Friday Favorites

Swimsuit (only $17) | Similar Beach Hat | Favorite Sunscreen for Faces

Happy Friday, friends! I'm closing out this month's blog posts with some Friday Favorites - just a few of my favorite "life" things going on as of late. You may or may not have noticed, but I've kind of slowed down on my blog posts this month. I feel like I've gotten to the point that I choose quality over quantity and real life over internet life. Sometimes I just don't have anything to write about and other times I don't have the time to sit on my laptop and put a post together and that's OK! It is actually kind of freeing to take that pressure off of myself. I don't HAVE to get three posts up every week, and honestly, I'm probably the only one that notices if I don't! Putting my phone down and having a real life conversation always trumps an Instagram DM am I right?!

That being said, June has been such a fun and crazy month! A lot has happened in a short amount of time. I seriously can't believe that we're deep into summer already - football season and fall will be here in the blink of an eye. The older I get the more time flies and it is such a gentle reminder to appreciate where I am at in life and take time to enjoy the little moments.

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June Favorites

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten

Another month has come and gone! HOW?! I know I say that every month but for good reason! As of today we are halfway to Christmas and I seriously cannot believe it - but I'm 100% OK with it because I'm a total basic b.

I've been trying real hard not to spend a lot of money this month......other than, you know, on a new car (!!!!!)/ Cutting out unnecessary little expenses has made making a monthly favorites post a bit tough so my apologies for the lack of items. Just know that everything I listed is a REAL winner in my book!

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AOK Guide to Nashville

Shop My Outfit Here

I've felt like such a jet setter lately! I just got back from my fifth weekend getaway so far in 2018. I get a lot of comments about how I travel so much - I shared how I budget for travel in this post! I will be taking the rest of the summer off from any major travel, though, and spending some much needed time at home and with friends/family nearby, but I have some more fun trips lined up starting in September. Yay!

For now, though, let's talk Nashville! To be honest, it was never a must-visit location for me / wasn't at the top of my U.S. Bucket List. But, when C was sent to Nash for a work conference, I gladly accepted the invitation to tag along. While he was conferencing, I planned to do my own thing...... Turns out I'm not cut out to be a solo traveler, ha! Though I enjoyed shopping without having someone wait on me, I missed having someone to talk to and I really hated eating alone. Also, how is one supposed to get a perfect Instagram without a photographer?!! Needless to say, I was happy when the conference was over and I had my favorite travel companion back.

We enjoyed Nashville and had a lot of good food and even better drinks (plus I scored several cute outfits) but it wasn't our favorite place we've ever been. We aren't huge country music people so a lot of Nashville's charm was lost on us. Don't get me wrong, though, we had a good time! It reminded me a lot of Austin and Dallas combined into one with a southern twist. Scroll on down to see what we did and what we'd recommend!

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Hydration + Caffeination with Hydrive Energy Water

Similar Tank, also love this one! | Star Print Leggings, on sale and SO good! | Nike Roshe Shoes

I always seem to have caffeine in one hand and water in the other. No matter if I'm traveling, working, working out or hanging at home, it just seems to be how I roll! Hydration is very important to me and my active lifestyle (I aim to drink a gallon of water every day) BUT, being so active means I get worn out! I've become more or less addicted to afternoon pick me ups, whether that be coffee, soda or an energy drink. know I shouldn't drink them, but I do.....they are my guilty pleasure!

I don't like feeling guilty about what I put in my body, though, so I was super excited to discover Hydrive Energy Water! It is basically the best of both worlds: hydration and caffeination, all with zero calories, zero sugar and made with all natural flavors. Yes, yes and yes! My afternoon pick me up no longer sets me back on my water intake and I feel good about drinking it. Most other caffeinated beverages come filled with sugar and calories so I'm very pleased to find something energizing and flavorful that fits within my target caloric/macro intake.

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Best of OKC Instagram Spots

Every time I travel somewhere, I find myself searching the internet for the best Instagram spots in town so that I'm prepared and can fit them into my itinerary. Call me basic, it's fine. I do a lot for the 'gram. Some cities have a TON of blog posts and articles on the most photogenic places and others have little to none. 

I figured I'd put together a round up my favorite photo-worthy spots in town whether it be for tourists or for bloggers! The OKC mural scene is BLOWING up lately, so I don't have pictures of all of them, but I'll include the locations of all my favorites below. These are numbered but are in no particular order.....just the order I thought of them! 

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10 Holy Grail Makeup Items

Tank Top - on major sale! | Shorts - my all time favs | Rose Gold Sandals | LV Designer Dupe Sunnies | Lips, color is Bahama

Disclaimer: I by no means consider myself a beauty blogger or a makeup pro. I barely know enough about makeup to get by! BUT, I am a product junkie and I love sampling things until I find a product I love. Once I do that, I'm a repeat customer for life! I did a "Holy Grail Hair Products" post a while back that was very popular, so I thought I'd do a similar one for makeup! I am definitely more of a hair guru than a makeup junkie, just saying!

Now, go figure, I took these pictures before I came up with a topic for this post so I'm not wearing any of the lipsticks or chapsticks that I linked below BUT, I am wearing everything else on my list!

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3 Ways to Stay Fit While Traveling

Hat | Similar Tank, also love this one! | Leggings, under $10! Also love these and these | Sports Bra, Similar Here | Nike Juvenates

Two of my greatest passions / pleasures in life are fitness and travel. One would assume the two don't coincide all that well, and that's understandable. I used to eat everything in sight when I traveled including extra snacks, drinks and desserts. I totally don't blame anyone that does that - it is a well-earned vacation, after all, and you should live it up. However, being someone who travels pretty regularly, I've had to tone it back and keep things a little more balanced. One week of total splurging once or twice a year is good for your mental health but since I travel somewhere almost monthly, I can't justify pigging out that often and still maintaining my current level of health and fitness. Ya feel me?

It has definitely been a learning experience, but after multiple back to back trips, I feel like I've got a pretty good feel for it! I thought I'd share what has really helped me incase anyone out there is wanting to stay fit and healthy in the midst of travel.

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Three Years

Photo by Candi Coffman Photography

You guys! As of tomorrow, June 5, C and I have been married for three years. THREE YEARS. Time seriously flies when you're having fun. Our wedding day is still my favorite day that I have ever lived. It was magical and perfect and everything I ever dreamed it would be. Every day since isn't always quite that magical, but that's what we have each other for! To lean on and encourage when times are tough and to celebrate and laugh with when times are swell.

In our three years of marriage (and 6.5 years of being together) I've grown to be so grateful to have a husband who enjoys the same things as me and who has the same long term goals as me. We have the same overall opinions and beliefs on the important stuff, but we are able to balance each other out on the not-so-important stuff. We've learned how to communicate and how to fight, when to leave each other alone and when to go full speed ahead. Marriage is work and it takes time and effort, but it is the best thing ever to have your favorite person by your side. This year was filled with travel and adventure - one of our favorite things! I'm not sure if I enjoy the planning and anticipation or the actual vacations more. Of course, life threw a few curveballs like unexpected surgeries, doggy + human health issues and home repairs, but that's just how it goes. You take the good times with the bad and make it through hand in hand.

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AOK Guide to Santa Fe

Shop my outfit here! 

After taking a little break from our 2018 monthly travel plan, it was so great to hop on a jet plane and get away for a weekend! We headed to Santa Fe, New Mexico over Memorial Day for a little three-year-anniversary trip and had such a fun time. It was short, but oh so sweet.

Both C and I had been to Santa Fe when we were kids - it seemed that the only thing either of us really remembered was the courtyard of the Loretto Chapel and the staircase inside. Go figure! Going back as adults really let us appreciate the uniqueness of the city. The architecture, the climate, the beauty....even the way it smelled! I've never been anywhere that smelled so good - almost like laundry detergent in the air everywhere you went! Everything was SO pretty, it was like we were in Instagram heaven! Though we aren't huge fans of the Santa Fe style necessarily (i.e. not how we would decorate our house, not a lot of clothes/jewelry I would wear), we were still able to enjoy it and appreciate it. And of course, the food! We didn't eat a bad meal.

We planned to be in Santa Fe for three days and two nights. Due to flight delays, we missed most of our first day with the exception of dinner (bummer) and had to skip a few of the activities we had planned, but I still feel like we had roughly enough time to explore the city itself. I would have liked to have an additional day there to visit Taos and the Rio Grande Gorge or to relax a little at a spa or pool, but we'll save that for the next trip out west.

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