Joie De Viv

finding the joy in every day

SoCal Family Fun Night: Chinese Lantern Festival

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I’ve been gone a minute, I know.  This Kindergarten Life is no joke!   I am very much looking forward to a family fun night for some quality time this weekend at the Hanart Culture’s Chinese Lantern Festival coming to the Pomona Fairplex!  This is the first year the festival is making its way to California and I know it is going to be a wondrous experience for the family.

I’ve long wanted to take the kids to a lantern or light up the sky festival, but they’re always too far and/or too late with little ones.  Not to mention, it’s rather scary to light flaming lanterns with toddlers afoot!

The Chinese Lantern Festival is perfect for families and friends of all ages and sizes!  Most of the 1000+ lanterns are lit up with LED lights, producing bright, beautiful sculptures to safely enjoy.  This year’s theme is “The Wild” and showcases various animals from all continents of the world, some even from the past!  Totally “Instagram-worthy!”

Lanterns have evolved from Buddhist traditions in China, to a treasured and modernized art form excited to be shared with other cultures around the globe.  Lanterns are now synonymous with joyous occasions to celebrate with loved ones.  The festival is not just limited to lantern displays, however!  There will be an immersive multicultural experience that include Chinese folk artists demonstrating crafts, twice-daily live Kung-Fu Martial Arts performances, Dinosaur Rides and a children’s play area, an artist’s marketplace, and a variety of Asian cuisines to choose from.

**DISCLAIMER: My family is invited to this event free of charge, but all opinions and enthusiasm are 100% my own!**

 

INFO:

WHERE:

Pomona Fairplex

1101 McKinley Ave.

Pomona, CA 91768

 

WHEN:

Beginning November 15th – January 6, 2019

Thursday through Sunday (including Holidays)

5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (No admittance after 9:20 p.m.)

 

TICKETS:

Tickets can be purchased at the event or online prior to your visit at https://www.chineselanternfestival.com/tickets. I highly recommend doing this for significant savings!

  • Tickets are $27 at the door or $21 online for adults, $23 at the door or $19 online for
    senior citizens, $19 at the door or $15.50 online for children ages 4-12 and free for children ages 4 and younger.  No pets allowed except service dogs

 

  • Tickets: You may present a printed ticket, or show us on your mobile device your electronic ticket.

  • Refund Policy: Refunds up to 1 day before event.

  • Fairplex Parking: $12/car

  • Weather Conditions: Rain and strong wind can affect everyone’s plans. When rain or high wind comes, patrons will be allowed to use their tickets for another time.

  • *** WITH SOCAL FIRES GOING ON, ADVISE CHECK @chineselanternfest and www.chineselanternfestival.com TO CONFIRM BEFORE EVENT.***

Connection and Updates:

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year + Family Photos 2017

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Happy New Year!  It feels as if the rush of the holiday season has finally settled down.  Our holiday trimmings have been all taken down, minus photo cards from loved ones.  I’ll admit I still have one strand of lights on the roof and the tree has not been put back in the attic yet, but that fresh year, fresh start feeling is coming along!

I’ve got a lot on my mind and in my planner, on what to focus on in 2018.  I’m the type who really needs to see things written down on a piece of paper and use checklists.  I haven’t been good with those things since becoming a mom, and I see the results of it.  Much more disorganized, unfocused, and unhealthy.  I haven’t made resolutions in years, but I am working on some solid intentions to focus on this year.

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I posted before our family photo shoot, and I was once again blown away by our photographer, Alicia P Photography.  It’s like she worked some magic to get the wind and the birds to harmonize just for her shot.  She also captured the essence of our silly brood.  Fun Fact:  J and I took our engagement shoot pics at this same exact spot.  My sentimental heart is so full and happy.

I don’t know if and when I will ever get sick of beach location shoots.  The California girl in me says, never.

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Family Photo Season!

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Tis the season…. that everyone is scrambling to get those precious family photos that will be cherished for years to come!  We all know that we “should” take more pics with our families, especially for the moms to be in front of the camera.  Over the years, we’ve seen holiday cards moving more and more into the photo cards, and I LOVE IT!  I save all our photo cards and file them away.  I even try to group them together by the same families, so we can flip through them once in awhile and see how our loved ones have grown and changed.  Especially in this digital, social-media age, some people never get around to even printing a picture besides a photo card.  So I say, bring it on!  Keep the holiday photos coming!

We just did our own holiday family photo session over the weekend, and I am already on pins and needles, so excited to see how they turned out.  In the meantime, I figured a trip down memory lane would hold me over during my anticipation.  Honestly, I’m always scared each year that I won’t love the photos as much as the year before, and last year’s was just my fave!

2016

Do you take annual holiday photos?  What’s your favorite card-printer service?  I’d love to know!

 

Photos by Alicia P. Photography