Tag Archives: Aaron Hendra

RIP ZOE: Tribute To Our Sassy SOS Mascot

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Dear Precious Friends,

With a heavy, but healing heart I must share that 2 weeks ago today our furry daughter, Zoe went to puppy heaven. What a quirky little diva she was. Shaking my head with a huge grin on my face. She loved being wherever mama was even when I was filming SOS videos! If you have been part of this journey from the beginning then you have seen our sassy scene stealer in many episodes.

I wanted a dog for years, but was living an unsettled gypsy lifestyle so as soon as Aaron and I got married (and I felt somewhat like a grown up) we got our little deaf, high maintenance long-haired chihuahua. “Zoe” was my favorite baby name for a girl and since I wasn’t sure if I would ever have kids– we named her Zoe which means “life” in Greek. So she has been our baby from day one and was truly my spiritual guide dog. Some may think that idea is “woo woo” but she was my trusted companion every single day on my healing journey. She snuggled up beside me during many journaling sessions and watching episode after episode of Joyce Meyer and TD Jakes. Many things are inconsistent when you begin your spiritual journey. One day you’re up and can see the light, one day you’re in dark pain with a heart that is cracking open. The one consistent thing, besides God’s presence, was Zoe. She was there loving me unconditionally. I truly believe she had a job to do in being my spiritual companion and she did it very well. I’m sure God is so pleased with his sweet little creation! *Kleenex Please* 

[Aaron loved her like crazy! This was the day we brought her home April 2004.]

If you have gone through the loss of a furry family member then you know the deep absence and void that is left in the home. I hug you all. ((Group hug)) We never realize how much energy and life they bring to our sacred space. Each day is getting better and we are focusing on the beautiful life she had!  She was spoiled silly especially when we lived on a beautiful big property in 90210. She really was a “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” and always rocked a cute sweater. She even had the ‘Tude to go along with it and was pretty snobby and definitely not a people person.  Everyone who met her knows she really only liked the boys. True diva indeed!

 

Here’s some SOS clips I put together on an Instagram Story as a tribute to our Zoe:

RIP sweet girl and thank you for your years of devotion! Now you can rest and hopefully got your hearing back in puppy heaven where all is perfect. 

With Love, 

Mama

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P.S. Happy April Y’all. It’s going to be an amazing month! We head over to Australia tomorrow to visit our Aussie family! So excited. Remember to take some time to look over your vision board, set your intentions for the month and really think about what you WANT!

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KNIGHTS DO EXIST

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Happy Birthday to my knight! Some say there’s no such thing as a knight in shining armor — I beg to differ! I never really thought I would get married. I was too messed up, but God sent you @aaronhendra to protect me and help me fight my battles. Exactly what a knight does! Thank you for showing up for US every single day. May God continue to direct your steps, shower you with favor and open doors of opportunity that no man can shut. You are chosen. You are destined. I love you 

[Photos clockwise: Our wedding day at the end of the Santa Monica pier, Aaron installing an LED light panel in the orphanage in S. Sudan, our first scene on RHOD and Aaron on set of his music video for “Alive”]

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Hey Love Seekers!

The above Instagram post is to honor my husband on his birthday today. As I thought about him and our life together over the past 13 years, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude to him for seeing past my brokenness to a girl who deserved to be loved.  See, when I met Aaron I had just embarked on a spiritual journey of healing from my past.

I was an emotional roller coaster.

I felt unlovable.

I was a hot mess.

I felt shame. 

Unworthy…was the label stamped across my heart! (so I thought)

But, in the few months prior to running into Aaron on Beverly Drive on the beautiful fall day in LA I had begun praying for him even though I didn’t know “he” was the one. For many years, I didn’t believe I was worthy of love much less an amazing husband. I had already hit 30 and started facing the fact that maybe marriage wasn’t for me. Growing up a Southern girl, of course- I thought I would be married with 2 kids by the time I was 25. Hello, that’s what most good Southern girls life plan was in my generation, right? Here I was 30 with no prospects and in a city like LA where it felt like finding a good man was like finding a pair of Louboutin’s 75% off at Marshalls. Impossible!  I came close to giving up on love.

BUT GOD.

In 2002, when I hit rock bottom on that bathroom floor in West Hollywood (hear more on Access Hollywood) God heard my simple pray of “help”.  Often we think we need these long poetic wordy prayers, but the simple prayers like “thank you” and “help” are just as powerful. The beautiful thing about hitting bottom is there’s no where else to go but up! This was the beginning of my relationship with God then my relationship with myself then ultimately my relationship with my husband. I had to embark on a love affair with God and myself before I could meet Aaron and allow him to love me. Period. Most of my 20’s, I had turned my back on God and basically shot Him the middle finger. But He was always there. I really should be dead in a ditch somewhere. I should have died on that bathroom floor or in some random person’s bathroom in the Hollywood Hills. But I didn’t.  I began journaling my crazy thoughts and praying for God to bring me a strong man. I filled up several spiral notebooks describing that strong man.  I began praying for him everyday in that prayer journal. With each passing day, my hope grew. Then a year later- BAM- I ran into Aaron on that street and we were married 4 months later.

Trust me, I made the first 2-3 years of our marriage a nightmare! When the fear and old shame-based Tiff would creep up, I would push Aaron away and resist his love. He never gave up on me. He stayed consistent. Aaron saw me as a beautiful, whole, strong, intelligent woman. Not as the weak, broken, messy girl I saw myself as. God knew I needed him to hold my hand as I continued on this healing journey.  God knew Aaron needed me as well.

I felt compelled to share that beautiful glimpse of our story to encourage any of you who are seeking true, real, lasting love. Knights really do exist! Don’t give up hope. Allow the love of God to transform your life first. If you’re like I was and feel unworthy, remember God sees you as His gorgeous daughter. You are the apple of His eye. When you grasp that truth down in your spirit– it begins to heal your broken heart. It renews you. It takes away all the shameful labels you or others have placed on you. Put on God’s label and wear it proudly like the most stunning custom-made dress.

 

You are lovable.

You are worthy.

You are strong, beautiful and filled with purpose.

Allow Him to lead you to your partner. His connections are Divine.  

 

Join  me in honoring Aaron today and if you are blessed with an amazing partner- tell them how grateful you are to be able to do life with them! It’s truly a gift.

 

sign_xo

 

AM I DREAMING? Look Who’s A Real Housewife Of Dallas #RHOD

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How many times have you heard me say, “there are no expiration dates on our dreams”? Well, I believe it more than ever today! Can you believe this news? I am a real housewife in the latest addition to the Bravo franchise! Ahhhh– it still feels so surreal. I’m pinching myself and so grateful for this dream come true. I’ve been pouring myself into new endeavors and SOS, but I have never let go of my dream of working in TV again. I’ve just been focused on God’s will, purpose and plan for my life. I would say He hooked it up big time!! I want to make Him proud.

About 7 months after we moved to Dallas, I was presented with an audition opportunity for a reality show that sounded too fun to pass up. I knew we would be putting ourselves out there in an even bigger way than I do here on SOS and YouTube, but after much prayer- Aaron and I knew this was an opportunity of a lifetime. We also knew we would have to grow thicker skin than we already had because allowing cameras to follow the good, the bad and ugly of your life is not for the faint hearted. Another reason this felt right was because my BFF of over 25 years, LeeAnne Locken, also wanted to jump at this opportunity and go on this journey together. We actually may have the longest “real” friendship of all the housewives. (Need to dig a little and find out for sure!)

 

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The official cast is women from different walks of life. L to R: Cary Deuber, an RN and mother who’s married to a plastic surgeon. Brandi Redmond, a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and mom to 2 girls. Stephanie Hollman, Brandi’s best friend and mother of 2 boys. LeeAnne and me.

As with any group of women navigating life, family, new and old friendships, marriage, career and the social scene- there’s A LOT of excitement! Check out the trailer here! Our first exclusive interview was with E! (sqweeeeel again.. this is vision board stuff coming to fruition)  behind the scenes of our promo shoot. Check out that interview here!

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Hold on to your hats, sistas! RHOD premiers on April 11th at 9pm CST. Are you a Real Housewives addict? You’re going to love our show. I promise. Texas women are spitfires so it’s going to be very entertaining.  Make sure to tell all your friends who are fellow housewife viewers!

When I kept saying I was “super busy” with cool projects and not much time for videos- this is why! Thanks for the continued support. Don’t worry, I am planning to continue the SOS videos!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @TiffanyHendra because we’re already tweeting lots with the fans. It’s so fun!

YEEHAWW!

Love, Tiff

 

 

BEING MISS THRIFTY IS STYLISH & SMART: A Day In My Life

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Thrift_books

 

Happy Sunday Sistas!

Since moving to Dallas, my husband has been in and out of town every month with his CD launch and we haven’t had much time to explore this fab city. Since he was in town for the 4th of July weekend, I decided to introduce him (and reintroduce myself) to all that Dallas has to offer. I love to just get in the car and go on excursions without a hard set schedule. We knew we wanted to have a chill day with some browsing, nibbles and I wanted to get in some thrift shopping.

We started at Bishop Arts District which has changed and grown since I last lived here. This charming, Austin-esque area has some of my favorite eateries as well as eclectic shops and vintage stores. Grab brunch at Oddfellows or dinner at Tillman’s Road House. Tillman’s private dining room is amazing with real trees lining the walls. One of the best meals I’ve ever had. Put this on your to-do list when visiting Big D!  

bishop_arts_TiffAaronA few peeps have already asked about my outfit on Instagram so I want to make sure you sistas are in the loop, too. Dress: Rory Beca , Crossbody Bag: Steve Madden, Mirrored Aviators: Betsy Johnson

One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Dallas 15 years ago was thrift shopping. The greater DFW area has fantastic thrift and vintage stores. Yesterday was my first opportunity to go hunting – and bless my hubby’s heart – he was so patient. I’m sure thrift shopping is comparable to getting teeth pulled without anesthesia for a man. He was not only patient, he asked Siri where the best locations were!

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One of my intentions for the Summer is making the time to read more. I have ordered a few new titles off Amazon, but the very best place to get books is Goodwill. I’ve mentioned this on the blog before and several of you commented that you also shop there for your books. Well, yesterday – my thrifty shopping angels were on it and led us to a gigantic Goodwill where I found 13 hardcover books at only $2 a pop. HOLLA! I found books to fill many of my interests from leadership and spirituality titles from John C. Maxwell, Max Lucado, Sarah Ban Breathnach, M.Scott Peck MD, Thomas Moore and John Eldredge to Suze Orman’s financial wisdom to a few biographies of successful female TV hosts. I also love giving away the small, but powerful reads by Bruce Wilkinson on the message of John 15 and the Prayer of Jabez so I pick up extra copies whenever I find them. 

I was excited to find that my favorite Dallas Salvation Army on Harry Hines was still open and guess what I found there? Three beautiful silk scarves in gorgeous Summer colors for a whopping $8 total. Can I get a double… Holla, Holla! Although thrift shopping takes some skill, a good eye and high tolerance for that funky “vintage smell” – it is so fun and rewarding when you score! Most books average $26 retail and I got 13 for the same price. A good quality silk scarf will run you from $30-300 depending on the brand. So, being thrifty is both stylish and smart, sista! 

Thrift_scarves

We still have so much to explore in Dallas, but for our first jaunt around town- it was a total success!  We ended the day hydrating and snacking on the best chips & salsa on the planet at Rafa’s on Lovers Lane. Add it to your list when visiting! You can’t visit any city in Texas without indulging on their best Tex Mex.

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I would love to hear your favorite spots for thrift shopping!

Comment, share, tweet and let me know.

Love, Tiff

 

TWENTY QUESTIONS FOR TIFF

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Hello Gorgeous! 

I was asked these questions a few months ago and thought I would update the answers and share them here on the blog….

1) WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? At church on Sunday. Amazing sermon about being a giver and not a taker! 

2) IF  YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Heck yea! I take pride in being a loyal friend and I’m a great listener when you need a shoulder to cry on and I’m silly when ‘girls just wanna have fun’!! 

3) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL? Tex Mex. Starting with fresh chips & queso then tortilla soup and a chalupa or taco. 

Queso dip

4) DO YOU THINK YOU ARE FUNNY? Sometimes. I think I’m more quirky & serious with an offbeat sense of humor. 

5) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes. People who look you direct in the eye- speaks volumes to me. You instantly get a glimpse into their spirit. I don’t trust people who can’t look you square in the eye. 

6) WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH? Being empathic and intuitive with people’s feelings. 

7) WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS? Being empathic and intuitive with people’s feelings. It can be both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I feel other’s feelings too deeply and it debilitates me. 

8) MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE? Oh definitely a beach house! That sounds wonderful right about now. I love balmy ocean air, sand, living in a sarong and smelling like Hawaiian Tropic.

9) WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE YOU’VE VISITED? Africa! It was a dream of mine since I was a child. I spent time in the hustle & bustle of the city in Kampala, Uganda then in the bush of Southern Sudan. Life-changing! 

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10) WHAT FOOD MAKES YOU GAG? Mushrooms. Yuck! I have tried and tried and tried to like them, but it ain’t happening. 

11) SPONTANEITY OR STABILITY? I would love to say I was spontaneous and there is a free-spirited side to me, but I definitely like to plan and prefer structure & stability. I can be rigid and inflexible if things change last minute. 

12) ARE YOU AN INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT? Both. I’m sure it sounds strange because I work on camera, but there is a side of me that’s painfully shy. 

13) WHEN YOU WERE TEN, WHO DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? Olivia Newton-John. I was obsessed with Grease and had all her albums- even Xanadu!

Xanadu

14) DO YOU HAVE A NICKNAME? I have had several in my life. Before J.Lo got her nickname, my parents called me T. Ro (Tiffany Rochelle). An old boyfriend called me “Lil P” for Lil Princess. Now, I go by “Fi Fi” and “TT”.  It actually makes me chuckle to type those out! 

15) DO YOU HAVE ANY PHOBIAS? Frogs!!! I have been deathly afraid of them since I can remember. My mom was so awesome and even wrote a note to my junior high principal so I could skip the frog dissection in Science class. She took me to work with her that day. 

16) DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST TIME ON AN AIRPLANE? I was about 14 and flew on Southwest Airlines to a youth retreat in New Orleans with a few older girls from high school. We actually skipped one day and went to the French Quarter. I was WAY too young to see that at 14. LOL. But, it was so exciting! I knew then that I wanted to be a globe-trotter.  

17)WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT. My marriage. We are about to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in Feb. During my 20’s, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get married because I had so many issues with men including daddy issues. Then Aaron came along and changed it all. I’ve never stayed committed to anything for 10 whole years! That’s an accomplishment. 

Aaron_Tiff_poolside

18) DO YOU PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS? I took piano lessons until I lost interest and started cheerleading at about 12. Then I played for my youth group, but I’m pretty rusty now! I wish I had kept the lessons up. 

19) WHAT 3 FOODS ARE ALWAYS IN YOUR FRIDGE? Almond Milk,  Salsa (I put it on everything) and Greek Yogurt. 

20) WHAT DO YOU NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT? Under-eye Concealer & SPF.

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I would love for you to choose a question and give me your answer!

COMMENT BELOW.

Happy Humpday Sista!  Have a fabulous rest of your week!

Love, Tiff

5 FALL SHOWSTOPPERS {New Webisode}

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My Style Sistas,

Hello, my name is Tiffany and I’m an addict…..an accessory addict! Anyone else? We can all get our fix this Fall because there is so much to choose from, but as usual- I narrowed it down to the 5 Most Fabulous that I think we can all rock this season. Take a peek:

RECAP:

faux_fur_scarf

//Faux Fur Scarf//

suede_strappy_bootie

//Sassy Statement Bootie//

TaylorM_hammeredgoldears

//Geometric Earrings//

http://www.etsy.com/shop/taylormoseley

25% OFF through Oct 31. 2013

Enter Coupon Code TIFOCT25

zebra_handbag

//Splash of Zebra Print//

emerald_statement_necklace

//Colorful Gemstones//

Hint: Emerald is Pantone’s color of the year!

Enter to win the H&M faux fur scarf:

  1. Subscribe to this blog.
  2. Share this Fall Accessories blog post on Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook. Buttons below.
  3. Make a comment here on this blog post telling me which accessory makes you feel most fabulous!

GOOD LUCK!  Giveaway is open internationally. Ends Oct 31st.

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We have a few {BIG} announcements coming up so keep in touch here or on the Facebook Community. 

A big thank you to Taylor-Moseley for the generosity!

Strut it sistas! Have an amazing rest of the week! 

Love,

Tiff

GRATITUDE. A love note to you.

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Hi Gorgeous Girls!

Over the past week or so, every fiber of my being has been flooded with HUMONGOUS GRATITUDE.  The kind that gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling complete with goose-bumps, hair raising on the back of my neck, girlie giddy excitement in my belly and a tear in my eye. Have you ever felt such bigtime gratefulness before?  Want to know the reason for mine? It’s because of YOU.  Yep, you girlfriend!

When I began a deep spiritual journey to figure out what the heck I was meant to do- it was exactly 10 yrs ago this month.  In the summer of 2002, I walked away from my TV career in LA, gave away most of my clothes and all my furniture and went back to Texas to get my head on straight. {GRATEFUL} That is when I birthed my idea (well, God really planted the seed) to help women through a community, website and TV show. Can you believe that was 10 years ago? I can’t! I had no idea how to get started or what the heck I was doing, but I just started putting it out there with child-like naivety. I laugh now because I thought I was ready to do a show back then and got totally pissed off that it wasn’t happening faster.  I had to go through MAJOR healing, changes and growth first.  I was a mess, but I had this BIG vision. After a 6 month sabbatical in Texas, I headed back to LA with this new dream!{GRATEFUL}

Within these 10 years, I have hosted several TV pilots geared for young women (one production company spent over $1 Million on our pilot) and they never went to air on TV.  Grrrr!  (This is where I give gratitude for the doors God closes!)  This was long before Facebook, YouTube, Blogs and the Flip camera. Now it’s easy for anyone to start taping their message and blast it to the world. Whew, I wanted to give up so many times, but a God-given dream just doesn’t leave you alone. It really is like you are pregnant with this idea/purpose/vision. I just couldn’t abort this dream!  I had this mad, crazy drive to help women…somehow, someway. I collaborated with several different producers with the hopes something would work. It never did.  When I finally realized it just wasn’t the right time, I decided I had to do something…..ANYTHING! I started teaching a self-development class and created a curriculum for 13-17 year olds as well as working in a fun, girlie boutique on the weekend. Gals would come sit in the boutique and chat about all the different life issues we girls love to talk about. Wish I had a camera in that boutique back then. It was like a talk show in there! Little did I know, these opportunities turned out to be an amazing training ground and preparation. {GRATEFUL} I still hoped and prayed to work on camera again, but shelved my show idea for a while (true surrender) and just lived life…WITH EXPECTANCY!

The reason I’m telling you all of this is the seed has grown slowly over the years (a little too darn slow at times) into a bud and then 2 years ago-this month- I pitched my show idea in front of one of the biggest television producers, Mark Burnett of The Apprentice, The Amazing Race and Survivor, for a show he was producing for Oprah.  Holla!  Yes, I almost crapped my pants that day, but…. I DID IT!  It’s as if it made it all REAL. It was no longer this concept that swirled around in my head driving me coocoo for coco puffs.  I put it out there! There was no taking it back. The universe had a hold of it. I went all the way to the last 20 finalists, but wasn’t chosen for the show. Again, thank God for the closed doors. After I caught my breath from that 3 month audition process, I finally had the guts to start taping my ideas. The only video camera I had at the time was the one on my blackberry. I had no idea what I was doing (I still don’t really), but I had to start somewhere. Then my brave hubby offered his help as camera man and we got a decent little video camera. Our first attempt at a light set up was a nightstand lamp with a white sheet as a reflector. Ha! We have come a loooooong way! {GRATEFUL}

Here we are today. I’m grateful for the ease of Facebook, WordPress, YouTube and the ability to create the community that we have.  I had to stop and send YOU a heartfelt thank you for sharing, joining, watching, subscribing, and reading. Thank you for allowing me to try different things and discuss different topics, all with the pure intention of helping you build confidence, believe in yourself and truly love yourself and your own unique beauty + style. My dream of creating a SISTERHOOD is becoming a reality. Thank You God. Thank You Aaron (my hubby). Thank You Girls.

WHAT ARE YOU TRULY GRATEFUL FOR TODAY?

I highly recommend making gratitude lists on a regular basis. It will change your life. It’s simple:

I AM GRATEFUL FOR___________________.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR___________________.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR___________________.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR___________________.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR___________________.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR___________________.

I hope you can also be grateful for your journey and remember, never give up.

Love, Tiff