do you have a favorite pair of shoes and from the moment you fell in love with them, you already began dreading the day when they would wear out? well, i felt this way about my chacos. i distinctly remember going halfsies with my mom to purchase these amazing sandals in the summer of 2006. i convinced her to pay half in celebration of my promotion at my summer job as a ‘head counselor.’ Camp Paha is a day camp for children and young adults with disabilities and it was full of some of the best times and best people in the universe!
a snapshot of some camp fun!
i worked there for 5 summers, starting when i was 16 and it helped to lead me into studying social work. obviously this was a proud moment for both of us and i needed sturdy summer shoes in case any of my campers ran off (that was my reasoning, even though my mother was quite aware that running wasn’t in my vocabulary). we each put up $45 bucks and my choices included either plain black or this teal with a little red design-and so began our glorious relationship.
these shoes have experienced some serious situations, life-changing moments and carried me through many of life’s adventures. i spent the last hour(s) looking through pictures so i could showcase just how much these shoes have been through and all the fun places the soles have touched. here are a few things i noticed:
1.) there actually aren’t that many pictures including my feet, which may be due to the fact that i’m 5’9
2.) i really have had some spectacular adventures and opportunities
3.) feet are weird and i have crazy long toes
let’s recap some major milestones that these have been a part of: helping me have sturdy footing that first summer as a head counselor in charge of 12 kids and 4 staff, ravery proposing to me, climbing up huge rocks, graduation from college (please note that ravery loves chacos too and we each had a pair before we met)
riding through the desert in dubai on a camel and then feeling very nervous being so close to wild camels
helping me get through my first day of graduate school, playing on the puget sound with my soulfriend lindsey, walking on the same ground as twilight movie stars
getting married to the love of my life (okay, i walked down the aisle in polka dot shoes and then quickly changed into my chacos), spent my first full day as being a wife/life partner
during my honeymoon in the pyramids, playing a giant, and snorkeling in the red sea (there is something in the red sea that makes chaco adhesive dissolve…this was when they really deteriorated)
yes, those are my massive 5lb weights so i can get ripped!
i made a tough decision a few weeks back and decided that my chacos were no longer wearable and they needed to be repaired. i consulted with my friend kate, who also shares a deep love of her chacos and she urged me not send them in. they had seen too much, been with me through it all, how could i even consider changing the soles?! well…this is why (see sole detached from shoe photo). they were literally falling apart and they have been like this since septemeber 2010. yes, i still attempted to wear them but found myself tripping a lot more and getting weird things stuck in between them. so i took a deep breath, filled out my ReChaco form and sent them in to get repaired.
then i received both good/bad news: “Unfortunately, we were not able to repair the warranty issues on your Chaco sandals. Therefore, we will replace your sandals with the closest possible match.” at first i got really sad i wouldn’t be able to wear the shoes that have carried me for over 6 years then i got excited because i would have sturdy new shoes that would get to experience new adventures. and they are sending my old ones back so i can have an appropriate ceremony and fashion some sort of hip bracelet out of the straps (yes, i do realize this is an inanimate object but i’m weird and am having strong feelings)!
fact: i've had those toe rings on since 8th grade! i think my bones may have grown around them.
my new buddies arrived yesterday and the world was so excited that the sun even popped its head out for their inaugural stroll down to the waterfront! annnnd i found ‘customizable’ chacos so i think after this summer is over, i will send this pair in to get fun, new webbing!
next adventure: houston on thursday! i’ve heard new chacos loooove 98% humidity, so perfect!
life lesson: sometimes the things we love and depend on, fall apart. and that’s okay, because it gives us the opportunity to reflect, appreciate and move on. take time to reflect on the amazing opportunities you’ve been granted and have taken and then get excited about what other life adventures may come your way.
question: what are the top essential item you always take with you when traveling?
(my answer: my chacos if there won’t be snow, my camera and a swimsuit)
where are some of the best places your shoes have taken you?
June 9, 2012 - 12:34 pm
I just can’t even believe you’ve never taken those toe rings off. I wonder what your toes would look like if they didn’t have the rings on! RIP old chacos, now on to the next adventure!!
June 9, 2012 - 2:01 pm
my toes would like naked and ugly! and exactly…on to the next set of adventures woohooooo
June 12, 2012 - 11:09 am
My kinda girl! I live in MI and hand delivered my 9 year old–favorite of 4 pair–Chacos to be re-soled and re-webbed. I have a son who worked for WWW for several years and so I got mine from him. I am sorry yours were not salvageable because sliding my foot into that faithful, old-friend-footbed was like “going home”! They are so cute and fresh looking and they feel like my old friends! Mine were nearly as well traveled as yours–Africa twice, Alaska twice, Mexico several times, all over the US (and unlike you, in snow (as my indoor shoes since I can’t walk barefoot) and heat). My purpose in resoling was for my June 22 trip to Israel! They are my TRAVEL ESSENTIAL!
June 12, 2012 - 11:27 am
wow kim! first off, i’m envious that you got to hand deliver yours because sealing that box up and releasing into the (semi) unknown was rough. second off, chacos in snow is impressive. i feel like my toes would break off-ha! i am so happy to hear yours were able to be re-soled and re-webbed because it sounds like they have been to spectacular places. i hope you have an outstanding time on your trip to israel and thank you so much for sharing your experience! chacos forever!
June 15, 2012 - 1:15 pm
I, too, have a weird connection with my shoes. It wrecks my day a little when I have to wear something else. I grin when I look at my Chaco tan, sigh with relief when I slip into them and snuggle the straps down over my feet, and do not take them off from the time I wake til I get ready to go to bed. I have had this pair 8 months and plan to get a second set but I doubt they will get worn as much! I don’t care if they match my clothes or look silly with socks, my feet crave them. Ah… Good shoes make me a happy girl.
June 16, 2012 - 9:16 am
holly, i so agree that it’s such a sad feeling when we are forced to wear other shoes than our chacos-our feet craving them is a great description! that’s exciting that you are going to get another pair soon. do you have ones picked out or know the color you want??
July 24, 2012 - 11:49 am
[...] after i wrote my commemorative article on my favorite pair of shoes finally calling it quits, (chaco love runs deep), i was contacted by Chacos with the offer to try out their new program where you can design your [...]