So, what's the deal with the shoes?

Fat girls approach shoes like skinny women look at... well, every other thing in their closet.

At 39, I've spent my life moving through groups of very good friends.  There's the high school group, the college group, the young mom group, the career group.  These groups of women have always been there for me and they're part of what made me who I am.  They have also always been smaller than me.  Thinner, feminine and sometimes downright girly. 

So, for years, there has always been that moment when you find yourself with nothing to do but go "shopping" with your girlfriends.  This can be devastating... unless you find the shoe department. 

The plain truth is a fat girl can always buy shoes.  She can buy purses, accessories, scarves and makeup too... but even a cheap pair of cute shoes can turn a shopping trip with your girlfriends around. 

Now don't get me wrong.  My lovely (and little) friends make it a priority to get me to the fat lady section of major department stores and faun all over me in those "plus size" stores.  But it sucks.  I mean really sucks- that they have to do that.   And that is when they start to get a small taste of what it's like to walk in my shoes.  At these stores they shop for accessories, and scarves and... shoes.

So this journey is a bit about never having to buy shoes again.  Just one time in my life I would like to be able to walk into any store and treat myself to something right off the rack - in my size - in the regular sized clothing area.  Not the plus size department, buried at the back of the store... far away from the action... far away from life.  This year, I would like to end up average - and believe me, I never thought I would say that out loud.