In search of shoes

 

This weekend we sent Eva to stay with my parents so we could have time for a date night. Ryan had to work Saturday afternoon, so I figured it would be a great time for me to do a little bargain shopping. Eva's feet keep on growing, and those little feet need some fall shoes. I hate paying full price for kids shoes since they only wear them for a season or two. After dropping Eva off in Grapevine, I headed to the nearby Kid to Kid. As I got out of the car, I could smell the delicious aroma of the Chinese restaurant next door. I debated getting an egg roll to go but decided to skip it. I might have accidentally gained a few extra pounds this pregnancy so I am trying to make healthy choices. I browsed Kid to Kid, and they had lots of cute shoes, but every single pair I liked was a size 5. Not much help when I was looking for size 7. I walked back to my car, once again having the egg roll debate, and decided to go to a different resale shop I had heard about. On my way out of the parking lot, I pulled over for a second to pull up the directions on my phone. I considered going to a Once Upon a Child in Flower Mound but instead went with my initial idea to visit a new place, Little Hang Ups, in Keller. I was greatly influenced by the fact that I had read online that they had a decent selection of resale maternity wear, which I am needing to stock up on. So I prepared for a bit of a drive. Along my way I saw another resale shop in Southlake. This store even advertised "maternity" on their store front window. I pulled over, hoping that this would be a hidden gem I hadn't heard of and that I wouldn't have to drive so far. It was no gem. Their selection was limited and I didn't find anything I liked. Back to the car....as I was driving and driving and driving. I kept thinking about how much I wished I had bought that egg roll. Who really cares about a few extra pregnancy pounds? Weight I can eventually work off....a tired, hungry pregnant woman is a way more serious situation. I remembered another store only slightly off my path, but decided to skip it.....I was determined to get to Little Hang Ups. After sitting in some agonizing Keller traffic, I finally reached my destination. According to google maps I was in the right place. The store should have been right there. And yet it wasn't. Hmm....I decided to call the number I found online. Disconnected....I searched more on my phone and suddenly realized that all the reviews I could find of this place were from a few years ago....oh man. This magical resale shop no longer existed. I had driven all that way for nothing. Bummer. Nevertheless, I was determined to get Eva some shoes. I headed back through Keller to visit the Kid to Kid that is in Watagua. I was a bit hesitant because in my mind I remembered that the store always smelled like feet. But I didn't have a child with me, so I figured better to just look at all my options than to try to shop another day. As soon as I stepped inside I could smell it. The stinky foot smell. How do those people work with that smell??? They did have tons of cute shoes....but once again they were either size 5 or size 9, not one single cute pair of size 7. I wasn't even that picky, I just wanted a fancier black or silver pair and a colorful everyday pair. Don't other kids wear shoes like that? I was able to find one pair of maternity jeans and one maternity top so at least I had that one glimpse of sunshine in my life. Still hopeful to get shoes for Eva, I decided to make one last stop at the Watagua Target. Wait, did I mention that I had already been to the Grapevine Target with Eva before meeting my mom? So this was my second trip. At the other Target I had seen a few shoe options, but I was really wanting to find a better deal. The shoe aisles at the Watagua Target looked like a land mine! I can only assume every other mother in a hundred mile radius had dragged their children their that day, and that their children had run rampant through the store, throwing shoes everywhere. I totally get it. My child gets a bit crazy during shoe shopping too, which I why I DESPERATELY wanted to buy shoes when she wasn't with me! Their selection was abysmal, and the one pair I liked was only available in...you guessed it....size 5. Agghh! Let me tell you, if you are in search of size 5 shoes, this is your lucky month. Finally I left. Frustrated. Shoeless. HUNGRY. I gave in and drove through Panda Express to get an egg roll to eat on the way home. Maybe I will just order some shoes for Eva online....or maybe she will just go barefoot all fall. She would probably like that best anyway.