I Bought A Pair Of Shoes Today

Yes, I realize that most women aren't all that excited about finding one pair of shoes.  But I am!

I've mentioned before that I am very tall: about 5'10."  Many people who are tall have correspondingly large feet, and I am no exception--size 10 or 11 depending on the shoe.  Let me just tell you how much fun it is trying to find shoes in those sizes...most of the cute ones max out at size 10.  (In fairness, I'm told by my aunt, who wears a 5 narrow, that a similar problem exists at the other end of the spectrum.)  Because shoe designers are apparently total morons who have not grasped the connection between shoe size and height, the ones available in my size often look like this:

Because I'm not tall enough already (yes, I am being wildly sarcastic), I clearly need four-plus inch stiletto heels!  GROWL.  At any rate, our Black Friday expedition invariably includes a stop at a particular large shoe store, which I almost always leave empty-handed, but not this year.  Cute flats in my size and on sale...the stars must be aligned for me right now!  Guess I should go buy a lottery ticket before they move too much.

It was a successful day overall, too.  We left my in-laws' house at the highly civilized hour of 7:30AM and returned at 3:30PM, during which time I found Christmas gifts for my mother, my mother-in-law, my three children, two of my nephews, my husband, all of my kids' teachers (homeroom, special ed, and CCD), my dog, and even a girl whose birthday party my daughter is attending next week.  And as the icing on the cake, something for my father, who is the single most impossible person in the universe for whom to shop!  The man has everything, and whatever he may decide he needs, he goes out and buys for himself, so this is a real coup.  (Bless you, Apple Store!)  To celebrate, I bought myself some mascara and eyeshadow at Sephora and a ring at Macy's in addition to my shoes.  Merry Christmas to me...

A very good two days of extended family time, delicious food, and productivity.  Not relaxing at all (I had to steal away for a few minutes alone when we got home today to recover my equilibrium), but that is the goal for the next two days...peace and quiet, maybe a little puttering with decorations, and having our pictures taken for the Christmas cards.  Small, low-key goals: balance for the craziness.  It was good for my type A soul to get so much accomplished, though, because it takes some of the pre-holiday stress away.

But now I am tired: time to curl up with a cup of tea and watch some mindless TV!