Shoes

I used to have a real obsession with shoes.  I could go for at least a month and never repeat the same pair.  This was way back in high school, though, when I didn't have much else to worry about; it was easy to spend money on shoes because I wasn't also paying to clothe three other people.  When I was younger, most of my spending money went toward shoes.  Fast forward about twenty years.  After the kids came along and I began my long-time stint as Stay At Home Mom, I really didn't have to worry about the type of shoes that I wore.  I selected shoes on how well they would hold up as I chased the kids.  If I wanted a "fancy" shoe, I selected sparkly flip flops.

Now, though, I am (finally) back to working in an office, and my "mom shoes" aren't going to cut it.  Part of the fun, for me, of returning to work was thinking about the wardrobe.  As much as I adore my yoga pants and jeans, I am ready to expand my wardrobe again to include all the cute work clothes I've admired.  This includes shoes.  After years of longingly browsing through aisles of nice shoes, but just not having a practical need for them, you would think that shopping for work shoes would be an easy task.  Wrong.

If I find a pair of shoes that my "old lady feet" (you know, the condition your feet are left in after years of wearing heels as a teenager/young adult) could handle (reasonable heel height, not too pointy in the toes), then they are either not available in my size, or just ridiculously expensive.  My passion for bargain shopping has left me unable to pay more than $30 for shoes without having fits.  There is nothing wrong with this, I know; being frugal is a good idea.  But, when the boots you have are falling apart, and you can't find anything suitable to replace them, frustrations arise.

The other day, as I was sitting at my desk, the cap thingy on the heel of my boot fell off.  I was able to pop it right back on, and move on with my day, but it later occurred to me that I will probably need to replace those boots soon.  Crap.  As cool as it would be to have a secret compartment to store lipstick, or string cheese (hey, it folds easily and you never know when you need a snack while you're on-the-go, right?!?), it's probably best to replace them. 

So, today I was out for a bit and tried (again!) to find new shoes.  Ugh.  I just don't have the patience to shop anymore.  I did find a pair, but decided to sleep on it; if I find time tomorrow, I'll swing back by the store to pick them up.  Maybe I'll spend some time shopping online tonight to get ideas.  I don't know.  I could spend that time eating Oreos and browsing Pinterest (where I know I could look at shoes, but hey, it's more fun to repin home decor ideas and recipes I'll never make).

My other issue is this: by the time I find an acceptable pair of winter shoes, it could be spring, and I'll have to start all over.  Again, ugh.  (I trust that if you've read enough of my posts, you'll realize by now that these "issues" are kept in perspective.  Save your "be thankful for what you have" comments, because I am indeed grateful, but I can't write about that every day.)

I'm sure all of this will work out, and I'll find the perfect shoes soon.  Right now, those Oreos are calling my name.  I hope your Saturday evening is a little more exciting than mine has turned out to be.