Amanda Brown - Amanda's Avenue

/

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[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

/

April 10, 2021

Comet the Corgi turns one!

A year older, a year bolder!Happy Barkday Comet! Hi All! It has been a minute since I last posted. Work has been keeping me busy and I just haven't found the motivation for extra screen time. Plus, I have been feeling lazy on my weekends off, as I'm sure many of you can relate to. So, I am a few weeks late on posting about Comet's first birthday party, but better late than never, am I right? Mr. Comet the Corgi turned ONE on Sunday, March 28, 2021. He is an Aries baby, just like hi[...]

Travel Blog, Vlog

/

February 21, 2021

Seattle VLOG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXhbOt1jik Last weekend, February 12-15th, my boyfriend and I were in Seattle, WA. We arrived late evening February 12th and departed the morning of February 15th. This meant we had all of Saturday and Sunday to adventure! I had booked our flight tickets in December as a Christmas gift for Evan. I figured we would travel during this time in February as it was a three-day weekend for me and it would allow us an opportunity to get away and celebrate Valent[...]

Blog, Travel Blog

/

January 24, 2021

A weekend at the coast: Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur

As a kid, I remember driving to places like Monterey, Morro Bay, and Pismo Beach with my parents and grandparents. Now that I'm an adult, I enjoy taking trips up to these places, as well as Carmel and Big Sur, because it allows me a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of a city and just enjoy some fresh air. Of course, I wish I could visit this coastal area more often, but I try to make the drive when I can. I mean truly, Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur are the gems of California, in my[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

/

January 1, 2021

Out with the old and in with the new Year!

Is it really the last day of the year?? 2020 was a lot of things, and I think it is safe to say, I am among the millions, if not billions, who are looking forward to the 2021 New Year. I started working from home in March when the Covid-19 Pandemic became a national concern (at least for those who believe in science), and both myself and Evan lost a family member to the virus (which forced Evan and myself to make the responsible decision to stay home this holiday season). Not to mention, there[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

/

December 20, 2020

surviving the holidays 101

Holiday Hardships I don't think it comes as a shock that the holidays can be a joyous time full of love and laughter, but that it can also be a time where greater anxiety, depression, and trauma surfaces and/or re-surfaces. Some individuals may not have intact family relations. So when it comes time to paying the family a visit during the holidays, greater anxiety may result, which can have an impact on mental well-being. Of course, 2020 looks a lot different with quarantine/lockdown orders in[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

/

December 7, 2020

How-To holiday DYI Ornaments: Eight Ornament Designs

This holiday season I decided to craft my own Christmas ornaments. I've always felt the best gifts are those that come from the heart. Meaning, Christmas is not about the quantity of the gift, but rather the quality of it. Does the gift mean anything to you or them? Did you put thought, time, or effort into it? Will the gift bring a smile to the recipient's face? Is it something they will cherish and perhaps reuse in the coming years? The holidays have looked a bit different for me, and man[...]

Travel Blog, Vlog

/

November 23, 2020

Colorado Vlog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq6Y7J0tAdA A few weekends ago I visited Colorado with my two high school best friends. Ali had just gotten engaged, so of course we all needed to be together to celebrate! Ali currently lives just outside Denver, Colorado, while Sarah is in Tahoe and I reside in Santa Barbara. So it was nice that we could all be together for a weekend again. We did a good amount in three jam-packed days (especially with things being shut down due to COVID). That said, I[...]

Blog, Lifestyle Blog

/

October 5, 2020

Happy Fall Y’all!

Can you believe it's already October, aka spooky season? I know I can't. Summer seemed to disappear in a blink of an eye, but I honestly don't mind. In fact, fall is my favorite season of all! I know this year looks a little different with a global pandemic and the chaos that's unfolded with 2020, but we can still celebrate what fall has to offer in a responsible/social distancing way, right? Right! Or at least we can make the most of it while we prepare for an election and hopefully receiv[...]

Travel Blog, Vlog

/

September 26, 2020

Mighty Five Vlog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsqNM6MxDZc A few weeks ago, during the Labor day weekend/week, a few friends and myself took a trip to Utah's Mighty Five. The Mighty Five comprises Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks. We flew out of LAX (Los Angeles Airport) into LAS (Las Vegas Airport). The flight went smoothly, but considering it was a pretty packed plane, I made sure to keep my face mask on the entire flight (COVID times). After an hour or so f[...]