Back to work...

So today I went back to work... and I've decided that going back to work is going to be a process of relearning not only my job but many things that go with it.... starting with shoes.

A Tale of Two Boots

Part of my shoe closet!

Now if you know me at all, you know I LOVE, love shoes. And in the last year with swelling feet, having a body balancing a baby, my beloved shoes and I had to part ways for a little while. They were replaced with not stop flip flop wearing and ugly, ugly, UGLY, (no laces, buckles, or straps- couldn't reach them) but comfy flats that accommodated my ever swelling feet. So one of my joys with returning to work is the return of my relationships with my beautiful, sassy, collection of shoes.

Look at the bows!

Well I also walk about a mile in downtown Denver from our bus to campus and the shoes needed for that walk are different than my latest sassy pair of pewter heels but necessary. However, I forgot how purposeful those shoes are in my life- until my walk this morning. Now I've learned enough not to brave heels on that walk...but this morning more comfort was needed for my freezing toes.

Let me tell you about my "snow" boots. I bought these boots almost 10 years ago with my mom before going on graduate school interviews at IU. Being two california girls, the weather showed snow on the ground while I would be in Bloomington and to us that meant I needed to have snow boots. (boy have I learned since then!) Well I was also interviewing for positions and academically as well, so we found the "nicest" pair of snow boots a southern california sporting goods store can offer in February.

Now they have never been the most stylist pair of boots and I quickly learned moving to a four season area that snow boots are "rarely" worn so I quickly retired them. Until I had to start walking through the snow last winter to work.

Well they worked...kind of. When it's below freezing at 7am in the morning I just expected that I probably would not be warm. However, as I have learned, you can be warm with layers and the RIGHT winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots! And as I walked into work with freezing toes this morning I quickly relearned that my SoCal "winter" boots are not going to make it through another real winter. So with relief and sadness I retired the boots for good and purchased a new pair that will keep my feet warm in -40 degree temperatures!

Look at that fur!!!

No seriously... -40 degrees!

 

Hello new boots! Welcome to my shoe family!

This may not sounds like anything significant to you- but those boots were one of the first steps to leaving california, starting graduate school, and really changing this SoCal girl forever. Without those boots, I would not have gotten into grad school at IU. Without those boots I would have never met my wonderful husband. Without those boots I would have never learned to love seasons. Without those boots- life may have ended up in a very different place. And no, the shoes did not do "everything"- but I felt prepared to interview at IU in them and the rest is history.

Oldies but goodies! I think they've seen better days.

So I only feel its appropriate now to honor these shoes...

To my old winter boots: Thank you for helping this SoCal girl adjust to winter. You were there on my feet helping me stay warm in my very first snowfall. You never let me fall on icy sidewalks. You did a good job keeping my toes warm while disusing yourself as fairly "normal" looking boots so I could be the SoCal girl who used to freeze in 40 degree weather. While I am moving on, I will look back on our time together fondly.

And with the prediction of lots of snow and a high of 0 degrees tomorrow I would say that the new boots came just in time!!