Jnco Jeans

Okay so I know it's not Thursday anymore and I am a day late to do a #tbt, but I felt the convo between Tyler and I was very noteworthy to mention...so I'm going to do a #tbf. (And for those of you who don't understand the #tbt or #tbf, it stands for throw back Thursday, and throw back Friday...remembering the past, digging up old pics of yourself, embarrassing yourself, remembering how cute or awkward you were, etc).

Last night Tyler and I were reflecting on the first time that we actually got "name brand" clothing. For me, "name brand" or "popular" clothing meant not getting something from K-Mart or Goodwill, and shopping at a department store at the mall. For Tyler it meant not shopping at the department store and getting his first pair of Jnco Jeans...

Guys, do you remember Jnco Jeans? How were these things even popular and seriously, how deep were those pockets? You could loose your life in there! Now that I'm thinking about it, what would happen if you actually filled those pockets with spare change, a wallet, baseball cards, tools, shoe laces (and whatever else guys put in their pockets)?

Apparently when TK was allowed to get his first pair, he was ecstatic to say the least. He rushed in the door at home, grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting off the tags of the highly coveted pants. As he was hacking away at the tags specifically attached to the deepest pockets on earth, he didn't realize exactly what he was cutting. A second later there was a small triangle by the back pocket existed. Needless to say, TK was devastated and the allure of Jnco's faded.

Good thing those bad boys decided to not stay in style. Let's hope that they will never resurrect again.

My first "popular clothing" purchase were two pairs of sa-weet L.E.I jeans. Ladies, do you remember these?

     

The wider the flare, the better. I guess they're still considered cool, since Taylor Swift models them...

So just thinking through the evolution of change in my style, it's amusing to look back on what we deemed "cool" back in the day of middle school and all things awkward. I consider myself a bit of a late bloomer. I never was really cool in middle or high school, and finally feel that as a late-20 something, I've finally found my voice, my style and am slowly becoming appreciative of the woman God is creating me to be. My 17-year-old self would probably nod her head in approval at my personal style now-a-days...although she would probably roll her eyes at my early bed time, pink slippers and lame jokes...

Blazer: H&M, T-shirt: Zara, Pants: Old Navy, Shoes: A Department Store :)

And just in case you were wondering what awkward Tyler and Becky looked like- here's a taste:

  

Cheers to day 3!

xo Becky

White.

Hey everyone! Welcome back. I've successfully made it to day #2...whew!

Thanks for joining me.

So I have to make a confession...I went to the mall today and bought an article of clothing...GASP! Okay it wasn't for me it was for Tyler and it was a coat, but seriously thanks for NOTHING mall and your gorgeous spring window displays (I'm glaring at you, J.Crew. H&M). So instead of walking proudly through the mall-scanning the window displays- I kept my head down, eyes on the floor and made zero eye contact with passerby's. Welcome to the world, anti-social Becky.

On an unrelated note, today's outfit was mainly a mixture of me wanting to be semi-dressy and just wanting to be warm. Gosh, I hate the winter...although I LOVE wearing winter clothes. The Filipino side of me is craving warm, delicious basking-in-the-80 degree-sunshine. Usually around this time of year I start dreaming of warm vacations...actually, really going anywhere other than the seemingly long East Coast winter (can it just stop snowing already??). 

So I'm currently dreaming about...

Marrakech...

Istanbul...

Athens...

Rio de Janeiro...

And, in a heart beat, I'd go back to Nice...

But, for now, I'll just continue to dream about these potential vacation places...while I'm wearing my winter white jeans, and Hello Apparel terry cloth sweatshirt, in 34 degree weather, all while hiding under a very warm blanket...

Pants: Old Navy, Shirt: Hello Apparel, Shoes: Gap, Necklace: H&M (old)

Cheers to day 2!

xo Becky

40 days. 40 nights.

1,017 days.

1017 days since I wrote on here. 1017 days since I felt the need to become vulnerable, let my guard down and let you all back in. 

1,017 days has been long enough.

So why now? Why get back in the blog-o-sphere when it seems like everyone is blogging about everything under the sun? Well, I've been challenged and I need you all to keep me accountable.

Are you ready?

Let's go.

Today is Ash Wednesday and so begins the season of Lent. Over the past 27 years I have not really "followed" the lent tradition...fasting (or giving up something) for 40 days. In the past I've just kind of joked about giving up coffee (which lasted, oh, NEVER), giving up sweets (somewhat doable), or giving up social media (that one didn't last more than a day either). But this weekend at church I felt an incredible conviction that this was the year I needed to truly "fast" and give up something that means a great deal to me. I racked my brain for something that wouldn't be super significant in my life...but then realized "Hello, Becky...that isn't fasting!"...so I started digging deeper. What means a lot to me, what do I spend much of my day randomly thinking about...what would be a true sacrifice for me to give up?

And the winner is...

Shopping. 

Oof. This is going to be a rough one. See, if you know me well you know that I LOVE to shop. I LOVE style, I LOVE fashion. The thicker the Instyle magazine the better. The higher the heel, the better. The greater the sale, the better. Daily I pour through fashion blogs and Pinterest trying to find inspiration.

See style, fashion, clothing, for me, is the way that I express myself. It is the outlet where I can rebel a bit, get creative, and define who I am. It is also something that I spend a lot of my time thinking about...how can I get more creative with what I have, what new thing can I purchase that will make my closet amazing. 

I know it may seem silly to some people...here I am, living in America worried about what I wear each day, all the while desiring and wanting more, and more and more. But for some people food is their vice, chocolate is what takes the edge off, drinking a glass of wine soothes the soul (which I won't argue...it is does it for me too), buying new tech stuff or crafting takes the crazy out of your day. For me, it's shopping.

So, I've felt super challenged to give up clothing, shoe and accessory shopping for the next 40 days and 40 nights. I want to take that money that I have been spending on myself and give it back in a spirit of generosity. I want to take the time that I spend sitting and thinking about clothes, and refocus it back on prayer and talking with God. 

Here is where you guys come in. With my 40 day shopping fast, I have challenged myself to take the contents of my closet and remix them for 40 days. After all, I've got 1/2 a walk-in closet full of possibilities, and if I'm completely honest, about a 1/4 of another walk in closet full of off-season clothing. I've got more than enough to make this challenge work, and I'm planning on documenting it on here. Accountability does wonders for me...although I'm warning you already...I get SUPER awkward at taking pictures...

Case in point:

But here goes nothing. 40 days and 40 nights. God is good and I'm excited to see what He teaches me through this challenge. 

And if this isn't the longest blog post already...here is today's outfit...well actually scratch that, it was yesterdays outfit. It is almost 3:00pm and I am still in my work out clothes from this morning's yoga class...don't judge me. 

White shirt: H&M (old) Sweatshirt/sweater and Jeans: Old Navy (here and here)
Booties: Urban Outfitters (old), Necklace: Norah Necklace (Stella and Dot) 

Cheers to Day 1!

xo Becky