Category: Fashion

A Texas Hill Country Thanksgiving

On By jolenenavarroIn Culture, Fashion, Texas, Traditions, Uncategorized6 Comments

I thank my parents for raising me as a horse loving Texas Hill Country girl.   Nine Thanksgiving ago my sisters and I lost my mother. We lost our father nineteen years ago. They loved family and every holiday, plus some we were making the rounds to visit loved ones. We were shown through example that family matters.

A few years ago my sisters and I started a new tradition for Thanksgiving. We rented a cabin by the Frio River in Leakey, Texas. (our parents married in Leakey) A cousin from my family and a cousin from my brother-in-law’s joined in and we stay for four days.

The rest of my mother’s family, including her mother, join us. We bounce between 30 to 50 people on Thursday.  In a world that moves fast and people spend more time looking down at a screen than into the face of real people, personal connections with extended family gives  us roots and a healthier life. As humans, the need for relationships with others and nature is built into our DNA. To me Thanksgiving is not  about the food…it’s the people and getting away from the rush of daily life.

Old Giant Oak tree in Texas Hill Country. Leakey Texas.

These old trees make me think of how time moves and the world changes, but God is constant. We come and go but the world keeps turning. I love to take time and enjoy the peace these trees give me.

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Roads through the Texas Hill Country
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Taking time to walk off some of our Thanksgiving feast in the Texas Hill Country. Leakey Texas

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Enjoying the Frio River even in the rain. Two aunts and uncle and one of my sisters. Leakey Texas
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It helps if you have someone that plays the guitar and maracas.

Play some games! How to have fun at a Texas Hill Country Thanksgiving.

My Grandmother and seven (of ten)of her great-grandchildren from her oldest child, my mother, Cindy French Guinther. She has a total of thirty great-grandchildren.

Longhorn on a Texas Hill Country Ranch Country
Longhorn on a Texas Hill Country Ranch Country

Since we are on a Texas Hill Country ranch we have to include a Longhorn.

Even thought we had rain we had fun. You have to set your mind to it sometimes but it can always be found. Play in the Rain!

Play in the Texas Rain with Jolene Navarro!
Play in the Texas Rain with Jolene Navarro!

Play in the Rain! Life is too short to wait around for the right time. Give thanks for the rain and the sun, the wind and the opportunity to experience it all.

What do you do to connect with people or nature?

 

 

You’re Too Old to Wear That! Fashion Rules for Women?

On By jolenenavarroIn aging, Culture, fabulous Fashionistas, Fashion, Fashion does and don't, fashion rules, Overweight issues, women6 Comments

You have to watch the video at the end of this post. I want to be these women when I grow up! They make me smile. Life is to be lived fully at all phases!

There has been a couple of blogs lately that have laid down rules about what women of a certain age should not wear. This infuriates me. I will not post them because that will just give them more traffic, which is what they want.

What right does one person have to tell another what is right for them? They write, once you’re thirty you can no longer wear hooped earrings or graphic tees. What??? Once you’re forty you can’t wear sleeveless tanks or wedged flip flops. (Some people believe no one should own wedged flip flops, but I say who cares) They go on to say the women of certain age should not wear colored eye shadow and have to keep it neutral. Really???

Age should not dictate  what a women wears.

Actually I think if you like it you should wear it. Once, many years ago a group of fit women that 80% had fake boobs (not that I’m judging heheh) were talking about how some women should never wear sleeveless shirts in public. Since I was the go-to-fat girl in the group. They all turned to me as I was leaving and asked. “Jolene, you don’t wear sleeveless shirts do you?” They wanted me to confirm that they were right. I realized I always wore jackets or long sleeved shirts. So I agreed with them, but felt a little uneasy in my gut. Was I allowing other peoples opinions of me to keep me from doing things I enjoyed because I didn’t want people to laugh or mock the “fat” girl?

I want to thank them for forcing me to take a hard look at why I did or didn’t do somethings. From that day on I decided to wear and do what I want based on my pleasure gained from it. The same goes for someone that others think is too thin. Or too old or too tall or too short. I do agree you can be too young, but that is another post. We all have a story and if we knew that story we might not be so fast to judge and laugh at people. So go forth and enjoy life – dress in any color you like, any type of shoe and if you love red lipstick layer it on and tell anyone that says otherwise to kiss your beautiful red lips!

Every women has a bathing suite body – all you have to do is put a bathing suite on and head to the beach or lake or pool. Only rule? Enjoy your life, it’s yours to live.

Have you ever been told not to wear something that you love?

Watch the The Fabulous Fashionistas. Their average age is 85.