Yes/No Detroit

September is flying by, and our one-year marriage anniversary is coming up Monday too (September 15th) ... it's a busy month! Homemade card from a family friend What I've been up to this week: Opening gifts.  A family friend gave us the gorgeous homemade card below (she sends these for every holiday/birthday/etc., they are so nice!) plus some onesies for Baby K and a piggy bank (but it looked like a cat!) with Baby K's name on it. A neighbor of my parents gave us a cash gift, too, and another friend of theirs gave us some very nice baby blankets and a cute robe for after bath time —which reminds me, we need to bathe our kid, LOL, as she needs one once per week. Doctors appointments . Basically this the only time we leave the house, haha. I had an OB appointment last week, a lactation consultant appointment this week, and technically two appointments with my PCP yesterday, one for Baby K and one for me. My doctor wants me to get an ultrasound for my legs and feet because the...

Well well, if it isn't one week into August and my hospital bag is STILL not packed yet—my due date is August 26, but next week will be 38 weeks for me and one of my friends had her baby recently at 38 weeks. Need to work on that this weekend, plus putting together our bassinet and figuring out the car seat.  Maternity photo by NeriPhoto What I've been up to this week: Getting our maternity photos back . A few weeks ago we met our wedding photographer, NeriPhoto , at the Healing Garden in Clarkston, which is next to a hospital, to do some maternity photos. We already knew Neri did great work, as we had done an engagement session with her last year plus our wedding photos, and we were lucky that she happened to be in Metro Detroit that day for another shoot, because she's normally based in Holland, MI (where we got married). One of my favorite pics is above ... fun fact, the necklace I'm wearing in the picture is my great-grandmother's, and our daughter's name wi...

This has been a busy week, and it has gone by fast. Yesterday we actually had some decent weather, too (like 77 and not ~90~ like it's been every day) and I think today will be the same.  Achatz pies at the Yelp Waitress event What I've been up to this week: Game night with friends . Last Friday, a friend and I drove to Ann Arbor to see another friend, and we had a game night, which was a lot of fun—we played Machi Koro 2, which I like but I think I like the original game better, and also UNO Show 'Em No Mercy. We also got takeout from Bigalora, in A2—they're running a takeout deal right now, I believe at all of their locations, where it's $60 for five pizzas, which may SOUND like a lot, but considering *one* pizza from them is $15-20, it's more like "buy three pizzas, get two free." For three people we did a pretty good job on the pizza, too, although we definitely had leftovers.  Waitress musical/Yelp event . Last night, a friend and I went to Seahol...

Apologies for no Friday Five the past two weeks, but I'm back at it today, even though I have to leave soon for an equipment supplier visit for work, in Shelby Twp. (a 45- to 55-min. drive). Two weeks ago I was in Rhode Island, so I had planned on not doing a Friday Five, but last week was 4th of July and I completely forgot. (oops) East Matunuck State Beach, RI What I've been up to *the past two* weeks: Visiting Rhode Island . My parents, husband, and I went because my cousin was getting married, but it was also an excuse to visit family. We arrived on a Tuesday and we were there until Sunday, with the wedding being that Saturday night and the welcome party being the night before, on Friday. It was a good visit: I got to see like 99% of my Rhode Island family, which is rare (most were at the wedding/welcome party) and we also drove to Massachusetts one day to see that side of the family (my mom's brother, aka my uncle, and my aunt and cousins and their kids). I didn't ...

This was another busy week, and today I am working at our Birmingham office—we are required to go in once a month, which isn't bad at all (generally I work from home), but it's getting harder for me to walk around and shlep stuff (laptop bag). Costco cake at our baby shower What I've been up to this week: In-laws visiting . My mother-in-law came up from Indiana about two weeks ago now, on a Saturday, and stayed until this past Monday (so, about a week), and my FIL and SIL came in on Thursday night. It was nice to see everyone (they live in Indiana) and my MIL helped out a lot with my move, too (see below). Closing on my condo . A bittersweet thing for sure; I owned it for almost nine years, it looks like I closed on it on September 8, 2016. I had never bought and sold a home before, and the closing took longer than I expected (the actual sit-down, I mean; about 1 hour and 15 minutes) but the new buyer seemed very sweet, and is excited to live there, so that helped. The weir...

Somehow we are almost halfway through June. I took off a half day from work yesterday to see The Accidentals, one of my favorite bands, in Ann Arbor, and today I'm taking today off to hang out with an out-of-town friend who is visiting. The Accidentals at Sonic Lunch, Ann Arbor What I've been up to this week: Seeing Taylor Jenkins Reid in Ann Arbor. Last Friday, a friend and I went to Rackham Auditorium (a UM building) to see one of my favorite authors, Taylor Jenkins Reid. Tickets were about $30, which IMO is a bargain since the hardcover copy of her new book is about that price (and a signed hardcover copy was included!). Her new book is called Atmosphere and I've been reading it this week—it's a little different than some of her others but it's very good. The conversation with her (it was a Q&A live on the Rackham stage) was very interesting, too ... this book focuses on NASA and she said how she was able to talk to a head honcho there to get some background...

We are already one week into June, and I need time to slow down a bit ... I'm heading to Ann Arbor with a friend later today to see the author Taylor Jenkins Reid speak at Rackham (UM campus), though, which I'm excited about, since I love her books. Taylor Swift-themed cookies at a friend's birthday party What I've been up to this week: Attending a Taylor Swift-themed birthday party . One of my friends celebrated her birthday this weekend, and everything was Taylor Swift-themed, which was a lot of fun. We started off at her house, and then moved to the Novi library for an artwork hour (the party had both adults and kids there), then back to her house to eat the cookies pictured above. Attendees were encouraged to dress up like the theme—I wore my "Karma is a cat" t-shirt that I wore when I saw Taylor in concert a few years ago, at Ford Field, but others dressed like her album artwork themes, which was fun.  Preparing to move. I bought my condo in Clawson in 20...

It's been another busy week, and I'm glad for a three-day weekend to hopefully do some relaxing, although I have a bridal shower in Marshall, MI (about a 1.5-hour drive) to go tomorrow, so it'll still be a bit busy. Engagement dinner at Royal Park Hotel, Rochester, MI What I've been up to this week: Engagement dinner at the Royal Park Hotel, Rochester. Last night I attended an engagement dinner for my friend Margarita—I believe we met in line for movie screenings, so probably around 2009-10 or so, and we've been in touch since then. It was a beautiful party—I had never been to the Royal Park Hotel, but I had seen it before, because I have another friend who lives very close by, and it ended up being gorgeous. My friend is hosting a bridal shower tomorrow too, which I'm also attending—I'm glad she's having these events because her wedding is over Labor Day weekend, in Saugatuck, when, ironically, I might *be* in labor (my due date is late August), so unfo...

This was a busy week and this weekend will also be busy, as we are heading to Cincinnati sometime today for a memorial tomorrow.  Machi Koro 2 game What I've been up to this week: Going to Indiana. Last weekend (Friday through Sunday), my husband and I drove up to Indiana for a birthday get-together, as his birthday, plus my in-laws', are all in April and May. Even though I have a January birthday, I actually received a few gifts as well, including the board game Machi Koro 2, pictured above (Machi Koro, plus the expansions, is one of my favorites!). We also had Dairy Queen ice cream cake, which is another of my favorites—at a job I worked right after college (2009-12), it was a small office, so we'd always celebrate birthdays with that, and it was always delicious. Watching movies. I saw The Accountant 2 at the theater on Wednesday, at the Riviera, and it was good but had a very different vibe from the first one. I rewatched the first one the day before that, and would act...

March went by super fast, I'm not sure how it's already April. This week was moderately busy, and the weekend will be very busy, as I'm going to a friend's birthday get-together tomorrow, and then meeting other friends for dinner on Sunday night. Madtown Grilled Cheese at HopCat, Royal Oak What I've been up to this week: Touring Ford House . I had never been to Ford House before, but I did a blog post for them a few months back in exchange for tour tickets ($20 each, normally), and my husband and I went to check it out on Sunday. The grounds ended up being very beautiful—if you're a member there, you can walk them whenever you want, and even bring your dog—and they had a shuttle to bring you from the main residence, to the garage area (five classic cars!), back to the Visitors Center, so that was super useful too. I highly recommend checking it out sometime—from me, it was a little bit of a hike (Grosse Pointe, MI, so about a 40-minute drive) but was worth it. T...

I can't believe it's already March 21st—this month is flying by. I'm looking forward to resting a bit this weekend, but we are seeing friends on Saturday night and I usually see my parents on Sunday nights, too. 4-sq. lunch pepperoni pizza from Buddy's What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout. Last Friday, I met up with two friends for lunch at Buddy's in Farmington Hills—I don't usually go out during work, for lunch, but a different friend was supposed to be visiting that weekend and then was unable to make it, plus I had a doctor's appointment in the AM, so I kept my lunch plans and worked a half day. On Saturday, I went to check on my condo and drop my HOA check, so I swung by Pink Garlic to get us Indian takeout. On Sunday, I was at a birthday party and we had sushi and Hungry Howie's pizza, and on Wednesday, I was in Ann Arbor (more about that below) and had Chela's takeout for lunch.  Returning to U of M. I'm a 2009 Un...

Another busy week, and today is finally the last day of February. I'm heading to Miami for a work trip on Sunday (yay, warmth!) but my flight is at 7am, which is going to be tough ...  Cactus Blossom from Texas Roadhouse What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout. Last Friday, I had a free cheesy bread coupon from Green Lantern to use - and I always forget they have a Southfield location on Telegraph now—so we double-dipped, so to speak: we picked up my bread, and then got Buddy's takeout as well, which was tasty, since we had some holiday gift cards to use. On Saturday night, we were seeing a movie at Emagine Novi, so we went to Texas Roadhouse around 7pm after for dinner. TXR is always tasty, but my husband and I both agreed we won't be going back on a weekend night for dinner anytime soon; it was a 50-60 minute wait (not a big deal; we put our name in on their online wait-list, and stopped by my parents' house for a second), and then when we got t...

Happy Valentine's Day to those that celebrate it! I am doing nothing today and honestly am kinda happy about it—I've had doctor appointments and other things to deal with all week. On Sunday I am going to Chicago for work, as well.  Burger, fries, and shake from Shake Shack What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout . Last Friday, I worked at the office, so a friend and I got Sweetgreen (pricey salads, but delicious) for lunch, and I also stopped at Paris Baguette. For dinner that night, I got my husband and I takeout from Pink Garlic, our favorite Indian place. On Saturday night, I did game night with a friend and her husband, and we got Shake Shake takeout—they're doing a deal every day through March, from 2-5pm daily you can get a free shake (~$6.50 value) if you spend $10+ at an in-store kiosk or in the app, so we were scrambling to get our app orders in by 4:55pm, lol. The code for that is SWEETSPOT, and I have a few other Shake Shack deals on my FB...

Everyone always complains that January feels like a year in itself—I always feel kind of compelled to defend my birth month, when that happens, but I do agree it feels long. Today is the last day of January, though, and my husband and I took the day off work to head up to Frankenmuth for their Snowfest, which is basically an ice festival, and to get my free birthday chicken at Zehnders. We will also go to Prost for lunch, which is a wine and charcuterie bar. Tasty pizza leftovers: Buddy's (top), Green Lantern circular deep dish What I've been up to this week: Watching movies . Last Friday I went to see A Complete Unknown at Birmingham 8 after work, since I was working in the office that day. I unfortunately fell asleep for a bit of it (recliners ...) but Timothee Chalamet was very good in it, as was Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, and the girl who played Joan Baez, another folk musician. From what I saw, I'd give it 4-4.5/5, but it was a bit long (2h20m, I believe). On Wednesd...

Today is my last day of work for 2024—I restart on January 6th—and I'm looking forward to getting some sleep. I have a fun day planned today, also: I'll be back in the Clawson/Troy area to do some errands, and then will get Pink Garlic takeout for dinner, which is one of my faves. Sidecar Slider Bar, Birmingham What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout. Last Friday, I worked in the office—we are required to come in once per month, and it's in Birmingham—and had lunch at Sidecar Slider Bar, one of my favorites, with a coworker friend. My husband and I do DoorDash a lot from their Farmington location, but the cheese curds were *extra* poofy and delicious on Friday since they were nice and fresh. On Saturday, I had Hungry Howie's takeout with my parents, and on Sunday, my husband and I got Portillo's takeout—we both had a free sandwich coupon to use, that we got at a Yelp event at the Sterling Heights location in *January 2023*, which was expiring ...

December is flying on by: my 38th birthday is a month from today. I have about a week left of work and then I'm looking forward to a week off for the holiday break, also. Cute croissant keychain from Paris Baguette What I've been up to this week: Game night with friends . Last Friday, my husband and I had a game night with two friends (my MOH from the wedding, and her husband) and stayed out way too late—we left around 3:30am. We hadn't seen them in a while, though, and we also showed them our wedding videos and talked for a bit. We played Machi Koro, which is always fun, and UNO Show 'Em No Mercy, which is also fun, although a kinda crazy version of UNO. Opening Advent calendars . I'm fortunate to get a lot of candy and snack samples for my job, and we have FOUR Advent calendars we are opening daily, currently. They include: Sour Patch Kids, Jelly Belly (Harry Potter Marauder's Map, with trivia!), Lindt, and now a HI-CHEW one (pictured below), which is a lot of...