Warning: This is going to be a fairly girly post. Deal with it.

So I’m not that girly when it come to a lot of things.  I just never have been.  Though lately that seems to have changed.

True story: sometimes when I’m feeling down and I’m out shopping, I’ll go try on shoes. I won’t necessarily buy any of them but just the simple act of going window shopping for shoes makes me feel better.

I am really a girl when it comes to shoes. It’s funny because it didn’t used to be.  I just wore basically the same 2 pairs for everything and maybe had a few pair of dress shoes that made appearances only when I had to.  Then again, I wasn’t the one buying the shoes back in the day. My first major splurge on shoes was a pair of blue and yellow Vans that I bought from a surf shop for $80.  I loved those bad boys and wore those things everywhere.  It was a combination of I really loved them and I had to justify the high cost I paid, but I wore those things out.  I would love to find another pair of them on Ebay or something but sadly I don’t remember what the name was and I can’t even find a picture of them online.

Then I grew up.  And now I love shoes . My favorite place to get shoes is DSW. I really love DSW. If you have ever met me in person, and you mention that you like shoes, I will do everything in my power to get you to shop there and help you save money.  I think they have the best shoe selection, really good deals, an awesome rewards program, and their social media presence is one I wish a lot of other companies would follow. I have gotten so much free stuff from them and it’s fun going shoe shopping with friends. This post is not a plug for them FYI.

Since I’m rather short (I’m only 5’3), I love wearing heels and the higher they are the better.  Now I’m also rather clumsy, so I have to be careful with the type of heel I get.  I would break my neck with an extremely skinny stiletto.  But I’ve now gotten used to wearing heels that are up to 4.5 inches (as long as they also have a platform in the front).  Sadly, I still am not taller than some people in those heels, as they like to remind me all the time. You won’t ever see me running in heels unless you want me to die of a broken neck (this was my major problem with the movie In Time) but I can get around in mine quite well. I also scored a couple pairs of sandals as well that I really adore.

I love boots as well.  I got this awesome pair of brown boots last year as part of my costume for Katniss to wear to DragonCon (another post for another day) and they are the best boots ever.  I also really like wearing knee high boots but as I have wider calves, it can be hard of a challenge to find a pair that fit.  Not to be all “grass is greener on the other side” but I seriously envy women with skinny calves.  This season I got a pair of black high heeled boots and a pair of brown riding boots that I love and will go quite well with dresses and skinny jeans this fall/winter.

When it comes to casual shoes, I’m kind of a hipster.  I have a pair of TOMS that are pretty worn out, a  pair of Chuck Taylors, and these awesome aqua blue retro New Balances.  Seriously, I love how the color stands out and you can’t help but notice them.  For someone who went most of their life wearing a lot of black, color on me is a nice surprise.  I do also own a pair of Steve Madden black flats that go with EVERYTHING. They are such a wonderful staple.

So shoes. Yes. They are fun.  I’m no Carrie Bradshaw who needs a closet just for shoes, and I don’t believe I will ever spend more than $80 on a pair of shoes ever in my life (no shoe is worth that much to me.) But to me, they help to define my personality a little better. And it’s fun. 🙂