Floral Sandals & Men’s Button Down: The Moments That Take Your Breath Away

 

I won’t waste time complaining about the weather again, but I do want to point out that it was almost 75 degrees Friday, it snowed Sunday and Monday I was mowing the yard in shorts and a tee shirt. Just sayin’. I do want to tell you about something I witnessed this morning that made me love my job even more than I already do…

THE STORY

…One of my girls requires more help with every day skills than all of my other students. She has an aid with her all day except for first thing in the morning. One of my other students took it upon herself years ago to look out for her and help her with anything she needed help with. She meets her at the bus, takes her to and helps her with breakfast and then walks her to my room and gets her bag unpacked and organized. She actually started doing that when we were all still at the elementary school.

Today she wasn’t available to help and a truly amazing thing happened as a result. I have another student who has been with me the longest. I’ve had her since the third grade and she’s now an eighth grader. For those of you who haven’t been around for my stories, there was a period of time I taught at the elementary and then moved to the middle school last year; hence I’ve had the pleasure of having several of my kids for years. Anyway, this particular girl used to be a bit difficult back in the day. Even so, she’s super funny and I’ve always had a special bond with her. In particular, she has always struggled with social skills. She hasn’t always been the most pleasant person and had a predisposition for being, shall we say, snappish with others; both kids and adults. Since my life skills program started last year, I’ve had the opportunity to work all day, both directly and indirectly, on social skills and how to treat others. Since then, she has grown leaps and bounds.

As I said, today the girl who usually helps wasn’t there. The bell rings and in walks my student who needs a little extra help with my little ball of personality right on her heels. She helped her remove and unpack her bag, got her situated at her seat and even took out the girl’s glasses and helped her to clean them and put them on. My heart literally melted. Although it may not seem to be that big of a deal to an outsider, trust me, this was huge. I and the two other adults in my room kind of froze in place and held our collective breath while covertly watching. Oftentimes really fabulous and unexpected things will happen with the kids when they don’t know that you’re watching. I always compare it to when you happen upon a deer up close in your back yard. You can’t move; you can’t even breathe or you risk startling it and scaring it away. This was one of those moments. It was truly a beautiful thing…it’s not the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away.

THE OUTFIT

Ahhh…yes, it’s the über fabulous floral sandals. Man, I tell ya, these little beauties make any outfit into a party. Take today’s outfit for example. A basic striped tee, white jeans and my new favorite shirt from my husband’s side of the closet. Simple? Yes. Plain? Perhaps. But throw on this floral color explosion for the feet and now my friends, we got somethin’ goin’ on. I mentioned when I first wore these a few weeks back, that due to the level of comfort and awesome I had ordered a pair in black and also off white metallic. It occurred to me Monday night that they hadn’t arrived yet. I called JCPenney yesterday and was told the off white was out of stock and the black pair had arrived at the store and were waiting for me. I went to pick them up…no sandals. No record of an order. W.T.H.?? They are currently attempting to track down the missing black pair, and oddly enough, the off white pair appears to be in stock online again…hmmm…

THE TIP

Don’t overlook the power of a pair of standout shoes. Seriously, I’m not playin’. A pair of shoes can make or break a look. Choose wisely my friends, choose wisely. Sometimes bright colors and unexpected prints will do the trick. Maybe a unique heel or a sexy lace up is what’s needed. And yes, sometimes a simple pair of Chucks are just what the doctor ordered. My typical plan of attack is go for the unexpected. The fancy heels paired with jeans and the Chucks paired with something dressy, but sometimes it’s as easy as adding a bright pair of shoes to a simple look. Don’t overthink it, go with your instincts.

THE LINK UPS

Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…

Sandals: JCPenney; Tee: Kohl’s; Jeans: Old Navy (Similar); Shirt: Husband’s closet