ALMOST VINTAGE

So, about those shoes from the last post...

I've had these babies for a long time.  So long, in fact, that they are almost vintage.  I bought them when I was 12.  That's right ... 12.  That would be 17 years ago now.  How is that even possible?

Anyway, I went through a huge obsession with everything 70's and "hippie" when I was in seventh grade and I don't think I've ever completely grown out of it.  I was dying for a pair of wooden clogs just like my mom had worn in school.  They were in all the magazines and I had to have a pair of my own.

I remember being bummed that my mom hadn't saved hers from the actual 70's and I think that's why I've never gotten rid of these.  I very vividly remember wearing them on the first day of seventh grade with white socks, jean shorts (not cut-offs, either - the cuffed kind) and some t-shirt with a really bad blond joke on it.  Hey, it was the 90's.  Even then, I was standing out and trying new trends with little care of what others thought.

BUT ... these didn't just show up on my doorstep one day, though.
I worked hard for them ...

When I was young, my dad had a job where he traveled all over New England, selling heavy machinery at HUGE auctions.  During the summer, my mom, brother and I would go with him.  To keep me busy and help me earn a little money, my dad would put me to work.  During the auctions, I would follow the auctioneer around (he rode in a small camper from piece to piece) and run the sales sheets back to the main office.  It was a good workout and I got paid pretty good money for a 12 year old.  The other, much less glamorous job was washing the windows in the heavy machinery.

I remember fashioning a belt that would hold the squeegee, paper towels and a garbage bag, as I climbed in and out of dump trucks, cement mixers and backhoes.  It was a dirty job, but kept me busy.  I think I got paid $.50 per truck.  It's so funny to think about now, but it was big bucks to me then.

That particular summer, I saved up all of my hard-earned cash for these bad boys.  I'm pretty sure they cost something like $65 and were purchased at Macy's, which was a big deal (for me) at the time.  Now, I'm glad to still have them after all these years.  They still fit like a glove and they're a really comfortable way to add a little height without the pain of high heels.

I realize this was a long, text-heavy post, but it was a fun little jaunt down memory lane. Hope you enjoyed the ride!