Shop till you drop

I woke up this morning with a yearning for the outlet mall. Actually, it was less of a yearning and more of a call of necessity - they had something there that I needed for this upcoming weekend. So rather than make it seem like a chore, as all shopping usually is for women - NOT! - I made the mistake of asking my husband to come with me. His reply? He doesn't really like shopping and he didn't want me to get aggravated with him right before this glorious upcoming weekend. A very smart man my husband is! So I dialed a friend, set plans, and away we went. I hadn't been to the outlets in a couple years, so naturally I forgot how to get there on my own and needed to enlist the assistance of my trusty Garmin. To this day I still don't know how I previously survived on just printouts from Map-quest.

We parked and made our way toward the stores. Under Armour was our first stop. I bought a cute and very functional pair of athletic socks. At the register, I asked the cashier for directions to the store I was looking for which had been mentioned to me by a friend. This is where it gets a little bit funny. The cashier hadn't ever heard of that store, so she gave me a map. I scrolled down the list of shoe stores. Crap! No KEEN store! For a second I chastised myself for taking off on a trip without first checking the information I received. I desperately needed these specific brand of shoes for an upcoming expedition of sorts. (My husband did as well, but he agreed to have me take a picture of a pair I thought he might like, assess sizes, and send the picture to him via phone at which point he would confirm or deny the purchase). As for those of you who are not aware of the KEEN shoe, check them out here. They make a supposedly amazing and functional water/land shoe that works for all water and land activities, including hiking. I called home and relayed the disappointing information to my husband, at which he laughed and said, "Thank GOD I didn't go with you." I drove 50 miles for something that didn't exist, but I wasn't going to let that get me down - there was other shopping to be done!

We meandered among shops, finally stopping for lingerie (guys can stop reading here if the topic makes you uncomfortable). Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I hate bras. They are so uncomfortable. I am always aware of their presence on my body, and with each inhale and exhale I am reminded of their restrictive existence. Nonetheless, I bought 3. Hey, a bargain's a bargain. A few minutes later we stumbled upon a Skechers store, so we strolled in. Low and behold in front of me I saw a replica of the KEEN shoe. Downside? They only had it in men's. I took a picture, sent it to my husband, and awaited his reply. He wanted them. So I snatched his size and proceeded to the register where the kind cashier lady reminded me that all shoes were buy one get one half off. There were no similar shoes in women's sizes, so I scooped up a pair of casual work shoes for $15 and out the door we went. Only to come upon a store with a KEEN shoe on display! We quickly scampered in and Hallelujahs rang out loud. Or at least they did in my head. Many, many minutes of deliberating and "I don't know" s resulted in a purchase of cute and comfy sandal-like shoes for moi, which were almost 3 times the cost of my husband's. I didn't buy him KEENs because there was a no refund, exchange only, policy. And the shoes were $85!

It was a successful trip after all! Even though a specific KEEN store did not exist, one that sold KEENs did. So I left the outlets happy yet poorer. But I am happy with my KEENs. So far. We'll see if they live up to their reputation shortly ;)