One year my husband and I took our girls to Palm Springs for Spring Break. Because temperatures frequently top out at a balmy 115 degrees in Palm Springs, you do a lot of sitting-by-the-pool when you’re there. But every once in a while even though walking outside is like stepping into a pizza oven, you get a wild hair and announce to your family “Everyone put on clothes, we’re going to Boomers!”

Boomers is your basic tourist trap rip-off amusement center megaplex, with bumper boats and mini golf and go-karts and an arcade (which, if you’re even a tiny bit sensitive to GARISH FLASHING LIGHTS AND A NONSTOP CACOPHONY OF BLARING BEEPING BELLS AND WHISTLES, I highly suggest bypassing). Boomers was a thirty minute drive from where we were staying, but since our car has air conditioning, nobody even complained.

“Four unlimited entertainment passes,” I told the eleven-year old kid manning in the ticket booth, handing him my Visa card and trying not to look at the price list.

“I’m sorry,” Doogie Howser told me. “You can’t wear flip-flops in here.” 

I looked down at our eight flip-flop clad feet and then at each of my spawn in turn.

“Did anybody bring any other shoes?” I asked them.

They shook their sad little heads.

“There’s a Target across the street,” Doogie said with a shrug.

Over at Target, the closed-toe shoe selection was pretty abysmal. And since you probably won’t believe me after reading this blog but I really do have a practical side, I wanted to get something I thought I might actually wear again. These pink, polka-dot rain boots spoke to me.

It helps if you picture them all shiny-and-new.

I didn’t own any rain boots at the time, so they seemed to fit the practical-bill. Never mind that I was wearing a yellow tube top (possibly this one but I can’t be sure) and camo shorts at the time*. I bought them anyway and sloshed back across the parking lot to Boomers looking like a sweaty, homeless clown. 

We had a super fun five hundred dollar day, and everyone agreed that the spontaneous shoe purchase was totally worth it.

Over the next two years, it rained a handful of times, and every one of those times I patted myself on the back for my thoughtful purchase that day.

One day for reasons I can’t recall (but in all probability had to do with stepping in dog shit), I left them outside my side door. They looked sort of cute there, so I figured I’d just leave them there until the next time it rained.

It didn’t rain for five years.

I’m not even exaggerating.

My cute polka dot boots began to crack and fade, but since it didn’t rain anyway, what did it matter?

(I know, I should have brought them inside. Whatever.)

Well this year it started to rain. And then it rained some more. And then I had a birthday, and because I have two chic, fashion-obsessed daughters (who didn’t want to be seen with me in the polka dots probably?), one of my gifts was this pair of raspberry Hunter boots that made me swoon. 

I KNOW. They’re amaze, right? 

But still I didn’t ditch the cracked, faded polka dot pair, probably because WHAT IF?

The important part is, I’m ditching them now. And these Hunters will live in my cleaner-by-the-day, protected closet. See how nicely that all worked out?

XO
Jenna

*FYI, I know for certain that I have photos of this amazing outfit somewhere and I just spent an hour trying to find them SWEAR TO GOD. But thanks to being in a four-smartphone-family we are the proud owners of exactly sixteen megazillion disorganized photos so FML I will never again be able to find a photo when I need it.