Happy LOVE day {+ happy birthday to my baby brother, Kenny!} Today, I am spreading the love by sharing several baked goods + packaged goodies I made last night.
Wishing everyone’s day is always filled with lots of love + happiness. Happy Valentine’s day ya’ll!
{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}
As 2013 approaches, I want to take this moment to thank my family + bf + friends for your continuous support, love and encouragement. This year has been a continuous roller coaster in my personal life + the world around us.
In 2013, this bangle {received this Kate Spade bracelet from my brother for Christmas} will be worn proudly as a constant reminder that this is THE year to:
For you my friends, may 2013 be THE year for you as well. May 2013 bring everything that your heart desires. To a healthy, prosperous year filled with people, moments, “things” that matter the most. 2013…this is the year! Cheers!
A couple weeks from now, I will be turning 30 + 1. Last year, when I turned 30, I thought life was over {yes, I’m being a bit overly dramatic}. I wanted to hold onto my twenties as long as I could (20-something sounds more youthful than 30!). Everything started to hit me. I questioned my relationships, my career, my health. I questioned where I was in life. I thought about the life plan that I had mapped out when I was younger: be a pediatrician, get a house by 25, be married by 28, have kids no later than 30. etc. I thought about how life at 30 didn’t turn out the way I had envisioned it when I was younger.
I played it really safe in my 20’s. The two major risks I made were moving out to Southern California freshly out of college without a job or a place to live and purchasing a townhouse at the height of the market. Other than that, I played it very safe, staying at my one and only job after college for 8+ years, sticking to my daily habitual routine, and going back and forth on my love relationship.
I was always too afraid to take risks because I didn’t want to fail. But after feeling unchallenged at my job of 8 years, I took a chance and moved back to Dallas to chase a dream of being my own boss. I didn’t start taking this risk until I was approaching nearly 30.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes and not so great decisions in my 20’s. But it has made me the person I am today. At 30, I can say that I have discovered me. This is really when life began for me {reality set in!}.
20 THINGS I KNOW AT 30…
1 // FAMILY WILL ALWAYS + HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT.I love my family and grateful to have their unconditional love + support.
2 // MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY BF HAS BEEN STRONGER THAN EVER.We have been working long and hard to get here. The future of our relationship is clearer and we have a better understanding of what it takes for our {long distance} relationship to work + thrive {it’s not always about me!}. I appreciate + admire + love my man. I am so much happier than ever.
3 // LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE HAS BECOME A PRIORITY. I didn’t care a lot about my body in my 20’s. I barely worked out {correction: I didn’t know how to work out properly} and I put really bad food in my body. I was good at hiding my “rolls” with the right clothes. Now when I look back, my unhappiness was partially due to me not feeling good about myself physically. I finally seek helped from Julie who owns Fit180, a private training studio in Dallas, Texas. I’m grateful to Julie and the Fit180 team for helping me get back in shape + to consciously think about what I eat + being overall accountable for my health.
4 // HAVING A SKIN CARE REGIMEN IS IMPORTANT TO PROLONG YOUR YOUTH. I moisturize, put sunscreen on top of the moisturizer, wear sunglasses so that I stop squinting while I’m driving out in daylight, and most of all, I try to stay away from the sun. Although, that hasn’t always been the case. I have a confession: I used to be addicted to tanning in my early 20’s. You name it, I’ve tried it {and even worked at a tanning salon!} from baking in the tanning bed, laying out on the beach to getting sprayed with bronzer and using instant tanning lotions. I hope all that damage to my skin years ago doesn’t catch up to me later! I still love to lay out, but I do it consciously now. I stay under shade such as a big umbrella!
5 // I LEARNED TO EMBRACE MY BODY.Some things will never change like the height and shape of my legs, the width of my hips, etc. But I do know that after slimming down, I felt better and exude more confidence. I began wearing clothes that made me feel great. I finally feel good to be in my skin.
6 // HAVING QUALITY FRIENDS IS BETTER THAN HAVING MANY FRIENDS.Quality is as in people who will be there for you {and vice versa!} and doesn’t take you for granted. True friendships are rare and it’s even more difficult to make friends when you’re older. So I cherish the ones that I have. My true friends are brutally honest, let’s me vent, cry, laugh, can hear the truth and make time to hang out.
7 // WORK HARD + PLAY {LESS} HARDER.In my 20’s, I believed in working hard and playing even hard {and I paid for it!}. I still feel the same but now that I’m in my 30’s, I’m scaling back on the playing harder part. I think it’s important to work hard and enjoy life too. I think it’s important to remove yourself from the daily grind from time to time to go on a relaxing vacation, get therapeutic massages, or do whatever it is that relaxes you.
8 // PARTYING IS NOT THAT MUCH FUN ANYMORE.I rather spend time with my friends over a nice dinner+ glass of bubbly than going out and drinking more than my body can handle. The recovery period the day after from a night of heavy, late-night partying is no longer worth it.
9 // IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO CHASE YOUR DREAM / PASSION.I realize that if you really want it, you have to start + keep working on it. Nothing falls in your lap. It requires a lot of work. And most importantly, it requires some sacrifice whether it’s in the form of your freedom, reduction in your normal income, time away from your love ones or social obligations.
10 // DO IT WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT. I want to have a family but I will only do it when the time is right. And right now, the time is not right. The truth is I’m a bit too selfish; I want to build a good future before I bring someone into this world. And when I do, I’ll be mentally, financially and physically ready. For now, I’m going to enjoy my nieces + nephews + sister’s dogs.
11 // LIFE IS NEVER EASY. Life doesn’t get any easier with age. There is never a direct, straight path. There will be bumps in the road. You just have to keep your head up high, do whatever it takes to get through it, don’t let ego get in the way, and seek help if you need it.
12 // TIME FLIES + THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME. As a kid, I couldn’t wait until the weekends so I could watch my cartoons. Now, I wish I could pause time. As you get older, time just flies by faster. I wish I had time to spend with my family + friends. I wish I had a lot more time to do a lot of things. I cherish all {if any} free time that I have.
13 // QUALITY IS BETTER THAN QUANTITY {PAY A LITTLE MORE FOR QUALITY}. Choose wisely over… the people you want to have in your life, the furniture you select for your home, even the quality of knives you use to chop your veges, the clothes you buy {wardrobe staple? investment piece?}, the food you put in your body {fast food vs. a healthy meal}, etc. Quality goes a lot farther {and last longer}.
14 // IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH TO LIVE. After living out of my suitcase for a year {bumming at my friends’ places}, I learned that I don’t need much to live. I really just need a roof over my head, food, clean water, a heating blanket when it’s too cold, a fan when it’s too hot, clean clothes, a mattress, and a working car. Everything else certainly makes life easier but we really only need the basic essentials.
15 // IN ORDER TO SUCCEED, YOU MUST KNOW HOW TO FAIL {OR HAVE FAILED BEFORE}.Once you hit bottom, the only place to go is back up!
16 // CHANGE IS NECESSARY FOR PERSONAL GROWTH + ENRICHMENT. Change is necessary for things to happen. Change is healthy. I stayed at my job for 8+ years. I wear the same perfume every 10 years. But now I’m learning to venture in uncharted territories and it’s been fun + challenging!
17 // I’M BECOMING MORE LIKE MY MOM {AND PROUD OF IT}. My mom is the most unselfish person in the world, she lives for her family + kids. I hope to be half the mom to my kids as my mom has been to us.
18 // ENJOY IN MODERATION. Living a healthy lifestyle does not mean you have to give up everything. I love desserts and will hardly pass on desserts when I’m out eating. I will splurge when I go on vacation. I may look like I’m eating everything but I’m really just “tasting” everything.
19 // I DON’T GIVE A SH*T WHAT PEOPLE THINK. This quote is taken from my bf 
. At the end of the day, do what makes you happy and don’t do things just for the sake of trying to fit in or be part of the norm. Do what you think is right because you’re going to live with that decision.
20 // I BELIEVE I DESERVE IT.I deserve to be in a healthy, good relationship. I deserve the life I want {but I know I have to work for it}. I deserve that massage. I deserve that dessert after that meal. I deserve to be happy.
All in all, I have discovered me {+ loving me} at 30. I am no longer worried about doing things for the sake of acceptance. I have never felt better about myself than today. I am alive, stronger {physically + mentally}, and healthier. Turning 30 wasn’t so bad after all.
On an ending note, I asked my talented, good friend Jonny Ngo to take personal photos of me to capture this milestone in my life and so that I’ll have a headshot for my blog. I was really nervous about the shoot and kept postponing it!
The bf saw the photos and said something that got me thinking… he said I looked different. And by different, he meant that I looked happier. I think he’s absolutely right.
Here are some photos from the shoot!
Thank you Jonny for the beautiful photos and for making me not feel so awkward in front of the camera! Your heart is pure + work is amazing! I’m proud + grateful to have you as a friend! Thank you Love Story Beauty for beautifying my face + hair!
,Tiff
SPANCY = SPECIAL + FANCY
Happy weekend ya’ll! I’ve been trying to adjust to this new home on the web + settling into a new place in Dallas, relentlessly trying to make some time to get items out of the moving boxes. I’m making some “majah” progress which makes me feel relieved!
Since I was out of town during Julie’s birthday, we had to postpone her birthday dinner. We decided to go to Abacus, one of her favs! We decided to spoil Julie {+ ourselves} with a 6-course meal {so worth it!}! This place did not disappoint… from the ambiance, to the service and certainly the food {in taste + quality} delivered. As Julie said, the food was good, but the company made it even better!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BFF, JULIE!
Course 1 // Bread Basket {yummy flatbread crackers + focaccia bread}
Course 2 // White Fish + Kobe Beef Dumpling + Seasonal Veges in a Delicious Broth
Course 3 // Grilled Scallops with Fettuccine Noodles
Course 4 // Flat Iron Steak with Red Wine Sauce
Course 5 // Pepper-Crusted Steak {with a side of BBQ sauce} on a Bed of Delicious Cheesy Grits {these grits were so good!!}
Course 6 // Deconstructed Decadent Dark Mousse S’More
Parting Gift // Dark Chocolate Truffles
At the end of the 6-course we were full + fulfilled! The portions were perfect!
I’m beginning to feel like this weblog is becoming more “food-focused” but I just can’t help it. I love food so much but I love dining with my favorites even more {because it’s really about the experience + it’s a great time to catch up over good food + drinks!}.
The weather is amazing outside! Please do me a favor + go out there + make it a stellar day!
,Tiff
Happy birthday to my little sis, Donna!Wishing you a year full of stellar moments, happy surprises, smiles + fun adventures!
Can’t wait to celebrate your birthday tonight with a yummy dinner {or should I say feast?} with your favorite foods, cupcakes + bubbly! I love you lots!
{Photo taken in Santorini, Greece on her recent honeymoon trip to the Greek Islands + Spain.}
,Tiff