Fancy Shoes

For Christmas my husband put a Gap giftcard in my stocking. I was browsing all the Gap stores online, especially Piper Lime, and I saw the greatest pair of heels. They spoke to me, "Paige! See how beautiful we are? Wouldn't we look lovely on your feet? You'd be 3 inches taller and look like a movie star." I put the shoes in my cart and then continued shopping for something more practical. I was shopping for a wedge, something with a small heel, a small attempt to help correct my horrible posture right now. Sit-ups would actually be a better help but that required me to exhert my exhausted body and browsing online requires minimal movement.

Then I was interrupted and forgot my shopping.

A few days later I logged on again and there in my shopping cart were the same beautiful shoes and the clunky cloggs I also added to the cart. I looked at both pairs up close again. The cloggs were sad looking. The heels were still beautiful and I loved to look at them. I deleted the cloggs and kept the shoes in my cart along with a pair of jeans since the ones that fit me now have huge holes in the knees and I'm freezing every time I wear them. Also, I need hole-less jeans for the family photo we'll be taking in Utah.

So. The packages arrived the other day. The girls helped me open them and both oohhed and ahhed at the beauty and height of the heels. They both paraded around in them before I did since I was feeding the baby.
Laine's remark was,
"I didn't know you liked fancy stuff mom."

I said something like, I do like fancy things but fancy things don't usually go with the jobs I have to do. Which reminded me that I broke one of the shoe-shopping rules that I usually ask myself:
Could I wear these to the park?

Because if I can wear the shoes to the park that means that I could also wear them while cleaning toilets, doing dishes, folding laundry, playing games, making beds... all those things that constitute the better part of my day right now. It also means that they'd be comfortable enough to wear all day. I usually wear shoes all the time, I don't like to be bare-footed or sock-footed. Maybe in a warmer climate and with cleaner floors I would be.

See, what got me was that the reviews said the shoes were "so comfortable!" One gal even said that she wore them all day and then into a night event and her feet didn't hurt at all! So I was sold. And the shoes had gone on sale.

addendum: I wrote this a long time ago, like maybe four years ago? Piper Lime doesn't even exist anymore. I think I've worn these beautiful shoes a handful of times. I just wore them again at my sister's wedding -- for the ceremony and pictures part -- and got compliments and admirations from many people on my lovely shoes. And then I went back to my parent's house to help with the reception and I changed into my sensible shoes that I knew I could walk around in for hours without killing myself or someone else. Granted, the heels are beautiful and the leather is supple and soft and for three inch heels they are comfortable to wear, and it is a treat to have them in my closet. I am not sad I didn't get the clogs even though I probably would have worn them out by now. Another shopping thing I do that's kind of weird when something is more expensive is that I say I pay off a dollar of the item every time I use/wear it. At the rate I'm going, even though the heels were on sale, I might never pay them off. Good thing I can't remember how much they cost.