once you go birk you never go back.

Last year we decided it was high time that we try to fix any/all of Jon's ailments that he's been living with for the past few years.  I'd been trying to get him to see doctors for a long time, but finally the reality of us having a kid made him step up.  The way I describe it, Jon was the crazy wild kid/teenager who came up short on being able to perform full-on Jackass-style stunts and now ten years later feels broken all the time because of what he actually did get away with doing.

(Side story: when I worked at a grocery store in high school a couple who were regulars bought up all of these tabloid magazines one day.  The wife excitedly told me that their niece just married Bam Margera and they were in some of the wedding photos in the magazine.  And I was like, "Bam Margera, isn't that the..."  And the husband very unenthusiastically responded, "Yeah.  Our niece married a damn Jackass.")

(I just looked it up and I guess Bam and the niece divorced a few years ago, so maybe her uncle is relieved?)

So last August Jon started seeing a chiropractor, whom Jon deemed McDreamy after meeting him the first time.  And not only is his quality of life seriously improved, but we are all about taking back health into top consideration for a lot of decisions we make.  Lately those decisions have concerned footwear, as we've learned the type of shoe Jon wears has a huge impact on his back pain.  Enter, the Birkenstock.

I got my first pair three years ago after finally getting out of the foolish "but I can get four pairs of shoes from Target for the same price of the Birks!" mindset.  There has rarely been a day in these last three years that I haven't worn them, and I have permanent tan lines on my feet showing where the straps fall.  I love the shoes to death (presently the picture to the right shows me holding them at the beach -->), and I will always have a pair of these in my closet from now until I die.  But I never loved them more than last year while I was pregnant.  For one thing, they were basically the only shoes I had that still fit my swollen feet.  But more importantly, they were the only shoes that did not hurt my feet or back.  Some days I felt like I wouldn't have survived pregnancy without my Birks, and if that sounds dramatic well then just take it as a very strong endorsement.

Happily, Jon agreed to get a pair a few weeks ago and we are now a Birk-wearing people (is he the first "Birkenstock conservative"?!).  Since the sandals are a little too casual for his work, we are working on getting him some Birkenstock insoles and good sturdy shoes that don't look like they belong on the feet of someone who's eighty.  I will admit that sometimes it has been a challenge to pay extra for the good quality products that will keep Jon from feeling like he's going to die, but the Birkenstocks were a decision I was fully behind.  Healthy feet (and backs) for everyone!