New Beginnings

Who *IS* the Josie girl?  The Josie girl is anyone who embraces everything life has to offer but needs to balance that with obligations such as work and family.  So, I imagine there’s a little Josie in all of us. The real ‘Josie’ happens to be my mother-in-law, fashion designer Josie Natori, and I am inspired by her on a daily basis.  Upon first glance, although it may look like the only thing we have in common is our last name, we both embody different sides of the Josie girl.

Me and Mrs. Natori

Photo of me and Josie Natori, my mother-in-law. She looks gorgeous in anything and everything.

As the official voice of the Josie blog, I am excited to share my young professional take on life — a mix of fashion, fitness, recipes, inspirations, and thoughts on a weekly basis.  I’d love to hear from you, as with everything in life, this is a work in progress, so please let me know what you like and don’t like about the new blog!

Aside from the fact that I am Josie Natori’s daughter in law, I am half Mexican and half Polish. Jewish. Married to a half Filipino and half Japanese man, Ken. Catholic. I look Swedish. My husband looks Thai. Together, we are a splatter board of cultures, ethnicities, and personalities.

Me and my hubby

I love this photo – no shoes and Birkenstocks? What is better than that?

Our son, Cruz, will be able to check off every box on college applications when the time comes (in 16 years from now). Cruz looks Asian with his almond eyes, but his blonde hair throws people off.

Cutie patootie

I love onesies – both for me and for Cruzzie. And look at how delicious he looks with the ice cream cone romper. I personally, would love to rock that look

A born and bred West coast girl, six years ago, I was dragged to New York for love. A hippy in Birkenstocks and clogs, I now live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I love vegan food, hiking, biking, sitting in the grass and making daisy chains and braiding hair.
Spencer Butte, Eugene, Oregon

Photo of me and Cruzzie on one of our daily hikes in Oregon.

But I also love great food, shopping, socializing, and trying to fit into crazy New York City. I come from a simple family of academics and now often find myself surrounded by the fancy world of fashion.

Fancy shmancy

My guapo husband.

Although I live in NYC, I think of myself as an Oregonian. I can wear high heels and elegant clothes, but deep down, I will always be the down to earth, grungy girl from Eugene, Oregon. It is just who I am.

Map of Oregon

My dad likes to say that Eugene is “Paradise on Earth.” I couldn’t agree more.

Manhattan

Now, I live on this massive island where one building contains as many people as the population as Eugene. Not really, but kind of.

Trying to navigate the NYC fashion and social scene is fun, but not my top priority. Sure, I strive to look a certain way (don’t we all?) and have the “it” bag (in my dreams), but the reality is that being a mother and a teacher is my purpose in life (along with staying fit, following fashion, trying out new restaurants, shopping, spending time with friends and everything else that there are not enough hours in the day for!) I love fashion and am so inspired and intrigued by being a part of a fashion family, even though it is not what defines me. I am a mother, an educator, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend  and a pop culture junkie! Fashion and pop culture bring me pleasure and excitement, but nothing near what my family does.

Family photo

Awwwwww. So sweet.

But even though my family comes first, I have strong opinions and love expressing my interests, desires, and thoughts with people. I also love the internet — does anyone not?  And I spend hours at night (or during nap time), scouring the web for the best outfit, delicious recipe,  and next vacation destination. So this is why the Josie girl blog makes me so giddy and excited. I am a mutt of cultures, places, experiences, and backgrounds, as we all are to some degree. I am not an expert at anything specifically, but am inspired by so much around me and love talking and sharing these ideas with friends.  Much like the Josie collection, the content of this blog will be fun, young at heart, and will hopefully give Josie girls everywhere inspirations, thoughts, ideas, and activities to squeeze into their already crazy schedules.
So, here we go!

-AYN, a.k.a., The Josie Girl

Josie Girl

17 Comments

  1. Great introduction! You really get a sense of who you are and what the blog will be about. Looking forward to more and welcome to the blog world!

  2. This is very interesting–like the pictures, the fashions, and look forward to the weekly episodes.

  3. This is a fun blog. I like the introduction, the photographs, the descriptions. I look forward to weekly episodes.

  4. I love all the photos! Since I’ve had basically the same wardrobe for fifteen years, I’m looking forward to new ideas. I can’t wait to keep reading!

    • Thanks, Ella! Dont worry, I am still wearing patagonias and jeans and t-shirts everyday on the weekends!

  5. Love your blog!!!! Such great images and insight. I look forward to future posts =)

  6. What a darling blog! We love real families in action, espcially happy ones! It really shines through, well done! Who doesn’t want to be a “Josie girl” after reading this?!

  7. Feel like you are my soul sister! Keep on writing and doing what you love, nothing else matters!!

    • (blush) thanks so much for the encouragement and support! This is brand new for me, but I am enjoying this project and am inspired on a daily basis. Thank you So much!

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