E goes to bed later these days, usually around 6 PM, so my free time each evening is significantly reduced (hence the lack o' blog). I try to embrace changes that indicate that he's growing up, but part of me does occasionally miss the free time I had when bedtime was 4:30.
This post wasn't meant to be about E, so I'll keep the updates short. He walks, he runs, and he even talks. Yes, the little man officially speaks the following words:
- This. ("Dis!")
- That. ("Dat!")
- Duck. ("Duck.")
- Hi. ("Hi-ee!")
(Feats that would otherwise be undeserving of this title are amazing when you consider how unaccomplished babies are when they are born. Delicately put, babies are not the sharpest knives in the drawer, and any semblance of intelligence is enough to make you predict Great Things for your offspring. Though probably it's still a bit early to schedule the campus tour of Yale.)
Anyway. Moving on to some non-baby chatter. I wanted to share my newest interest: Shoes.
I've never been and probably never will be one of those women who is obsessed with shoes. (Because then I'd have to give up my jacket obsession, and that's not happening.) Nevertheless, as my wardrobe continues to evolve, I recognize that shoes are necessary accessories to complete my outfits. I cannot wear my slip-on Merrells every day, no matter how comfortable they are. (And they are pretty amazing, considering I've had them for nearly 5 years now.)
I guess that last anecdote illustrates how desperately my shoe collection needs a revamp.
In the past, my shoe buying followed an unfortunate trend. A night or two before an event, I'd realize I had nothing to wear on my feet for the occasion and then dash off to Marshall's, returning home with a pair of shoes that were right in color but wrong, wrong, wrong in comfort. I wasted way too much money and Band-aids.
Now that my feet have graduated to the less readily available size 11 and I have decided to buy only shoes that my feet love, my shoe hunting efforts require more planning. And Nordstrom offers an excellent online shoe collection for those who are willing to delay gratification and shop online.
I will not pretend that Nordstrom is as cheap as Marshalls because it is not. However (spoiler alert: I can justify anything), I'd rather buy one pair of shoes that I love and will wear all the time than four pairs of shoes that will gather dust because they are so uncomfortable and eventually end up at the Salvation Army, where they have the potential to injure so many more feet than my own.
My goal in developing my shoe collection is to eliminate the night-before-an-event-shopping-emergency. If I have a diverse enough shoe collection, I will always have an appropriate pair to wear with an outfit. I am slowly building up this shoe collection.
So far, I have bought two pairs of shoes and one pair of sandals from Nordstrom, and I love them all. With the last two pairs, I stepped up my game and purchased footwear that was made in Europe, not China. I'm not anti-China, but I wanted to determine whether shoes made in Spain or Italy are significantly better than those made elsewhere.
Based on my limited, two-shoe sampling, I have to say that yes, shoes made in Europe feel nicer in my hands and on my feet. I still got blisters from one pair (the other pair I haven't worn enough to know), so they're not perfect, but perhaps I should have taken them for a more conservative stroll for their first showing.
In general, you can expect to pay a premium for shoes that are made in Europe, but on the other hand, they are made with superior materials, and with proper care, they should last longer than other shoes.
Now I need to learn how to take care of my shoes. And perhaps find a cobbler.
