The Friday Five, 9/11/26: 5 things I've been up to this week

Today is the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which is crazy - I still remember where I was and what I was doing (9th grade English class) when they announced the news. I was a freshman in high school at the time, and I also remember observing the 1st/2nd/3rd anniversaries with a few moments of silence, too, at gym assemblies. 
Practical Magic watch party
Practical Magic watch party

What I've been up to this week:
  1. Practical Magic watch party. Even though the new one has mixed reviews, the first one is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I'm looking forward to watching it. On Friday, my friend Margarita had a watch party for the original, and she always throws a great party—she had decorations, as you can see above, plus lots of good charcuterie and desserts, and we all brought a charcuterie board too; I made a dessert one with marshmallows, chocolate, and more. 
  2. Rainforest Cafe birthday party. On Saturday, a friend had a birthday party for her 7-year-old son and it was supposed to be at their house, but unfortunately they had lost power due to the storms, so it got moved to Rainforest Cafe at Great Lakes Crossing. I hadn't been there in a long time, and Baby K really enjoyed it too, as it was her first time seeing (animatronic) animals and also some (live) fish in an aquarium. 
  3. Labor Day BBQ. On Saturday, we went to a Labor Day BBQ at a friend's house, they live in Oakland Township close to Lake Orion so it was a little bit of a drive. There was a slip-and-slide for the kids, and Baby K is a bit too young for that, but got to wade her feet in the water a bit. We brought a cake that looked like the American flag, from Sam's Club, and the hosts had burgers, hot dogs, watermelon, pasta, and other sides. It was also nice seeing our friends—we had technically seen both couples two weeks before, for Baby K's birthday party, but didn't get to interact as much since a lot of people were there, and then there were a few other people attending with their kids, also. 
  4. Site visit for work. Occasionally, I get to visit bakeries or factories or other things for work, although mostly local ones nowadays, and on Tuesday I went to the new Orijin Bakery, in downtown Ann Arbor, for an on-site interview. Their pastries looked amazing on their Instagram and website, and they were super tasty; they were nice enough to give me a box of five to try, and I really enjoyed all of them, especially the ham and cheese croissant and the Pop-Tart (homemade). My story on them can be found here. 
  5. Watching TV shows. I watched the season finale of The Shards yesterday, and I felt like it resolved NOTHING, so that was disappointing (who was the killer?! We may never know if they don't get a season two ...). I have been watching Love is Blind UK, which has been fun, since there is not a lot to watch right now. I also watched a kind-of weird movie on Paramount+ called You're Dating a Narcissist!, which had a great cast (Marisa Tomei and Sherry Cola) and was funny in parts, but can be skipped; I'd give it 2.5/5 stars. 
Flag cake from Sam's Club
Flag cake from Sam's Club

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