Novembrrr, it's cold out there!

Well, well, well.

Here I am at 1:33a writing a blog entry. I wish I could reach out and hug whoever is reading this right now.
Friends, here is a little update!
As of late, I've been inspired by photography and design and have sparked an interest in writing. So we'll see how God uses my desires for his purpose.
These days, being so so so so so cold out, I'm wearing whatever is warmest {matching or NOT. Gimmie them mismatched socks}.
I'm still vegetarian! For Thanksgiving, I made a Salted Blueberry Chocolate Mousse for dessert. Serious yum.
Anyway, I just wanted to say how thankful I am of my life here and now. There are some amazing things going on in my life and I want to be open and honest with things that move my spirit.

Tiffany

Aveda Institute's Catwalk for Water 2012.

How will I be celebrating Earth Month?
Why, I will be walking in this wonderful fashion show. It will be my second catwalk and I couldn't be more excited! The best part is that the hairdresser/stylist is possibly the nicest in the entire world. She's a bubbly red-head that really cares about the model (that's me!) and totally accommodates my modesty. Love that. I love when I can do something fashion related and still be who I am. Makes me happy. :)

The Detes:
The show is Aveda Institute of Portland's Catwalk for Water Event on April 11th.
So. Excited. Here is the site with all of the details: Aveda Portland.
I just got to see the sketch of my dress and hair and I am really looking forward to it!
I'll keep you updated.

LEAP DAY!

I figured Leap Day was a significant (and insignificant) enough holiday to tell you all a little about who I am. Would you like to know? Yeah? No? Here we go.

My name is Tiffany Rochelle Cates.

I love Twitter.

I live in the Great Northwest (Oregon, to be exact) and love it all. The rain, the cloudy days, the gorgeous trees, and the culture. I find it beautiful.

I LOVE ART. Things like this and things like this.

In fact..Here is some of my old photography/watercolor. 

Fashion is a SO much fun. Just putting patterns, colors, textures together. Gosh, one day when I get my own sewing machine, you all better watch out. The fabric will be flying. :)
Jesus is my absolute reason for living. I live and breathe to feel His presence and wish to be more like Him every single day. 

One of my very favorite verses is 

1 Thessalonians 5:19. Quench not the Spirit. Meaning: never have enough. Don't EVER catch yourself saying, "Yeah, I'm a good enough person already. I don't really need to learn more." You can ALWAYS learn more. You an ALWAYS improve and grow deeper in love with God. That's one of my favorite things about being a Christian.

I've got a boyfriend. Drew Fajen. Since April 12th, 2010. He's the most amazing man in the entire world! He makes me feel like a treasure, and I love making him feel the same. He writes music, loves God, appreciates art, and teaches me about myself. For real, he's the perfect guy. I love him.

I have way too many favorite bands to count. I love music (but I'm kinda choosey. It has to be good stuff.) 

I love coffee and tea (again, just the good stuff).

I'll feature some of my favorite things in another post! :)
Weyull, this post is getting quite long, so I'll end it there. Actually here.

valentine's day 2♥12

The following describes my valentine's day this year:
(inhales)

flowers, a sweet text message, leopard-print nails, trader joe's dark chocolate, conversation through conversation hearts, parted hair, sweet music, a black heart-covered skirt, fairly cold weather, adorably themed nicknames, cajun dinner under the Morrison Bridge at Le Bistro Montage (Not to mention we did the Lady and the Tramp noodle thing. Yeah, we shared a table with strangers too. GREATEST THING EVER), soothing mint tea, great composers, and delicious raspberry fool at Rimsky-Korsakoffee House, lots of smiling, gazing etc, PLUS actual heart-to-actual heart conversation allllll with my amazing boyfriend. 


(exhales)
Seriously he's the best. He cracks me up, makes me melt..you know, all of those cooking terms. Basically, he's the unfathomable dream of back in the day 12-year-old-also-present-day-I'm-going-to-make-a-list-of-traits-I-want-in-a-man-Tiffany. I love you, Drew! You're my dream Valentine.


......................................

Random tidbit--My sissy works with me now!!! So much fun. Lookitchu with yer bad self.

is it meant to be?

The other day, Alyssa and I walked around Happy Valley when she stopped me in my tracks to say, "TIFF, YOU MATCH THAT CAR." I like to think me and this cute little thing were meant to be together. Thatisall.

like codes, enchanting codes.

Who can remember the moments right after becoming a Christ-follower or refreshing your relationship with God? Well lately I've been thinking about getting back to this, this absolute bliss of being controlled by the Creator God and renewing my mind and heart to child-like faith all over again. Reading chapter 6 of Blue Like Jazz really did it for me too. Here's a gorgeously written excerpt:

The truths of the Bible were magic, like messages from heaven, like codes, enchanting codes that offered power over life, a sort of power that turned sorrow into joy, hardship to challenge, and trial into opportunity. Nothing in my life was mundane. After I became a Christian, every aspect of human interaction had a fascinating appeal, and the intricate complexity of the natural landscape was remarkable in its perfection: the colors in the sky melding with the horizon, those south Texas sunsets burning distant clouds like flares, like fireworks, like angel wings starting flight. 

God was no longer a slot machine but something of a Spirit that had the power to move men's souls. I seemed to have been provided the answers to questions I had yet to ask, questions that God sensed or had even instilled in the lower reaches of my soul. The experience of becoming a Christian was delightful. 

(Miller, pp. 59-60)

God, give me your artistic mind and breathtakingly powerful love to help me encourage others to crawl back into your arms again.

Everyone loves plugs.

Hey guys! Like every other girl out there, I indeed have a Pinterest account! I love it because when I find an amazing outfit or sweet recipe or something it's all RIGHT THERE in one spot, no thousand+ tabs needed.

To see my interests go
hereherehereherehereherehere.

Thanks a bunch, and happy pinning!

P.S. (I do these a lot): If you don't have a Pinterest and would like to join the fun, feel free to let me know and I can invite cha. :)

i desperately need your opinion.

Migranes have never really been part of my life, until the beginning of the month or so. Occasionally my focus fades in and out and my head fills with pressure. I know you may think I'm some sorta dummy, but about two or three years ago, i got an eye exam and the optometrist clearly said I ought to wear glasses. So I did..for about a month. Now I'm facing the consequences and I'm on the hunt for some glasses that "fit me." I NEED your opinion as to which ones look best. I found a couple of adorable shops with not-too-high of prices and cute styles, and here are some photos from my "home try-on" sesh. Please excuse the askew zooming and rotating of the product. Haha, kind of cracks me up.

Before. 

Bowery Perfect Amber















Bowery Blonde

Bowery True Tortoise

Castor True Tortoise

Clarice Matte Tokyo Tortoise

Delancey Matte Tokyo Tortoise

Greenwich Dark Khaki

Jermyn Perfect Amber

Jermyn Brown Sugar

Lafayette Tortoise & Blonde

This one was kind of a joke. Hahaha.


Magoo Blonde Tortoise

Quincy True Tortoise

This is a very serious situation here. Would YOU want me to walk around in Magoos?

Portland Love: Tea Chai Tè

Since I live in the most wonderful city in the United States, (Great Northwest, REPRESENT) I think I'll start a great new series called Portland Love. In this, I will feature coffee shops, venues, eateries, and just spots I love in the beautiful Portland, Oregon. You'll love it.


And to start things off, I'd like to present one of my favorite spots on 23rd Avenue (They have a brand new location in Sellwood). Tea Chai Tè is not your typical "granny's brunch and white gloves" tea shop. When you walk in, instantly your're captured by their friendly service and wall dedicated to little jars of tea blends there for your love of aromatic pleasure. One of my favorites to get is their hot coconut milk tea with tapioca pearls. Yup, hot bubble tea. I've ordered this drink a countless amount of times and i'm thrilled to go again today (they open at 9a, and i'm counting down the minutes). Since I'm extremely obsessed with coconut, this is my favorite winter drink. :)
Here is their bubble tea menu.

It was all uh-blur. Went there.

The famous wall of teas.

 LOVE these little guys.

10:57a
I got Spiced Vanilla Chai this morning and as always it's yummy. Buuuuuuut, Coconut Màte is my favorite still. 

Also.. If you work (or live, you luckies) around 23rd (or Sellwood), you can utilize their order ahead option too. How fantastic.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:8-10

experimentation!

Alyssa and I went to the mall yesterday and spent a bajillion hours at Sephora where I tried a new liquid lipstick by Kat Von D and loooooooved it. I'm normally not a huge fan of pink lips, but this was absolutely a super fun color. I can't find the exact product online, but when i do, i'll definitely post it.

Also, i like spending time with my sissy. :)

Friday, February 10, 2012: I FOUND IT.

Everlasting Liquid Love Lipstick

The color I sampled is called Backstage Bambi.
It's super pigmented and when i wanted to try on another color, i had to SCRUB to get it off. Talk about long wear. Definitely would be worth the 19 bucks.

hazelnutty readings.

I'm definitely trying very hard to keep my new year's res for this year, so at the moment I'm reading Blue Like Jazz  written by a fellow Portland dweller named Donald Miller. I'm on chapter 6 and it is SO difficult to put this stinkin' thing down! It's memoir-style and so great. I'm excited to finish this.

It's subtitled, "Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality."
SO. GOOD.

As for the hazelnut? I just finished my almost midnight snack of a nutella sandwich with sliced apples. One of my very favorite snacks.

wiggly mug, 65 inch moose, and a university.

I spent last weekend hanging out with a super cool girl from my church, Shauna. She grabbed her company's Costco card and we had a blast perusing the isles for office supplies and snackage...and found a 65" moose! IT WAS SO CUDDLY OHMYGOSH.

Later that day, we tripped it over to Multnomah University and engaged in awesome activities and spent the night talking with our hostesses about our life stories and God. Let me tell you something about Bible college: you will always find inspiring people with uplifting (and challenging) stories. I love it. And I canNOT wait. 

Yep, you heard me. 

Here is my letter of acceptance:

I am stoked out of my mind to grow and learn about the One responsible for this gorgeous earth. YESSSSSS.

Yummy Yum: Fruit Parfait

Lesson to learn from this post: Sometimes cooking on a whim WORKS. This was my very first parfait and i just created it as i went. It's soooOOoooOoooOOO easy to customize.


Ingredients [what i used]:


(one diced) apple [braeburn]
(one eighth cup) water
(two tablespoons) powdered sugar
(one handful) berries [raspberries]
(one ounce) chocolate chips
(one cup) Greek yogurt [vanilla]
coconut to garnish

Here's How:
1. heat half of the water over medium heat and toss in apples. Let simmer for about 6 minutes or until slightly softened. add half of the powdered sugar and cook for another 2 minutes. pour in a bowl and chill. 
2. repeat with raspberries, but reduce total cooking time to 3 minutes, also chill.
3. melt chocolate chips
4. layer ingredients: yogurt, apples, yogurt, berries, yogurt, apples, berries, chocolate, and garnish with coconut. 

Such a masterpiece and I'm having it for breakfast again tomorrow. :)

Thing 1 & Thing 2.

SO.

Thing 1. The Clean Eating Challenge lasted me a good 3 days. Not because I gave in though, so that's good! Day one was good, day two i noticed myself getting a bit weaker and by day three, i realized i wasn't as prepared as i thought i was. It may be because
A) I discovered this challenge three days before the start date,
B) I didn't put enough effort into buying the right groceries, or
C) I like sweets.

 This isn't the end, Clean-Eating Challenge! You may have won this battle, but sleep with one eye open.

Here is a little recap of my adventure, however.

Me with my blender buddy..

Pesto Whole Grain Linguine/ Spicy Chili Veggie Stir-fry via Noodles & Company.

Thing 2. I did come up with some fun ideas for meals though, so I'll be posting em. I guess that's a great thing to take from this experience!

I <3 cooking.

it's comin' i promise!

I haven't posted in a couple of days, and there are definitely things I'd love to talk about! So i just wanted to inform you that a post WILL come soon. :)

For now, here is a polaroid of me when I was a little tiny girl in the '90s.
Fun fact: I love the '90s. I was highly involved.

clean-eating challenge.

The other day I came across a blog that talked about eating healthier and featured this challenge. I read, and I'm now attempting it (that's what I get for being competitive and a health/food-in-general-lover).

What is this challenge? Tosca Reno (the founder) says, "It's eating the way nature intended."
You can get the recipes and all of the information in one little spot (I gave you three chances to go check it out, just click one of 'em already). But seriously, I'm really looking forward to this week and I stocked up on tons of good food to create dishes I'll enjoy. I recommend you try it for a few days, or even an entire week! It'll be fun.

I'll keep you guys updated and post photos! So stoked.

drew & me: urban photoshoot.

since drew had a whopping five weeks off of school, we decided to drive and drive and drive until we found a sweet spot to take photos with my new vivitar 250. we found ourselves to be landed in vancouver, washington and spotted a block with a very interesting parking lot and a (kind of creepy) motel. here are some of the digitals (i have yet to develop the film) of our adventure.

stay tuned for the film prints. :)