Good things come to those who wait

Posted on February 14, 2012 by

…or, occasionally, to those who laugh in the face of full retail pricing.

Don Draper, marry me?

A few things you should know about me. Well, two things that are relevant to this immediate story, anyway:

  • Banana Republic is my favorite clothing store.
  • Mad Men is my favorite TV show.

So obviously, when BR launched a line of Mad Men-inspired clothes and accessories last fall, I was a little giddy. I happened to be in Colorado in August (remember the failed Georgetown to Idaho Springs half-marathon and my Jager-induced tantrum?) and, par for the course, I spent ample time trolling various shopping venues with my mom. This led to the discovery of a stunning pair of 4″ crimson-colored suede heels that were a part of this 60′s-esque collection.

I’d been wanting a pair of tasteful (read: not slutty), versatile red heels. These were perfect. Professional enough for work, fun enough for play, hot enough for things best left undisclosed on the blog.

Do want.

Unfortunately, they were $120. While I don’t think twice about dropping that much on running shoes, it’s not really in my budget to allot that kind of cash for shoes that just make me say, “Oooh, so pretty!” so I didn’t buy them.

But I wanted them. And I never stopped thinking about them.

I checked BR’s website for sales and discount codes on the regular. I still resisted in the face of 25%, 30%, even 40%-off codes. Instead, I compared every single pair of red heels I’ve seen since then to these BR beauties. They’ve all fallen short.

And then I found myself in the local mall this past Saturday. As I wandered innocently through Republic de la Banana, a beacon of light shined down upon a rolling rack of shoes marked “final clearance.”

One of those shoes on display was an awfully familiar-looking red suede heel.

That heel was marked as the only pair and only size available.

It looked very small. I let myself get just the tiniest bit excited.

I picked up the shoe, turned it over and became inwardly obnoxious when I saw that it was a size 6.

MY SIZE.

I yanked my leg out of the boot I’d stuffed it into for my impromptu mall adventure, ripped a sock off, crammed my foot into a sweet suede embrace and had a little Cinderella-glass-slipper moment.

Oh, and the price? $41.

I win.

Yes, that is a popcorn ceiling and yes, I have a very high arch. Thanks for noticing both.

I’m inexplicably happy about these shoes. (Obviously, since my word count is now over 430, but really – it’s the little things in life sometimes. Kind of like nicely fitting white pants.) I’ve already worn them twice and I’ve had them three days.

But enough of that. For now.

My beer quest continues with great success. I’m now a card-carrying member of World of Beer‘s loyalty club:

Got the t-shirt, too.

Now I’ll earn points for each different one of these:

Brick Mason double IPA – loved lots .

I haven’t completely forgotten my roots, though. A little something special surfaced in my fridge the other day during a deep cleaning and it would have been disrespectful not to honor past traditions…

This one expired a year ago.

I drank it.

Props to my Swedish accomplice for creating this masterpiece.

Okay, I attempted to drink it. Made it less than halfway and poured it out, but still. The sad part is, that expired Busch Light tasted just the same as it does when it’s fresh.

I’ve digressed. What were we talking about?

Ah, yes. Pretty shoes. Good things coming to those who wait. Patience being a virtue. Shit happening for a reason.

This calls for a beer! In my face tonight?

Chupacabras pale ale – 5.8% ABV

Absolutely disgusting. It tastes like dirty peanut butter, if that even makes sense. A friend of mine gave me an 8-pack of “beers from around the world” and this was apparently Mexico’s offering. Not a fan, but I’m looking forward to trying the rest of the assortment.

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