The Usher

I saw Cory Monteith in person once.

Many Glee fans know that along with being a TV star and the quarterback at fictitious McKinley High School, he was also the drummer of a rock band.

One time back in college, I parked at UC San Diego for a quick errand and went up the stairs to the student center. As I passed The Loft, our campus music venue, I heard a faint sound check and saw a guy running down the steps, taking two at a time. He was dressed in a black leather jacket and wore some pretty serious boots. He looked familiar.

UC San Diego - Price Center w/ The Loft

THAT WAS FINN FROM GLEE!

My thoughts raced.

Should I chase after him for an autograph?
Should I retrieve the Sharpie that I keep in my car for this exact reason?
Will he respond if I yell "Finn?!"

For some reason, I did none of the above, and kind of just stood there frozen, then went on with my day.

That was a few years ago. It's also been a few years since the last time I watched Glee. Today, I took some time to watch the memorial episode for Cory Monteith - The Quarterback. Along with other viewers, I was saddened by his death. I appreciated that the episode was written and produced in such a meaningful way, breaking down the 4th wall and giving the actors a chance to express their grief in honor of their friend.

Hearing the musical tributes, I felt nostalgia and sadness, and cried along with the cast. Of course, I didn't know Cory Monteith; I didn't even speak to him when I had the opportunity.

I did lose someone very close to my family this past week, though. My Uncle was one of my parents' best friends. I consider his daughter my second sister. Our families were neighbors for many years, sharing a fence between our backyards. When we were young, our dads cut and built a door out of that fence and we'd use it almost daily to visit one another, or even just to lend some rice or sugar.

Quiet and kind, Uncle served as an usher at our church. Rarely in a spotlight, quarterback role, he was a leader in his own humble ways. I will always remember him welcoming everyone who walked in the door with warmth and acceptance. I will always remember him making sure everyone was accounted for, whether it be using the small metal clicker to take Sunday attendance, or helping his wife prep the food for our church events. I will always remember him putting smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts with his subtle humor and thoughtful words.

Just like that moment when Cory ran by me, I feel frozen in the unexpected. My mind is filled with so many heartbreaking questions. It will take time and healing for our families to move on. All I know is that he will always live on in our hearts and is surely missed.

I pray that we'll all remember what it says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, that we "will not grieve like people who have no hope." I have faith that Uncle will be there in Heaven waiting at the gates to greet and welcome us, so that we can all smile together once again.


With love,

Tiffany R. 

Dining at Tiffany's

Grad School = Time Management Bootcamp

Hi! It's been a while! Since my last post, I finished my year of AmeriCorps service, visited my family in Washington, and moved from San Diego to Long Beach. Whew! I just started graduate school at Cal State Long Beach last month, studying Counseling in Higher Education. Let me tell you, it is NOT easy! It's basically like finals week, all the time. Not to mention, I still volunteer every weekend at my church.. in San Diego!

Needless to say, I had to upgrade my time management skills, FAST! After an admittedly tiring adjustment period (and gallons of coffee), I've learned some very helpful time management skills that I'd like to share with you all!

1. "Two-fers" 
At my first year retreat, we discussed tips for balancing our multiple priorities, like family, school, relationships, work, and wellness. My favorite one is called "two-fers," in which you attend to  multiple priorities at once!

For example, this past week, I had my first big test and paper for school. The weekend beforehand, I was in charge of coordinating/hosting one of my church student's 18th birthday party. Here are some of the "two-fers"that got me through it:

- While commuting to school on the bus and walking in between classes/work, I sent text messages and made phone calls to coordinate all the party details. I delegated (see below!) everything I possibly could.
- While directing a practice for one of the party performances, I wrote a draft of my paper.
- Instead of studying alone, I called up a friend that I wanted to catch up with that also needed to study for grad school (hi, Nancy!).

2. Living Vicariously
Another thing I realized is that with bigger goals, come greater sacrifices. Not only have I been further away, I've been simply too swamped to attend every event I'd like to. As a consolation, I tell others to attend and ask them how it went!

There are a couple events coming up this weekend in San Diego that I'd LOVE to attend, but I'll be out of town. It'll make me feel a lot better if SOMEONE goes, though! I updated my "Fun, Free, and Frugal in SoCal Calendar" for events this weekend, so you should check them out!

Celebrating Life Through Art 

If you go to anything this weekend in San Diego, this is it! This event is near and dear to my home community, inspired by the life of my high school classmate who passed away. It's a free public art show (free refreshments, too!) hosted by my dedicated high school classmates and featuring my talented friends from elementary school. This year proceeds will go to the Outreach at Monarch program, the San Diego Museum of Art’s after-school art instruction for homeless and at-risk children. For more information, or to donate, click here: http://bit.ly/1b7WHM2.

You can also check out the Adam's Avenue Street Fair and the (1st ever) San Diego Asian Night Market! 


3. Delegation!
Last, but absolutely not least, delegate! For crying out loud, please delegate. I could do a whole workshop on the benefits of delegation. Oh wait, I did!

[Click for full workshop content!]

I presented this to an undergraduate student leadership team earlier this year as their alumni guest speaker. An attendee asked to see an outline for her upcoming workshop, so I thought, why not share it with the world? (Two-fer!). Though I wrote this for undergraduate student leaders, I firmly believe these tips will apply to your work as well.

I hope you find these tips helpful (and that you get to sleep more than me). See you next time.


With love,

Tiffany R. 

Dining at Tiffany's

Fun, Free, & Frugal in SoCal!

Are you as excited about summer as I am to eat this Philly Mac & Cheesesteak from the Del Mar Fair?

I grew up in San Diego, so I've been going to the Del Mar Fair since I was a kid. Between the rides, carnival games, exhibits, and crazy food, there's fun to be had for all ages. This year, I'm pretty sure I consumed about 1,000 calories in 30 minutes between the Philly Mac & Cheesesteak (#85) from Austriano's Italian Grill to a personal basket of Bacon Truffle Fries from Bacon A-Fair (#20/93). I would highly recommend this cheesesteak and caution you to keep the sandwich as horizontal as possible because it gets messy! The fries were very tasty with the gouda and truffle topping, but a tad overpriced.

 

I have a return ticket, so I hope to try out the Red Velvet or Strawberry Cheesecake cake flavor from Funnel Express (#99) and maybe the Monte Cristo from Grilled Cheese A-Fair (#48). Other new foods available that I will not be trying are Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joes and Fried Cookie Dough. I also found a way to get to the fair for free if you have a bus pass. Take the 101 bus to Brigantine Seafood, then hop on the free Shopper Shuttle!

The fair is great, but it can get pricy. It also ends on July 4th. So I put together a public Google Calendar of FREE events in San Diego this summer. 


You can add the entire calendar, or just by event! I tried to include as many details as possible in the description, listed the source links, and inputted the addresses for easy smartphone navigation.

Here are the XML, ICAL, & HTML links to the calendar.  Let me know if you have trouble accessing the calendar and I'll help you figure it out!

I'm moving to Long Beach soon (August!), so I plan to add Orange County and Los Angeles events too! In the meantime, I'm trying to make the most of my last summer living in San Diego and invite you to do so too. Here's what you'll find on the calendar:


[ONE TIME EVENTS]

34th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off -  Saturday, June 22 from 11am-3pm
This is a really fun event in OB. I recommend taking the free Trolley to avoid traffic and parking. Bonus -- this is a legit Old Town Trolley, complete with lively tour guide! I missed the chili-tasting last time I went, so let me know how

Loews Surf Dog Competition - Saturday, June 22 from 10am-8pm

Surfing dogs. Need I say more? (Dog creeping at its finest.)

Switchfoot Bro-am Saturday, July 13 from 7am-5pm
San Diego native band Switchfoot hosts an annual surf competition and concert for charity!

Coronado Art Walk Saturday & Sunday, September 14th-15th from 10am-5pm
Check out local art at the scenic Ferry Landing in Coronado as summer winds down. (*See more Coronado events below.)


[WEEKLY EVENTS]
Brian's Farmers Markets - Weekly Thursday-Friday. See times and locations below.

I love farmers' markets, especially in the summertime. Brian's Farmers' Markets feature produce from local farmers that grow their food pesticide-free. You can also sample packaged and hot foods while browsing artisan crafts and gifts! During the summer, farmers are happy to let you sample the juiciest of berries and offer bright summer produce.


I'm really excited because they opened a new one at Belmont Park, right at the foot of the roller coaster!! Here are the times of the markets. Click on the links to follow their Facebook Pages for updates on new vendors and more!

+ Thursdays, 3pm-7pm: UTC Farmers Market
+ Fridays, 9:30am-1pm: Belmont Park Farmers Market
+ Saturdays, 9:30am-1:30pm: Golden Hill Farmers Market
+ Sundays, 9:30am-2:30pm: Point Loma Farmers Market

Balboa Park House of Pacific Relations International Cottages Sundays 2pm-4pm
From March - September, the International Cottages feature lawn events including dance and musical performances, food vendors, and more! The cottages open at 12pm for browsing before the live event and feature a different country each week.

[OUTDOOR MOVIE SCREENINGS]
I love watching movies and I love being outdoors. These events combine the two at unique locations across San Diego. From family favorites like Brave and Wreck it Ralph, to comedies like Shaun of the Dead and Anchorman, you're sure to find one for your group. Best of all - they're free!

Stone Late Night Movies

Santee Movies by the Lake

Viejas Movies in the Park

Dive-In Theatre at The Pearl SD 

Movies generally start around dusk. Arrive early for optimal seating. Most places let you bring your own chairs, blankets, and food - verify on the website. All of these movies are listed on the my calendar so it's easier to find the date and movie that suits your needs! (*See more movies below)

[NOT LISTED ON CALENDAR (aka: Ain't Nobody Got Time For That)]
I found a lot of other events online thanks to SanDiego.org and KBPS.org. I'd add these to the calendar, but it would take me longer than the duration of the events..

Summer Movies at the Park 
Family-friendly movies in San Diego from the South Bay to North County!

Coronado Summer Concerts in the Park
Enjoy concerts by local artists and tribute bands at Spreckels Park - located at the corner of 6th Street and Orange Avenue. Concerts start around 6:30-7pm on various nights throughout the year.


To San Diego residents and visitors, I wish you a very happy summer! Did I miss something? Have a free event you'd like me to promote? Comment below, email me at diningattiffanys@gmail.com, OR we can be super high tech and you can invite me directly to a Google Calendar event.;)

I'll be adding more as I find them. Enjoy!

With love,

Tiffany R.

Dining at Tiffany's

PS: Just realized it's 6.19 day! Perfect timing. SD represent! ;) 

Peanuts & Fried Chicken: A Birthday Greeting for My Dad

I've traveled to the Philippines with my parents and sister twice in my lifetime. During our first visit, I was eight years old and met many of my wonderful relatives for the first time. At this young age, I also came face to face with the reality that many people around the world live in extremely poor conditions and experienced one of my most vivid childhood memories. We were stuck in the sweltering traffic of the Philippines and I looked outside the car window. I saw starving people young and old begging for food and money; a little boy was eating paper on the side of the road.

When we returned to the Philippines during my last year of high school, I learned an unexpected lesson from my dad during a shopping trip to one of the expansive mega malls. At some point, we split off from my mom and sister to head toward the food court. In the area between the restaurants, ragged street vendors begged passerby to spare some change to buy small trinkets and snacks. 

Among the street vendors was a little girl who couldn't have been older than ten years old. Atop her shoulder, she carried a long stick with a dozen or so bags of peanuts to sell. It was a weekday, so she likely had to forego school to help her family make ends meet. When I saw this poor little girl, my natural instinct was to walk right past her and try to not feel so sad. 

That's when my dad took an unexpected action. He struck up a conversation with the little girl and asked about her age, family, and life. Then he asked her how much the peanuts cost. He sifted through his wallet and paid her enough money to purchase all of the peanuts on her pack. Joyfully bewildered, the girl started to hand us all of her goods as my dad kindly declined them. I stood there surprised and amazed, watching what he did next. He walked over to the fried chicken stand and ordered a bucket or so of chicken with a side of rice. My dad gave the bags of food to the little girl, patted her on the shoulder, and told her to go home early with a hot meal for her family. 

I don't remember if she had tears in her eyes, but I shed a few as I write this. I don't remember what I said to my dad after, or if I ever said anything at all. I will always remember the volumes of meaning that this moment speaks about my dad. 

Today is my dad's birthday. When it comes to my parents, no gift is ever enough to thank them for all they've done for me, both in providing me with a comfortable life and especially for all the values they've instilled in me. 

Happy Birthday, Dad. Thank you for teaching me to always make genuine connections with everyone we meet, be generous with blessings, and try our best to make someone's day -- especially those in need. I love you. 

With love,

Tiffany

Dining at Tiffany's 

PS: Happy Father's Day, too! 

Dining in Nicaragua?!

Hi there!! It's been quite a while since I've written in here, and there's plenty of reasons. Aside from the fact that I cook a lot less than I'd care to admit, I've had a lot going on!

For the last few months I've been incredibly overwhelmed with work, volunteer commitments, and writing pieces. If you've ever worked in education, social justice, or creative endeavors, you're likely familiar with the uneasy feeling that there's always something more than can and should be done, that you can always do better, and that the work is never complete. I really started to doubt myself in many ways.

Thankfully, I've been encouraged by friends and family to keep moving forward while focusing on the positive. What keeps me going is remembering that it starts with one -- one word, one moment, one life. If I can impact just one person's life in a positive way, then I am confident that I'm working toward my purpose.

With that, I wanted to announce on here that I'M GOING BACK TO NICARAGUA! I'm going with my some fellow UCSD alums, along with a friend that I met at a conference a few years ago. We'll be working in a community where I volunteered last year to build classrooms and start an after school program for a rural school. Through this trip I seek to continue helping communities in Nicaragua while inspiring my own community to live life in service to others.

You can learn more about my project here: http://bit.ly/tiffnicaragua2013

More updates soon!

With love,
Tiffany R.
Dining at Tiffany's

Hungry for Comfort

Carne asada french fries. Freshly baked mac and cheese. Chocolate covered pretzels. These foods, paired with the comfort of my faith, family, and friends, can generally help me overcome just about anything.

Those close to me know that I somehow end up in charge of a lot of things. I'm a control freak. Just kidding. But really, it's not necessarily by position, but I always choose to be a leader; I choose to take responsibility for the well-being of those around me. Whether it's spearheading a project, or  simply recommending an awesome restaurant, ensuring that others have a positive experience has always been a priority of mine. 
 

And as a leader, when a bad situation unfolds "on your watch," no matter the circumstances, you can't help but feel partially responsible. In seeking comfort, I am often reminded that hindsight is 20/20; the shoulda-woulda-couldas are always clear upon reassessment and the only thing to do is move forward. 

But you know what? I'm tired of it. I'm sick of reactive action. I'm sick of the conversations and remedies that only occur as a result of trauma. To start creating pure, positive change, we need to stop letting good work be tainted by the bad situation that prompted it. Our paradigm needs to shift, making kindness and compassion a lifestyle, not just a tool used to fix problems. 

This brings me back to those carne asada french fries -- what are we seeking when we turn to comfort food?
- Familiarity
- Warmth
- Control
- Security
- Gratification.
These are the things that are lacking when we're not filled with enough faith, hope, and love.

We were all put on this world for a purpose. I also believe that we were not meant to live in isolation from one another. We're here to connect with and comfort others -- strengthening family and friendships and building strong communities. Make a conscious effort to feed those around you with the living comfort food of familiarity, affirmation, and support:
- call a friend to see how they're doing
- volunteer to help out a neighbor
- take the time to smile and thank your bus driver or waitress.

Your kindness and compassion can go much further than you'd think, making someone even more joyfully full than a personal box of carne asada fries.


With love,

Tiffany R.

Dining at Tiffany's

Banana Nutella "Pizza" and a Free Download

Hello everyone!

After a very hectic February, I'm back with more food and ideas to share! I know it's been quiet Dining here at Tiffany's, but I promise I've been writing a bunch -- just in other places.

One outlet to which I've been contributing my writing is through my Volunteer Internship with Thurman Consulting. My project is to coordinate a free, online teleseminar series covering topics about career and leadership development based on the book How to be a Nonprofit Rockstar. I have the fun role of writing event descriptions and engaging in Twitter conversations at the hashtag #nprockstar. I love the topics since they align with the "Catering Your Success" themed posts on my website.

Aside from my internship, the majority of my free time/energy has been spent completing graduate school applications and writing personal statements. It was honestly a very grueling process, but I learned a lot about myself; in reflecting on my past work and academic experience, I gained inspiration and ideas for moving forward, especially with Dining at Tiffany's.

1. I want to continue "Catering Your Success!"

So by popular request, I'm sharing my template for graduate school application requirements. Click here or on the photo! I hope that you find this helpful as a way to keep track of the many details of completing your applications.

2. I want to feed you! While Dining at Tiffany's is about both the food and the conversation, I want to make sure I'm providing enough food so you don't go hungry ;). I haven't been posting too many recipes because I have been way too busy to test out and perfect complex dishes. In the meantime, I figure I can always share some of the quick ideas I cook up in my kitchen! With that, I'll leave you with a fun dish I created over the weekend. This is a great breakfast or snack option for all you nutella lovers out there. It's also relatively good for you. Enjoy!

Banana Nutella "Pizza"

Ingredients:
- A few slices of flat bread (You can use whole grain pita, naan, etc. I used a freshly baked flat bread from here)
- A couple spoonfuls of Nutella hazelnut spread
- A sliced banana
- A handful of chopped, raw almonds (or any nuts you have on hand)

Instructions:
- Spread nutella onto slices of flat bread. This is your "pizza" sauce. Sprinkle with almonds to add crunch and extra protein!
- Heat in a toaster oven at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes (Real Talk: I cooked mine over 10 minutes because I used the "medium" toast setting, burning some of the Nutella.  When you make it, the Nutella should be a lighter brown, unlike the above picture. Oops.). Basically you want the Nutella to be melty and the bread to be crispy. The almonds get a nice roast as well. Mmm.
- Top with sliced bananas and enjoy immediately. I sure did, with a side of hot coffee (which I drank gallons of in February).


With love,
Tiffany R.
Dining at Tiffany's