enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

pillow walk.

Thank you, Blogland.

Yesterday, I got home from work and started crying. My arches, my heels, my calves and my shins all hurt. I was a mess. I was a before poster for a podiatrist office. Or something.

And so I looked up the footwear recommendations from you guys. And most were very good. I was going to order them all on Zappos and then try them on, pick the best and then return the bad ones. But instead, I went to see them live and in person after work today.

You may have heard, but flat shoes are generally flat. They have a thin strip of fake
leather that separates your foot from the hard ground. What I was looking for on my shoe quest, was a relatively flat shoe with an arch support and some sort of thick sole. Like an awkward person, I walked into every shoe store and stuck my fingers in any floor model shoe to feel the arch support. If the arch checked out okay, I then judged the shoe based on looks.

Dad, I bet you are so proud of me.

I ended up with two pairs of shoes. One by Clark's (thanks, Julie!) that I cannot find a photo of onine (I'll take one for you) and one pair of – hold your breath – crocs. These in brown. And I think that with jeans they will only look 70% odd – but my feet will feel like they are walking on pillows. Which is truely the point anyway.

I am going to keep this list and refer back to it. I hope to slowly replace my worn out and painful shoes with 100% healthy shoes. And Jess, I am still waiting on your stellar recommendations…

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13 responses to “pillow walk.”

  1. heidi Avatar
    heidi

    My aunt has the Crocs and she LOVES them! I have been trying to find a similar pair in brown or black, but have been striking out. Glad you got some!

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  2. thursday Avatar
    thursday

    I have a pair of Crocs that I thought I’d wear when I was pregnant… but I just couldn’t wear them out of the house. But that model you picked is much cuter than my pair anyhow! I had to stick with Birkenstock sandals for the summer. Now that it’s too cold for that I’m back to my old Merrells. They’re my favorite, comfort-wise, but for some weird reason they tend to start smelling after a while… even the non-sandals. And I suspect the people on What Not To Wear would have a field day with my shoe selections!

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  3. Elaine R. Avatar
    Elaine R.

    no no i have a pair of crocs and they are seriously amazing. I love them. Yes they are clogs, yes they are kind of strange, but they are amazing. ANd you can stand for hours in them and not be highly in pain. :]
    i love them and I’m glad you’re experiencing them. :]

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  4. tracy Avatar
    tracy

    My sister worked in retail and fell in love with Merrells. They kept her comfortable while standing during an 8 hour shift on hard floors. She still wears them now that she’s out of retail.

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  5. RachelG Avatar
    RachelG

    Besides just wearing the right shoe, it sounds like you might to do some proper stretching after work or before going to bed. Point your toes & hold the stretch for about 20-30 seconds, then flex & hold, repeat. Sit on the edge of your bed and rotate your ankles slowly in both directions. Tracing the alphabet with your ankles works nicely too. This will help immensley with your shins and your calves. For your arches and heels, roll your feet on a tennis ball.
    Hope your legs and feet feel better.

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  6. misti Avatar
    misti

    I love my Keen’s. I know you already bought yours, but I own three pairs. I have flip flops, some sandals that are good for kayaking (my brother hikes in his) and some very cute black dressier type ones that I just bought. Excellent for your feet!

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  7. mary Avatar
    mary

    I have a brown suede pair of sofft maryjanes http://www.6pm.com/n/p/p/7337705/c/1567.html
    bought last year after the 30-mile breast cancer walk did me in! Both my daughters think they’re cute. and they are VERY comfortable. Not sure that suede and maryjanes are great for snow, but I do think these are good for standing on all day.

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  8. april Avatar
    april

    Cant wait to see which Clarks you’re getting. I have one pair (sandals) that I loooooooove. Maybe I should treat myself to a pair for the Fall. 😉

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  9. kris Avatar
    kris

    sorry ur feet hurt girly. I’m the kind of girl who used to pick a cute shoe over a comfy one till i ‘accidentally’ (long story lol) bought a pair of Naturalizer brand flats.
    Who KNEW cute flats could also have a cushy heel and arch support.
    I never felt like crying walking thru an airport again.

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  10. Danielle Avatar
    Danielle

    hey i feel your pain..I have problems with my feet and I can only wear the non cute shoes…it’s very sad. I may have to get the crocs too.

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  11. Krystyn Avatar
    Krystyn

    Elise-my mom sends me Prevention magazine (yes, I’m old) and in the Nov issue there is an article on 3 super comfy shoes…they are (1) Privo Jetty (supercute) $90 on piperlime.com (2) Dansko Danielle Slip Ons (brown leather) for $134 on Zappos and (3) my favorites Ahnu Benicia – Mary Jane style but sporty too…$80 on rei.com.
    CHeck them out – maybe one of them will work for you too!

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  12. Marina H. Avatar
    Marina H.

    Since i heard about OrangeBeautiful from you…i thought i’d share this (in case you haven’t already seen)
    http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_1&listing_id=16209493
    they have a desk calender! That’s my winner. Screw all the other ones! 🙂 See ya!
    ~Marina

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  13. kristen Avatar
    kristen

    so this comment is a little belated, but i wanted to pass on a couple of tips! i just got these shoes: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3009521/0~2376780~6009391~6015447~6015462?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6015462&P=2 and i absolutely love them – they are mostly flat with a slight heel, but there is surprisingly a lot of cushion and arch support. they are surprisingly comfy.
    and the other tip i wanted to give you was to get gel insoles for your flats… at first i was skeptical about them, and felt rather old and lame getting them, but they make the biggest difference!! i swear by them now – i can’t wear any of my flats without them for the most part – especially if i know i’m going to be walking a lot or be on my feet all day. they are great, and you can get them at target! http://www.drscholls.com/drscholls/productSearch.do?method=doProductDetailsLookup&searchArg=1

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