Head first

December 12, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

I noticed an unusual amount of my ‘Looks I Like’ pins as of late share a mutual characteristic, a felt hat. I’ve never really considered myself a hat person before. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re beyond stylish, but they all seem to transform me into Indiana Jones’ sidekick or worse…

How I think I look wearing hats:

How I actually look:

Regardless of the very large margin of error that exists with this trend, I’m on the quest (Indiana Jones pun not intended) to find a felt, fedora-ish hat that actually fits. The problem is, they’re all over Pinterest, but no one seems to be selling them. One felt hat that isn’t too tall or too flat, too wide-brimmed or too pointy, too floppy or too stiff..is that too much to ask?

Dance Cam Dance Off

December 10, 2013January 19, 2016 ~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but I’m having a pretty crummy day full of rude strangers, dogs getting sick and tickets. This video cheered me up just a bit.

I LOVE this. It will make you giggle and wish you knew both of these talented dancers. How adorable is that kid?

Good food for a bad day

December 10, 2013January 19, 2016 ~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

I did not have a good day.

My initial reaction, however potentially psychiatrically unsound, is usually to hermit in my own emotional cave all night long, but I decided I could poke my head out for a minute to tell you about a few of my favorite things. Just for you. Feel special.

To stock up for my evening watching Netflix in bed, I stopped by two of my favorite Lower Greenville establishments: Sevan G&G Cafe and Company Cafe.

If you live in Dallas, you must go to Sevan. The most precious Armenian couple own it, and even though I’ve never gotten their names (and now we’re far past the socially acceptable number of encounters to ask due to my Mediterranean food addiction), we’ve reached the point where the quiet husband and wife will actually both come out front and chat whenever I pick up my to go order. The Kafta Kabobs are heavenly.

Of course, it’s not a pity party without dessert, so I had to stop by Company Cafe to buy whatever gluten free baked good they had available. I ended up going home with a chocolate chip cookie bigger than my hand, so I’d say the additional minutes in the post-icepocalypse Dallas temps were well worth it. …Is it strange that my phone autocorrected to accurately spell “icepocalypse”?

The down side of coming home so hungry (always) and eating so fast (standard) – I now feel like a balloon someone filled with cooked oatmeal.

But…I have Shiner Cheer, White Collar Season 4 on Netflix, a fiancé who listens sympathetically to my unintelligible, tearful call and a double date with my space heater and bed. So I’d say things are looking up.

Hemp Seeds

December 9, 2013January 19, 2016 ~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

I’ve added a new food routine to my “trying to eat cleaner” diet. Introducing, Hemp Seeds!

I learned of Hemp Seeds the way I learn about anything anymore, from Instagram. It’s called a seed, but technically it’s a fruit that tastes mildly nutty.

Hemp seeds provides some fantastic health benefits. I’ve been putting about 3 tablespoons into my morning fruit shakes which gets me:

11 grams of protein (!!!!)
a healthy anti-inflammatory 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fat
Serving of GLA, whose health benefits include (directly from cleancruisineandmore.com)
– GLA can help reduce hormone-mediated nuisance symptoms (bye-bye PMS!)
– GLA supports healthy hair, nail and skin health.
– GLA decreases the tendency of inflammation in general. This can be helpful to anyone with an inflammatory condition such as asthma, MS, fibromyalgia, arthritis, etc
– GLA helps lower bad LDL cholesterol and improve cholesterol ratio
– GLA supports a healthy metabolism and facilitates fat burning (some people who struggle with weight loss despite eating a healthy diet get a weight loss boost simply by adding GLA to their diets.)

Protein, better skin, and increased metabolism? Yep, sign me UP. So far, I’ve only included this in my morning shakes (frozen strawberries, frozen berry mix, kale, coconut water, vanilla soy milk for some creaminess). It kind of gives my shakes the slightest after taste of peanut butter. According to some of the sites I’ve looked at, other ways to eat hemp seeds is to include it as some extra texture on your pasta, dry roasted and seasoned, included on top of baked goods, amp up your salad or cereal, add texture to your yogurt, include in your oatmeal and I’m sure there’s more!

Unforunately they are a bit pricey, I bought a 13 ounce bag for like $15 at Whole Foods. I’m sure there are better deals out there, but either way I think it’s way worth it. Enjoy!

Setting a new goal

December 3, 2013April 10, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ 4 Comments

So I have a new goal and in true Finding Tiffanys fashion, I’m declaring it here to hold me to it.

In two years I want to be starting Yoga Teacher Training.

I love yoga. It’s had a large impact on my life and I’d love to spread that joy through teaching. I don’t intend for it to be my full time gig (plus, I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to do the splits!) but I think it’d be a blast to have one or two classes a week.

The thing is, it costs about $2,500 and 10 weeks of intensive training to get there. Yikes! My hope is that in two years as I continue building my savings and investments, I can also save to put myself through training. Furthermore, I’ve been doing yoga religiously for about a year. And I think in two years I’ll be experienced enough to have the foundation to start training.

So there you have it. Two years, Lydia as a yoga teacher. I’m really excited about this one! I think it’s going to be a fantastic adventure, and one I never would have thought would interest me one or two years ago. I love how goals and interests change constantly over the years. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a cross-fitter instead?

Anyhoo wish me, my bank account and my hips (and my back) luck!

Making the right decision

December 2, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

I’m not the most decisive of people.

While reading Fast Company‘s “Secrets of the Most Productive People” though, I started to notice a pattern. Many profiles included answers such as, “I eat the same thing every day,” or “I don’t have a million clothing items to choose from.” These people argue everyone only has a finite amount of decision processing power each day, so they limit choices in other areas of their lives to save it for the ones that truly matter for supporting their family, coworkers and business.

So maybe it’s not that I’m indecisive…maybe it’s just because I’m making so many important decisions every day (ha) that I get too overwhelmed to place my drink order within a waiter’s first through third visits. (But seriously, how am I supposed to choose between beer, wine or cocktails I know I love or risking it all on a new one I might not like as much?? Sigh.)

Pharrell Williams said visionaries like Vogue’s Anna Wintour “understand instinctively how to protect creativity within a business. ‘They are 100% decisive. Snap, no. Snap, yes.'”

I would like someone to describe me as 100% decisive. I used to think I just needed to get better at choosing an option right off the bat and letting the chips fall where they may….but that is only half the equation. What makes these people “visionary” isn’t that they make decisions quickly, but that they make the right decisions quickly.

How do we (I) get better at successful snap decision-making? I don’t have all the answers, but here are some ideas:

1. Fully know yourself / brand / goals to better recognize what fits or not

2. Have a plan to minimize distractions

3. Surround yourself with people who are smart, skilled and trustworthy

4. Learn from decisions that didn’t work out as anticipated

This article made me realize the importance of #2 and evaluate how I can plan or streamline to improve my own day to day. I function much more efficiently during the week when I know what I’m going to eat, for example, rather than looking up at noon with a grumbling stomach, needing food now, researching the unimpressive surrounding options, then settling on a Whole Foods field trip yet again.

It’s also time for another closet purging. Really, it’s crazy how many clothes (read: dresses; my roommate’s parents refer to me as “the girl who never wears pants”) I own, despite bags and bags of giveaways in the last year and a half. Plato’s Closet is my ally in the never-ending effort to own less stuff, and since my closet seems to regenerate like Halloween’s Michael Myers or those birthday candles that just don’t blow out, it looks like I’ll be making another trip soon.

I have a feeling my bank account is also going to appreciate this added foresight.

Best day of my life

November 26, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Sarah ~ Leave a comment

“Your wedding is SO you.“

“…the wedding of your dreams.”

“Your special day.”

There’s a lot of pressure in wedding planning to create an event that magically embodies my taste and personality in a way that not only provides every attendant with a seamless, joyous experience but also surpasses every other day of my own as the “best day of my life.”

I’ve had the good fortune to be surrounded by parents and a community whose examples have taught me that “successful” marriage is about commitment over time, actions not always feelings and continuously breaking your own selfishness to better love the other person. But while everyone seems to be down with this whole “marriage is not for you” thing, weddings are a whole different story.

I’m also fast learning that there are far more concerns to take into account than traditional wedding talk lets on…feelings, family, finances, and oh yeah, the fiance himself. Which means this whole “my wedding,” “your special day” stuff from wedding magazines, vendors and pretty much everyone else isn’t exactly true. It’s all enough to make a girl feel frustrated and frankly, a little lied to. In Wedding Planning Conversation #1 alone, it was all I could do to keep from pathetically (and now hilariously) wailing, “But it’s myyyyy wedding!”

When I shared my conflicted emotions with a married friend, she just smiled knowingly and listened patiently. She then told me she ended up happy with her wedding not despite but because there were things included she hadn’t originally pictured or gone 100% as planned. When she looked around she saw bits of her and her husband in the compromises.

Despite my surprisingly strong ~~need~~ desire to have a make-your-own-cupcake takeaway table, I think this is true. Because how does it make any sense that a commitment to care for someone else starts with a day all about only me?

Oprisco Photography

November 24, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ Leave a comment

This series of photographs are from Oprisco Photography, brought to my attention by This is Colossal. I just think they are stunning. Kind of mythical, stunning and elegant. Just a little Sunday prettiness to get through this gloomy day (if you’re having the winter weather like we’re having in Dallas!)

Plus, if you’re looking to do some Christmas shopping, you can purchase all of these prints! Sign me up!

Pains of the perfect present

November 20, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ 1 Comment

I find buying presents to be incredibly stressful. My expectation for when I give a gift is to make the receiver the happiest possible. I always want to find that gift that they have always wanted, didn’t know they wanted, something surprising or at least makes their day.

Easier said than done.

You see, when you try to find the perfect present just a few days or hours before you need to have it, your resources and ideas are limited. So this year I decided to do my Christmas shopping earlier. I started making a list of ideas about a month ago and have been secretly listening intently when talking to the family and the boyfriend to what they casually say they really want. With the exception of one difficult to buy family member, all my holiday shopping is done. Sounds great, right? Wrong.

Now I have these great gifts that I want to give NOW. The appropriate window for giving Christmas gifts is like a month away. Pure. Torture. I might need to get some really cute wrapping paper and ribbon to tide me over through Thanksgiving. Holidays are rough, people.

Lead like women

November 17, 2013April 11, 2017 ~ Lydia ~ 1 Comment

Lead like a woman, not like a man – Della Williams

I’d like to apologize in advance. Because if you’re a woman, you’re likely sick of articles telling you how to live your life… annnd that’s mayyybe what I’m about to do.

A few weeks ago the beau and I attended the 50th Anniversary of Williams Pyro (now, WilliamsRDM). WilliamsRDM was started by Della Williams and her now deceased husband, and Della continues to reign today. Since the beginning of the business, she’s been in the trenches working in every department to ensure success. She’s loved and respected by all her employees, peers and anyone who has the opportunity to work beside her – this was apparent by the many that came out that night to present her with a gift to honor her character, accomplishments and leadership. She’s strong, independent, caring and warm.

One thing she said that night really stuck with me, the quote at the top of the post, women need to lead like women.

I’d never really thought about this before, as silly as it may sound. But men and women are different. Typically, we don’t interact with our friends and our coworkers the same. Women are scientifically and genetically more in touch with other’s emotions, for example. Men and women are different. And to me, it seems we’ve figured this out when it comes to dating (men are from mars, women are from venus), but haven’t quite figured it out when it comes to the workforce, or how to deal with it. Women, as a movement, are still figuring out the best ways to utilize our own personalities, traits and qualities to lead in the workforce. And really, this goes for everyone. Both men and women as individuals must learn how to use their personalities and skill sets to lead. However, men have been working in business longer than women, so women have a little catching up to do. We need to hone those leadership skills that we do have, not try to attain those that men have. And no matter what, your’e going to encounter people who disagree and those that agree. Personalities clash, no matter what your gender is. It’s just going to happen.

It’s further evidence that it is so important to have women like Della Williams paving the way for future women leaders. To have someone not telling, but showing you what it means to lead like a woman, not like a man.

Della Williams is a powerful woman. Not because of her status in her company, but because when she speaks at the podium, people listen. She has strong integrity, a big heart, passion and the work ethic to boot. She is a strong woman leader, who leads like a woman.

To be a female leader, you can’t act like a man. Simply because you aren’t one.