The Shoes

Shoes...a very important thing to consider when going on a trip where you will be doing lots of walking. In preparation of my NYC trip, I knew I wanted some cute but comfy shoes, but where to find them? And what, exactly, was I looking for? I had no idea, but I knew they had to be comfortable...and not of the Asics variety, which is my norm.

Sheri has issues with her feet, and had to be very conscious about her shoe choices. She had found 2 pairs by a company called Jambu, and she was raving about how comfortable they were. And get this...one of the pairs were RED. I LOVE RED! So I set off one day to accomplish some shopping and found a pair of Jambus that were not only completely comfy and super cute, but they were red too! I was in looooooove. However, I did not buy them, mainly because they were $119.00. Helllllooo...$119.00?!?!? For SHOES?!?!? I turned myself around and walked right out of there. (Side note: Sheri did not spend that much on hers either...she got a great deal and the style she got were significantly cheaper than the ones I fell in love with. Of course.)

So anyway, the week went on and I literally could not stop thinking about those shoes and how perfect they were for my feet. I have kind of wide feet, so the toe box on most cute shoes is never wide enough, thus rendering cute shoes uncomfortable for the most part. And I wanted a little heel, but nothing crazy, because we were going to be walking. A LOT. These, however, were perfect in every way...and need I say it again? They were RED.

Shiny red.

Sigh.....

In the end, you can justify anything, right? I went back and tried them on a second time, and the lady working the shoe department at Macy's came over and ooohed and aaahhhed over them. I told her I was trying to justify spending the money, and it wasn't working. She proceeded to tell me (like any good saleslady would) that if I applied for a Macy's card, they were offering an additional 15% off that weekend, which mean that I'd get 35% off the shoes. Hmmmmm...that still left me spending more than I wanted to. But then I remembered that I had a $25.oo Visa gift card my friend Deetra had given me for my birthday. Now I was getting closer to a range I could deal with. And even better? A lady called on my Craig's List ad and wanted to buy my car seat at full price, which gave me another $35.00!!!! That was all I needed to hear. The shiny red Jambu "Camdens" would be mine!!! I LOVE these shoes...they are everything I thought they would be and more...I also found a pair of black shoes that I loved, and were also super comfortable. They were made by BOC for Born, and while I've never owned a pair of Borns before, I'd heard rave reviews. And let's face it people, if you want to skip the feet/knee/hip problems as you age, it's about time to be buying shoes that are good on your feet. I'll admit I'm as guilty as anyone else, wearing flip flops all summer...but I feel it now more than I ever have before. And with my hip issues (more details on that in a later post), I'm feeling much more inclined to spend a little more to take care of myself.

Anyway....I originally found these shoes in a muted orange. I fell in love with them immediately, but as is my M.O., I didn't buy them on the spot. I almost always give it a few days to see if I still have to have them, and if they're worth it to me. Sometimes I forget all about an item, meaning it clearly didn't make quite the impression on me that I thought it did, and sometimes I go back for it. This time, I still loved them...but by the time I got back to DSW, they were gone. GONE!!!! I did find a pair on clearance, but in my mom's size, so guess what she got for Mother's Day? She LOVED them and assured me they were like slippers on her feet. She also told me I would not regret spending the money on a pair.

You can imagine by now how bummed I was that I had waited. I just decided to get over it. (And that's when I found my Jambus.) But then I was online one day and decided to look at DSW online and guess what they had? The Borns in black, which is what I wanted (and needed) most anyway. They are so much more versatile than the orange, even though I loved the orange too... I had a $32.00 merchandise credit from a return I had made, so that brought them down to $27.00. I thought that was quite the deal! And since I'm now a DSW rewards member, I got free shipping too!

Now the bummer of this shoe scenario is that they were delivered the day after I left for NYC, so I didn't get to wear them in the Big Apple. (Can someone please explain to me why it took 5 days to ship something from the east side of Columbus to the west side???) I had to opt for black flip flops if I needed a black shoe...shame on me!!! But I have them now, and am very happy to have found 2 really cute pairs of shoes that are super comfy AND I got decent deals on them. And I'll tell you what...my feet sure are thanking me!!!!