Looks Aren't Everything

Have you ever paid a lot of money for something really ugly?

(Well, I didn't spend this much.

This is from 2007 when I was in charge of ticket sales for one

of our Shakespeare plays. The kids LOVED helping to count the money!)

I finally got up the nerve to go back to the shoe store with the expensive shoes I hated. Jenny came along for moral support (and to try on a few pairs for herself). Fortunately, the people there were really nice and immediately went to work helping me find a pair I really liked. The girl who helped me was wonderful because instead of just telling me to walk around a bit, she told me to go up a staircase and down a hill before coming back through the parking lot. That helped me get a better feel for the shoes.

After trying on several pairs, I asked if I could try on some of the more minimalist running shoes. Several of them were really cute and I tried to convince myself that they felt perfect on my foot. Unfortunately, the ones that felt really great were also really ugly.

But you know what? They feel terrific on my feet. They have plenty of support and cushion on the bottom and are very light and free on top. That is really important for the 3-Day since we will be walking for 6-8 hours every day. They also cost even more than the first pair, but not much.

Aaron was surprised when I called them ugly and said he thinks they are "sweet". He helpfully informed me that Brooks was probably aiming for a much younger demographic. That made me feel so much better.

The funny part is, Jenny has the exact same shoes. We may have to change our team name from Annie's Angels to the Orange Uglies. Plus, we may require our team members to buy orange shoes. You can buy your own pair HERE. Let me know if you want to join our team!

The good news is we walked 17 miles last weekend and we're planning to do 18 this weekend. Best of all, we'll be looking sweet in our awesome orange shoes.