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The Friday Five, 3/15/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

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This was a busy travel week, as I was in Miami for a conference from Sunday through Wednesday. I also snuck in dinner with friends and a few movies (one in the theater, and two on the plane). JW Marriott resort, Aventura, FL What I've been up to this week: Traveling to Miami for work . Technically Aventura, FL (about 40 minutes from the Miami airport, and probably 30-40 minutes from Miami Beach area). I didn't get to see the beach this time—when I went in 2019 with a friend, we stayed five minutes from the hotel I stayed in this time (Residence Inn, across the street from the host hotel, JW Marriott), and were beachside, which was super nice. I was there for the National Confectioners Association's State of the Industry conference, which had a lot of interesting panels. Normally on work trips I'm using to running around to appointments, but this was the opposite (a lot of sitting at panels and networking).  I also was lucky enough that two of my Yelp friends from Califo

The Friday Five, 3/8/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

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This week wasn't exceptionally busy, but next week will be, since I'm going to Miami for work from Sunday to Wednesday. Dessert trio at Witch's Hat Brewing, South Lyon What I've been up to this week: Booking wedding vendors . I felt accomplished this week - we rebooked our photographer and videographer (long story there, but our original person, who was doing both photography AND videography, had to cancel on us) AND we also booked our DJ. In addition, we secured a place for rehearsal lunch, which will be the day before with our immediate family and wedding party. We still need to book a florist; someone for dessert; tuxes, so to speak; and also order invitations, and after that I feel like most of the "big stuff" is done.  Going out to eat . On Friday night, we were in Royal Oak, because we have to get our wedding rings (his + my eng ring + my wedding ring) cleaned every six months to maintain their warranties, so we did Pastaio for dinner. It was my second t

Movie Review and GIVEAWAY: Migration {ends 3/8}

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*Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this film for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw Migration in the theater a month or two ago, and just rewatched it again this weekend, and it's a very cute movie. Two of my lucky readers will win a digital code to own the movie! See details below. About the movie: Spread your wings and get ready to soar with the Mallard family, whose vacation goes awry in the animated comedy MIGRATION, now available as a Collector’s Edition on Digital, 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 27, 2024, from Illumination, the creators of MINIONS, and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. “A great movie for the whole family,” (Despierta America), MIGRATION features a star-studded comedic voice cast and over an hour of never-before-seen exclusive content with even more fun for families and fans to enjoy. See how the Mallard family came to life with “Taking Flight: The Making Of” featurette, learn more about your favorite c

Movie Review and GIVEAWAY: Poor Things {ends 3/8}

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*Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this film for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw Poor Things in the theater a few weeks ago and honestly wasn't a huge fan of it, but I was still thinking about it days later. I did a rewatch with my fiance this weekend (first time watch for him) and actually liked it a lot better the second time—it's one of the more unique movies I've seen recently. One of my lucky readers will win a digital copy of the film! Scroll down for details. About the movie: From acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, Searchlight Pictures’ award-winning Poor Things will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu on February 27 and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD from March 12, with exclusive bonus content. Winner of Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress (Motion Picture Musical or Comedy) for Emma Stone at this year’s Golden Globe Awards®. It has been

The Friday Five, 3/1/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

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Another long week—not super busy, and we actually have a weekend at home for once (we were supposed to go to Cincinnati, long story there), which should be nice. Free cheese bread from Green Lantern What I've been up to this week: Hanging with my fiance's family . My fiance's parents were in town from Indiana last weekend, so we had a lot of good meals with them, and also they came over to my condo on Sunday, and he and his dad helped move one of my bookcases out. His parents also got to FINALLY meet my parents—this was the third attempt, because on attempts 1 and 2, someone had COVID each time! We got some pizza from Domino's and also free cheesy bread from Green Lantern, the new Southfield location, since I had a coupon.  Dining out/doing takeout/cooking . On Friday night, the first night his parents were in town, we got takeout from Sidecar Slider Bar, in Farmington, which is always tasty. On Saturday, we went to On the Border, in Northville, which unfortunately wasn

Digital Movie GIVEAWAY: All of Us Strangers {ends 3/4}

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*Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this movie for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I didn't get to see All of Us Strangers in theaters, but I'm looking forward to watching it on digital. Three of my lucky readers will also win a digital code! About the movie: A compelling exploration of love, family and grief, this unique film from English director Andrew Haigh is Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (96%) and has been described as “a beautiful, disorientating dream” (Jake Kring-Schreifels, The Film Stage) that “you won’t be able to stop thinking about” (Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist).  Unanimously lauded by critics (both the LA Times and USA Today named it Best Film of the Year) and nominated for 6 BAFTA Film Awards, Searchlight Pictures’ All Of Us Strangers will be available from all major digital retailers (Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu/Fandango) and is also currently available on Hulu. The digital release will also allow fans to de

The Friday Five, 2/23/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

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This has been a crazy busy week: from Friday night through Saturday afternoon, we were in Holland, for our wedding tasting and a few other wedding "errands," and from Sunday through Wednesday I was in Jacksonville, Florida for work.  My room view from the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville What I've been up to this week: Traveling to Holland . We left around 2pm Friday, and got back around 7 or 8pm on Saturday. The main point of the visit was for our wedding tasting—the company that owns our venue also owns eight other venues, and they had three opportunities for this, but we wanted to go to the one at our venue (the other two were at different venues). We also had dinner at New Holland Brewery that Friday, and on Saturday I checked out a salon that I ended up booking for bridal hair and makeup, as well as for my bridesmaids and possibly family. In between the tasting and the salon visit we also stopped at Holland State Park for literally five minutes, as it was super cold out (a

The Friday Five, 2/16/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

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This has seemed like a busy week, and tonight we are going to Holland for a wedding tasting tomorrow ... and then Sunday I'm going to Jacksonville, FL for work, so basically I will unpack and then repack my bags.  Duel in the D, at LCA What I've been up to this week: Duel in the D, at Little Caesars Arena (LCA). I had blogger tickets for this, and we went last year too—last year we had lower bowl seats, general admission, which were great, and this year we had upper bowl seats, which are still nice but definitely less leg room. We went with four of my fiance's friends, and one of their babies, and it was still a fun game even though UM lost to MSU, 3-2 (last year they won in overtime!). I got to wear one of my "vintage" UM football t-shirts also (the official game shirt, from 2007 ... lol!), and I saw some of the UM band was there ... I did some quick math, and if they were seniors, they were probably born in 2002, and if freshman, 2006, which is wild (I graduated

The Friday Five, 2/9/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

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I feel like I haven't done much this week but I think I actually have, haha ... let's look at the calendar and see. I am going to Duel in the D tomorrow, which should be fun, though: UM vs. MSU hockey, at LCA.  Margherita pizza at Crispelli's, WB What I've been up to this week: Dining out/doing takeout . Last Friday, I met a friend at Granite City, in Troy, which was nice because I hadn't seen her in a while and also hadn't been in a while—they have great happy hour deals, although sadly their BBQ chicken pizza and Maple Pepper Bacon flatbread aren't on there (my two faves); only the margherita pizza is on the HH menu. On Saturday night, I saw my parents, and we had Hungry Howie's takeout, and on Sunday, I went to an influencer event at 88 Banh Mi and Bowl (more about that below). On Tuesday, I met up with a friend at Crispelli's in West Bloomfield, for pizza. So basically, I've just been eating a lot of pizza this week, LOL.  Influencer event i

The Friday Five, 2/2/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

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This felt like another long week, but I think part of it is I went to bed way too late last night (around 1am/1:30am) so I'm tired again today.  Dinner at The Eagle, Detroit What I've been up to this week: Eating out + takeout.  My fiance was sick last weekend, so we did a lot of takeout. On Friday, I used my $3 T-Mobile code for a half-and-half Little Caesars pizza, which was actually quite good—it was half pepperoni pizza, and half of their Italian Cheese Bread. On Saturday, I had my infusion, and I brought back Panera after; they were doing buy 1 meal get 1 half-off, and I also have gift cards. On Tuesday, I attended The Eagle's "Days of Giving" promo, where the bill for the entire table was comped, minus drinks, which was tasty; The Eagle is always good, and we went with two friends. Today I have plans with a friend at Granite City in Troy, which will be fun—they do a good happy hour, I haven't been in a bit, and I haven't seen this friend in a while e

Movie Review and GIVEAWAY: Next Goal Wins {ends 2/6}

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*Disclosure: I was provided a digital code to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I missed Next Goal Wins in the theater, and it looked great, so I was excited to check it out. It's currently available from all major digital retailers ( Prime Video ,* AppleTV, Vudu, etc.) and it will be on Blu-ray and DVD on February 27 .* The Blu-ray and DVD versions will include never-before-seen bonus content including Taika Waititi’s homage to American Samoa, Polynesian culture, and sports movies. * = Amazon affiliate links Film synopsis: Based on a true story, this heartfelt underdog comedy follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup qualifiers fast approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team into winners. Rating: PG-13 Bonus features: Featurette Creating The Pitch of Life - Explore filmmake

Movie Review and GIVEAWAY: The Marvels {ends 2/5}

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all photos courtesy of: Disney *Disclosure: I received a digital code to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I missed The Marvels at the theater, so I was interested in watching it, and was able to do so this weekend. Three of my lucky readers will win a digital code to own the movie—read below for the details! About the movie: Be the first to watch at home on Digital when Marvel Studios’ The Marvels becomes available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vudu on January 16 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 13. Fans can add the film to their collection and access exclusive bonus content including deleted scenes, a gag reel, behind-the-scenes featurettes and an audio commentary from co-writer/director Nia DaCosta and VFX Supervisor Tara DeMarco. Film synopsis: Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole, her power

The Friday Five, 1/26/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

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This week has seemed really long so I'm glad it's Friday.  Espresso martini and mocktail at Syndicate, Ferndale What I've been up to this week: Dining out.  Last Saturday, my fiance, parents, and I went to the Cheesecake Factory in Novi, as a makeup birthday lunch (on January 13, we had received all that snow the day before and the roads were bad). We also stopped by the House of Falafel, in Farmington, for a free Yelp pickup; I had never been before, and it was very good, especially the chicken shawarma. We bought some pita chips and garlic to go, too, and that was also very good. On Sunday, two friends and I met up at Miss Kim, in Ann Arbor, for Ann Arbor Restaurant Week , which ends today; that was only the second time I have been there, and everything was very good. On Wednesday night, after seeing a movie, I stopped by Shake Shack in Troy for a free burger; the T-Mobile Tuesday app was giving a free ShackBurger with purchase, so I threw in some fries too, making my tot