The Shoe Ties That Bind

With Irene churning up the coast we moved our youngest up to college. I had no qualms about her safety up there during the storm. If anything we had great memories of being up there ourselves for Hurricane Gloria. It was an amazing time to bond with new friends and grow up a bit without power and parents to oversee our well-being. I am still proud of myself for getting the toilet to work as the only non engineering student in the house during the storm at the tender age of 21!

We got up to the school early Friday morning and had her moved in within 20 minutes. We had organized before we left so we could move her in in the shortest amount of time. I will say though that after moving two boys in for 5 years, moving a girl to college is a whole other event! Just with shoes alone she tilted the poor minivan! Yes, she actually did leave some shoes at home. It is my fault though, this love of pretty footwear. We love all different heights of shoes but really we can only actually walk in flats or a low heel. I own some crazy tall shoes I deem "sitting shoes" that I got a TJ Maxx for super cheap and will wear when sitting on the couch for fun. For $5 it is worth the entertainment factor to look down and see these sparkling heels on my feet.

I will admit here to you all that during the storm I had power, which I shared with friends and new friends too. But the confession here is this: I shopped for shoes during the storm. Yup, I got some amazing bargains online. So she is not to blame for this enormous box of shoes now sitting in her closet at school. I am and I proudly tell you we do not pay retail for any of them, ever. It is all part of the hunt to find the fun cheap shoes and add them to the collection we have when we get home.

I think I started looking online when we couldn't get in touch with our daughter around 11:30 in the morning the day of Irene. I figured she was sleeping, but still it was Day 2 of her college life and I just wanted a quick answer of the phone. Our older son who is also up there couldn't reach her either. He offered to walk over but we told him to stay put, she was fine.  Facebook provided me with an opportunity to put a message on her wall and reach out to her neighbor. I figured she'd check fb before calling me back,  newly at college and so many fun things going on. Soon after my first two purchases ($12 total) I tried calling her again. I got a very groggy "Hi Mom" and my heart was happy. She had stayed up late with her roommate and was having a blast. I told her to stay in her dorm and then about my new shoes and she was thrilled, begging me to find her some bargains for her as well. Sure thing!

It's funny how we communicate isn't it? We find a common thread and hang on. I know why I was looking at shoes that day. I was worried and was missing her. Shoes connect us. Do I dare say we are a 'pair'? LOL. Even better was I had decided to write about this and last night she calls me around 9:30. Her favorite teal flats broke on her way to breakfast, she was so bummed. That was her first phone call home. Yes, it is all about the shoes and the ties that bind.