I was home from college one year and my Mom asked if I would like to join her on a hiking boot errand. She was going on a retreat with some friends and needed sturdy hiking shoes. I agreed to join her, but had no idea what I was in for. Being that I was still semi-fresh out of high school, I wasn’t 100% over the parental embarrassment phenomenon. I had acne, I was well on my way to the freshman 15, so wasn’t happy to begin with, and anything extra was certainly going to rub me the wrong way.

We got to the shoe store (maybe it was an EMS or something) and my Mom proceeded to try on a varied collection of hiking shoes. With each pair, she tested them…… by climbing… up a ramp. Looking back, yes, this seems like the obvious thing to do… but when you’re a way-too-cool-for-school, moody teenager… the last thing you’re prepared for is accompanying your Mother whilst she hikes up a faux mountainside … in a mall. All you’d need is someone from high school to walk in the store and witness this awkward atrocity. At that moment I swore I would never buy a hiking shoe or boot or anything that remotely resembled something in that footwear family.

So……

Last week I found this awesome pair of hiking shoes at TJ Maxx (holler, Maxonistas) for $20 and snatched them up like woah. My sudden flashback of Mom climbing in-store terrain had me laughing to myself (the sudden onset of that memory may have even evoked a mild snort). I paused and noted my genuine desire to test these bad boys out in the store…. and that’s when I realized I am becoming like my Mother in ways I never imagined.

I couldn’t wish for anything better 🙂

These boots made their debut on our sweet-ass trip this past weekend. Tales and pics to come. Stay tuned.