74:365

Hat/shirt/shoes by Nike, jeans by Joe's Jeans.

I'm wearing a bro hat.  I'm not a bro.  Don't care. Ladies, wear that bro hat and rock it.  I countered the bro hat with (it's hard to tell) but the O on my shirt is sparkly black. So I threw a little feminine pizazz in as well.  If only I had a black or yellow pair of sky hi's!

That's right. What you see to the left is my Game Day face. It's a big day, and our #3 ranked Ducks are playing #5 ranked Stanford. It's going to be a close game. I don't even know what to write because I don't want to jinx it.

Speaking of jinxing, what is up with superstition anyway? I was driving through downtown Portland yesterday and had to freaking hold my breath while driving through a tunnel, made a wish, and I hoped I didn't let go of my breath because my wish might actually come true! Seriously?? I'm thirty. And that just happened. I can't even believe I'm admitting it to you. Regardless of mature or not, I held my breath all the way through the tunnel. Phew!


Why do we do all those superstitious things? Of all people, I know that athletes can tend to be superstitious, but I became curious and just had to Google it. Here it goes. According to Men's Fitness Online Magazine, these are the top ten most superstitious athletes in no particular order.

1. Michael Jordan
2. Bjorn Borg (whoever that is...)
3. Kevin Rhomberg (whoever that is...)
4. Serena Williams
5. Jason Terry (whoever that is...)
6. Wade Boggs (whoever that is...)
7. Patrick Roy (whoever that is...)
8. Jason Glaml (whoever that is...)
9. Lyoto Machlda (whoever that is...)
10. Turk Wendell (whoever that is...)

Yeah, so apparently I don't follow pro sports. But I have to say, of all the weird things the people above do, #9 takes the cake. Lyoto, not cool. Not cool...Urine? He drinks his own urine prior to a fight. That's downright nasty. I don't care who you are.

So the question is - do these crazy routines and rituals of writing the word "chai" (Hebrew for "Life") in the dirt prior to going up to bat, drinking your own pee (insert counseling here), wearing the opposing team's shorts to bed the night before the game, wearing one's college basketball shorts under one's game shorts; Do they actually make these professional athletes better?  Could they survive, and make the same phenomenal stats if they didn't do these - some of them - borderline insane behaviors?  Maybe. Maybe not.  But no one will ever know. It's a mystery. And they're all going to keep doing those loopy rituals no matter what we think.

Superstitious or not, I'm cheering on my Ducks and I hope you do too. Keep doing whatever routine you've been doing.

WIN THE DAY!!!

Jennica

73:365

Blazer by H & M, slacks by Level99, heels by Charles by Charles David.

The Look.
I call these my sailor pants.  And I call my tank by birthday suit top. I've always loved this look - the sailor pant look that is...It's very classic to me. These pants are extremely long - or I at least like to say that as opposed to admitting I just have really short legs, so I just cuffed them so I wouldn't have to pay to have them hemmed.  I'm cheap like that sometimes.

The Thoughts.
There's a time to be selfish and there's a time to be a servant. Yes, that's right.  I just told you it's OK to be selfish. Now I don't mean selfish like sneaking your significant other's bowl of popcorn when he/she isn't looking like I did the other day because that's just cruel. Or funny. Depends on if you're on the oblivious or receiving end of that one. But what I mean is there is a time to stand up for ourselves and advocate for our own needs. The bottom line is other than your mother, there's no one else that's going to advocate for you except for yourself. No offense to dads out there...There's no one that is going to make decisions for you.  There's no one that's going to speak up for you. There's no one that is going to make money for you. Well...in some cases there is, but there's no guarantee that that person is going to be around forever. We are our own advocate, we are our own voice, and only we can make our own best decisions.

Now, obviously that doesn't mean that you disregard other people in your life, because you absolutely need to take their needs into consideration too. And that's where being a servant comes in. Part of loving someone means putting them first, whether it's your kids, your spouse, and so on.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that choosing to be a servant to others is not natural for most people.

Which reminds me of this game called Shotgun. You know all about it and probably played it yesterday on your way to the grocery store. It's when you call shotgun, which means you get to have the front passenger seat. Well my brother and his friends came up with a game called "Servant." Instead of calling the front seat, you actually call the back seat, allowing someone else to have the front seat. If you're a competitive person, then there's still a selfish side to the game Servant because you still have to win no matter what it takes. If you can relate to the last sentence we're not judging you at all.

Be selfish. Be a Servant. Know the difference.

Jennica







The Look.
These pants are the perfect excuse to wear a set of lashes to work or school! With the wide leg and a fun top to match, it's time to get a little crazy with your eyes! Channel your inner Twiggy and rock a dramatic lash! Don't be scared, just have fun, add some flirt to your look and wear them with confidence.

XOXO

Courtney

72:365

Vintage sweater by Robert Comstock, jeans by Rock & Republic, boots by Trouve.

This is a special sweater. It was my mom's. My mom carefully contemplated purchasing it back in the day, when I was barely up to her hips in height even while wearing heels - news flash: I didn't wear heels back then surprisingly enough since I'm obsessed with them...but it was one that she fell in love with, it was high quality, it was designed by a high-end New York designer, and she was still in love with it even after she slept on the idea of making the purchase.

If I were to do the math, I'm pretty sure this was 25 years ago.  Fortunately, cropped sweaters have come back around as most fashions do. I even presented a speech in 8th grade about that topic! So I'm taking a chance in wearing a sweater that some people may not like because they may see it as outdated, but I see it as beautiful (and cozy)!

The message that I give to you in regards to this sweater is;

Quality over quantity.

In the American culture, we have been trained to want

MORE. MORE. MORE.

I have been victim to that 'behavior' and it's something that I've recognized and am working on! One thing that I try (tried) to do "back in the day" when I was still shopping, is when I find something I love, I put it on hold, sleep on it, and if I'm still pining over it the next day, then I can consider moving forward with making the purchase. Obviously that doesn't work in every scenario, but try it when you can! Another strategy I have considered is only making one purchase a month - something special; something I really, really want (that's within my budget of course). These two strategies allow you to plant pieces in your closet that you're in love with rather that items you're in like with.

Remember. Quality over quantity.

Jennica

71:365

Scarf by Gap, sweater by Two Apples, tank from Urban Outfitters, jeans by Paige, boots by Steve Madden.

There will always be nay-sayers.  No matter what you do, no matter what opinion you share.  Someone is going to think differently.  Someone is going to disagree.  Someone is going to doubt you.  I know I've shared this before - people asking how in the world I'm going to make it through this year.  Some people say it with sarcasm, and some with absolute doubt.

I started to reflect on how I'm actually going to make it through this year.  If I think about how may days I have left (294 days, but who's counting...), it would be nearly impossible.  That starts me down a deep, dark, rabbit hole of depression.  How am I going to think up that many things to write about? How am I actually going to wear that many different outfits??

Even if you don't have your blog that you're maintaining, you have something else important in your life that you're maintaining.  Kids, jobs, relationships, house projects, volunteering, saving money, paying off debt, fitness...If we think too far out and attempt to have control over anything that is too far away, we will never win. We will be controlled by that thing. Now I'm not saying don't plan ahead.

I'm just saying sometimes we need to look at our feet instead of attempt to see beyond the horizon.

One. Step. At. A. Time.

I know this whole 'one step at a time' thing isn't new news for most of you, but it's sure easy to forget about!  For my blog, I look one day ahead for writing inspiration, and plan my outfits one week out.  Every time I get back to Sunday, I've chipped away at another week! So for those of you wondering if I'm going to make it through my Project 365 - yes.  Yes I'm going to make it.  I'm going to make it with flying colors. And I'm going to have a Hay Day on August 25th!

As for you?  You're going to make it too.  _____________ is not going to control you. ______________ is going to be controlled by you.  You are going win.  You are going to reach your goal.  You are going to get 'er done and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

One. Step. At. A. Time.

Jennica

70:365

The Brands.

Sweater by Frederick's of Hollywood, skinnies by ??, boots by Trouvé.

The look.

With a low of 37 degrees, it was time to bust out my Angora hair, wool sweater. There's nothing better than slipping into an oversized sweater on a brisk fall day. The trick to an oversized sweater is to make sure to to wear slim fit pants whether you're into the skinny jeans thing or not. 

The Thoughts.

We've all made mistakes and then have to apologize for what we've done. Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about needs to do some severe soul searching. Apologizing is really hard to do. It means letting go of one's pride, admitting wrong doing, and intentionally exerting effort on the behalf of someone else. 

Beyond that, if we are truly to genuinely apologize we can't use the word 'but'. We can't justify our actions. We can't apologize for our own benefit. Though in the end, both parties benefit, we must come humbly with the intent of putting the other person first.

'I'm sorry' is worth a thousand words.

Jennica

69:365

Vest by Forever 21, scarf by Urban Outfitters, jeans by Joes Jeans, boots by Cole Haan.

I can't say I've made it in to Forever 21 in the last couple years and for some reason, after turning 30, it's becoming emotionally more and more difficult for obvious reasons. The store is also huge, clothes covering every surface of every wall, and the racks inches apart. It's stressful. It's like walking down the laundry detergent isle at the grocery store. You literally have 50 options of which detergent to use to clean your clothes! In the same way, Forever 21 gives too many options and it's a gamble whether or not the item/s you buy will last longer than a week.

Well I got lucky and this vest has lasted me 3 or 4 years. Since it is such a gamble, I would recommend Forever 21 when you want to grab something trendy that might come and go out of style so quickly it's out of style before the magazines even hit the shelves.

When it comes to classic items that you're going to wear frequently, I'm all for putting a little more $$ into them, like my boots. I wear these all the time, so they were worth every penny (even though I got them on sale of course!).

Other than my advice to spend less $$ on trendy clothing/jewelry/shoes, I bought this scarf at Urban Outfitters. It was on sale for $5.00. Every time I've gone in there, I've found awesome scarves on sale for cheap. So make sure to always check their sale section!!

Spend less on trends. Spend more on staples.

Jennica

68:365

The Brands.

Wool vintage blazer by Spellbound, scarf is repurposed from one of my mom's old dresses, shirt by Chromatic Belief, jeans by Rock & Republic, booties from Italy.

The Look.

I really love the look of the t-shirt with the blazer.  It's a casual look, but it's still very put-together.  Throwing on the earth tone scarf give my look a fall feel, and my booties keep my toes warm!

The Thoughts.

Yesterday was my Grandpa Lewis' birthday.  He would have been pretty old today if he were still blessing our presence, but he has moved on to a bigger and better place.

He was a man of stories. Serving in the military, flying a cargo plane from country to country, he had stories to tell.  And if he had a listening ear, he would tell you all about it.  One thing I loved about my grandpa was that he had a sensitive side to him.  When he would get deep enough into his stories, he would cry.  I can only imagine what being involved in WWII might entail, but from my gatherings, he hadn't hardened his heart, and numbed his soul, therefore allowing himself to be vulnerable.

I also loved his little pieces of advice he would give at any given moment. Here is a glimpse:

1. Always zip up the zippers before you put your clothes in the wash so they don't snag other clothes.

2. It's important to have a healthy fear of the ocean.  It will win any battle.

3. In context of pancakes and syrup - "You gotta keep it even.  If you still have pancakes, and not enough syrup, add more syrup.  If you have too much syrup and not enough pancakes, add pancakes!"

4. And the last time I ever saw my grandpa was when we were visiting him in Nebraska and he was "wheeling" us out the front of the care home.  As I was walking away he told me with a smirk on his face, "When you meet a guy you want to keep around, tell him he has to go through me first."

Cheers to a life well lived Grandpa Lewis!

Jennica