Dress, In the News, Michigan Weddings, Personalized Poems & Writing, tagged bra fitting, bra store reading, bra stores, bridal bra, brighton, Chloe Miller, chloe yelena miller, good bra, hush, lisa baker nelson, mi, Michigan, underwire, wedding bra on May 1, 2009| 1 Comment »
Thanks so much to Lisa Baker Nelson for hosting the Mother/Daughter night at Hush last night. She kindly invited me to read poems twice and I couldn’t have asked for more in an audience. It was a lot of fun!
As promised, here is the bra poem I wrote. It is dedicated to Lisa Baker Nelson of Hush. She has a framed copy of it in her store.
Underwire
Wigglewiggle.
The nerve.
Why am I held here?
Solid, unmoving. (A little escaping on the side.)
What do I need?
Shh. Hush. Don’t tell my problems.
But, please, please help me.
Phew.
© Chloé Yelena Miller 2009
My fiancé, who spent 2.5 hours straight in a bra store, took some pictures during the reading:
He also kindly videotaped the bra and underwear poem. Check it out on Facebook.
Lisa and her staff offer private fittings. Everyone who came out of the dressing room was thrilled to discover how she looked after wearing a properly fitted bra. Be sure to check out her store. It is on Maine Street in Brighton, a cute town with many restaurants and stores.
Thanks to Leslie Hipp, Independent Consultant, Executive Area Manager Arbonne International, for her kind words after the reading:
I just loved your poems and your warm, fun spirit. Your presence made a big difference in the feel of the evening festitivies.
Posted in Ann Arbor, In the News, Personalized Poems & Writing, tagged Ann Arbor, briarwood mall, bridal show, Chloe Miller, chloe yelena miller, discount, Michigan, papyrus, Personalized Poems & Writing, poem, special occassion poetry, spring bridal event, wedding invitations on April 21, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Ann Arbor, Guest Blogs, In the News, Personalized Poems & Writing, tagged anglo, anglo-celtic connections, ann arbor book festival, Ann Arbor writing classes, celtic, Erika Dreifus, family history, guest blog, interviewing family, love poems, Michigan, personalized wedding poems, Practicing Writer, rec & ed, upcoming classes, wedding, wedding poems, writing, writing about your family on March 31, 2009| 1 Comment »
Writing expert Erika Dreifus kindly invited me to write a guest blog entitled, “Writing Your Family History: Five Hints.” Erika’s blog Practicing Writer and her newsletter are incredible resources for writers. When I need some advice, I always turn to her list of resources. I hope you will check it out.
My mother, a professional photographer, and I compiled a collection of paired poems and photographs documenting our family’s emigration from southern Italy to New Jersey. These pieces are based on visits to the town where our family originated, oral histories collected with Americans and Italians, historical documents and cultural history about the towns and time periods involved. What we created contains an emotional truth and some facts, but the stories mostly contain facts as we experienced them or as they were told to us. We continue to translate the experiences in the form of our art.
Here are some of those poems published (sadly without the photographs):
Poem “Question of Return” in Lumina.
Poems “Spring Pool Water,” “Noisier Than the Milk,” and “Statue of Liberty, 1890 Spiralbridge.
Poem “Teresa serves dinner at 20:00” in Conte: An Online Journal of Narrative Writing.
My personalized wedding poem company, Word Arrangement and this blog grew out of these experiences. I enjoyed collecting oral histories and translating them into poems and found a way to continue with this interest. Through wedding poems, I am lucky enough to be able to hear other people’s stories. I particularly enjoy hearing love stories!
If you are interested in learning more on the subject of Writing Family History and you are in the Ann Arbor area, here are two upcoming opportunities:
I am presenting a workshop entitled, “Writing Your Family History” at the Ann Arbor Book Festival on Friday, May 15th from 10 – 11 am.
Here is the program description: Researching and writing your family history doesn’t have to be a daunting task. In this session, learn tips on how to gather information and brainstorm ideas before translating the stories and research into a form that you can share with family members.
I will also be teaching a related one session class through the Ann Arbor Rec & Ed the evening of May 7:
Here is the class description:
Preserve Family History
Don’t let the intimate stories of your unique family history pass on with loved ones. Learn how to collect these special stories from your family. Discover how to get started and complete an interview. Develop a better understanding of how to craft the questions, answer questions and what to do with the final product. 1 class.
5/7
6:30 – 8:30 pm
(Page 12, Spring 2009 catalogue)
An essay of mine about writing about your family history was published in the Canadian geneology magazine Family Chronicle last summer. Thanks to the Anglo-Celtic Connections Blog for the shout-out!
Posted in Ann Arbor, Budget, Starting to plan your wedding, tagged Ann Arbor, bride, Budget, Chloe Miller, chloe yelena miller, financial advisor, financial planning, interview, Michigan, personalized wedding poems, planning a wedding, planning for the future, planning your future, raymond james, susan franke, wedding, wedding budget, weddings on March 10, 2009| 1 Comment »
I was impressed when I saw Susan Franke at the Brides-to-Be bridal show at Weber’s this winter. Among the tanning salons and DJs, here was someone interested in helping a couple plan for a healthy financial future. She shared her table with mortgage broker Emily Elliot.
Most of us bristle when we hear the words “financial” or “wealth.” We don’t want to talk about money, seem greedy or cheap. Susan helps couples to break down these barriers and make financial discussions simply practical and useful. Especially in this financial environment, who can afford not to plan for the immediate and distant future?
Susan reaches out to couples in many ways. For example, she works with social worker Mary Stevens from Life Cycles, to offer premarital financial counseling. Susan will help the couple to coordinate their assets and goals. Each couple has a unique situation. For example, some couples might be starting a second marriage and will have to consider the financial needs not only of each other, but also their children.
Susan asks couples to begin the financial conversation by asking them to share, in front of each other, how money was handled in their family when they were growing up (if there was a joint account, separate accounts, pooled money, etc.) Usually, this varies with each person and family. In this non-threatening approach, each person can describe what his or her expectations and experiences might have been. Since Susan is neutral in these situations, she can help them to understand how their financial decisions might be based on their early socializations. Transparency is really the key.
She offers suggestions rather than recommendations. For example, usually one person makes more than the other. A couple can decide to split costs 50/50 or based on percentages. They can decide to have money on the side, or not. Susan helps the couple to tease out what each scenario would look like and come up with their own plan.
More marriages dissolve because of financial problems rather than infidelity. Susan’s goal is to make sure couples share goals and that they don’t break up over money. There is no right way to manage your money, she stressed. Every couple has to find their own answers.
Couples should consider scenarios before they arise. For example, she helps the couple to consider current or future children’s needs and a family’s religious beliefs that might affect their financial decisions.
Unfortunately, many of us have debt. She reminds couples that education loans are your own responsibility. Other debt, such as credit card debt, can be more haunting after someone passes, and she suggested life insurance to help pay off debt to protect the partner in that situation.
A wedding can place a considerable financial strain on a couple. She helps a couple consider cost-effective options, in the event that they don’t want to plan an elaborate wedding. There are traditions, but no rules, regarding how a wedding should be.
Sometimes family members or friends will offer to help with a wedding or other bills. She noted that if people help you, sometimes they think they are entitled in some way to have a say in what you’ve done or how you will pay them back. She suggests that if you borrow money from a friend or family member, that you do so in the most professional of ways. Create a promissory note (you can find them easily online) and make a plan about how the money will be repaid and used.
I asked Susan if men and women have different financial needs. Women tend to live longer than men and still, in some situations, make less than their male counterparts. Therefore, women should generally be more aggressive in saving for retirement. For example, men are encouraged to put 10% of their income towards savings and women are encouraged to put 15% of their income towards savings.
Not everyone has a financial advisor like Susan. When someone should consider finding one? Susan said that it really depends on your comfort level. You can do it yourself by reading available documents in print and online, but often time and expertise is an issue. This is the same with almost anything. For example, you could learn how to change the oil in your car or you could hire someone to do it. It depends on how much time you have to devote to learning about it.
If you do decide to do it yourself, she suggests reading Smart Money Magazine. She is a member of AAII, the American Association of Individual Investors, and they produce great magazines and have online non-trade resources.
She is national and offers a complementary consultation to couples. Her goal is to help people build their wealth in a planned way. She does financial advising, taxes, budgeting, insurances, estates, etc. A comprehensive planner will encourage you to address all aspects of your planning.
In a booklet that Susan shared with me, entitled, “Getting Married” produced by Mainstay Investments, there is a list of “Post Weddings To-Do’s”. Here are some highlights:
*Update beneficiaries on your insurance policies, bank accounts, 401(k) plan, and other retirement plans.
*Name changes on credit cards, Social Security, driver’s license, passports, bank accounts, insurance policies, etc.
*Get on the same financial page about budgeting, debt, and your financial goals.
*Do you need life insurance or more life insurance?
*Do you want to consolidate bank accounts?
*Whose health care provides better coverage?
*Do you need to update your auto insurance? What about your homeowners insurance?
*What additional expenses do you need to budget for? (mortgage, student loans, credit card debt, etc.)
Phew. That’s a lot to think about. If you are interested in having a free consultation, contact Susan Franke here.
For more information on Susan, here is a quick bio that highlights only a few of her many experiences:
Raymond James & Associates, at 350 South Main Street, in Ann Arbor, has been Susan’s employer since September of 2003. Susan participates in the Calvert Funds Advisor Finder program for socially responsible investors as well as the Savingforcollege.com website as an area resource in college funding through the use of 529 plans.
After receiving an AB degree in Speech Science from the University of Michigan Susan furthered her education with graduate level coursework in the MBA program at Eastern Michigan University.
Her community involvement includes volunteering as a financial education counselor at The Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan, among a long list of other things.
A quick summary of what Susan does for her clients:
Retirement and Distribution Planning
Understand your strategy for building financial independence
Understand your strategy for drawing down on it/spending it,
And making it last!
Investment/Portfolio Strategies
Careful Planning and investment decisions
Invest assets in a diversified portfolio
Estate Planning
Plan the distribution of wealth during your life so you gain better control over your assets while living
Plan the distribution of wealth at death so you have peace of mind that after your death your assets are properly distributed and cared for
Tax Strategies
Reduction of taxes during earning years
More income during retirement years
Long-term Care Planning
Protecting your wealth and lifestyle
Ensure that you have a plan in place to fund the best available care if you need to stay in a nursing home or require care in your home
Life Insurance Planning
Taking care of your family if you lose your life prematurely
Disability Insurance Planning
Taking care of your family if you are unable to work
Accumulation Goals
Emergency cash reserves
Travel
Education funding
Cash Flow
Spending plan
Posted in Ann Arbor, Dress, In the News, Wedding Cake, tagged Ann Arbor, bridal event, bridal show, bride, chloe yelena miller, gowns, Groom, local ann arbor vendors, Michigan, nontraditional wedding, personalized wedding poems, shasta grant, unbride, v2v, Wedding Cake, wedding dresses, wedding favors, wedding vendors on February 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »
(Thanks to The Ann Arbor Chronicle for mentioning this blog post!)
I attended my first bridal show this weekend at V2V , a lovely boutique in Ann Arbor, MI.
I was smitten with V2V and their dresses when I saw a silk gown with a gathered front hanging in their window recently. Last week, I tried on a few dresses and spoke with Julia and Tracey. They told me about the “Bridal Event” this weekend. It sounded good, but I had no idea how much fun it would really be to attend.
My friend Shasta kindly drove up from Indianapolis to help with wedding plans and we went together. Saturday, we had an appointment to try on dresses from the trunk sale. There were some beautiful Jenny Yoo and Siri that we loved. I haven’t decided on a dress yet, but I have a better sense of what I might like to buy.
Sunday was the Bridal Event. Shasta and I arrived at 2:30, a little before the second fashion show of the day. When we walked in, the woman gathering the tickets said that we had to try the meatballs right away. I wasn’t sure what she meant until we walked up the stairs and saw the vendors sharing samples of their foods. Who knew we should have come on an empty stomach?
We wandered around the tables of vendors. After tastes of almond cake, raspberry chocolate truffles, meatballs, apple cider and more, we felt like we were at an exclusive party dedicated to crafting original and sincere weddings.
Here were some highlights:
TeaHous is a Kerrytown-area store that specializes in tea and tea products. They had sample earl gray lollipops that would make wonderful favors.
Cakes by Rubina offered a pure almond chocolate cake bite. It tasted like a true Italian dessert.
Decadent Delights shared moist chocolate cake with us. They make custom cookies and can even make cookies that match your cake.
I had walked by Schakolad , the chocolate factory, a number of times in Ann Arbor and never stopped. That was clearly a mistake. I tasted a raspberry champagne truffle and wanted to create a distraction so Shasta could steal us the entire silver tray of chocolates.
When we found Zingerman’s, we found the meatballs. At this point I was too full to want to squeeze in extras, but it was delicious. Shasta enjoyed some of the apple cider.
The ultimate high point was the ten minute chair massage by Bellanina I was a new woman after that (why did I have to get up?)
The fashion show was great fun. The models walked down the runway in the dresses carrying lovely bouquets of flowers. Here are some pictures from the show:
I highly recommend attending future shows there. The cost was $8.00 in advance, $10 at the door. This was exactly the place to be for a bride who is looking to create an authentic wedding day without the excess of impersonal, commercial vendors.
Thanks to V2V and Shasta for a wonderful weekend. I’m brimming with good ideas and cake.
Posted in Ann Arbor, Michigan Weddings, tagged bride, Gift Bag, Goodies, Groom, Michigan, planning, Wed Michigan, wedding on December 5, 2008| 2 Comments »
Lindsey Rietscha from http://www.wedmichigan.blogspot.com kindly shared some great ideas with WordArrangement.
If a bride is planning a Michigan wedding from a distance, what top resources would you recommend to her?
When planning a destination wedding, I would suggest doing as much research as possible before entering the planning process. The internet is obviously an amazing tool these days, and after all this time, I am still a huge fan of theknot.com because of all the real Michigan weddings they feature. You can get so many wonderful ideas and I love that they feature weddings from so many different towns in Michigan. The internet in general is such a great resource so I say… “google away” and start your research. Just be sure to get references and meet with any vendor before you book!
Another resource I would suggest using for a destination Michigan wedding is word of mouth. If you’re planning to marry in Michigan, it is most likely because you have family there or have special ties to the Great Lakes State. Ask friends who have been married there to suggest vendors, or even ask a family member to visit places when you can’t be there. I have had a few close friends plan Michigan weddings from as far away as Boston and San Diego and they relied on friends and family to support them through the process.
And of course, I would suggest using Wed Michigan as a resource (I’m alittle biased). But honestly, there are so many wonderful blogs out now dedicated to helping brides plan their big day, and Wed Michigan has been built to connect brides to amazing vendors across the state of Michigan! Wedding blogs in general are so big right now and you can hop online and spend hours reading about how to make your own invitations, build a centerpiece, or what jewelry goes best with your dress. People are so willing to share their ideas these days and it makes wedding blogs an easy resource for today’s bride.
Often, a couple will provide gift bags for out of town guests. What are some great Michigan-related gifts that you’d recommend for this welcome bag? What would be the most economical gift with a big wow-factor?
I love this question! I am such a huge fan of what Michigan has to offer and love when couples incorporate anything to do with the Great Lakes State in their wedding. Currently, my favorite idea is including maple syrup or jelly made in Michigan in your welcome bags or even as favors. You can find items like these in local stores in cities across the state. Another smart idea is to include a list of activities for your guests to do in the city you are getting married in. For example, someone getting married in Kalamazoo might include directions to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo or someone from Metro Detroit might include information on the Detroit Zoo or Greenfield Village! You can personalize any part of your wedding depending on your city… afterall, Michigan has so much to offer!
What are the advantages to having a wedding in Michigan?
Michigan is such an amazing state! Many people don’t realize all the wonderful parts to the great Lakes State… we have miles of lakeshore, urban cities with gorgeous architecture, old barns that can be transformed into beautiful venues for a reception, and not to mention the hardworking and wonderful vendors in every city that are dedicated to making your day wonderful. There is such a beautiful aspect to every city, and having a wedding in Michigan is a great chance to showcase that beauty.
As we all know, the economy is hurting right now, especially in Michigan. What is the best way to cut corners and still have a beautiful day?
Thankfully, it is possible to keep costs down when planning a wedding in Michigan. The average cost of a wedding increases every year, but getting married in Michigan tends to be lower than say, Boston or New York City. The obvious cost-cutter is downsizing your guest list… think $1,000 per every 10 guests (give or take a few bucks- but you get the idea). Making your own centerpieces and bouquets is also another great money-saver. Many say to “leave it to the professionals”, but if you have a sense of design and really do your research, you can make some simple, yet gorgeous centerpieces. My personal favorite is using pinecones and candles for a winter wedding or small branches in cool vases for a spring or fall wedding. They can end up costing very little if you collect them from your own backyard, and these can be assembled prior to the hectic days leading up to your wedding. Just be sure to do your research and solicit the help of friends and family. And my last piece of advice, skip the Saturday wedding in June, meaning, choose an off-month or a Friday or Sunday wedding. Costs tend to be higher on Saturdays, and from May to October. After all, the four seasons in Michigan are all unique and beautiful in their own way… your wedding will be just as unique!
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