Yes/No Detroit

Wedding countdown is officially on: we are getting married in 9 days (on Sun. 9/15) and this week have been working on finalizing things with the venue, DJ, desserts, and other details. I don't think I will fully believe it until we are in the car driving to Holland a week from today! It's crazy how we have been planning this for a year already, for the most part. Owl at the Michigan Renaissance Festival What I've been up to this week: Picking up our marriage license . Last Friday, we headed to the Oakland County building in Troy, and it wasn't exactly how I expected—first off, they have probation offices there too, so when you arrive it feels like the airport, as in you have to take off belts, anything metal, etc. Then we were directed to the marriage license area, and it was all very clinical; fill out paperwork, pay a $20 fee, etc. No "congrats on your marriage" or "good luck" or anything like that. I will be back a week from this Wed. to file our

all photos courtesy of Focus Pictures *Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this film in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Although Didi is still in theaters, it's now available to rent or buy on digital. TWO of my lucky readers will win a digital code to download the film! See below for details. About the film: Relive your adolescence in this year’s funny and heartwarming story in Focus Features’ Dìdi (弟弟). The film celebrated its World Premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, where it took home both the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast. The film, which is currently Certified Fresh with a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, is available for the first time exclusively on digital platforms to own or rent, and available to own on Blu-ray™ October 29, 2024 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Masterfully directed by Academy Award® nominee and first-time feature filmma

Well, well, well—if it isn't the end of August already. I've been stressing out this week because we have a lot of wedding choices that are due Sunday and Monday, which we haven't done yet (music choices plus some venue stuff), but hopefully it'll get done this weekend. I also have tickets for Ren Fest I have to use this weekend too though ...  $5.99 shawarma from Kabob Royale, Madison Heights What I've been up to this week: Picking up my wedding dress in Ann Arbor . This proved to be more complicated than originally thought, because I pulled up to my parents' house to pick my mom up, and saw a GIGANTIC nail or something in my tire; we had to quickly pivot, and we took my parents' car (with me driving) instead. I got my dress at The Brides Project, in A2, which I highly recommend; it's a nonprofit and all of their proceeds go to cancer research. On Saturday we were picking up my dress after the seamstress there had worked on it, so I had to try it on wit

This has been a busy week, and the weekend will be busy too: my mom and I are driving to Ann Arbor tomorrow to pick up my wedding dress (from the seamstress) and then my fiance and I are hosting a small, locals-only wedding shower at his house. Lindsey Stirling at Freedom Hill What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout.  Last Friday, my fiance and I went to Ale Mary's after getting our rings cleaned at Metals in Time, in Royal Oak, where we bought them. Ale Mary's is always good, and they usually have a deal on Groupon that I snagged, too: $11 for two vegan milkshakes (they're generally $11-14 each). On Saturday, we went to the Witch's Hat to meet one of my friends (more on that below), and Sunday I visited UNO for my Instagram . On Tuesday, I picked up Noori, in Clawson, for my fiance and I, for a quick dinner before the Lindsey Stirling concert; Noori is always delicious, I get the combo meal which includes four (gigantic) boneless Korean fried chi

*Disclosure: I received a digital code in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw Inside Out 2 in the theater and had big expectations for it - I gave the original movie 3.5/5 and overall enjoyed it. Inside Out 2 is now available for purchasing or renting at digital retailers (Prime Video, AppleTV, and Fandango at Home), and it will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 10.  One of my lucky readers will win a digital code of the film! Read below for more details. Film synopsis Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone. Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy,

*Disclosure: I received a digital copy of the movie in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw Twisters in the theater recently, and I really enjoyed it—to prep, I watched the original Twister ahead of time, from 1996, which was also very good (I had seen it before, but not recently).  Twisters is now available to buy or rent on digital, and two of my lucky readers will win a digital code for the movie! About the movie: Chase. Ride. Survive. Brace yourself for a wild ride into the eye of the storm, this time from the comfort of your home. As the chase of the summer continues to unfold in theaters, TWISTERS will be available exclusively on digital platforms to own or rent tomorrow, August 13, 2024, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The "hard-hitting disaster spectacle" (Impulse Gamer) has earned a Certified Fresh designation on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- CinemaScore, becoming the best opening ever for a disaster film.  TWISTERS

We are officially 1 month out from our wedding—30 days from today, to be exact—and we still have a lot of little things left to do. We are also hosting a small get-together next weekend, and need to clean the house/get ready for that, too. 2nd stop, 160 Main, Northville What I've been up to this week: Local bachelorette party in Northville . I had a 3-day Traverse City bachelorette trip too, but only one of my three bridesmaids were able to make that one, so I also wanted to do a 1-night local party; also, none of them had met before, so this was a good introduction! My MOH and bridesmaids planned it, and I wanted to be surprised—I knew ahead of time we were probably doing a restaurant crawl, with three stops (my MOH and I used to do something called the Michigan Pops Orchestra Progressive Party, in college, where one orchestra member would host appetizers, one would host dinner, and one would host dessert, which was always a lot of fun, so we got the inspiration for this from that

*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with the Michigan Renaissance Festival. The opinions expressed below, however, are my own. Michigan Renaissance Festival, aka RenFest, starts this weekend, on August 17th! I always have a good time at the festival, so I'm looking forward to attending again this year. One of my lucky readers will win four tickets to the festival - see below for details.  About RenFest: The Michigan Renaissance Festival is thrilled to announce its 45th Anniversary season, promising an unforgettable experience for visitors from August 17th through September 29th. This year’s festival, a beloved tradition in the heart of Michigan, will feature an array of new and exciting  attractions, alongside the cherished activities that have delighted guests for over four decades.  New highlights for 2024:  • House of Dragons: Step into a fantastical world with our brand-new House of Dragons pub. Explore  an immersive dragon-themed adventure that will enchant guest

August is chugging along at a rapid pace. I'm glad it's Friday; tomorrow I'm having a local (one-night) bachelorette party with my bridesmaids and MOH, since only one of them got to go to my Traverse City bachelorette, which should be fun. My MOH has been living in Taiwan for the past year, too, so I haven't seen her in a bit! Shrek the Musical, Fisher Theatre, Detroit What I've been up to this week: Seeing Shrek the Musical at the Fisher . On Friday night—unusual for the theater, for me!—my mom and I headed downtown to the Fisher Building, to see Shrek the Musical . I didn't think I had seen it before, but I have a program from 2014 or 2015, I believe, also in Detroit, so apparently I saw it 9 or 10 years ago. It was cute although I do enjoy the movies more. It was only here for two days (Friday through Sunday), also. Seeing movies . I saw It Ends with Us in the theater yesterday, and thought it was really good. I just read the book, by Colleen Hoover, and als

All photos courtesy of Roadside Attractions *Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Roadside Attractions. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I was recently able to watch a screener copy of My Penguin Friend , which will be in theaters on August 16. It's based on a true story , which is rather remarkable, about a penguin that kept visiting the same Brazilian man for eight years straight. About the movie: (IMDb synopsis) Inspired by a true story; an enchanting adventure about a lost penguin rescued from an oil spill, who transforms the life of a heartbroken fisherman. They soon become unlikely friends, so bonded that even the vast ocean cannot divide them. My review: Overall, this was a cute movie, with a lot of good messages. I did find it a little slow, but the penguin (both the star penguin, Dindim, and others pictured in the film) were adorable. In addition, the movie was filmed in Brazil and surrounding areas, and the cinematograph

How is it August already? That's crazy. We went to Holland this past weekend for my hair/makeup trial for the wedding, and then did engagement photos right after (had to put the hair/makeup to use!). We just got the link to them yesterday, and since I rarely put pictures of myself on here, I'll include one of my portraits below. :)  photo by NeriPhoto What I've been up to this week: Trip to Holland. A quick weekend trip, and oddly enough, one of the few times we did not dine at what will be our wedding venue; we had other places to go to, and we'll be there in September! Friday was my hair/makeup trial at the salon where my bridesmaids and I will be doing hair/makeup on the day of, and then we met our official wedding photographer for the first time and she took the lovely photo above, as well as like 400+ (!) others, which she sent to us yesterday. We did have some time to dine at some of my favorites places though—more on that below. Eating out . On Friday, we both wo

We are headed to Holland this weekend for my hair/makeup trial today and then engagement pictures (yes, again, haha; this time with our actual wedding day photographer). Drinks at Basan, Detroit What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout.  On Saturday, I had my Crohn's infusion, so I stopped at the combined Kung Fu Tea/TKK Chicken in Southfield after, for takeout, which was delicious although took a while for some reason. On Sunday, my parents and I had Hungry Howie's takeout, and on Tuesday, I stopped by the new Portillo's, in Livonia, since I was there for a movie (I love Portillo's!). On Wednesday, I went to Detroit with a friend (more on that below) and we got to try out Basan, which was excellent, albeit a bit pricey—most of the dishes are small plates so it's tapas/shareable-style. I know they do a happy hour, though, but I am not sure if it's bar-only or in the dining room too. Yesterday, I was in Ann Arbor (more on that below too) and

This has been a super long week, so I'm glad it's Friday. Unfortunately, I have my Crohn's infusion tomorrow, so I still have to be up early, but I can take a nap afterwards. Comerica Park, Detroit What I've been up to this week: Tigers game at Comerica Park . I actually got tickets for this through work—HI-CHEW, a candy brand, had a few activations (promotions) going on and asked if I would be able to attend. Our seats were great; it was a very hot day, so we did spend a lot of time in the concourse too. HI-CHEW was super generous and gave us some "Tigers fun money," as the tickets said, so we were able to get free concessions, and were able to ride the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round an unlimited amount of times, too, although we unfortunately only made it to the merry-go-round. The Tigers ended up winning in (overtime? 10th inning) over the LA Dodgers. This was only my second time EVER at Comerica (first time was in 2014 I think, for a game!) so it was a lo