June Favorites

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Another month has come and gone; it's already time for my monthly favorites post, June edition! I seriously can't believe this time next week it will be the 4th of July.....how is 2019 halfway over already?!! I don't know about you but I'm ready for football season and fall to be here so in that regard, I'm happy that time is moving quickly. Six months until Christmas and my 30th birthday, though? Yikes!

Some months I kind of struggle to come up with enough new items to fill a favorites post but this month I had to narrow it down! I found sooooo many products I fell in love with. I'm sharing them below!

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A Weekend in Chickasaw Country

Hi, hello! I'm going back to my blogging roots today and talking about my home-sweet-homa. It's easy to get caught up in how many likes or comments I get on Instagram or to choose sponsored posts over personal ones but I think it's important to stay true to myself and the topics that made me want to start a blog in the first place.....and that's exploring Oklahoma! If you didn't know or haven't put two and two together, the "OK" in my blog name Amanda's OK stands for Oklahoma! So many people think of it as a fly over state but it is so much more than that to me.....it's home!

Last weekend Cole and I had the opportunity to explore Chickasaw Country (i.e. South Central Oklahoma) and it was such a wonderful experience! It's only an hour and a half drive from Oklahoma City - more or less half way between OKC and Dallas. The Chickasaw Nation encompasses 13 counties and over 7,600 square miles filled with rolling landscapes, delicious BBQ, the cutest boutiques and some amazing places to stay and play.

Scroll on down to see my Chickasaw Country weekend itinerary and a snippet from each stop along the way - trust me when I say the weekend was the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure!

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OKC by the Districts: The Paseo

Pink Dress, c/o Red Dress Boutique (size up for length if you're tall) | Flatform Sandals, c/o Red Dress Boutique |
Similar Hair Scarf Scrunchie

Hey what's up hello! It's time for my monthly OKC by the Districts post and this time we're heading to the Paseo Arts District! Paseo is only a few minutes away from my 'hood so I spend quite a lot of time here......mostly drinking, sometimes eating, and always taking pictures (soooo many of my blog and IG photos are taken here). C and I love to ride our bikes to Paseo for patio drinks when the weather is nice! The little two-block district is home to over 20 art galleries and has a funky, eclectic vibe to it. The colorful, Spanish revival architecture with stucco buildings and clay roof tiles reminds me of Santa Fe....or somewhere...definitely not Okla.! Paseo was actually the first shopping district north of downtown and it was home to the first art studio and gallery in the city; it's so cool to me that the arts have always been the center of the district.

A few years ago, Paseo was pretty worn down (or trashy for lack of a better word) but new businesses have been moving in to the district and have really helped the neighborhood up its game. It is now a hip and popular area that I love to visit!

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Starbucks & Swarovski: My Go-To Healthy Starbucks Drinks

Crystal Tennis Bracelet c/o Roma Designer Jewelry (20% off with code AMANDASOK20) | Pleated Midi Skirt c/o Chicwish | Similar Cami | Pearl Barrette | Rose Gold Sandals, Similar & Less Expensive Version | Lips, color is Patina | Eyeshadow

Raise your hand if you're a coffee addict! 🙋🏼‍♀️ I legit don't think I could survive without coffee in the mornings. It is as much a part of my morning routine as washing my face or brushing my hair. I am a bit of a coffee snob and always make my "fancy" coffee at home in the mornings (as opposed to drinking work coffee, bleh). Recently I've gotten in a terrible habit of wanting a post-lunch / afternoon pick-me-up beverage....it's usually a drink from Starbucks (hello, gold star member here!), a Diet Coke or a zero calorie energy drink. When it comes to Starbucks, though, it can be hard to order a drink that is both delicious and low-calorie (some grande lattes have like 400 calories and 50+ grams of carbs - that's more than a typical meal for me). I have a few staple low-cal drinks that I love and thought I would share them! I polled my Instagram followers a while back and am sharing some of their suggestions below, as well.

First, though, let's talk about my outfit!! I wore this on C and my four-year anniversary day date last weekend. We got brunch (with all the coffee, duh) and then got afternoon cocktails! Roma Designer Jewelry sent me this Swarovski Crystal bracelet and I just love the simple sparkle it gave to my look. It is so elegant and classic - it shimmered in the sunlight right along with my wedding rings. It's technically a "friendship" bracelet but I think friendship is one of the most important parts of a marriage so it seemed fitting to wear it on our special date. The tennis bracelet will never go out of style and it is so easy to pair with all of my outfits (and even stack with other jewels). I know I'll be wearing it for years to come!

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My Experience with Microblading

Let's talk brows! I've been having a lot of good brow days lately thanks to my recent microblading + powder brow combo sessions with Gilded Beauty OKC! In short, I got my eyebrows tattoo'd on. If you haven't heard of microblading, let me fill you in. It's a semi-permanent tattoo that fills in and shapes your brows perfectly (just like you would do with a brow pencil) by mimicking hair-like strokes with a pigmented ink (similar to tattoo ink, but safe for your face). It's done with a hand tool, which is more like a tiny razor blade as opposed to a tattoo pen, and basically gives you extra brow hairs. I had wanted to get my brows microbladed for several years so I jumped at the chance to collaborate with Michele at Gilded Beauty when she reached out to me!

I'm going to share my experience with microblading below from start to finish and will follow it up with some common questions I received from my followers. If there is anything I didn't answer, feel free to leave a comment or send me a DM on Instagram!

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Four Years

Haaaaappy anniversary to me and C! Today marks four years since our wedding day - it was truly the best day of my life thus far, surrounded by my favorite people in the most beautiful setting. It exceeded my dreams and it holds such a special place in my memory. It was not only beautiful but it was FUN! It is kinda nuts to see how much weddings and styles have changed just since our own special day.....but looking back on it I still wouldn't change a thing (except maybe the lavender toss at the end......that stuff went all down my dress and in my hair, lol).

Our wedding day was perfect but our marriage is what really matters. This year had its fair share of challenges, both as individuals and as a couple, but I'm thankful that with each struggle we've faced we have strengthened our relationship and become stronger as a team. I'm so thankful to have someone I can face the world with, side-by-side and hand-in-hand (or as the kids say these days, someone to "do life with"). Someone who shares the same views on the big things, has the same long term goals and helps me to be the best version of myself. Someone who keeps me accountable and balances out my strengths and weaknesses (and vice-versa). Yes, we have our own struggles, but I think we make a pretty great pair.

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