Yes/No Detroit

This week went by fast, for some reason. This weekend I have to go to Meijer, because next weekend is the *most fun* one of the year (being sarcastic here) ... colonoscopy prep, in which I can't have food for 2.5 days, basically (just liquids). Cat pumpkin from ALDI What I've been up to this week: Getting takeout/going out to eat. Last Friday, we got Pink Garlic takeout, which is my favorite Indian restaurant in this area. On Sunday, my husband and I went to see my parents, and we got Hungry Howie's takeout. On Monday, I was hoping to resume going back to the gym—I wasn't able to go right before the wedding much, because of all the last-minute things to do—but unfortunately the light fixture in the kitchen decided to malfunction, so we spent an hour or so fixing it, then decided to call it a day and get Doordash from Sidecar Slider Bar. On Wednesday, my mom and I went to Panera before seeing a show at the Fisher (more on that below), and yesterday, a friend gave me a Sh

*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with TSO. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. all photos courtesy of TSO The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is coming back to Little Caesars Arena this year, on Dec. 28th, and it's always an amazing show! They'll be playing multiple cities this area again, also - see below for details. About the show: This year, multi-platinum rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) kicks off a monumental winter tour on November 13th. The tour marks a triple celebration: 20 years of their beloved rock opera "THE LOST CHRISTMAS EVE," reaching their 20 millionth concertgoer, and surpassing a phenomenal $20 million donated to charity. For more details on tour dates and ticket sales, visit www.trans-siberian.com . TSO remains true to the vision of their late founder, Paul O’Neill, by being one of rock's most generous bands. This year, the band will surpass a staggering $20 million donated to charity, a testament to thei

*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. SIX is coming to the Fisher Theatre this January, and I missed it the last time I'm in town, so I'm excited to see it. About the show: Broadway In Detroit is delighted to announce that the Tony Award®-Winning electrifying new musical phenomenon SIX by Tony Award®-winners Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss returns to the Fisher Theatre January 7–12, 2025. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 20 and will be available online at BroadwayInDetroit.com . From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power. This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over! SIX won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics

This week has been a lot of forms and a lot of name-changing, and it will continue today with changing my work name/email, in Outlook.  Nicholas Sparks (left) at the Berman Center, West Bloomfield What I've been up to this week: Nicholas Sparks event at the Berman Center (the J), West Bloomfield. Back in March or April, I stumbled upon a social media post saying that Nicholas Sparks, one of my favorite authors, would be coming to Michigan—at the J (formerly JCC), like a 7-minute drive from me now—to promote his new book, Counting Miracles . Fast-forward to this month, and it took place this Wed. at 6pm, so I went by myself (not my preference, but for events like these I don't mind). I *thought* the event would be a reading from his book and him answering questions, but instead it was a quick one-hour "fireside chat" type of deal with local journalist Neal Rubin, whom I think I've met before at blogger events. We also got to take a picture with Nicholas after, whic

Apologies for no Friday Five last week, but I was just a little bit busy getting married! We left Friday for Holland and came back on Tuesday. Right before the ceremony What I've been up to this week: Wedding weekend . We arrived in Holland last Friday, and stopped at Fazoli's in Lansing on the way west, which has become something of a tradition—they don't have any in metro Detroit, not including the Monroe location. Most of my husband's (!) extended family arrived Friday or Saturday too; his parents and sister came in from Indiana, where they live, and he had relatives fly in from Idaho and Florida, and drive in from Minnesota. Rehearsal lunch . On Saturday, we had rehearsal at the venue (Boatwerks restaurant, in Holland) and then lunch at Seventy-Six, a restaurant in downtown Holland. The food was very good, although unfortunately the lunch had a few hiccups (i.e. we had one waiter for our group of 30 people, so it took a long time for people to get food).  Wedding da

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