out with the old... in with the NEW!

well, the TORRENTIAL rain storm we had yesterday it was the "nail in the coffin" for my dear old rainbows... yes, the very same ones that mom put in my "easter basket" in 10th or 11th grade... (8 years!!)

the beloved double-stack (gives a little height in the back--ehh, maybe just extra cushion), thick-strap, brown rainbows...

brown? yes... however they were so broken in, i could also wear them as BLACK flip flops! (i know, fashion has never been my forte! however COMFORT has!!) hee hee :)

in the last few months, they'd began showing some wear... sigh... you'll notice the large cracks where the "ball" of my foot used to reside... and i didn't take a picture of the bottom--simply because there really wasn't one left :)

those things had been so many miles, they'd began to "curve" (see below)

now, surely you're wondering what exactly about this rainstorm we got yesterday did 'em in?! well, the known weakness all along of the ever-loving rainbow flip-flop is the nylon strap that goes between your big toe and toe #2... it tends to absorb more... ahem... "odor" than the leather...

well, i happen to wear these shoes yesterday and had to run an errand when it had started to fall a flood... and when i got back to work & dried off... i kept smelling something and just couldn't put my finger on it... (i know, gross!)... a few minutes later i figured out that the TERRIBLE odor was coming from my dear old friends. and with 3 hrs. left at work, what on earth was i going to do?! so, we all (me and my flip-flops) trotted upstairs to the bathroom for a healthy dose of LYSOL for them...

...the result?? the TERRIBLE odor was now simply "complimented" by the stinch of "country flower" lysol... i wanted to gag... in fact, come to think of it... i did.

as i pondered the future of my dear old pals, i felt a tug at my heart that the time was drawing near for them to pass the legacy on to my 2nd pair of rainbows... i'd have to get another pair JUST like 'em!!

but could i bear the thought of breaking in another pair? could 8 years of comfort be so quickly restored? no.

i must have tried on every. single. pair. of womens double-stack, thick-strap, brown rainbows at omega this afternoon... but none had the potential that i was looking for....

even though lee's friend/co-worker offered for his WIFE to break 'em in for me... i just couldn't do it...

so what did i find?? a new style of rainbows... with a super soft chocolate brown suede top... and the soles of CROCS! woo hooo!!! they are so comfy they don't need "breaking in"!! ...my sweet lee bought them for me :-D

....but now what was i going to wear when i needed "black" flip flops??

i found a black pair of teva's at DSW (love that place)... on clearance ;)

so dear old rainbows, you were so good to me that now the day has come to replace you and i must have 2 PAIR to replace your ONE pair...

...now, i really can't just toss the old ones out... i'm sure they'll hang out in the garage and i may try some "last ditch efforts" to get the lysol/foot funk stinch out of 'em... but i will NOT be able to wear these out in public anymore...

hmmm.... i wonder how long these TWO pairs will last?