The Green Shoes

I have already confessed to you my undying love for TOMS Shoes. When I wrote that post, I owned one pair of TOMS. I now own five. It all started with the original charcoal classics. Then, I bought a pair of black wedges as a You Survived Your First Year Of Grad School present to myself, mostly in preparation for student teaching. In my previous post, I mentioned that the Black Glitters and the Silver Moroccos were on my wish list. I bought the glitters last week, and I did, in fact, wear the Silver Moroccos to my sister's wedding reception.

Why yes, I am aware that my cousin and I look alike. You now owe us both $5.

Source: H. Photography

That was more than enough TOMS. I had three pairs of flats and a pair of wedges. I was good - TOMS for all occasions. But some time between buying the wedges and buying the glitters, I saw a pair of pretty green classics in the ads introducing TOMS' new summer line. I searched high and low on their site, but I couldn't find them. I resorted to my favorite form of social media - Twitter.

TOMS responded to me! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh. It's like the cute boy talking to me at my locker. I look around to make sure they really means to talk to me. Do they know how much I love them? Do I tell them how much I love them? No no, just be cool, man. Thanks for your help, TOMS. Smile. Walk away. Squeal to all of your friends in private.

But there was another issue here. The shoes were already sold out in pretty much every size that could ever feasibly be considered my size. I was sad, but I put it out of my mind and bought the glitters instead. But then a few days ago while studying at the UWS Whole Foods (one of my favorite places in the city), I saw them. In my size. In all of their glory. Beautiful, slightly blueish green canvas TOMS with a linen finish. I carried them around the store for 30 minutes debating whether or not I needed a fifth pair. I rationalized it by telling myself that I deserved a present for passing my Sign Language Proficiency Interview (oh yeah, update, that happened!). As if I needed to rationalize it - buying a pair of shoes for a child in need was worth it.

(Source: TOMS Shoes)

Upon looking in my closet when I got home, I immediately felt buyer's remorse. These shoes are GREEN. Every other pair of shoes I own is dark or neutral. These shoes are bright. They aren't going to match 99% of my clothes. What had I done? What on earth was I going to wear these with?

I was immediately reminded of a perhaps unconventional footwear role models, my Great Aunt Dotty, who passed away last summer. Dotty was my grandfather's sister and a wonderfully kind human being. Between her and her husband, there was never a dull moment; they were two of the most interesting people I have ever met. I will always remember Dotty lacing up her red shoes and going birdwatching every morning. In so many ways, those red shoes represented who Dotty was - spunky and independent. Those shoes were reflected in everything she did and everything she was, from her days as a WAVE to the values she instilled in her daughters, who have become very dear to me. The red shoes defined Dotty, and Dotty defined the red shoes.

Red has never been my color, and at this point, even if I wanted to wear red shoes, I could never rock them the way that Dotty did. But maybe these TOMS could be my "red shoes." Green has always been one of my favorite colors - especially blueish greens. To me, green looks natural and compassionate, two things that I like to think I am. A quick google search told me that green personalities hold themselves to high standards and love food, two things that no one could question about me. But green also reflects balance, something I continually struggle to find.

I am, of course, keeping the shoes, in the hopes that they will remind me that no matter how hectic things are, you have to take time to do something you love every day. Whether it's birdwatching or blog-writing, we all need something to bring a little balance to our lives.

Put Some New Shoes On

also known as An Ode to TOMS Shoes

My friend B wrote a post about her fashion observations when she first moved to Boston, and I told her then that I had noticed a lot of similarities in NYC. One of the big things we both agreed upon was that women (and men) in walking cities like ours have turned to comfortable, socially-conscious TOMS Shoes as a solution to their walking woes. I realized after only a few weeks in NYC that I needed to join the movement. I'm officially hooked.

I first heard about TOMS in this AT&T commercial that I'm sure many of you have seen (sorry for the quality, it's the best I could find). A few months later, one of my fellow TAs came into class one day showing off her new orange TOMS. I started noticing them everywhere, mostly among my most save-the-world-y friends (Hi Kelci!).

As with most people, the first thing that drew me to TOMS was the premise behind them. This philosophy is such an essential part of the company's mission that it's printed on the sole of every shoe.

Another thing I love: the little animals inside the Classics!

(Personal Photo of my TOMS)

Founder Blake Mycoskie had the idea for this company after visiting Argentina and seeing the widespread affects of soil-transfered diseases on children without shoes. As of September 2010, TOMS has given over 1 million pairs of shoes to children in 24 countries from Armenia to Zimbabwe. They also give shoes to underprivileged children here in America, which just warms my future-public-school-teacher heart. In addition to giving shoes, they also provide some health education for their shoe recipients. And for $40 a pair (a little more for the specialty collections), it's not bad when you consider you're really buying two $20 pairs of shoes!

Founder Blake with some children in Argentina

Aren't their matching red TOMS just precious?

(Source - TOMS Blog)

Alright, I wanted a pair. I have to admit, at first I thought the shoes were ugly. I mean, they're blocky canvas covering your entire foot. But then I started thinking about it - whenever I saw someone in a pair of TOMS, I wasn't thinking "man, who would wear shoes like that?", I was thinking "cool, some kid in Africa has shoes because that guy does."

More Argentinian TOMS
I wish they would sell some of these patterns to us!

(Source - TOMS Shoes via US Embassy in Caracas, Venezula)

After a while, they start to grow on you. They have everything from the plain, unassuming classics to the bright and flashy. Heck, they even have wedges and boots.

(Source - TOMS Shoes)

It was decided. I would get some solid colored classics. I ran frantically around NYC looking for a pair to try on (I despise blind buying shoes), to no avail. I gave up and asked my TA friend for sizing help. She gave me a brilliant piece of advice: Since they're made of canvas, they stretch. I recommend going a half size down. If you're between sizes, go with the smaller size. Awesome. I'm between a 7.5 - 8 usually, so I went with the 7.5. I was debating between navy and black and at the last minute, I decided on gray.

Hello lover.

(Personal Photo)

I had heard these shoes were comfy. I did not know they were going to be THIS comfy. I have owned many comfortable, faddish shoes - Crocs, Birkenstocks, Sperrys, Rainbows. They all have one thing in common: they're great once you break them in, but getting them to that point is a beast. I am being 100% honest with you here: TOMS require absolutely NO breaking in. But they do mold to your feet after a while, as I'm sure you can see in the above photo of mine. $40 for comfy shoes with no breaking in and a charitable act involved? I need more of these. I think I've picked my next pair:

Black Glitters!

(Source - TOMS Shoes)

As I've probably mentioned a billion times, there's only one other girl in my program, and we have established a pattern of being the exact same person. Before I bought my TOMS, Miss M and I talked briefly about how we needed them for all of the reasons stated above. We never discussed what colors we planned on getting or when we planned on getting them. During our meeting before our first day of teaching, we were met with a pleasant surprise.

Matchy Matchy TOMS!

(Personal Photo)

Since we taught every Tuesday, we invented a new tradition: TOMS Tuesday. Every week, we would wear our TOMS on the way to class and then change into heels once we were at school. Wearing comfy shoes and toting your stilettos! How NYC is that? We would always giggle whenever someone on the subway was unknowingly participating in TOMS Tuesday. Now that our stint at the community college is over (for now), TOMS Tuesday lives on - and has seeped its way into other parts of the week. Pretty much any time we're both wearing our TOMS becomes a TOMS ___day. I am bound and determined for this to catch on. So tribe, if you've got TOMS (or maybe if I've convinced you to get a pair?), bust them out every Tuesday!

 Our final TOMS Tuesday, we changed a little early and let our students see our matchiness

(Personal Photo)

Last but not least, what I love about TOMS is the sense of community. Every time I see someone on the street, around TC or on the subway wearing TOMS, I feel connected to them. Most importantly, I feel connected to the kids we're helping. I know, I know it sounds cheesy. But these shoes have developed quite a following. My personal favorite aspect of the TOMS Community?

TOMS Weddings!

(Source - TOMS Wedding Collection via Signature Weddings)

Oh yeah. That's right. TOMS for your wedding party. TOMS for the bride. TOMS for the groom. Tiny TOMS for your flower girl and ring bearer! They have some great pointers about incorporating TOMS into your wedding on their website. Some are a little much for me, like forgoing gifts and asking guests to buy TOMS or giving away TOMS as invitations or party favors. Some I can definitely see how the die-hard TOMS-wearing couple could work into a wedding, like signing a pair of TOMS as your guestbook or throwing TOMS instead of a tossing bouquet (I'd fight to catch that).

Now I've recently gotten very into wedding planning (gee I wonder why?). I love the idea of giving TOMS as wedding party gifts - it reminds me of my cousin's husband who had his groomsmen design their own Converse! Okay boyfriend and parents, take a deep breath: being the MOH in your sister's wedding naturally comes with thinking about your own wedding, no matter how far in the future it may be. While I can't see myself as the type of die-hard TOMS aficionado who could pull of wearing them for the entire ceremony, I think I might have my heart set on some reception shoes.

Obsessed.

(Source - TOMS Shoes)

So to sum it all up:Five Things I Love About TOMS Shoes

1. The movement

2. The style

3. The comfort

4. TOMS Tuesday

5. The community (and TOMS Weddings!)

Happy TOMS Tuesday everyone :)

First Impressions Can Be Tough

Sorry folks, I've been in NYC since Friday, and I have had absolutely no time to blog. But now that I have a free second... some first impressions and common misconceptions from my first few days:

Common Misconception: All New Yorkers are angry, rude people.

Whenever I tell someone I'm from South Florida, they mention how rude the people are there, and cite the transplanted New Yorkers as the source of negative energy. In movies, everyone always has that thick Jersey accent, rushing you in and out of a place, refusing to smile at anyone. So far, that's completely and totally untrue. Sure, people are in a hurry, and of course, there are rude people in New York City. But there are rude people EVERYWHERE you go. I haven't met a single person, much less every person so far, that has been unduly short with me. I am pleasantly surprised.

First Impression: People. Walk. Everywhere.

I've been taking the subway around to most places, which is completely normal when you're going to Brooklyn or the Bronx. But when I called my friend, Jungle M, in the Upper West Side to tell her I was on my way to her, she asked if I was walking or taking the train. It's 50 blocks, of course I was taking the train. She said she was planning on walking to Columbia's library later that day. So yesterday we trekked around Central Park, Columbus Circle, down close to Times Square and then back around to get to the train to me, no problem. That kind of walking I can handle. A 50 block stroll to pick up a friend? We'll see about that.

Common Misconception: It's a big scary city that's so easy to get lost in.

The day before my ungrad graduation, a few friends and I were tubing down a river near the Swamp. We missed our exit, and ended up staying on the river until we found some random strangers who could escort us back to our car - 4 hours, in river floating time, upstream. We had a lot of time to talk, mostly about Disney movies, but a little about getting lost and how I was ready for the big city. One of my friends pointed out that she'd so much rather get lost in the forest, like we basically were, than in the concrete jungle. I've been thinking a lot about this, and I have never felt lost or out of control in my surroundings in NYC. The streets are a grid, which is easy enough without GPS, but having a smart phone makes it next to impossible to get lost. The sketchy areas are easy to spot, and YES you know you're not supposed to walk through them alone, but sometimes you have to, and you just learn to deal with it. I picked up on that last summer, but that didn't dispel all my anxiety walking home from the subway, alone, at night, for the first time. But I knew my route, and once I got off the train onto Columbia's campus, there were people everywhere, bright street lights, and a million and one public safety officers. So dear friends who are worried I'm going to get mugged on a daily basis, calm down. Crime does happen in NYC, but based on 2008 FBI statistics, violent crime rates are quite comparable to where I spent my undergrad years.

First Impression: Ivy League school kids are just as diverse and nervous as public school kids. Ivy League parents do not all look like Upper East Side royalty.

Just some non-exclusive to New York City insight, since the freshmen have been wandering around the quad for orientation (and that area is the fastest way to the subway), so I've seen quite a few of them. Their parents look like my parents. They look like I looked four years ago. Hell, some of them look like I look now. I expected boys in blue blazers with American flag lapel pins being dropped off by their nannies, or girls that look like Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries, pre-makeover, bogged down with piles of books. I'm not really surprised by this, I just thought it was worth mentioning.

Common Misconception: All the women in NYC dress and look like supermodels.

Um, false. Okay, so there's a large number of young, fashionable women wearing sundresses and sandals that I cannot imagine walking around in for miles. But there are also people who look totally normal - T-shirts, jean shorts, sneakers, gym clothes. Also, not an abundance of rompers or leggings yet, so I'm okay as far as my pet peeve fashion items go. In short, I don't think I'll be needing a whole new wardrobe to fit in.

First Impression: It gets hot during the day. It gets cold at night.

There are climate changes here! It's going to rain on Friday, and ONLY on Friday! And then, after it rains, we're going to get a cold front! I wonder if the leaves will change color and my allergies will react to the pollen changes! Okay, so some of this stuff happened in the Swamp. But NEVER near the beaches back home. It's been 15 years since I've really had to deal with snow. Call me crazy, but I don't think my first winter in New York will be worse than my last summer in Florida.

Overall thoughts: I am excited. Nothing right now could make me NOT excited. Not even the list of textbooks I just looked at, and the thought that financial aid hasn't kicked in yet. I think I'm gunna like it here.