I loved the 1990's. Naturally fair skinned, I reveled in the pasty powder and burgundy lips. I loved Mary Janes, Doc Martens, and baby-doll dresses. I could totally rock a spandex dress with a flannel shirt. And I could bend over in the shortest of tops and never provided anyone with a plumber style flash. (Please come back high-waisted pants!) I still can't resist choker-style necklaces and should Pearl Jam's "Black" come on the radio, I still crank it up and sing at the top of my lungs (At least the words that I can discern. Twenty years later and I still have trouble understanding Eddie Vedder.)So what is inspiring this trip down Memory Lane, Traci?Last night, I watched the 1994 Gen X classic "Reality Bites". The film starred Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder. And oh, how I wanted to be Winona Ryder. Remember this is pre-shoplifting meltdown Winona. This is "left Johnny Depp heartbroken" Winona. And for those in the younger set, I will repeat that -- yes, she left Johnny Depp. She had great hair and played early twenties angst better than anyone.And the film was cool. Witty banter played by beautiful actors who were at their prime. Ben Stiller's cynical, ironic humor making a definitive statement on those of us coming into our own in the mid-90s. But more than that, the film took place in Houston -- my home town. And it was the first thing to come out of Hollywood that at all reflected my life.There were no honky-tonks or cowboy hats. They were urban kids like any other in any city. Bars and diners, roller blades, and skateboards. Smoking was still allowed everywhere and sadly, still cool. Bottled beer was the drink of choice at night and pre-Starbucks coffee during the day. Squeeze and "My Sharona" creating the soundtrack of our lives.As cynical as the time was, I was so optimistic. I was full of vim and vigor ready to take on the world. And watching the movie last night took me back to that young woman. She is still in here. No more spandex and baby-doll dresses, but I still have my pastel-flowered Doc Martens which I dust off occasionally and I still sport a choker every now and then (don't tell Tim Gunn). So if I can drop a few fashion bombs on behalf of that 23-year old girl, maybe I can borrow some of her enthusiasm and belief in the future for myself.I am not the person that I thought I would become back in 1994. But that doesn't mean that I am not the person I was meant to become. Reconciling those two things has been at the heart of this journey. Some days I feel so close to that goal and sometimes I feel like I have just started. Last week I felt pretty far away, last night I felt pretty close. When I'll get there, I do not know. It's frustrating. I am a results-oriented, forward trajectory girl. But I am not giving up. I am pulling myself up by my boot-straps. And if those boots happen to be Doc Martens, well all the better!