It's about to get crazy // Living Stephen

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It is officially the day before Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's already this far into the year. I keep thinking back to August, and how this all seemed so far away. This is the first holiday season away from my family and friends, but I feel so grateful to be able to have my boyfriend, Tyler and my brother, Robert. 

We're having a little baby Thanksgiving with a couple of friends tonight, which will hopefully help with the loss of Thanksgiving I'll be getting this year (it may be a positive, since I'm a little sad I'm not home). I've been working at Urban Outfitters for the season, so my schedule the past few weeks has been a little bit crazy. This week especially, I will be working from noon tomorrow to Friday at 6 PM, with about eight hours worth of sleep time in between.. so you could imagine, it being a lot.

This is all brings me to the topic of not really being able to get out of the house this week to take pictures, or being able to put together a post for the week. I told myself that I'd post at least once a week, and to keep a schedule going, but this week has just been too much! (It's all positive, I promise!)

So I will see you all next week! Have a great Thanksgiving, and remember to take a minute to realize what you are grateful for!

Stephen

PS. Can we discuss how beautiful the trees outside my house are?? I mean, damn!

Is it too soon for Christmas? // Living Stephen

Hello everybody!

As you may or may not know, I work for Starbucks and have the pleasure (or not) of talking to many different kinds of people, since I work in a busy part of downtown; tourists from all around the world, business people, homeless people, and all of the different kinds of people in between. Since Halloween ended, Starbucks has started to slowly start bringing in the Christmas decorations and drinks, and now, here we are, mid-November, and the Christmas has gone full force in every store across the nation.

So from my experience the past couple of weeks from customers and coworkers, I have found a very negative response to the Christmas joy coming so early. Many people walk in, roll their eyes at the Christmas music playing and joke about how we "just forget about Thanksgiving." (which is probably a little bit true.)

However, sometimes I witness the complete opposite. I'll see people walk in from the rain and gloom, and instantly become overwhelmed with excited and happiness as they see the red cups are out and the Christmas coffee is back in. I feel their excitement that Christmas is just around the corner, and that before we know it, the hustle and bustle of Christmas will be here. It really is such an amazing thing to witness and makes my opinion that much more cemented.

Lets get one thing straight; I love Thanksgiving. I love eating, sitting back and reminiscing about all of the things I have in my life that I am thankful for. It's great. However, I honestly love starting Christmas this early. Tyler and I already started decorating for Christmas in our house, and I already have three tabs opened to lists of gifts I have ready for my family and friends. Yes, I may be a little bit obsessed with Christmas, but I really don't think we should think negatively about Christmas starting. If you think about it, if we start "getting into the Christmas spirit" on December 1st, that gives us only about 24 days to get all of our excitement in. Now, for some people.. that seems like a long time, but for some of us crazy humans, it's not.

I think Christmas is a time for people to feel happy and excited, and I think that if that feeling starts a couple weeks early, why not? Work seems to go by faster, I feel more accepting of the cold, and I'm generally in a better mood!

Now that I put in my two sense about Christmas, let me know what you think! Write me on Tumblr or down in the comments, and tell me your opinion. I'd love to hear it!

I'm going to go listen to Christmas music now!

Stephen

Fall Fashion Essentials // Living Stephen

Hello everyone!

Now that we have officially gone into the fall months, and it is officially cold as hell outside, I thought I'd put together a little list of some of the essential clothing you'll need in these colder months. It's been absolutely freezing in Portland, and we actually got a little bit of snow yesterday, so I thought it was finally time to start bundling up for enduring the cold.

It's a lot colder up in the Northwest than it ever was in Southern California. The colder months got down to maybe 60 degrees, at the coldest, but up here, it's been a consistent 30.. and this is only the beginning. Luckily, the weather is still nice enough outside that you can still dress relatively cute without being completely bundled from head to toe.

As you'll be able to tell, I'll be trying to keep a consistent essentials list throughout the next few months, including winter. It's really hard to put money aside from a lot of clothing, so I always recommend recycling your clothes as much as possible, and using different pieces in different ways! Hopefully you'll feel inspired to go out and look cute.. even it's snowing.

1. Hoodies with Leather Jackets

I think this is one of the most important looks to keep in mind during the Fall time. I think sweatshirts can be really dressed up when you throw on a nice jacket over it, and it keeps you really warm as well! Also, pullovers seem to be relatively on the inexpensive side, so it's really easy to change out the sweatshirt, keep the leather jacket, and have a completely different look!

Leather Jacket: Cotton On (similar)

Sweatshirt: Urban Outfitters (similar)

2. Multicolored Pants

One of the clothing pieces I always forgot to focus on at every time of year is pants. I always feel like I end up just putting on jeans or a pair of black pants because I think it looks good with everything. This fall, I want to try and spice things up a little bit and change out the pants I wear. I've chosen a couple of neutral darker colors for this season, like greens and tan, just to kickstart this new "pant revelation" I have. We'll see how I do.

Pants: Urban Outfitters/Levis/Pac Sun

3. Fun socks

I always feel like this is the most random accessory to be obsessed with, but I am in love with socks. I think they are perfect for fall because you can wear them for warmth and for style. I also feel like I usually wear a lot of button ups and nice boots, so it always makes me feel a little bit more fancy having a fun pair of socks that ties my outfit together.

Socks: Target (same)

4. Beanies

One of the biggest struggles I face during fall is finding accessories. I always feel like I wear pants, jackets and shoes everyday, and I don't feel like I ever have an opportunity to accessorize. So I think having a few beanies at hand is the perfect way to add some extra color to your fall style. Plus, you don't even have to do your hair.. which is probably the main reason I think I love beanies so much.

Beanies: Urban/Target

5. Christmas Sweaters

Before anyone thinks anything, I know.. it's technically fall, and I shouldn't even be thinking about Christmas until December. But c'mon. I start pulling out my Christmas sweaters as soon as it starts feeling like winter time. I think these sweaters look good at any time of the year, but it always makes me feel like we're so much closer to Christmas when I put these on. I just love the designs, and they are so comfortable and warm.

Sweater: Urban Outfitters (similar)

6. Layers of Cardigans and Button Ups

So I honestly have a little bit of a problem when it comes to button ups and cardigans. I pretty much wear them at all times of the year, but I think during fall, it makes the most sense. It's just cold enough that you can't just wear a shirt, but it's perfect for when you get inside and take off your big coat. I think having multiple colors of cardigans is essential because they can pair with pretty much anything. I have a lot of button ups as well that I wear all year long, so this is just one way I wear them during fall!

Cardigan: Urban Outfitters (similar)

Button Up: Urban Outfitters (similar)

7. One pair of nice boots

I know, I know. I meant what I wrote, just one pair of nice boots. I think the worst part of fall and winter is that you don't really want to wear all of your really nice shoes when it's rainy and muddy outside. So I recommend having one pair of "go-to" boots that you can wear all season. I always feel like black look really amazing with any look, so I think sticking to a neutral boot takes away the struggle of cleaning all of your nice shoes once it gets warm again!

Boots: ASOS (same)

Well I hope you guys are enjoying the Fall wherever you are in the world! I am absolutely loving it. Just for the record, it's November 13th and I already put my Christmas stuff out.. so I think I'm prepared for the winter.

See you next time,

Stephen

Favorite Youtubers // Living Stephen

Happy November!

I can't believe that October is already over, and we're already a few days into November! This year has flown by, and it's safe to say that I'm more than ready for the Christmas season to be back.

Besides spending more than enough time sitting and thinking of Christmas, I have been spending a lot of time following a lot of people on Youtube. It's been a more recent obsession (probably within the past two years), but I have found myself extremely enveloped and interested in the people I have subscribed to on Youtube! I find myself excited to watch these people and it made me really want to delve into the world on blogging, which is where I am now!

Hopefully, within the next few months, I'll start a Youtube channel.. but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

With that being said, I thought I'd put together a little list of a few of my favorite Youtubers who I've staying up to date with recently!

1. Mamrie Hart (You Deserve a Drink/Mametown)

Now you probably know Mamrie Hart from the "Holy Trinity," which consists of Mamrie, Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart, but what you probably don't know is how fucking hilarious Mamrie is on her own. I can literally watch any of her videos and die of laughter. As well as watching HeyUSA, I've been obsessed with both of her channels. One, where she makes alcoholic drinks (YASS), and the other where she literally sits and just talks.. all the while, making me laugh like I've never laughed before. If you need some funny shit, she's the one.

2. Billy & Pat Sandora-Nastyn (BillyandPatVlog)

Billy and Pat have been some of my favorite Youtubers, since they first began making videos a few year ago. They started out with making videos about their road to getting married; may it be the fun stuff, like what they were wearing and where the wedding was going to be, to the more difficult things, like who to invite and dealing with the "gay wedding" term. Since being married, they've taken me into this realm of seeing the future for Tyler and I, and they really have inspired me. They show a different side of the gay community, that I don't think very many people see. They show a stable, mature relationship, while talking about issues that I deal with in my relationship as well. Plus, they have two cats.. so you should watch them, strictly for that reason.

3. Mitch Grassi & Scott Hoying (SUPERFRUIT)

So I'm absolutely obsessed with the Pentatonix, and ever since they started making videos on Youtube, I have been a die hard fan. So as soon as Scott and Mitch started making their own videos on their own channel, I knew I would fall in love.. which of course, I did. I think what I like most about these two is that I loved them as singers, and now I'm falling in love with them as people now. They are literally so hilarious, and they feed off each other in a way that I have never seen before. With their quirky jokes and their obsession with Beyonce, I could not be more obsessed.

4. Colleen Ballinger (PsychoSoprano)

Okay, okay.. before you assume I'm talking about Miranda, just stop. I'm obsessed with Miranda, just like everyone else, but I'm also IN LOVE with Colleen. Her videos are literally perfect in every way. She does weekly Q&As, that alone will make you laugh and cry at the same time, but also she does just random videos, from Sam and Laybia to daily vlogging. She is one of the few Youtubers that is meant to be in front of the camera and makes you feel like you're actually normal. Plus, I saw her show as JUST Colleen, and that bitch can siiiiiiiing.

5. Hannah & Stef Michalak (hannah maggs)

So to wrap up my little list of favorite Youtubers, I'd end with one of my all time favorite channel. Hannah Maggs. I'm usually not someone who really likes daily vlogging too much, mostly because I think they are done really quickly and without very much editing skills, but holy shit.. if you watch this channel, you will be blown away. The video quality is absolutely incredible and the shots are not just close ups of their face the whole time, you are actually brought into their world. They film the scenery around them, which is absolutely gorgeous, as well as bringing new and exciting filming techniques to their footage. I've actually teared up from how beautiful the videos are. As well as loving Hannah and Stef as a couple, their parenting is remarkable and watching Squeaky-G is so much fun! Also, Hannah dresses too perfection, which is always fun too!

Alright, well that's all the Youtubers I'll share with you guys today.. Trust me, there are so many more out there that I have yet to find, so if you have any recommendations or Youtubers that you love, let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Stephen