Accidental Cowgirl

I've been wanting a pair of cowboy boots since I moved out West.  That was 6 years ago.  In July of 2010 right after I got laid off, I was walking through Macy's to go buy face soap and only face soap.  I browsed at the shoes and thought some day I'll shop again but not until I got a job.  I was trying to quickly walk through and then I saw a pair of boots that stopped me dead in my tracks.  They were Frye shorties.  They were a beautiful gray color reminiscent of the lovely color of a weimaraner dog.  They were more city than country in style, with a ~1" heel and slightly pointed rounded toe.  They had my size.  I tried them on. They were on super-mega-sale on top of a sale.  They fit like a glove with immediate comfort.  I walked away.

 

I went home that day with my face soap and a hole in my closet.  I wanted those boots.  I knew I'd never see them again, and I haven't.  I've been searching.  I'll continue to search.  But in the meantime, I have been shopping and searching for a pair I will love as much as that pair, if not more. 

 

We live in a small country town.  This little city is big enough to have more than what we need and almost everything we want.  Ideally they would build a Costco, Quick Trip, Macaroni Grill, Outback Steakhouse, and a Red Robin.  And maybe a Macy's.  But other than those places that we are missing and would actually rarely ever visit, we have everything else.  The community feels small and home-towny.  And best of all, it only takes 15 minutes in traffic to get end to end.  Who wouldn't love that?

 

So you get the idea.  We live in farmville.  And I want boots.

 

Oh, I forgot to tell y'all how cool my new job is.  I started this week in my new cubicle, working for my new boss.  I have a new team.  And when I say TEAM, I mean TEAM.  It is so cool to work with a fun group who likes to work with each other and have fun.  It was a long week, and we all worked hard.  Guess what?  My boss told us yesterday to go home at 3:30.  She demanded more than once that we walk away and leave.  I had an issue going on and I felt obligated to stay a little later, but it was so cool knowing she wanted me to have left even earlier.  So guess what I did?  Yep, I went BOOT SHOPPING.

 

I must have tried on at least 40 pairs of boots, if not many more.  I know it was way more than that cause I bet they had 100+ in my size alone.  I had to make sure I found "the" pair.  And maybe something sitting there would look and feel better on than I imagine? So of course I had to try most of them on.

 

I had fun texting pics to my hubby and getting his reaction.  He has not embraced the cow-country nature of where we live.  And BTW, I draw the line at country music.  I tried it once.  I'm not a fan.  Anyhoo, I thought I'd share a few of my pics with you so you could see the wonderful selection of awesome boots I sampled.

 

These were the first pair in my "maybe" pile.  I really thought I was going to walk out with these.  They fit really great.  But maybe they were a little too "loud".

  

Teal and gray--gorgeous!
To which hubby replied "Ick"

The next pair caught my eye in a subtle way.  I did a double take on them and thought, wow--they aren't red!

 

These puppies are PURPLE!

The purple boots started out comfy but then not so much.  So they were not left in my "maybe" pile.  Too bad.  I loved the color.  Hubby replied "Whee!!!"

 

SO comfy, like the leather was cushioned all around my foot.  Mmmm, soft.

I really loved the tooled leather in turquoise on brown.  But I didn't like the turquoise colored stitching.  I don't wear a lot of turquoise stones in my jewelry and this reminds me of that, so these were not THE pair. 

I tried on a few more brown pairs of boots, to which my hubby replied "I don't really like boots" (I ignored) and "You can't see shit on brown boots". Good point. I really should lean towards brown.  But there are so many pretty colors.

Look at these RED HOT BEAUTIES!

I loved these red boots.  The shaft was even beautiful all the way up and I could wear with a skirt.  They fit LIKE A SOFT LEATHER GLOVE, people!  And then I looked at the price tag.  Oh my sweet tea!  For $365, I will keep dreaming.  To which my hubby replied "Good because they're ugly".  I can keep them on my virtual wish list, right below those Frye gray shorties I may never find.

Next up?  The very first pair that caught my eyes.  I tried these on 3 times.  I had them in and out of my "maybe" pile.  Sorry if these ruin your opinion of me.  But I love them.

I know I look like I should be on my way to a Mexican Fiesta in these boots...

These boots felt wonderful.  The longer I kept them on, the longer I fell in love with them.  I really thought I was going to own these babies.  I sent this pic to hubby and he said "Cute".  To which I replied "Sarcasm", and he said "No".  He really meant they are cute.  GENUINELY.  Can you believe it?  I almost fell outta my boots. 

 

I asked a fellow shopper and her teenage daughter if she thought they were gaudy.  I'm a complete stranger.  You can be frankly honest with a complete stranger.  The silence told me everything I needed to know. And then I looked at the ladies (very country-bumpkinish) and realized, I asked the wrong person.  She did finally reply and said with an estranged look on her face "But are they comfortable?".  OK, they are a little much.

Hubby replied with a thought I had had too.  "... think about how dirty that'll get".  Yep, a dirty pink flower will look... dirty. 



Too much pink.

And honestly I may have bought them if the pink stitching had been orange. I'm not a fan of pink. At. All.

The next pair I tried is lavender.  The picture makes it look more pink, but in person, they look more purple.  If you compare, this pair does not have the pointy snipped toe of all the other boots I tried.  I wanted to make sure I prefer the snipped toe.

Too light color and too square toed.

So just when I thought I was going to walk out empty handed, I heard a younger lady talking to the sales lady about sizes.  I chimed in and asked her what size she is and what size of boots she buys.  Holy cow!  I had been shopping IN THE WRONG SIZE.  I needed to 1/2 size down.  They are going to stretch.  This lady said she bought her usual size and they stretched so much that she can't even wear them anymore. OMG.  She personally goes down an entire size. 

So I knew exactly what I wanted and the sales lady found THE pair I wanted 1/2 size smaller.  I AM IN LUCK.  And so lucky I heard the conversation, or I would have ended up with boots that are eventually too big.  Whew.  Disaster averted.

Introducing my new Tony Lama's:

 

 

My final selection.  These babies are all MINE!
There is a cute little star on the tug-up strap.

I am very happy with my selection and can't wait to get them.  The cobbler is stretching the shaft at the ankle but the foot part is perfect.  I pick them up on Tuesday.  Prepare to hear me SQUEAL WITH DELIGHT FROM HERE!  Best news ever, I found these online and I paid less locally.  I found my favorite new boot shop in my own little hometown. 

I also found another pair I really want.  But one of the boots felt funny, like the shaft isn't attached quite right to the shoe at the back of the heel.  So I will find another pair of these some day.

These will be my NEXT boot acquisition.

Maybe I can find a shindig to wear my new boots...