Channeling My Inner Imelda

Anyone who knows me, or should I say anyone who knows me well, knows that I love shoes.  This goes back as far as I can remember.  I was hooked on jelly shoes as a kid.  Had to have multiple pairs in an assortment of colors(of course)--lucky for me they were cheap so my mom obliged me this vice.  Next infatuation was the Dr Scholl's clog.  You know the one with the single strap over your foot that closed with a buckle and had a wood bottom?  Mine were navy blue, and I loved them.  That is of course until I put them on, strode out my side door and proceeded to slide down the cement steps into my driveway.  I will spare you the gory details of what my feet looked like after this spill.  What I will tell you is that we left for our annual camping trip the next day, and I had to wear socks the whole time because my feet were bandaged and couldn't get dirty.  Yeah--all the time.  Even while swimming!  Great time was had that trip(note the heavy sarcasm).  Who was the weird kid in a bathing suit and socks?  Uh, that would be me.  One of my favorite pairs as a kid was a burgundy peep-toe, sling back wedge that I got at a yard sale for 50 cents.  To me it was destiny.  They were my size, I had 50 cents in my pocket and no one else had bought them yet.  I was probably the only kid in 6th grade wearing old-lady shoes, but I loved them.  They made me feel fancy.  Now I shudder at the fact that I bought shoes at a YARD SALE and wore them without even cleaning them first!! And that's a big selling point for me with shoes.  How do I feel in them?  I believe this is directly tied to my thought process that shoes always fit.  It doesn't matter what I weigh, my shoes don't get tight or mock me for eating that cannoli.  They just fit.  They support me when my jeans fail. 
So, I heard on Regis and Kelly the other day( please keep the judgment out of your voice when reading this sentence) and Regis was saying that the average woman owns 40 pairs of shoes but wears only 4 on a regular basis.  Well, if I have ever not fit into the "average woman" mold it is now.  There are definitely ways that I do fit into the category average.  I'd say my looks are average--I mean you don't see this mug gracing the covers of any magazines, doesn't help that I am vertically challenged and not super model material.  But that's neither here nor there.  Okay enough with the self-deprecating humor.  Unless of course it is drawing out feelings of empathy in you.  In that case I could write a whole blog on that topic alone.  Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  I honestly don't know how many pairs of shoes I have, but I probably have 40 pairs of flip flops for crying out loud.  I most certainly wear more than 4 pairs consistently!
As a side note completely unrelated I have to laugh whenever I use an exclamation point.  It reminds me of that Seinfeld episode with Elaine and the exclamation point.  It makes me stop and evaluate whether or not I am using it correctly.  Of course this blog is completely subjective so the placement of exclamation points are at my own discretion.
Now that I got that flight of ideas out of the way.  I love shoes.  Just thinking about shoe shopping brings a smile to my face.  Of course, shoe shopping with a toddler should be considered an Olympic sport.  How many women do you know can balance on one leg while trying a shoe on the other foot all the while entertaining their toddler in the stroller?  Bet if you know someone that can do that they are a mom. 
Not only do I love shoes, I am meticulous about keeping them looking new.  I actually keep them in the boxes.  A fact many people find odd, but if not for my quirks who would I be? Haha. 
At this stage in my life I will spend a fair amount on a pair of shoes for two reasons.  1- my foot hasn't grown since I was 12 so I will wear them for a long time(hopefully), 2- cheap shoes hurt my feet.  I have come to the conclusion that shoes have to fit well and be comfortable for me to spend the money.  It's not all about looking good. It is a little sad that it has taken me a good 20 years of shoe shopping to figure this basic fact out but hey, better late than never.  So, I may not be Imelda Marcos, although our names have been used in association a few times(usually by my mother). Chances are the next time you see me, if you ask "Are those shoes new?" you will probably hear me say yes.  Unless of course my husband is nearby and I will tell you that I have had them for years(wink wink).