amandacrives - Amanda's Avenue

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November 1, 2022

Happy Halloween Witches! Not so spooky adult diy witch hat

Happy Halloween and Día de los Muertos from Mexico (Evan and I are currently in Tulum)! In honor of the Hocus Pocus 2 debut this year, my partner and I decided to throw a Hocus Pocus party. In preparation for the event, I ordered a Sarah Sanderson custom-made costume from Etsy. I also crafted a witch hat just in case my outfit did not arrive on time (you know how it can be with shipping delays). Luckily my costume did arrive as scheduled, and I still had a chance to wear my DIY witch hat to an[...]

Travel Blog, Vlog

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July 6, 2022

Surfs Up Oahu – A Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

https://youtu.be/jy1i8n_GyaMAloha from Oahu, Hawaii! A week ago, my boyfriend and I were visiting the beautiful and lush Island of Oahu. We stayed at Aqua Aloha Surf Waikiki, which is located just a few short blocks from shopping and Waikiki Beach. The hotel was not the Ritz, but it certainly got the job done and allowed us to have an enjoyable vacation. We spent a whole week in Hawaii. This enabled us to explore various parts of the island, and not just spend our whole time in Waikiki (th[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

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June 12, 2022

Get Yo Pride On! DIY macrame Rainbow🌈🦋

Happy Pride Month!! Pride is commemorated in June, since that was the month when the Stonewall Riots occurred. For those who aren't as familiar, the Stonewall Riots were protests that took place in 1969 in the US, that helped ignite gay rights in America. The rainbow also has cultural significance in Hawaii, where Hawaii is nicknamed "The Rainbow State" and features this symbol on their state license plate. Evan and I will be traveling to Oahu, Hawaii in about a week (stay tuned for my Hawaii v[...]

Travel Blog, Vlog

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March 21, 2022

New Orleans Vlog

https://youtu.be/yV6h03qU0yMA few weeks ago I visited New Orleans, LA, with my boyfriend, Evan. We stayed at The Old No. 77 Hotel and Chandlery. While we did not experience any paranormal activity ourselves, a former employee (bartender at a neighboring hotel) told us a tale that some guests who had stayed on the third floor asked him about horses running on the roof... interesting, I know. That said, we spent three full days in New Orleans. We had a chance to explore some of city's main attra[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

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February 21, 2022

Love my gals a brunch! Celebrating Galentines Day <3

I don't know about you, but in my opinion, Galentines is one of the best holidays of the year! After all, what is better than gals celebrating gals? If Saturdays are for the boys, then Sunday brunch is reserved for the girls. That said, last Sunday I hosted my very first Galentines event. We came, we concurred, we brunched! My friend Lauren brought croissants. I made homemade heart-shaped mini waffles, complete with toppings like chocolate chips, powered sugar, raspberries, strawberries[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog, Travel Blog

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January 8, 2022

I Don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 2022!

Another year has come and gone, and the world is still as unpredictable as ever. At this point not testing positive for Covid or one of its variants is like avoiding the ghosts coming at you in Pac-Man (okay now I'm really starting to show my age). 2021 was a lot of things - it had its triumphs and challenges. Reflecting back to 2021- I kicked off the year visiting one of my best friends in San Francisco and made a weekend trip to Carmel. I enjoyed many sunny days in Santa Barbara, but also[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog, Travel Blog

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December 25, 2021

Utah puts the ho ho ho in Holiday Magic

Merry Christmas Eve Grinches! I hope you have been starting to feel that ho ho holiday magic! And if not, I know a little bit of Baileys helps me get by. This year I've been dreaming of a white Christmas; and luckily, it looks like this manifestation will become my reality. It has been dumping snow in both Utah and South Lake Tahoe (our home town) the last few days. In fact, on Tuesday, Evan and I drove home to Tahoe to beat the winter storm warning, and we thankfully made it[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

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November 1, 2021

Utah in October – the season of fall foliage

Happy Halloween! Spooky season is currently upon us! As some of you may know, Evan, Comet, and I moved to Utah from California in June, as I was presented with a job opportunity at Utah Valley University advising first-year students. So far I have enjoyed what outdoor and event opportunities Utah has to offer. Of course, there is always some give and take with every place you move to, but I am just soaking in all there is to offer in this mountainous state. Life is too short, so why not liv[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

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October 3, 2021

Homemade Tortilla Soup – A recipe for cooler weather

Happy October 2nd! Cooler fall weather is upon us! I also realize it's been a minute since I last posted. Essentially, I took a summer vacation off as I moved to Utah and got situated in a new apartment and job. But what better way to return to the blog, then to write a post on homemade tortilla soup? I found a recipe on tortilla soup on Pinterest years ago, and since then I have perfected the recipe based on what I thought tasted good. This soup is ideal for those mild fall and winter days[...]

Lifestyle Blog

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May 8, 2021

A peony for your picnic

A few weekends ago my boyfriend Evan and I celebrated our 28th birthdays (Evan's birthday is April 15th and mine is the 18th) with a picnic in the park. We drove up to the Santa Barbara Mission lawn early in the morning to set up and get the party started! This was probably the most elaborate picnic I've ever put together, and I owe a lot of this creativity to Pinterest. I went for a more boho look and I was happy with the end results. Hit me up for all your party planning events! That being sa[...]