Yippie!!!!  It’s Friday!!!  And you gotta know what that means!!  I am participating AGAIN in my B-F-F’s blog carnival, Friday Favorites!!  Hillary…girl… your the bomb!!  I look forward to posting each and every week!!!  Head on over my BFF’s Blog, The Other Mama..I promise you will like it!

This week has been one of those great weeks.  The sun is out and the temps are climbing!!  And it’s been the first full week I’ve adorned my toes and worn my favorite shoes..the original Birkenstocks!  Of course there’s a story to my favorite shoes…

When I say they are originals, I mean they are originals!!  Now the Birkenstocks sandals have been around since the 1700′s in Germany… so I am loosely using the word original to mean 1987.  Back in those days, finding shoes to fit my enormous “men” feet was a challenge.  Wearing a size 11 caused many unsuccessful shoe purchases in the 80′s.  The Birkenstocks [I call them my Jesus shoes.] were breaking out in popularity among the medical peeps in the early 80′s and by 87 I had to have a pair.  I saved up my money and headed to the mall.  Crushed because the shoe stores only carried a size 9 in women’s Jesus shoes, I had practically given up hope.  Then I had a bright idea..

Looking around to make sure I wouldn’t be seen..taking a deep breath, I went into a men’s shoe store.  I found what I was looking for..Jesus shoes that will fit my big ol’ foot!!  I began to rehearse a story if caught buying shoes in the men’s store… I’m buying them for my dad; it’s his birthday…I thought I would be a nice sister and buy them for my little bro…  Nervously, I made the purchase and escaped the store without being seen…Whew!!

Well, I have worn them, well.. for years!!  23 years to be exact!!  And I look forward every spring to pull them out of the closet.  They are too old to wear all year round!! I remember scrapping up the hundred plus dollars to make the purchase…well, needless to say I have gotten my money’s worth out of them!!

And my Jesus shoes are never complete without my toe rings!!  I LOVE my toe rings.. and guess what.. there’s a story behind those wonderful pieces of jewelry!!  HMM, imagine that..

I was teaching at the time.  Now, Middle School had become notorious for being the rebellious staff.  We never caused too much trouble but we had our ways of getting our points across…creative and clever would be the adjectives I would use to describe us, teachers… not rebellious!  Anyway, a memo from the board members was being circulated throughout our campus.  We were no longer allowed to wear rings except for a single wedding band… I know.. completely ridiculous!!

As a protest, we decked our toes with toe rings..every toe.   We couldn’t wear our engagement rings with our wedding bands …and there was nothing said about toe rings!!  So the next day we all wore our sandals with glittering jeweled toes…I’m such a rebel!!

So every Spring when I put on my toe rings I think of the “hippy,” “peaceful” protest!!  Oh such fond memories!!  Oh and by the way..What kinda Jesus shoe wearin’, thinks-she’s-a-protester, gal doesn’t where a cross toe ring??

I’m so cool!!

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