footwear

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Tuesday Shoesday and Buying Multiples

Tuesday Shoesday is a thing, right?

Okay, do you remember when I waxed lyrical about these orthotic flip flops awhile back? (We can all thank Jen for the recommendation. Jen has the best recommendations.) (I am eventually going to buy a sous vide because of her, I know it.) (Oh my gosh, I should not have looked up the sous vide because it is hugely on sale.)

HEY. Let’s get it together, Suzanne. It is Tuesday SHOESday, not Tuesday SousVide-day because that would be ridiculous. We are talking about SHOES. Magical orthotic flip flops that I bought in August.

The thing is, I LOVE THE FLIP FLOPS. I wear them all the time. They have supplanted my sneakers as my inside-the-house shoes. And maybe this is obvious, but it is hugely preferable to slide on a pair of flip flops than to have to put on socks and then untie and tie sneakers, which is what I have been doing for YEARS since I developed plantar fasciitis. (And, despite acupuncture and foot stretching and horrifically painful shots – yes, multiple shots – at the podiatrist’s office, I feel like Wearing Shoes In The House is the thing that finally kicked my plantar fasciitis to the curb.) 

I have just realized this is kind of a meandering, ridiculous excuse for a blog post, so feel free to pop back in next time if you’re bored. I am going to continue typing, such is the dearth of viable blog post topics occurring to me lately, but that doesn’t mean you need to continue reading.

This is going to sound like a non-sequitur: like many bloggers, I participate in the Amazon affiliate program, which basically means I get a few pennies if someone clicks on an Amazon link on my blog and then goes on to buy something. Anyway, Amazon has noted my intense affection for the magical flip flops and keeps recommending that I link to them on my blog. This repeated prodding has had two – well, now three – results: 1. I get annoyed that my computer is paying such minute attention to everything I do and say which makes me feel recalcitrant and want to stubbornly NOT do what Amazon is wheedling me to do, and 2. I keep seeing these flip flops and how reasonably priced they are ($33!!!!!), and now 3. I am buying A THIRD PAIR.

You may or may not remember me mentioning that I like these flip flops so much that I bought a second pair – an outdoor pair, which has become my go-to flippy floppy. The thing is, I somehow bought the wrong size in the second pair. Gourd help me, I thought I accidentally bought a size 9, because that’s in the realm of possibility; I normally wear a size 8.5, but I size up in sneakers because that’s apparently what you have to do. Turns out I did not buy a size 9 or even a size 9.5; no, I bought a size 11. What? Why? How? And why did I ever think they fit even remotely well?!? (They are such comfy flip flops I did not even notice they were nearly three sizes too big.) 

Anyway, when a guest came over this weekend, a guest who also has Foot Issues, I had her try them on and they fit and she loves them. So now SHE has a pair and I need a new pair to wear outdoors. (Yes, our weather is – currently – still mild enough that I am wearing flip flops. I realize this cannot last.) And now I am buying a third pair. I don’t think this is how the affiliate thing is supposed to work; I’m not supposed to be influenced into buying things for myself. But, whatever. I love the shoes, I want the shoes, I own multiples of the shoes.

It’s not weird to like something so much that you buy multiples of that thing. It’s not. You do it, right? 

I have multiples of so many things. There’s this one white T-shirt from Madewell. Do I have four? I think I have four. I have two pairs of these dressier but also orthotic sandals (black and “Cuban sand”) and have worn them for more than a year and still love them. I have four or five pairs of black high-rise Salutation leggings from Athleta, and just bought a pair in navy; I wear leggings pretty much every day. I have at least three pairs of these skinny jeans, none of which fit, but which could, at some unknown point in the future. I must have a supply of these gel pens on hand at all times, not that I even handwrite things all that often, and they have a disturbing tendency to disappear. (Perhaps they are hanging out with the spoons?)

Hmm. This is beginning to sound a little pathological and I have only just scratched the surface. But I swear it’s LOGICAL and SMART.  Especially if you can buy several of something on a good sale. See? I am SAVING MONEY.

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Cute Feet-Friendly Sandals

You may recall recently that I asked for your advice on cute, feet friendly sandals. Despite your excellent suggestions, I have not yet found the perfect pair of black flip flops – which is a shoe I require in my summer wardrobe. This is because my feet are super prissy. If they even exist in the same room as a shoe, they get blisters. I have had prissy feet long before I developed plantar fasciitis. But the PF makes things so much harder, because while I can deal with a blister, I cannot deal with incapacitating stabbing pain in my heels. Well, I can but that’s not really how I prefer to spend my summer. 

Anyway, I bought some new walking shoes (Brooks Ghost 14s) and some new sandals and some black flip flops, and then I sent them back and had to buy more and I have been going round and round on this for awhile now. Still looking for the black flip flops, as I said. The ones I have tried have all been slightly wrong in a way that I just know would end badly. One pair had a weird curve in the arch that hit my foot in such a way that I kept feeling like something was stuck in there. Another pair had a strap across the toes that was stiff and scraped my toe-skin. Another felt uncomfortable between my toes. Another was too wide. Another felt great in the pale tan color, but I hated the pale tan; and then when I ordered the exact same shoe in black, it hurt my feet. Et cetera, et cetera. I am still looking for the Prince Charming of black flip flops. 

But. When it comes to sandals, I have found The Shoes. 

Now, I recognize that aesthetically they may not be your jam. But they are totally my jam. They are strappy in a way I find appealing. They have a wedge heel that makes me feel better about my short, stubby legs. They look good with shorts and jeans and dresses.

But. BEST OF ALL. They are extremely comfortable. The straps are made of faux leather that doesn’t scrape or rub against my toes. The sole is cushioned and provides decent support for my arches. The wedge isn’t super high, do I don’t feel like I’m tottering around. There’s a strap that fits over the upper heel, to keep the shoes in place, and it doesn’t rub or chafe.

One of my Big May Events was my twentieth college reunion, and I brought the sandals with me. They were one of four pairs of shoes I brought for what was essentially a three-day event. I just didn’t know what would happen, as I hadn’t really worn them much beforehand. (I did wear them around my house a bit, and then I took them on a spin to a PTA event, but there was a lot of sitting at that event so it wasn’t a real test.) I wore the new sandals on the first day of my reunion. The reunion was delightful, but I was on my feet constantly, standing and mingling or walking around campus or dancing. 

The first day, my Apple watch recorded 18,520 steps. My feet were extremely tired when I fell into bed at 11:30 that night. But I had zero blisters and zero excruciating pain – just the normal tired feet feeling I have after a normal day. The second day, my Apple watch said I took 17,537 steps. Again, when I fell asleep well after midnight, my feet were exhausted – as was I – but they didn’t feel any worse than they do when I’ve walked five miles in my sneakers. My shins were a little tired, but I think that’s because there was a lot of walking up and down hills that day. On day three, I only took 12,441 steps – but my feet felt great. No blisters, no excruciating stabbing pain in my heels or arches. Just the feeling of feet that have been used for their intended purpose. 

Some reviewers noted that the shoes feel slightly loose or too big/wide. And I did notice this, with some concern. However, I think it worked to my advantage. My best guess is that my feet swelled a little during the day, so I didn’t notice any looseness after the first time I put them on. But neither did the straps cut into my skin the way a more fitted pair might have.

My new sandals were the only footwear I wore the entire weekend. I am going to go ahead and say that these shoes are magic. Because I have NEVER had such a good experience with shoes, pretty much ever. Especially not brand new shoes that haven’t been worn in! Plus, I really didn’t feel like I was compromising on cuteness – I felt like they were plenty cute enough to wear with sundresses and shorts.

Anyway, these are the shoes. I cannot speak highly enough of them and probably should order just ordered them in black as well. If you typically suffer from foot pain, but also like your shoes to be cute now and again, I highly recommend these.