Walk a mile in my shoes

Those who know me, know that I really don't like shopping for clothes and shoes. I hate over-spending, and I almost always feel like the clothes aren't worth the price on the price-tag. That's why I love Frenchy's so much - same value for fewer dollars! I can't bring myself to spend big money on clothes for myself when I know what I have will do, and the money could go to those who need it more.Well, this winter I found myself in need of shoes. And so shoes I bought! In the last couple of months I've bought 6 pairs of shoes: 2 pairs of dress shoes, 1 pair of red shoes, 1 pair of winter walking boots, 1 pair of running shoes, and a replacement pair of hiking shoes.

For the longest time a friend of mine has been chastising me for wearing black shoes with brown pants. So, in order to placate this friend, I've been looking for a nice pair of brown shoes. It took awhile, but I finally found them! In fact, I liked the style so much that I also bought the same pair in black. These shoes are dressier than the black loafer/chunky heeled shoes I already have, but like all the other shoes I own they'd look good with both jeans and work-wear. And what I really liked about these shoes was the heel - wide but not chunky, and not too high. The one thing I've noticed about these shoes though - they're loud. They have a hard sole and so everyone can hear the [insert sound effects here] of my shoes on the tiles at work. And in a quiet cubicle environment at work, that's a bit too much noise from me.






The red shoes were purely for fun. I love them (as much as a person can love a pair of shoes). And I've wanted a pair of red shoes for awhile now. They go so well with jeans (and I'm told navy dress pants), and they're a comfortable walking shoe.


The realisation that I needed winter boots were needed came after our "major" snowfall of 10 cm. The streets were a salty, slushy mess and I didn't want to ruin any of my shoes. We've been pretty lucky this winter. It's been, for the most part, a mild winter with very little snow. But the time had come - I had to break down and get a pair of boots. Did you know that they start stocking sandals and flipflops (that's what maritimers call "thongs") in February!?! They do! And boots are hard to find. I couldn't believe it. The only boots left in stock were obviously the rejects: the atrociously ugly (tassles with pompoms??), the highly impractical (who wants to trudge over snow and ice in heels?), or boots not my size (I have a common footsize). I ended up finding a pair of boots that were satisfactory at Payless - basic black, lined inside to keep my feet warm and waterproof. That's all I needed. Would it have killed The Shoe Company to stock a basic boot?

The runners were definitely needed. I've been putting off my return to the gym for ages because I didn't have running shoes. Well, those days are over! Back to the gym I go.


And, last but not least: my hiking shoes. I actually bought these last April, just before my trip to England. I needed a good walking shoe that didn't look too much like a white sneaker so I could wear them while walking around London, but also wear them hiking through the sheep pastures in the Yorkshire Dales. They were the lightest, most comfortable hiking shoe/sneaker I've ever owned. And then, sometime this past fall I noticed a gash in the leather upper. The gash grew and grew, until finally I took them back to Europe Bound with the receipt to have them fixed/replaced. After waiting a couple months to hear what the verdict might be, I finally got a call to say that I have store credit to get a replacement pair.

My shoes at the kissing gate in Malham, England.