Fast Forward a Month // Living Stephen

Happy March!

I can't even believe that the last time I made a blog post was a month ago! February came and went so fast, it's hard to even catch my breath. So many fun and exciting events happened this month, and I feel so relieved and thrilled to get back into the normal habits of life again. There are a few big things that I wanted to document for you and myself, so enjoy a little montage of snips from February.

The first huge life event that occurred during February was that I quit my job at Urban Outfitters. I had been working for the company for a couple of months, and although I loved working there (Aka, I loved the discount), it was time for me to move on. I am still working for Starbucks, and going to school full-time, so it was beginning to get a little bit emotionally and physically exhausting having three full time jobs. I'm hoping with the free-up of space, I'll be able to focus a little bit more time on myself, my body, my relationships and this blog! All very important things, but all got put to the back burner when school started! So there's that.. no more discounts for me! Back to full price payer!

Another big part of the month was that my best friend from California, Cheyenne, came up and stayed with us for a couple of days! It was the perfect timing for me, having her here. I hadn't had a day off in over a month and a half, and was desperate for some quality days off. The time I spent with her and Tyler really put my life back into perspective (which is why I quit Urban.) I was spending so much time worried about how much I was working, and not spending enough time focusing on the end goal: getting my degree and starting a career. She helped me (indirectly) get my life back in order.

We spend a good amount of time sitting around and enjoying each other's company. Staying inside, drinking coffee during the day, laughing about our old adventures when we used to live together; then going out at night, grabbing dinner and drinks. One of the days, we ventured out to the coast to go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory (We love cheese.) We spent a good amount of time there, eating free cheese and ice cream (with regrets later, ew.)

*the only picture I have from the Factory, hahaha*

As we were driving back home, we decided to take a little detour. We pulled off the road, ran down a muddy hill towards a river (I don't know which one), and took in nature. I snapped a couple of photos because of how breathtaking it was.

As for the last (and the serious, biggest) event of this month was that Tyler and I became parents! We have been going to a little adoption center, run by the Oregon Humane Society, by our house for the past couple of months, looking for cat or two. We knew we wanted a younger kitten, and a possible playmate as well. When we went in two weeks ago, we both didn't have the highest expectations, but we fell in love with two little kittens.

Introducing..

 Mia! She's a year and a half old little Princess, and one of the sassiest cats I have ever met. She has all the qualities we need for a "Haus of Gays" cat.

And also, Eugene! Our little guy is 9 months old, and one of the funniest and cutest cats ever. He has so much energy and we're obsessed.

Well it's been such an eventful month, and I couldn't be happier with how this month turned out. Hopefully from now on, I'll be able to post a little bit more often and write more on fashion and such! 

Have a good one!

Stephen

Good bye, January! // Living Stephen

Holy shit, January is already over. I seriously can't believe that the New Year has gone by so quick, and we are into February now.

I've decided that at the end of the month (or around it), I'm going to start doing a review of the month. I feel like throughout the month, I'm so busy with work and school, that I sometimes forget to enjoy the little things in life. I need to start taking advantage of the fact that I'm young and that I live in a brand new city. It really doesn't get much better than that.

This month really hasn't been too worthwhile, unfortunately. I started back at school up here in Portland, which has been taking up most of my free time. It is almost like that awkward few days when you get back from vacation and you start back at work.. and you really aren't sure about things anymore. Everything feels foreign, and like you've been missing out on so much; when in reality, it really does take a little bit of time to get back into the swing of things.

Anyways, school has become somewhat of a routine for me, and I feel like I'm trying my best to absorb as much of my education as possible. (A lot harder than it sounds.)

I've also been trying to take advantage of the surroundings in my own backyard. I live in a dense part of Portland, with a lot of trees, views and wildlife around me. I still feel like I'm in California, where everything looks the same.. and everything is dry and brown. So the other day, Tyler and I went driving up the hill by our house, and discovered one of the most beautiful views. It's almost like a portrait in an art gallery. The view of Mt. Hood.

I've actually never been to Mt. Hood, but it's almost surreal feeling so close to it. It's insane just driving up the hill to the grocery store, looking over, and feeling so enveloped in nature.

Another big part of my month (and really, my entire time up in Portland) has been the consistency of seeing one of my best friends, Meghan. We have been friends since we were in high school, only meeting because we were in the community musical, Pinocchio. She instantly became one of my best friends, and for some reason, our paths keep crossing, allowing us to stay close. She moved to Southern Oregon to attend school, and has been able to come up to Portland a few times since. (She even let us catsit for her! <3) She has been one of the main reasons why I don't feel as homesick and sad about leaving California. She's been that little feeling of home that I needed.

Sorry this month was so boring! In the next few months, we'll be having a couple of different people staying with us, so I'll be going out and doing more!

Have a good February!

Stephen

Back to The Ol' Grind // Living Stephen

It's now late-January, and now is the time that most people would still be on their "New Year's High." You know, the one where you are still kind of going to the gym enough to feel like its still worth it, and you're still not drinking as many beers as you used to. Unfortunately for me, all of those habits died early.. and now I'm just lazy and tired all the time. I've tried to keep up with the eating healthier plan, which is actually going well! I've been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, and have been rather successful at eating less Starbucks pastries (they are just so damn good, yo!).

Although the beginning of the New Year brings significant change, with going from working out and feeling better, to the days where you just want to sleep in and binge watch Friends. (I'm not talking from experience or anything...) I think one of the things that keeps me feel better about my lack of commitment is getting ready for the day, and feeling confident. I've noticed that my biggest issue with my confidence is that I let it show on the outside, which doesn't help the inside at all. I'm starting to realize that I need to spend much more time learning about myself and making the decisions to wear what I want, without worrying about what everyone else thinks.

So the other day, I went to the Waterfront with Tyler and we snapped a couple of pictures of one of the outfits that always makes me feel good about myself. Hopefully you have a few items in your closet that make you walk outside being like.. "Damn, I'm a hot piece of ass."

So as you probably have guessed, I went for a neutral look again. I always just feel a little bit more comfortable with dark tones and simplistic layers. It has been a cold couple weeks in Portland, so layering up seems to be pretty important, especially being this close to the Waterfront.

As for my coat, I'm wearing a really warm parka from Urban Outfitters. (It's on sale right now, so if you can afford it, definitely snatch it up!) I have never been the biggest fan of anything faux fur, or any fur for that matter, but I think the color contrasts with the parka perfectly, and isn't too big or obnoxious as to take away from the rest of the outfit. Also, it lines the entire inside of the jacket, so it's perfect for a cold and rainy day.

The shirt I'm wearing is also another one from Urban Outfitters. I am a huge fan of layering whenever possible, so I think that having a simple "go-to" collection of plain colored button ups is a must. I have probably about five or six plain colored shirts, so I have a shirt for whatever I'm wearing. This shirt seems to be one of my favorites (don't tell the others!!) . I think denim shirts is so clean looking, and matches with pretty much anything. Also, (even though you can't see in this picture) it has a really good length, which is perfect for people like me who struggle with height issues.

Now, I have NEVER been the kind of person who wears very much jewelry. I usually add a scarf or hat to my outfits to add more dimension, but I honestly could not find anything that I liked that went well with this look. I bought just a plain watch from Urban Outfitters, not thinking too much of it, thinking I would possibly wear to work or to school, so I don't have to keep my phone on me. Little did I know, I absolutely fell in love. I love how sophisticated it makes me feel (Damn straight.) and I think it brings that extra something to the look.

To this day, I still have yet to find the perfect pair of pants/jeans. This pair is from Levis, and it has come super close to the kind I would want. I love the fit of Levis jeans, but I think that their variation between the "same size" is off. I'll order a pair that is exactly the same size, fit and style online, and I'll get two completely different fitting jeans. Fortunately, this pair do fit exactly the way I want, and they do fit my lengthy body pretty well!

Now onto the shoes. I have been an anti shoe buyer for the longest time, and I am slowly coming out of my hate for them now that I work for Urban. I have always worn a pair of TOMS with any outfit, and I'm trying to slowly reach out and buy more boots. Luckily, H&M has a pretty good range of inexpensive boots, that feel and look expensive. I have been obsessed with the color of these boots since I bought them and (after I clean the mud off) I'll be wearing them all the time!

I hope you guys have a good rest of your January! I'm hoping to be posting at least once a week, now that I'm back onto a normal schedule (maybe twice, if I'm lucky!)

Stephen

New Years Style // Living Stephen

So I know, it's now the middle of January and I am just now posting about my New Years look, but sometimes the days go by quickly, and I can't find the time to go out and take pictures. Luckily, here we are, half way through the month, and I have finally gotten the opportunity to sit down and post!

I decided that my first fashion post of the year should be about what I plan on wearing for the year. I was beginning to feel a little bit uninspired towards the end of 2014, and I thought that with the new year, should come a new way of styling myself. I have always been an extremely tall and big guy. I've been over 6 feet tall since high school, and I've always been a lot bigger than everyone else. Not necessarily by weight, but mostly just my body is big. It's something that I have dealt with my entire life, and something I have always hated about myself. I always wished I could be a little bit shorter, and be just a little bit smaller. With this year, I want to try my best to embrace my body. It's hard for me to find clothes that I feel confident in, but I'll be trying my best to find pieces that I like, that also make me feel good about myself as well.

So to start off the new year, I've decided to go with a pretty standard, winter inspired look. I tried to put a couple of different dark colors together, for the sole purpose that I always feel a little bit better about the way I look when I keep things a little bit more low key. I have also been working at Urban Outfitters, so I'm able to really delve into a lot of the things I've been buying, by being able to see how people style each piece and finding things that I feel would go together.

Like I said, I tried to stay pretty neutral with all the dark colors. I'm wearing a faux leather jacket from Urban Outfitters, that wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It's definitely much better made than I expected, and has a different look than what I thought. It makes me think of a fashionable biker dude.. as odd as that sounds. My shirt is from H&M; it's just a plain Henleys shirt. The only thing that sucks about it is the fact that it's see through (which is the case with a lot of the men's basics at H&M), so I'm always weary about putting the shirt on without any jacket or cardigan over it!

My biggest obsession since moving to Portland is obviously the change of climate. I'm able to delve into a new realm of fashion that I wasn't able to be a part of in San Diego; with it being so damn hot all the time! I am able to buy bigger scarves and thicker jackets, without the inability to wear them. Now, I wear scarves with pretty much everything, including this one. It's from Urban Outfitters as well. It's extremely warm and cozy, and is the best color! It matches pretty much anything, and is perfect for any day in Portland. (Don't have facial hair if you're wearing it though.. This shit gets all up in your beard!)

One of the things I've noticed about Portland fashion is their lack of TOMS. I know it's such a random trend to notice, but I honestly think TOMS is only big in San Diego because its so warm and dry, and almost never rains. Unfortunately for me, all I own are TOMS, and I've learned the hard way that you can't wear them in the rain. Luckily, TOMS has a new brand of shoes that have a pretty big sole and stay pretty dry in the rain. TOMS is also an amazing company, so I'll probably stay pretty loyal to them and continue to buy their shoes.. even if I suffer from wet feet.

I hope everyone is having a good year so far, and staying as true to your resolutions as you can!

Stephen

Welcome to 2015 // Living Stephen

Happy New Year!

I can't believe that 2014 is actually over and that 2015 has begun. It's been an insane year, and I couldn't be happier with the results. I made some huge changes in my life, and I honestly feel like 2014 was a huge milestone. I moved out of my parent's for the first time, which was a lot more emotional than I ever thought it would be. I moved in with my boyfriend of two year, which has been one of the most amazing roller coasters I've ever been on. I moved to a different state and started a different lifestyle completely, which has been one of the most rewarding adventures I have done.

Moving forward, I feel like as great as 2014 was, I need to start thinking of 2015 has a challenge. I challenged myself in 2014 to step outside of my comfort zone, and do things that I never thought I'd ever be able to accomplish. I have always loved the comfort of my own four walls, and it took a lot out of me to make so many big decisions for myself in a year. So, as cliche as it may be, I want to make a promise to myself. (I'm not calling them resolutions, maybe I will stick to them if I don't) I want to promise a few things to myself and everyone else. I want to continue to step outside of my comfort zone and experience different things.

So first off, I want to make it a point to live a healthier lifestyle. I know that this is the main "resolution" that everyone seems to make (but not me, I'm different!), but I think that it is a positive one! I'm not going to say I'm going to start working out every day, or completely cutting out chocolate and ice cream.. I'm just saying, I need to be more cautious of my body. I have had a gym membership since I moved up to Portland, I think it's finally time to start actually using it. As well, I want to start being more health aware when it comes to what I eat. I want to start making things more, and putting more time and effort into prepping and eating correctly.

My second promise is to explore more. Portland is known for it's off the wall vibe, and it's massive array of food options, and it's time that I start taking advantage of them. I want to make it a point to try a few new restaurants, and do more things that I normally wouldn't do. There is literally so many little fun things to do around this area, and I want to start enjoying them.

My last resolution is to this blog. I always love sitting down and writing a little bit about what has been going on with me, and expressing myself through writing and photography. I have already planned out the next couple of months, and I'm so excited to start blogging more. I want to start incorporating more fashion into my posts and start using my knowledge to hopefully help someone else out! So plan on seeing a little bit more detail on fashion and other men's care! Also, I have a better camera (Thanks to T Bum!) so hopefully the quality of the pictures will be better and hopefully inspire any one out there!
I'm hoping that with this idea of spending more time with blogging, I'll start gaining the courage to start a Youtube channel, and start shifting some of my ideas to video blogging! But we'll have to wait and see about that..

Anyways, I'm excited to start the New Year! It's going to be amazing one, and I'm so thrilled to see what 2015 has in store for me!

See you later!
Stephen

Christmas Tree Farm // Living Stephen

Happy December 12th! Only 13 more days until Christmas!

Christmas is coming up so quick, and I am so excited/sad! I feel like I wait all year for Christmas to come, so it's always a little bit bittersweet when it gets this close and I know it will end soon. :( Luckily, we will be trying to get as much Christmas packed into the next two weeks as possible. Starting with buying a Christmas tree!

Growing up, we always went to the local store and bought a real Christmas tree. We would come home, put it in the holder, put all the lights up ourselves, water it and enjoy spending the evening together. Unfortunately, around 12 or 13, my parents decided to buy a fake tree, and all the excitement of the Christmas tree kind of went away. Luckily, since I'm living away from home now, Tyler, Robert and I decided to actually go to a Christmas Tree Farm and cut down our own tree! (More like, look at the uncut ones, and decide to pick one that was already cut.)

It was so much fun to actually go out and walk through the trees. The smell completely set the scene, and the fun we had running through the mud to each tree was unforgettable.

There was so many trees throughout the farm, I couldn't even believe it. Although a lot of the trees out in the lot were a bit smaller than we hoped, it was just fun looking at them. There is so much happiness and excitement knowing its Christmas time and that we were going to be able to take one of the trees home and decorate it.

We had so much fun, and I would really recommend going out and getting your own tree. It's so nice to drive out far away from the city and relax a little bit. Our phones weren't working very well, so it's almost like we were in a different country. It was amazing.

Hopefully within the next couple days, I'll be able to show you the finished product of our Christmas tree.. because it looks pretty damn good! I'm so happy with it!

Until next time, Merry Christmas!

Stephen

I had to add this.. HAHAHA.

Winter Tips // Living Stephen

Hello everyone!

I wanted to start off by apologizing for the lack of posts this past week! I have been working every day since Thanksgiving, and haven't had any down time to sit and write. I absolutely love Christmas and I had so many things inspire me the last few weeks, and it makes me so sad that I only have a few more weeks to share them. So keep checking by in the next three weeks because I hope to make the most out of December!

Like I said before, I absolutely love Christmas. I love to bundle up with some blankets, put Elf on, light some candles, and drink hot chocolate. Unfortunately, the worst past about Christmas is that life still goes on, and you have to go outside into the rain and endure outside life, even though you want to be inside listening to Christmas music. So today, I'll share with you guys some of my winter tips to get through the rain and sludge.

My number one tip is to not care how you look when you're outside in the rain and cold. When I moved to Portland, I had "rainy California" in my head, where you can go outside in the middle of winter in a light jacket and tennis shoes. Unfortunately, that is not the case in the majority of the world, so my advice is to not care about how you look, take care of yourself! I made the mistake of being like "I don't care! I won't wear a beanie, I don't want my hair to look a mess!" I was wrong. So wrong. When you're outside in the pouring rain, you shouldn't care how your hair looks or how many jackets you have on! (I wore three coats the other day..)
What I would say is go out and buy a travel size bottle of hairspray to put into your bag, grab one of your favorite warm scarves to wear over your coats, and don't worry about fixing yourself up until you get back into the dry indoors!

This brings me to the next tip: go places being prepared! I always bring a bag to work with all my little essentials. I always have a bottle of hairspray, an extra pair of socks, a scarf, a beanie, and gloves. (For women, you'd probably want a couple little make up things as well) I think that for people like me, I don't usually care how I look and don't expect other people to judge me based on my appearance, but I do however like to have my hair done. So have an extra hairspray or some hair product in my bag is a must. I just run into the bathroom once I get to work, throw some hairspray on, fix it up and I'm good!

My third tip is listen to Christmas music! I know a lot of people are not big fans of Christmas music like I am, but I honestly think listening to it makes being outside SO much better. I've noticed that I am in a better mood, and that I start to appreciate the cold and the winter. Plus, there is a lot of really amazing Christmas music out there from pretty much any artist (My favorite this year is Kelly Clarkson!)

My last tip is to be happy! I've noticed that a lot of people are pretty depressed and unhappy once it starts raining and feels a bit gloomy, but if you are being positive, people will feed off of it! I try to at least look not completely miserable on the bus, and I've noticed people realizing it and smiling. It's Christmas time, and people should be in a positive mood! It really is the best time of the year!

That's all I have for you guys today! I'll be able to post more pictures in the coming weeks, as I have a few big things coming up! Let me know of any winter tips you have. I'd love to hear them!

Stephen