My love of shoes started way back. I remember being about three years old and crying over a pair of pink leather booties that no longer fit me. Pink Leather Booties, y ’all!! My Mom kept trying to get rid of them but tiny Shelly wasn’t having it. I would try to cram my feet into them until I got frustrated and finally gave in…with a catch. My mom promised to let me pick out a pair of big girl shoes to replace them. I picked a pair of burgundy patent leather Mary Janes with shiny gold buckles and a gum sole. I wore them with EVERYTHING including my play clothes. There’s a picture of me in a tank top, shorty shorts, knee socks and my new shoes!  Needless to say I wore them out pretty quickly but that meant I got to get another new pair!  And so my love affair with shoes began…

When I was about 11 I talked my Mom into buying me a pair of high heeled clogs! They were a super high wedge and I wore them to school with knee socks! I have no idea how I walked around all day in those things! I remember almost falling down the stairs more than once. When Mom asked me if they were comfortable I lied and said that they were. I was so afraid that she would take them away that I suffered in silence. Fashion first!

When I was about 13 all I wanted was a pair of Sperry Docksiders. A real change from those clogs. My parents thought they were too expensive so they wanted me to get a knock off version. Somehow I convinced them that the “real” ones would last longer. I promised that I would wear them until they wore out. I told them that they would match all my new school clothes and that they were a smart choice. I got them. I loved them. Everyone had them and I felt so cool.

In my thirties I discovered Havaianas. The world’s most comfortable flip flop.  In a world full of $5 plastic zorries (That’s what they were called when I was growing up in Arizona) Havaianas are like walking on a cloud. They’re made of rubber so they’re soft and have a lot of bounce back. Yes, they cost 5 times as much as some others on the market but they last a long time. I’ve only had to replace one pair that wore out and I’m in mine constantly as soon as the weather is warm enough.

Fast forward to today. I HATE shopping for shoes. It’s not the buying part I hate. It’s the fitting part. I have flat, narrow feet and a trick ankle. If I find something that fits my foot they hurt my ankle. If I get something that’s comfortable for my ankle it’s too wide for my skinny feet. So when I do find something that works I tend to buy multiple pairs. I love my pewter Birkenstocks and am glad that wearing sneakers with a dress (or a suit) is a thing now.

I still love shoes. I always will. What’s your favorite shoe memory? A pair of go-go boots you had when you were 4? They ones you wore when you got married? Let me know in the comments!