Judy Davis---Part 4

My mom has FIVE, yes FIVE, pairs of BLACK BOOTS. You might be thinking to yourself, "Self, why would anyone need 5 pairs of Black Boots?" And you would be thinking the same thing that I was thinking when I helped my mom clean out and count her shoes.

My mom's Black Boots, like all shoes in any closet, are indicative of something on a deeper level. When I see these many pairs of black boots, I do not see actual boots, instead I see them as a visual representation of my mom being a good wife and friend to my Dad.

You see, in order to truly understand the Black Boot "situation" you must first understand Phil Davis. And his obsession with his Harley. My Dad's motorcycle (a Harley, duh! Is there any other kind of meaningful motorcycle???) is the thing that he loves 2nd best in this world. Judy Davis being the first. So, his idea of a GREAT TIME is hopping on his Harley and taking a drive. Anywhere. Anytime. Anyday. Now, what makes these adventures even better is that my mom likes to go with him. (and all of his friends have Harleys too!) My mom is the KEY INGREDIENT to my dad's happiness. His motorcycle adventures would just not be as much fun if he was alone and my mom was alone at home. They just like to be together. (Side note: they just celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversary....I guess you get to that place by finding common interests, right?)

So, along with this shared interest (encouraged strongly by my Dad), comes all of the "swag" to go along with it. This means that my mom has a part of her closet dedicated to "Harley Riding"...aka...Harley Shirts, leather "gear" (jackets, chaps---yes, CHAPS!) black denim, scarves, headbands, hats to wear to mask her helmet hair...you name it, she's got it. Enter "Black Boots". She has to match and she has to look semi-tough while doing it. In fact, I would say---and if you know Judy Davis you might disagree---that sometimes she looks like a Bad Ass when she hops on the back of my Dad's motorcycle. I'm just sayin'....she looks good. And the Black Boots are all part of this equation.

It might sound as if I am making fun of my parents, but in actuality I admire them for their dedication to one another and to making their marriage not only last, but also ENJOYABLE. They deserve it. They have raised 3 children, held down jobs, been great friends and wonderful employees...I would venture to say that Phil and Judy Davis deserve to have a little fun. And if my mother having 5 pairs of black boots is what helps to make this possible, then I say "Buy Five More Mom!" I hope that I can get married one day to a man that I am willing to own five pairs of black boots for---or whatever "swag" might come along with his hobbies (Dear God, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send me a man whose hobbies include, but are not limited to, Christian Louboutin shoes and Fendi handbags!) haha, just so I can support whatever he finds enjoyable. Ahh True Love.

Judy Davis---Part 3

I thought MY Old Navy FlipFlop collection was out of control until I saw Her "Fit Flop" collection....


My poor mother. She was so proud to show me her Wedding Heels and to prove to me that at one time in her life she "rocked" appropriate heel height. Now, however, she has developed a small situation called "Plantar Fascitis" and is unable to "rock" the heels of what I consider to be "Appropriate Height". (that is exactly the reason that I am wearing the highest heels possible NOW, because I sense foot maladies in my future...Thanks Mom!)

Enter the "Fit Flop"....you've seen them. They are a cousin of the "Shape-Up" shoe in the Sketcher family. My mom loves the intense "arch support" that they offer for her poor Plantar Fascitis. So naturally she has bought a pair in every color (duh!) so that she always has a pair of sandals to wear with any given outfit. (She's a fashionista, people!) While I am not a fan of these particular shoes, they are not as horrible as the hated Hawaiian sandals, right???

If you are looking to buy some of these sandals, Judy has found a "knock-off" brand at K-Mart....because, why would you pay full price for something as fantastic as these from a department store???? :)

Amazingly, despite these shoes not being my most favorite shoes in my mother's closet, she finds a way to make them ADORABLE. That IS Judy Davis. Whatever she does, she does well. From her "Painting Sandals" to her "costume shoes" to her "Wedding Shoes", she walks with grace and beauty. And that, my friends, is not something that you can buy at K-Mart or Nordstrom, it is who she is.

Judy Davis---Part 2

She's SO nice

Her "Painting" Hawaiian Sandals---Exhibit A

Her "Fancy" Hawaiian Sandals---Exhibit B

Have you ever received a present that you did not really like, but you pretended like you did because you did not want to hurt the "giver's" feelings? I know that I have. I mean, I know we are all good people and we all are always grateful for anything that anyone gives us out of the goodness of their heart...but in all reality, sometimes people give awkward gifts.

Well, these shoes are a prime example of this. They are also a prime example of the kind of person my mom is (and the kind of person we should probably all strive to be in our lives). Probably about 15 years ago my Grandparents took a trip to Hawaii and my Grandma (Bless Her Heart...) just "fell in love" with these "super comfy" sandals. Now, MY bratty self looks at these shoes and thinks "I will never be caught dead wearing those!". But, admittedly, I was the recipient of a pair of these sandals (the spoils of a Grandparent Hawaiian trip) and my 10 year old self rocked them. However, I came to my senses at some point in the mid 1990's. My mom, on the other hand, has continued to be the recipient of these shoes because every time my Grandma and Grandpa bring her a pair she raves about how wonderful they are. So my Grandma (Bless Her Heart....) has come under the belief that my mom LOVES THESE SHOES and always makes it a point to bring her back a pair every time they go to Hawaii. And now, Judy Davis has an unnecessarily large collection of these ridiculous sandals. (See "Exhibit A/B")

Now, the collection found in "Exhibit B" was enough to make me almost fall over from shock. But, just when I thought we had excavated every pair of shoes out of her closet, all of the sudden we found a "hidden" drawer that holds her "Painting Attire". And that is where we found the "Painting Shoes" (see "Exhibit A"). Oh mom. Why????

I can tell you why. Judy Davis is nice. She is kind. She is grateful for anything that anyone gives her that they put thought into. She is the kind of mom who, on Mother's Day puts on every single item that she is given (clothes, jewelry, hats, shoes...) as she opens them, and then wants to go out wearing it all ASAP. I am never worried about the kinds of present that I buy for her because I know that she is going to find something to love about it. No Matter What. That is my mom.

However, these shoes are giving me second thoughts about whether she REALLY loves the things I give her. Orrrrr, is she just being nice? Hmmmm.....

Judy Davis---Part 1

So, this weekend I spent some time at my mom and dad's house and had an interesting experience with my mother. See picture below---there she is...surrounded by her shoes!




For those of you who do not know Judy Davis, let me tell you---you are missing out. This woman is a saint. She is the epitome of "Mary Poppins" (you know, practically perfect in every way). She is the kind of person who says "Well, Bless their Heart, but...." right before she says something insulting about someone. My mom is amazing.

I have been attempting to figure out how/why/when I became obsessed with shoes, and this weekend it all began to make sense. You might have noticed that this blog is titled "Judy Davis--Part 1" and you might be thinking to yourself "Part 1? Hmmmm, why Part 1? How many parts must there be?" Well avid readers, to understand me, you must first understand my mother, and to understand my mother, we must delve into the inner-workings of her closet.

Upon my arrival at the Davis Oasis on Saturday afternoon, I was summoned into my parents bedroom. My mom and Dad---well, in all reality, my Mom---have a HUGE closet that is basically the same size as their hallway. It's gigantic. And my mom's clothes, and you guessed it, her shoes take up about 3/4 of the closet space. Poor Phil---he only has 1/4 of the closet for all of his various Harley gear and tasseled shoes. (Love you, Dad) I went into my parents bedroom and was immediately drawn into my mom's temptation of "shoe purging". She initially drew me in by taunting me with her "Wedding Shoes" and then, as you might imagine, things got out of hand. (See "wedding shoes" below)



This is going to be a 5 part series. A week of blogs dedicated to Judith Elaine Davis and her various shoes. Among the posts will be the categories of: 1) sneakers, 2) Ugly Hawaiian slip on sandals, 3) black boots (she has FIVE PAIRS!), 4) UGLY (yes, there is a sub-category dedicated to "Ugly"), and finally 5) the Floral Print Keds.

People, she has 86 pairs of shoes. And I thought I was out-of-control. I love my mother. She makes my life better every single day. If I can be even remotely like her when I am a mom and wife someday, then I will be so lucky. I am just hoping to keep my shoe count down to 51.

This is for you, Mom.

Cleaning House.

Look BELOW! These are the shoes I'm getting rid of! Yay!

Aaaannnddd....these are ALLLLLLL the shoes I am keeping! :) Eeek, right?



A wise person (I really can't remember who it was) once said "Sometimes in order to make room for new things in your life, you have to get rid of some of the old things." Now, this can apply to so many different things in our lives. This can apply to people...you know the kind of people I'm talking about....those toxic ones who seem to suck the life out of you? The ones who you just KNOW your life would be easier without, but for some reason you are addicted to them? I have definitely found myself in this situation before (as I'm sure most of us have if we would ever be vulnerable and admit to it!), and I have found that cutting a toxic person out of your life is easier said than done. But, cleaning house in your relationships is just as important as cleaning your actual house. Even the toilet needs to get scrubbed every now and then, right? In my own life (and this is me, being vulnerable here with you) I have some housecleaning to do. Like I said, easier said than done. I have missed blogging lately, because I think that it was cathartic for me. I am able to get out my feelings, using my shoes as a metaphor for life experiences.

So, like I have said with sometimes needing to have "relationship funerals" (ie. getting rid of people who are not improving our lives), we must also sometimes LITERALLY clean out our closets. As I have said all along, the purpose of this blog was to wear all of those dang shoes that I had in my closet. Well, I did THAT and now my next step is to get rid of any shoes that just aren't "meshing" with my life. You know, they're either uncomfortable, don't fit anymore, or just don't go with me now. Does that make sense? So, goodbye white wedges from Target. Sayonara gold strappy heels from Target. Adios gold leaf-too short-heels from H&M. See ya later Guess flats. I don't want you anymore. I don't need you anymore. My life will be better off without you in it.

I wish that getting rid of toxic people was as easy and cut&dry as that was. How do you get rid of people who just aren't "fitting" anymore---who are no longer comfortable? And furthermore, how does one figure out who these people are? Well, although I can always find a metaphor for life through my shoes, it is not as easy to treat people like shoes. People are not possessions. People have feelings. People can talk back to you (although I would argue that some of my shoes talk to me...listen closely...they're saying "I hurt. Get rid of me!" haha) So I guess some people's behavior tells us that they don't want to be in our "closet" anymore, just like our shoes tell us the same things. We just have to listen.

Word to the wise people. Don't be like me. Don't become overwhelmed by unnecessary "shoes" in your life. It's just not worth it. Make a clean sweep. Get rid of whatever is bogging you down. You will feel better. You will be better. Your life will be more fulfilling than you knew possible. Fill it instead with fabulous stillettos, adorable wedges, and sassy boots. Just say "NO!" to the tempting because they are comfortable and not dangerous in any way, shape, or form, kitten heels (hello! the "mullet" of shoes), flats (they are a sickness), and ugly tennis shoes (unless they are meant to be worn for running). (see the metaphor here, my friends???)

What can you get rid of today? May it be shoes or a toxic person, be brave. Just Do It.