My Thoughts on Crocs

It seems to me that every person who has an opinion on Crocs has an extreme opinion. They either love them or really, really hate them. I vowed, shortly after they came out, that neither I, nor any of my children or immediate family would ever, ever wear them. The shape is rather awkward looking and the colors they come in can be a bit on the garish side - neon pinks and greens. Ugh. I totally hated Crocs. Even worse were the cheap knock offs you could buy at Walmart. I quickly hopped on the bandwagon of people making fun of other people who wear Crocs.

On our recent vacation to Florida, I was bitten, rather viciously, by flies that looked similar to the deer flies here except they were yellow. After swatting and killing one from my big toe, I noticed a little trickle of blood running down my toe! Brutal. I was bitten at least ten times on my feet and ankles. I didn't think much after it until later that night at the hotel when I noticed that my feet were breaking out in bright red, but smallish, blisters. I figured after a shower and a good night's sleep, all would be fine. When I woke up, the opposite was true. The blisters had grown and were rather painful and itchy. They didn't put a damper on my spirit though, until I went to slip on my sandals. The straps that go between the toes were rubbing very painfully against some of the blisters that had spread between my toes. 

At this point, I had two choices, stay at the hotel while Steve and the kids went out to Epcot or try to find some new shoes that wouldn't rub against my blistered feet. Our first stop was the hotel gift shop. They had only a couple choices. I could go with flip flops - more rubbing the blisters between my toes or Crocs. The only other option I had was to try to find a different style of shoe at a local Walmart or similar store but that would mean a lot more walking around in my current, uncomfortable shoes and that did not appeal to me at all. I looked at the Crocs again. I couldn't possibly buy Crocs. I had, after all, made a vow. I forced myself to pick up a pair to examine. I was surprised at how little they weighed. The pair I was holding was pastel pink and the holes on top were shaped like Mickey Mouse rather than the usual round holes that Crocs have. I shuddered a little inside as I actually thought that they were cute. I made a vow. I made a vow! But a day at Disney was at stake.

I looked around and saw an employee. I asked her if she had ever worn Crocs. She had. So I had to ask: Don't your feet get all sweaty and uncomfortable in these rubbery shoes? She told me that she found them to be quite comfortable and that they allowed more circulation that a person would think. I pondered a little longer. The price was a little off-putting as well - everything at Disney is pricey. I ran through my options again: miss a day at Disney - including our dinner with the Disney Princesses or buy the shoes. I put one on. It didn't hurt my foot and it felt quite comfortable. I hemmed and hawed a few moments longer before making my decision. I would buy the shoes. They didn't have my size in the pink or the pastel blue but they did have a pair that fit me in tan. Not very girly, but I was getting desperate. I went for the tan but I also decided to get a couple of Jibbitz to "girl" them up a little. I let Laural pick out the Jibbitz. We went with Cinderella for one foot and Tinkerbell for the other.

With my purchase in hand, we walked (I hobbled) over to the food court to remove the tags and install the Jibbitz so I could put them on. Once on, I gave them a test run (hobble). They felt really good on my feet. My inner self balked. No, no, no. How could this be? I hated these shoes! Sigh. I was now the owner of Crocs and the reality was that I already liked them. Further, I'm already contemplating buying more Jibbitz for them. So much for vows about shoes.