CROCS and CAYMANS

When we were still living in South Africa my friend Lee Ann got a pair of crocs. A beige pair. Shaun, her husband got a navy blue pair. I though they were the stupidest (yes, stupidest) shoes I had ever seen. Ugly too. Who on this green earth would want to wear fat, plastic, holey shoes? Well they swore up and down that they were the most comfortable shoes, and VERY popular in the USA. I decided that they had to say that because the shoes were so gross and if they wanted to wear them so be it. As time went on more people started wearing crocs. I even looked at a pair for Malcolm as a Christmas present last year. To be honest I even tried a pair on. Unfortunately I looked like a duck, I have a narrow foot and it swam inside the shoe. Also the sizing was all wrong, medium was just too small and large was well, too large!

Then 9 months later I walked into Arnotts on Henry Street in Dublin and a riot of colourful crocs greeted me, AND the jibbitz!!!! Now I really do not think I am an accessory kind of girl but the jibbitz sealed the deal. I needed a pair of crocs. Luckily for me they have a new style, the cayman (clever croc people) which fits my foot a lot better. I also learned that it is supposed to be quite a loose fit. I decided if I was going to wear these ugly plastic shoes I was going to make a statement with the colour so I chose purple. Of course they would be my house shoes so it did not really matter anyway. Kirstin chose a wonderful pearly pink pair and we oohed and aahed over the all important jibbitz and added them to our purchase. Jessica, the sensible one, did not get crocs, she loved the jibbitz but decided she did not think she could stomach the shoes. The jibbitz had me hook line and sinker. I got home and put on my jibbitz and started wearing my caymans, to the shops, to the mall, on the bus into town, hill walking, driving, even went for a 7km walk around the area in them. I could not stop wearing them! So much for house shoes, they are the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn. I do not care if people look at me funny, I am walking on cloud 9 all the time! I must say that in SA loads of people were sporting a pair of crocs when we left, here I feel like the only one. I do not care. When we went away for the weekend I wore them on our memorable soggy hill walk and my feet got soaked, duh, the shoes are full of holes, but after the wet muddy walk I ran them under the tap, dried them and stuck them straight back on! The kids wore their takkies (runners), they were wet and filthy. We tried to clean them as best we could in the shower and put them in a bag in the car. They took 3 days to dry. I think I will get a pair of wellies for walking, but I will only wear them if it is wet and I can't wear my crocs. I am going back to Arnotts to get some Christmas jibbitz for December, and perhaps if the budget allows another pair of caymans. At the very least they will be on my Christmas list, so Santa I do hope you read my blog! The small picture on the top of the page can be enlarged for a better view of the jibbitz!