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The Friday Five, 9/22/23: 5 things I've been up to this week

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This week has felt long for some reason, but yesterday was mostly fun and this weekend should be as well. Mashed sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows from The Eagle, Detroit What I've been up to this week: Doing nothing last weekend . We got back from Vegas around 10pm on Friday, to DTW, and probably didn't get home until around 11:30 or midnight, so last weekend I had nothing scheduled. We did order some Indian food from Doordash, from a new-to-us restaurant, and unfortunately it was just okay.  Lots of influencer visits . On Tuesday, I headed to the new Tiger Sugar location in West Bloomfield—about five minutes from my fiance's house, which is awesome—and tried a few of their new Hello Kitty-themed drinks and also got to see how they make them (see the reel here ). If you're in the WB area, definitely check them out—I feel like that area has a dearth of bubble tea places, so I'm especially glad to see them open. Yesterday, I got to check out The Eagle in Detro

Digital movie GIVEAWAY: Theater Camp {ends 9/27, 3 winners!}

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*Disclosure: I received a digital code for this movie in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I didn't get to see Theater Camp at the theater and I really wanted to ... Ben Platt is in it, and Molly Gordon (Booksmart) , both of whom I enjoy in movies, and it looked great.  THREE of my lucky readers will win a digital code of Theater Camp ! Read on for details. About the movie: Theater kids, and theater kids at heart, rejoice! Searchlight Pictures’ heartwarming and hilarious ode to the stage, Theater Camp , is now on Digital and Hulu. The “sweet, wacky and very funny” film (Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post ) is Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes™ and Hulu subscribers can stream it beginning September 14 when it debuts on the platform. Fans can add the movie to their digital collection also on September 14 when Theater Camp becomes available to buy from all m

The Saturday Six, 9/16/23: 6 things I've been up to this week

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Apologies for the late post, I was in Vegas Sunday night through yesterday, and I'm just now sitting back at my computer, so instead of a Friday Five post, we will have a Saturday Six! Flamingo hotel, Las Vegas What I've been up to this week: Trip to Las Vegas . We arrived Sunday around 10pm and two of my fiance's (! - more on that later) friends picked us up at the airport—this was technically a group trip but everyone had their own itineraries too. Overall it was a fun trip although five days in Vegas is quite a lot—I would recommend three to four nights overall, especially if you have been there before (if you haven't been there before, five nights might be good so you can explore everything).  Eating out . A lot of great meals in Vegas per usual. A sampling included: all-you-can-eat KBBQ with a local friend, Italian food at the Mirage, Mexican food at the Flamingo including a BOGO drink special, and ribs at the Golden Nugget downtown. You can see some pictures of th

GIVEAWAY: Chelsea Handler at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, Nov. 30th {ends 9/17}

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Comedian Chelsea Handler will be bringing her "Little Big Bitch Tour" to the Fisher Theatre in Detroit this year, on both November 30th and December 1st, and one of my lucky readers will win a pair of tickets to the November show! Tickets to the show can be purchased here . About the show: Grammy-nominated comedian, television host, best-selling author and advocate, Chelsea Handler is adding a second show at Fisher Theatre in Detroit, MI, on Thursday, November 30, 2023. Tickets for the newly added performance will go on sale Friday, August 18 at 10:00 a.m. and will be available online at BroadwayInDetroit.com, LiveNation.com and in person at the Fisher Theatre box office starting at noon. Produced by Live Nation, the Little Big Bitch Tour will visit Fisher Theatre in Detroit, MI, on Thursday, November 30, AND Friday, December 1, 2023.  The Little Big Bitch Tour will give fans a retrospective look at what made her the person and comedian we all have grown to love. Handler shar

The Friday Five, 9/8/23: 5 things I've been up to this week

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I have maybe overbooked myself this September ... we were in Grand Haven from Saturday through Monday for the long weekend, with two friends, and we leave for Vegas around 8pm Sunday night. I'm working one day when there, too, so I will be bringing my laptop with me. Pickle pizza at New Holland Brewery, my favorite What I've been up to this week: Trip to Grand Haven with friends . My boyfriend and I went to Grand Haven this weekend with two of his friends who live in Cincinnati—they came up Friday night, we went to GH Saturday through Monday, and then they drove home Monday night. I love Grand Haven, and even though we just went in July (we had a hotel in Holland that time; this time we had VRBO right in Grand Haven that I found), it was a good time. I also have some good news there that I can't share right now, but probably next Friday Five (which may have to be Saturday, now that I think of it, since I'll be in Vegas next Friday!).  Eating out . Lots of dining in the

GIVEAWAY - Celtic Thunder: Odyssey, 10/19 at the Fox Theatre, Detroit {ends 9/15}

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*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with 313 Presents. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Celtic Thunder: Odyssey will be performing at the Fox this October, and one of my lucky readers will win a four-pack of tickets  to attend! I've never seen them before but they are Celtic singers, with an orchestra I believe, and it looks pretty cool. Tickets can be purchased here . About the show: PBS darlings Celtic Thunder will play at the Fox Theatre on Thursday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m. ODYSSEY, the latest show from the internationally acclaimed group, is a fascinating exploration of Irish music and culture, firmly grounded in the ensemble's impressive history, while ambitiously forging new paths. Comerica Bank is the exclusive presenting partner of the Fox Theatre. In ODYSSEY, Celtic Thunder invites audiences on a sweeping voyage through the heartlands of traditional Irish music, the rhythmic pulse of contemporary Irish music, and the innovative original a

Movie Review and GIVEAWAY: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny {3 winners, ends 9/9}

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all photos courtesy of: Disney Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is now available on digital, and three of my lucky readers will win a digital copy! I saw the film in the theaters (see my Instagram video review here ) and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars—it was a fun addition to the Indiana Jones legacy, and we even get some flashback scenes where they somehow made Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) look as young as he was in the first few movies. They also introduced a slew of new characters in this film, and they all collaborated well  About the movie: From Academy Award–nominated writer-director James Mangold (Logan, Walk the Line) comes the final chapter in the saga of one of cinema’s greatest heroes. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny sees Harrison Ford reprise his iconic role as the whip-smart archaeologist one last time for a “rip-roaring adventure” (Maureen Lenker, Entertainment Weekly) full of “exciting action, wonderful banter and fantastic twists and turns.” (Germain Lussier, io

The Friday Five, 9/1/23: 5 things I've been up to this week

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Well that month went by fast—welcome to September, where apparently I have decided to schedule ALL of the things. I got back from a Chicago work trip on Wednesday night, two hours late after we had to deplane at Midway and change gates, and we are going to Grand Haven tomorrow through Monday with some friends to take advantage of Labor Day weekend. After we get back, six days later we leave for Vegas for a week, and at the end of September, I am heading to the East Coast (MA/RI) to sightsee and see family. Tiramisu at Volare, Chicago What I've been up to this week: Chicago for work . This was the second iteration of this show (conference) that I attended this year—the first time was in Destin, FL in February, which was a fabulous location, but it was hard to leave the hotel since you needed a car. This time was in Chicago so it was much different, since of course Chicago offers a variety of food, entertainment, etc. within walking distance. I had about 20 meetings a day (think &quo

The Friday Five, 8/25/23: 5 things I've been up to this week

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This was a fast week but had a lot of moving parts, so I'm glad it's over. I'm headed to Chicago on Sunday for a work trip; I get back Wednesday night; and then Saturday to Monday next week we are headed back to Grand Haven, this time with friends and a rented VRBO condo, which should be fun (but busy!). Owl at Birds of Prey show at Michigan RenFest, Holly What I've been up to this week: Attending the Michigan Renaissance Festival . I had blogger tix to attend this and it turned out it was only valid for the first four weekends, so we ended up going opening day, last Saturday—kind of ironic because last year we went CLOSING day. Parking is $10 this year, but they have a service organizing parking now, and it was better than last year. If you park in the South lot, you have about a 15-min walk through a forest to get to the Renfest, FYI; last year we parked in the North lot, and the walk is through the parking lot itself. My favorite things this year were the wire walker

The Friday Five, 8/18/23: 5 things I've been up to this week

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There are honestly too many delicious food photos to choose from this week, to post only two here, but I have chosen one from each of the places I visited: Vigilante Kitchen (Detroit) and Madam (Birmingham). Vigilante Kitchen invited me to try them, as an influencer, and Madam had been on my list for quite a while to try. Another busy weekend upcoming: heading to the Michigan RenFest tomorrow, having lunch with a friend on Sunday, and also seeing the Beach Boys at Meadowbrook on Sunday night. Rapini pesto dish (half portion), Madam, Birmingham What I've been up to this week: Having some fabulous dining experiences.  On Sunday night, my boyfriend and I tried out Vigilante Kitchen, in Midtown (Detroit)—see my reel here . The restaurant had reached out to me via my Instagram to try them out, and all of the dishes we ate were very good; the standouts for me were the Nashville hot chicken bao buns (and not too spicy, either) and the chocolate hazelnut shaved ice we had for dessert, whi

Movie Review and GIVEAWAY: Elemental on digital {ends 8/24}

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*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Disney. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw Elemental at the theater back in mid-June, in 3D, and really loved it—I gave it 4/5 stars in my Instagram reel review. It's a Pixar movie, which are usually a hit with me, and the plot was really unique. There was also an Up short at the beginning of the film which was a treat, because the actor who voiced Carl (Ed Asner) recently passed away, and I didn't think there would be any more Up shorts; it sounds like the short will also be on the physical versions of the movie. Elemental is now out on digital to buy, and it will be on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD starting September 26. FOUR of my readers will win a digital code for the movie, too—see below for details. About the movie: Welcome to Element City, where the fiery Ember Lumen and the go-with-the-flow Wade Ripple are about to discover what happens when fire meets water in Pixar Animation Studios’ dazzlin

The Friday Five, 8/11/23: 5 things I've been up to this week

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I don't know why I bother trying to get to sleep "early" because yesterday I got 7.5 hours of sleep, but didn't sleep well (I woke up 5+ times; I normally wake up 2-3x), so I feel a lot more tired today versus yesterday when I got like 6 hours of sleep.  Lindsey Stirling, Centennial Terrace, Toledo, OH What I've been up to this week: Seeing Lindsey Stirling in Toledo . On Friday night, my boyfriend and I went to Toledo to see Lindsey Stirling perform at Centennial Terrace. CT was a new venue for me; it turns out they have parking but it's $10, and we showed up a little bit after the opening act started, so we ended up parking across the street. This was my FIFTH time seeing Lindsey—I've seen her at the Fox Theatre, Michigan Theatre, Stranahan (also Toledo), Freedom Hill and now here—and she always puts on a fabulous show. Check out my reel here . One-night stay in Toledo . After we saw Lindsey Stirling, we had a 15-minute drive (instead of about an hour

UPCOMING: Wicked, Detroit Opera House, Jan. 24 - Feb. 18, 2024

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*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed below, however, are my own. I'm pretty excited that Wicked is coming to Detroit—I've only seen it once, actually in England in 2009 when I visited, and it was great.  Tickets *officially* go on sale on October 13th, but Broadway in Detroit is doing a flash sale which ends TODAY (Aug. 9), and you can find more details over on their Instagram post . About the show: WICKED, Detroit’s most popular musical, will return to the Detroit Opera House January 24 – February 18, 2024. Tickets for the return engagement go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 13. Tickets will be available online at BroadwayInDetroit.com and in person at the Fisher Theatre box office starting at Noon. The Broadway sensation WICKED looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, mi