Look at ’em, y’all.  My first pair of “for real” hiking shoes.  This might not seem like a big deal to some of you but it’s a big deal to me. I AM SUPER EXCITED.  Here’s why:

1 – They don’t hurt my feet.

I’ve been getting more into walking/hiking lately.  I’ve been exploring the woods behind our house and taking walks with Nick.  In the last 4 days, Nick and I have walked approx. 13 miles.

I’ve always been into walking.  Back in the 90’s, as a little teeny weeny, I used to walk for hours at a time to relieve boredom.  (This was before netflix and social media, back when the internet was basically geocities.)  And when Nick and I started dating and we had no 💰 we walked everywhere, for hours, just talking.  When my kids were still little enough to fit into baby carriers and strollers I took them for a walk almost everyday.

For me, walking just makes sense.  It relaxes me.  And if I’m going to get back into walking a lot, I’m excited to have footwear that cradles my feet rather than strangles them.

2 – I’d love to become a serious hiker someday.

I have visions of strapping on a pack and heading out on the trail, hiking and camping for days at a time.  But I’m nowhere near ready for that.  Not even a little.  Not even a teeny tiny bit.  But I’ve got to start somewhere.  So I’m reading, walking more, trying to learn and building stamina.  That is why I’m excited to have good shoes to get me started in the right direction.

3 – I don’t spend money on myself.

I’m famously bad at it.  But I know I’m not alone in this.  I’ve found that a lot of women, especially (but not exclusively) mothers, have a hard time spending money on themselves.  There is always something that the kids need or the house needs or the husband needs.  Like most women I know, I am last on my list of people that need my care.

So I rarely spend money on myself and I never buy expensive footwear for myself.  (That’s why I “let” Nick buy these for me.) But if I’m really going to get into hiking like I keep saying, having good footwear is a must.  I’m excited to have a pair of expensive shoes for once, even if I didn’t buy them.

~~~~~

Immediately after buying them, Nick and I went for a 3.5 mile walk bringing our total for the last 4 days up to 13.4 miles.  That may not seem like a lot to some of you but it’s a lot for 2 couch potatoes just getting back into exercising.

And you know what was awesome?  After our walk, my feet weren’t completely destroyed like they usually are.  So that was pretty exciting.

Plus, they’re purple.