New Boots For a New Year

I had a feeling that my Christmas gift this past year would be a pair of cowgirl boots! Nate was up to something. Since living in Az, I thought it would be nice to someday have a great pair of boots. My mentor John only wears boots (he stuffs his chew inside!). I like the look (not the chew) and am feeling more and more at home in the west....so why not start looking the part, right?!

As these boots are a major investment in footwear for us, Nate decided to forgo the Christmas morning surprise and narrowed it down to two styles for me to choose from. Within the style I chose there were 3 different colors of boots to choose from. Knowing that I would love any of them, I had a hard time deciding and wanted Nate to choose. Ultimately he made the particular choice and they arrived in time to go under the tree.

I was right...Nate picked my favorite of the three and I am absolutely crazy for them (I am embarrassed to show such affection for boots, but it is true!)
So, let me introduce you to my new wearable art that will hopefully last for many years:


They are made by Corral Boots. The style is Corral Snip Toe. The specific boot is Turquoise Rose Leather Fancy Inlay Snip Toe. They are individually handcrafted and hand-finished in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. I love the inlayed embroidered roses.

We had some drama with the sizing as they have a different fit from shoes. They are a bit big, but after driving to a western wear store that carried the same brand, the next size down is too small. Thank you insoles! The trip to the store was worth it though, as I got to see an absolute gallery of boots.




It feels very indulgent to walk around with these works of art on my feet! I love a few things about them.

First, I love that it was a gift Nate was so thoughtful about giving. It is nice to see him so pleased with himself about it too. I love that he doesn't give me random gifts, but rather he usually gifts me with one significant thoughtful gift for our special occasions.

Second, I am also glad that I can look down at my boots in the middle of the day and feel beautiful and confident. Lately, we are having to be really firm about some new year's resolutions around church in order to take some stress out of our lives. The last few weeks after a brief post-Christmas reprieve, have been full of headache and heartache. Thus we are not our best to and for one another. Thankfully we are addressing it in healthy and constructive ways and are trying to build some more supportive leadership around church. In some small way, looking down at my boots helps me take on the world with more confidence. The beauty of them helps me feel beautiful too! A nice reminder...thank you boots!

Trying my boots on Christmas morning in yoga pants pajamas! So funny...I think I look like a giant the way I am posing next to our tiny tree!