Finding…Motivation.

February 12, 2013January 2, 2017 ~ Sarah ~ 3 Comments

Is there anything quite as cozy as clutching a hot cup of coffee to warm up on a cold day?

I realized it’s been an awfully long time since my last “goal” related post. Perhaps not so coincidentally I’ve also been feeling uncharacteristically unmotivated lately. Quite frankly, I’ve also been scared to tell you all that I’m going to do something because, well….then I’d actually have to do it! This reality hit me hard this weekend when I woke up Saturday morning with precious hours to use however my heart desired…and all I could do was lay around in my bed thinking about how bored I was but how I was feeling too lazy to actually do anything to change how bored I was.

Snap out of it, self! It’s time for some tough love, so I’m waking up my brain to make some goals for this week and most importantly, share them with you.

Stop thinking about how tired / sick / unattractive I feel. This week I’m having a plan of attack for those self-conscious thoughts that make me feel unmotivated and self-conscious. Whenever these thoughts come up I will replace them with something good like, “I’m tired” becomes “I am so grateful for friends who want to see me, the financial ability to do fun things and a job that leaves me feeling fulfilled at the end of the day.” As for the appearance thing, reminding myself that no one notices (or cares) about minor details or off-days like I do will help, along with countering those thoughts with something I do well that is far more important than looks like being nice, smiling, helping someone, etc. This pity party is over.

FINALLY finish this book. I can’t even tell you how happy it makes me every time I open up The Tipping Point and start reading. I just love Malcolm Gladwell’s analytic yet engaging writing style. The problem is, every time I do get motivated enough to open the book (it’s quite daunting when I think about all that’s left to read) it’s usually on the later side and I end up falling asleep within a couple pages. As a result, it has taken me forever to get about 1/5 of the way in. This week I commit to start reading every day with the goal of reading 10 pages. Just 10, then I can decide to stop, keep reading, whatever I want. Take that, self-discipline.

I think that’s a pretty good start for now. I would also love to hear how you keep yourself motivated, re-motivate yourself, etc. Anyone else feel like they needed to recharge this Monday?

We’ll – correction – I’ll always have Paris.

February 10, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ 5 Comments

I don’t want to brag, but I had a pretty fantastic weekend. I hung out with three great friends and met so many new and amazing people. I kicked some serious bootay in Jumbo Jenga (but in girls vs boys, girls always win, am I right?), watched a terribly awkward comedy show that at the very least provided for a good story, and brunched with a group of great girls courtesy of fellow Tiffanys blogger Sarah Drew. My motto to just say “Yes, I’d love to!” was definitely exercised to the fullest. It might be the lack of sleep, but all that socializing has this introvert completely worn out. I digress.

In about a month and a half I will be taking a bit of a tour of Europe. I’m headed to Paris, Sevilla, Rome, Prague and Berlin. I’ve never been out of the country, so to say I am excited is likely the understatement of the decade. But due to a few unavoidable obstacles, it appears I will be exploring Paris solo.

At first, I was totally freaked. I mean, I’ve seen Taken, ya’ll. Plus, Paris is the romance capital of the world. As a single 20-something, looking up at the eiffel tower, surrounded by couples in love, with no beau waiting for me back home, sounded mildly depressing. I saw Paris at Midnight. What if I get transported back to the 1920’s? Actually.. that part I wouldn’t mind.

Lucky for me, the first two friends I consulted are super independent and well traveled women. They assured me it wouldn’t be as bad or as scary as I imagined. I’ve been instructed to study up on Rick Steve’s travel guides, carry my journal with me and keep a good book on hand. After a week of digesting the new version of my trip, I am actually really excited to explore Paris by myself. I can choose whatever I want to do each day and spend however long I choose doing it. True to geeky nature, I’ll be a Paris history expert in no time.

Although I would love to be joined in Paris with friends so we can gush about the trip for years to come, I think I’ll get something different out of traveling solo. The rest of my travels I’ll be accompanied by two other great friends, but Paris is all mine. It will be such an exciting adventure!

So, mom, dad, brother and several concerned friends, if you’re reading this….. ne vous inquiétez pas.

Yep, I Google translated that – like a boss.

Making the Most of a Rainy Day

February 10, 2013January 2, 2017 ~ Sarah ~ 1 Comment

weekend outfit company cafe gluten free french toast sticks company cafe greenville dallas project rebrief

Can we all just agree that today was the shortest Saturday ever? I can’t believe the day’s nearly over. It’s been grey and misty in Dallas today, the kind of day where you just have no choice but to pull up the covers and and sleep in. Of course, one of the side affects of turning into an adult is now “sleeping in” only gets to me to about 9:30 a.m. tops.

I fought off a near-debilitating combination of laziness and boredom to find some comfy clothes and brave the Texas ‘cold’ for a working brunch. Now cozied back up in my apartment, I may be making a trip downstairs soon for some prosecco to keep me company for a night in with Project Re:Brief, a documentary pictured above about how a couple advertising professionals revisited their most iconic ads from the sixties to create engaging digital campaigns for today’s world. I might even go really crazy and throw in some Netflix. Look out, Dallas…

Today also solidified my previous suspicions that Company Cafe is my favorite brunch restaurant in Dallas. At some point I’ll have to branch out and try out the rest of the menu, but so far their pancakes, brisket tacos, breakfast tacos, gravy and as of today, french toast sticks are all amazing. And it’s all natural and gluten-free! Not just gluten-free, but great tasting and gluten-free, which is easier said than done. My post allergy-diagnosed diet is having me live wheat-less for a little while, so this is particularly good news for my carb-starved soul. Don’t worry, I’m no food critic and I know it, so you don’t have to fear some elaborate, overly descriptive story a la Yelp-style is going to ensue. Just know it’s amazing, and you should go. Plus, you’re supporting local farms and food suppliers, many dedicated to great social causes like Impact Foods, a gluten-free granola company that donates food packs to children for every bad of granola sold. Food that tastes good, makes you feel good and does good…how can you say no to that? (Plus, all their servers at both locations have always been nice, helpful and down to earth. Okay, okay…I’ll try to stop raving now.)

P.S. Lucia was amazing. I’ve fully bought into the hard-to-grab reservation process and high price tag after last night’s meal. Go there, too.

Inspiration: Creative Folk

February 8, 2013January 2, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

This week I was inspired by three powerfully creative people, and it is totally worth waiting for this page to load with all its images and videos to make your day too.

Like Sarah in her in Media High + Finding freedom post, I was also inspired by some industry genius. This week was another installment of DSVC [Dallas Society of Visual Communication] meeting. Now, folks, I am not a designer. But I love learning from designers about communication, as it all plays into my passion for branding. (I also happen to secretly wish I had the natural inspiration for the perspiration it takes to be an artist and/or designer, but I digress). Our speaker this week was Erik Marinovich, a letterer and designer. Aside from his amazing talent, what I also found interesting about Erik was his initial career path. When he graduated he couldn’t get a job or internship (preach it). So he took to following in his father’s footsteps and taking over the brick laying business and had completely let go the idea of being a designer. Until his girlfriend, later turned wife, told him she was selling all her things and moving to NYC. He could either do the same, or she was breaking up with him. So he went. He took an internship, worked till 6 AM most nights, had some amazing mentors, and went on to becoming this amazing letterer. I think all young career driven people love hearing these stories, the ones that sound like theirs. It gives us confidence that if we do continue to work hard, we will succeed. And the fact that no one would hire us straight out of college, has no bearing on our lifetime success. I think I speak for Sarah and I when I say that we both had a rougher time than expected finding positions in our industry, and it was such an initial blow to our confidence and determination. We, as a 20-something, often struggle with the idea of why am I not there yet. Or at least, I do. To survive, we need mentors and role models like Erik to tell us to calm the freak down. Erik also reminisced about his time interning as a time of learning and great inspiration, he was young and still finding his way. Erik reminded me to work hard, work smart and stay passionate. In his presentation he instructed us to follow up on an idea. If you have a good one, go for it. Worst case scenario, it won’t work out, and life goes on. Erik was incredibly relate-able and truly put some fire under my feet this week at work.

Also, a quick note on the images above. They are from a site that Erik and Aaron Carámbula started one night a few years back around 4 AM via iChat, called FriendsofType.com. It’s awesome and you will no doubt get stuck clicking through the pages for a few hours. So be sure to only visit the site when you have at least 10 minutes to spare. Kidding, kinda. The wood one featured above was actually painstakingly carved into wood. Talk about dedication to a craft.

The following two videos are other nuggets of inspiration for me this week. I’m going through a Beethoven phase and believe everyone should be in on it too. It also happens to be fantastic work music. The other is poem by the Austin-based poet, Anis Mojgani, that a friend posted on my Facebook page. I love his message and the almost rap-like style of presentation. I haven’t had a real opportunity to explore his work further, but it is certainly on my list.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Inspiration: Media high + Finding freedom

February 8, 2013January 2, 2017 ~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

I have had the kind of work week that makes me incredulous that my job is actually considered a job. I got to go to digital media conference in Dallas for two days, which basically means I got to learn (yes!), hear different perspectives on the industry I love and meet new people. For an introvert, it’s amazing how exhilarating it is to walk up alone to a circle of people I’ve never seen before and not only make unawkward conversation (always a win), but also some new friends.

It’s given me a much needed refresher on work life this week and reminded me that I’m lucky to be where I am right now, even though I don’t always remember that. Maybe I’m an optimist (okay, I know I’m an optimist) but when I think back on the different phases of my life so far, no matter how much I struggled or thrived during them, my rose-colored glasses are definitely on. I don’t usually think, “wow this sucked” or “I regret doing this or doing it this way;” for the most part I think, “I’m so grateful for that time because ___.” It helps shift my perspective to tell myself how I’m going to look back on this time of my life and really appreciate it…so I better be appreciating it now!

Feeling ‘free’ has been a bit of a theme for me this week, as you might pick up on from my pinning spree below. These photographs and quotes have been reminding me to take a deep breath, rest a little then get out there and embrace life. I’ve been in a resting phase for a little while now, trying to avoid too many social plans, etc. Now I’m just ready for all that the very busy month of February has planned for me, starting with this weekend: Valentine’s/couples dinner at the very hard to reserve Lucia in Bishop Arts (!), freelance work and celebrating life with friends at a big post-church brunch. Can it just be Friday afternoon already?

All work and no play, but there are monkey valentines so who cares.

February 5, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

Welp. It’s going to be another busy week! Luckily, this time I woke up right on time at 5 AM to get it started right – phew.

Work in and of itself is going to be pretty stressful this week, but in a particularly good way. I am a freak who actually enjoys having to go to work early to get a head start on the day when there’s a lot to do. Especially when I am having the opportunity to work on projects I’m really interested and invested in.

There’s also a kitchen to be cleaned, laundry to be folded and a car’s interior that is desperate for some TLC. But those will just have to wait. My real goal this week is to catch up on the newsletters that have filled my inbox over the last two weeks. There literally is not enough time in the day to do all the reading I would like to.

Plus, I purchased the most adorable Valentine’s Day Cards at World Market [featured above.] I mean come on. Pop up monkeys? It could only get better if they were sloths. Ever since I moved into a new apartment, I have been single handedly keeping the USPS in business with congratulations cards, Christmas cards, change of address cards, just saying hello cards, and more cards cards cards. I would love to get these suckers written, licked and stamped this week to get it off my plate. The longer I keep them, the more attached I become. And although a single girl sending herself flowers is perfectly acceptable, I have a slight feeling sending myself a popup monkey might keep me singing “All the Single Ladies” a bit longer.

I am also finalizing Euro Trip 2013 this week! My plane ticket is purchased, passport application submitted, but the flights and trains between countries are TBD. I can’t wait for this adventure! It’s costing me an arm and leg, but I think it is upholding my New Year’s Resolution to spend less on things and more on experiences quite nicely. 🙂

Have a great week! If you’re having anything like the weather we’re having in Dallas, it’ll be hard not to.

A Nickel For Your Thoughts

February 5, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

The most magical thing about writing (and reading) is that moment of perfect synchronicity, when the reader goes “YES, me too!” I have this moment of understanding and connectivity with books and other bloggers (unbeknownst to them) often, and it is exactly that which has always motivated me to write as well. I can only hope that somebody stumbles across something I write and is encouraged, excited or if nothing else, left with a little more feeling of belonging than they had before. So it is with this hope that I broach a topic that has been weighing on me a lot lately.

I think I can speak on Lydia’s behalf when I say that healthiness is an important part in Finding Tiffany’s for us. When you feel 100% you’re better equipped to go out in the world and live life to the fullest. Whether through yoga, running, eating less sugar or finally making it to some doctor appointments, we’re always looking for ways to incorporate more of a healthy lifestyle.

So…what happens when everything you thought was eating healthily turns out to be actually slowly diminishing your immune system?

I found out this week I’m allergic to nickel, among other things. I’m afraid I’ve grown pretty boring since then, since all I’ve done ever since is research what this means and what I can do about it (Did you now 15% of the population have some sort of nickel allergy?? See, full of fun facts). You see, nickel is in basically everything. Keys, jewelry, zippers, buckles, metal buttons, pens, paper clips, cooking utensils and pans, door knobs, hangers…It’s also in food: wheat, ALL vegetables (including my favorites, spinach and mushrooms), nuts, soy, oatmeal, tuna and beans. And of course my favorites: wine (only red, thank God), chocolate and beer.

I can’t tell you how confusing it has been to retrain my brain these past couple of days. Everything I eat (and enjoy) on a daily basis that filled me with pride for taking care of my body (minus the chocolate and alcohol) was actually building up against my immune system the whole time. Huh.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I do firmly believe that having a healthy body is paramount to living a happy, fulfilled life. Because I believe that there ARE answers out there, no matter how many times you have to visit doctors who make you feel like a crazy hypochondriac. Because I want you to know that other people know whatever it is you’re going through, whether it’s people on our blog, another blog or a random message board. And hopefully, knowing that gives you some comfort. Helps you feel understood and accepted. Makes you feel at home, wherever you are, however you are.

As my friend told me this week, after I kinda thought I was going to be murdered while using the sketchiest bathroom of my life in an otherwise fun, quirky place (Lee Harvey’s) only to look up and see someone else had already hit my feelings spot on with the words scrawled on the bathroom wall, “This bathroom is f****** creepy as s***”…..

….Life is all about the shared human experience.

Stewpot

February 3, 2013January 2, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

Aside from my weekend routine of dog parks, yoga, and a cappuccino addiction, I really only have one interesting thing to share from this weekend.

A few months ago I read about an organization called The Stewpot. They were featured in an article by the Dallas Observer showcasing their art show they recently had at the Dallas Library. The Stewpot is an organization dedicated to helping the Dallas homeless get back on their feet, and art classes are just part of that. What was so beautiful about this art show was the unexpected (or should it be expected?) talent among the group. The Dallas Observer blogger, Betsy Lewis, described her reaction to one artist in particular’s wall of art work, Charles Williams:

Then I arrived at a wall full of work by an artist named Charles William

I kept saying, out loud, to no one in the room, “holy shit” and “Jesus” and, again, “holy shit.” I even wrote down “holy shit” in case I might forget it later. I know nothing about this person but I know he has mastered, MASTERED, Cubism.

As an obsessor of all that is creativity, this obviously caught my attention. I read on to discover that The Stewpot offers services such as helping individuals apply for social security checks, obtain birth certificates, and overall guidance to help acclimate their ‘clients’ to a new job and living on their own.

Around the same time I stumbled across the article, I had been feeling pretty selfish. My mind constantly revolves around where I’ll go next in my career, how I am going to afford Europe in a few months, and where the next coffee shop is opening up in Dallas. Me, me, me, me. I used to enjoy this. As a single 20 something, this is the time in my life I am allowed to be pretty selfish. But I wasn’t sure if I was giving proper thanks to where I was and what I had. If I was always looking to what’s next, how am I supposed to make sure I am appreciative of the today?

All that to say I was compelled to sign up to volunteer. Unforunately, apparantly everyone has these same thoughts around the holiday season so they were pretty booked for weekends through January. So I had to book pretty far in advance, but finally the weekend arrived!

Initially, I was kinda freaked. When I got there there were a bunch of ‘clients’ walking around and I had no idea where I was going and it was still dark outside. I couldn’t help but entertain the idea of getting back in my car to my warm, cozy and inviting bed. Luckily a fellow lost volunteer found me and together we navigated the unfamiliar “bad part of Dallas” to find where we were supposed to be. After a brief orientation, I was assigned the task of walking around and filling up water cups with a pitcher. Frankly, I was nervous. I don’t think this is unusual. I had no idea what types of personalities I was about to encounter. Plus, I was nervous I would spill the water – waitressing was never exactly my forté.

In the end, I had a great time. While walking around filling water, I chatted with many of the clients and found so many of them to be warm, kind and genuinely good people. The volunteers were no different. They were engaging, fun, and again, genuinely good people. The place where the meals were served was called “The Bridge.” It felt like a campus. They had one huge hall for sleeping, a library, computer lab, showers and lockers. In my opinion, by Stewpot respecting and keeping “The Bridge” clean, their clients have equal respect for the place they call home and those that make it possible.

The best thing that Stewpot is able to provide this group is a feeling of community and safety. The provide it, and they do a great job.

For more information on Stewpot and how you can get involved, check out TheStewpot.org.

xo L

1 Second Everyday

January 30, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ 1 Comment

I woke up late this passed Monday. Two hours late. There is nothing worse than starting the day cursing at the world. But, it turns out, I can easily get ready for work and walk my dog in 40 quick minutes. I’m actually a little impressed with myself. But I adore my mornings. I wake up, make a cappuccino and lazily start getting ready for the day with a little Colbert Report. I sneak in a few of my favorite blogs and trade articles, and am fully alert, awake, ready for the day by the time the sun comes up. Not to mention, this is kind of a busy week. So to make it worse, I woke up late to a big week. I am still confused as to what happened between me setting all of my alarms and me racing around to get ready. As a result of this happening far too many times, I’ve lost all faith in my iPhone alarm and purchased an alarm clock. Frankly, I am just relieved stores still sell them. So now I have an old school (but not in a cute way) alarm clock shining its “Time to wake up!” from across the room, forcing me to get my lazy butt out of bed! I am pretty excited. I got up 15 minutes before my 6 AM alarm clock and was so inspired that I even arrived to work super early.

Luckily, I’ve found a much better use for my iPhone. About a month ago I learned about Cesar Kuriyama, a man who took a year off of his life to travel the world. In this year, he recorded one second of everyday. At the end of the year, he compiled the clips to form a 365 second recap of his last year. He plans on continuing this plan for essentially the rest of his life. How awesome is that? So when he’s 85, he’ll have these fantastic video clips of every day for the last 55 years! He says his goal and purpose is to not forget a single day of his life and to make sure that everyday he is doing something video worthy.

1 Second Everyday – Age 30 from Cesar Kuriyama on Vimeo.

And now, thanks to Kickstarter, he has created an app so you can create your own video compilation masterpiece for just $.99! Which brings me to this week’s goal. I have a pretty busy week with meetings all around DFW, appointments, sticking to a work out routine and volunteering. So I hope to take the time to start this one second a day adventure. My biggest challenge will be finding something to record. Clips of my running or rushing to yoga class are going to get old pprettyyy quickly. But it is worth the challenge. It’s so simple to do! And very Finding Tiffanys.

Friends for Life

January 29, 2013April 10, 2017 ~ Sarah ~ 1 Comment

brunch in McKinney McKinney vintage shop McKinney Vintage Shop Book McKinney boutique downtown McKinney building McKinney Boutique Window McKinney Market

A good friend is a connection to life – a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~ Lois Wyse

I spent a slow-paced Sunday with a friend in downtown McKinney, an adorable area that looks like it belongs in a movie about a charming small town. Couples walked hand in hand, kids rode by on bicycles laughing as the wind blew in their hair. Literally. I thought I should probably take some pictures to prove it, but turning the camera on strangers made me feel a little on the creeper side. So you’ll just have to take my word for it.

I’ve been down there (or up there, rather, as it’s about 35 minutes north of Dallas) before for the occasional wedding or client meeting, but this was the first time I finally had time to explore. After stuffing ourselves with mimosas, caffeine, eggs benedict and deep conversation, we wandered into one vintage treasure shop after another.

Our afternoon reminded me how much I have to be thankful for…Some people just make your soul richer, and this girl is definitely one of those. We’ve both come a long way personally, romantically and professionally since we first met one year ago. Sometimes seeing that growth in others is easier than seeing it in yourself, and having friends to witness that growth in (and remind you of your own) is a beautiful thing! This week I’m making an effort to hold on to that encouragement and reach out to some friends I’ve been meaning to connect with. I even picked up some cute notecards at one of the shops to help me get started.

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