Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Awhile back, I read this post, written by a college friend, Katie, who essentially laughs about her "first-world problem" of deciding to whether or not to create a play room for her girls. This came to mind again when it became time to finally pack for the upcoming vacation. (Tropical island! No kids! Eeeeeeeee!)

The "first-world problem" that I had? Not knowing which shoes to pack! I know, I know, this is really not that BIG of a deal, but I was trying to limit myself, and there were just soooooo many choices. And that was when I was mainly limiting it to sandals and cute flats. That is why I am borrowing Katie's term "first-world problem," because it is totally apt here.

Here are some of the options that I considered (which is not even my inclusive shoe wardrobe, which now that I think about it, signifies that I am not as low-maintenance as I previously thought. That, or it's just easier to find shoes that fit than it is to find clothing, so I'm more likely to treat myself to shoes.) I laid them all out on top of the bed to see what might work, but it was still overwhelming. (Also, it's not a particularly good idea to put shoes on top of your bedspread, unless, of course, you don't mind getting it kind of dirty.)

Feeling stumped, I texted my mom asking for suggestions. Her response was that I needed sandals, beach shoes, and walking shoes. I already knew what I needed I told her, but how to choose which ones I wanted was the issue. No problem she tells me, just choose the ones that "go with everything." Um.... which ones would those be? If I had shoes that went with everything, would I "need" so many pairs?

This meant that I had to do a "fashion show," trying on all of my sundresses and cute shorts and tops, modeling them with each of the possible footwear options. (Brett was definitely not complaining about this.) While doing that, I also had to keep a mental tally of how many outfits would go best with each particular pair of shoes. In the end, I went with the black Crocs (bottom, middle) which are my new beach shoes, as I really, really HATE flip flops and would not even consider wearing those. The sneakers were also an essential for the rainforest. Brett insisted that I had to bring what he called the "sexy" shoes which are the black gladiator style wedges (bottom, second from left). And then, the basic sandals made the cut: the black ones (bottom, left) and the brown ones (bottom, right).

I seriously debated bringing the cobalt blue sandals (bottom, second from right) because I LOVE that color. However, they only went with one dress and one pair of shorts so they weren't the most practical choice. And then there were the woven green ballet flats (top, right) that I kept coming back to. They are super cute and I was really tempted, but again, they only went with a couple of things. Brett almost convinced me to pack them because I clearly wanted to SO badly, but I practiced some restraint here. As it was, five pairs of shoes seemed like plenty for a seven-day trip. (I'm sure most of the smart travelers who tell you how to pack one back only will tell you I am out of my mind for packing this many pairs in the first place, but this was tough stuff, and I am not joking when I say the hardest packing decision I made! It was easier to pack both my kids' stuff for a week at "Camp Grandma" that it was to decide which shoes to pack.)

So, folks, I'm leaving on a jet plane, and it's gonna be awesome! I can't wait to share some truly amazing memories -- when we return from our tropical paradise. In the meantime, don't look for any new posts for a bit. I'll on a beach drinking something with a little umbrella.