this is not about a penguin movie...Happy Feet! :)

i'm obsessed. I AM OBSESSED! and i don't care who knows it, which is good because everyone, and i do mean EVERYONE knows it. if you've seen me wandering around the planet, you already know the obsession. 

they are Vibram Fivefingers, and they're my current obsession.

do you stalk my facebook? they appeared in my life last spring. i wore them everywhere. they're in 60% of my profile pictures.

recently, i've acquired a few more pairs. and by a few, i mean now i have five pairs total. shhh. let's never discuss the dollar amount i have spent.

from top to bottom/left to right: (hint: if you click the name, it'll take you to various sites so YOU can get some!)

speed these are my newest pair. i've been lusting after them for almost a year, and until this month, they were only sold in the UK. now that they're in the US, i don't have a plan a trip to Europe for a pair of shoes. though you mark my words, i WOULD have....

classic this was my #2 pair. they are about as barefoot as you can get, while being ridiculously protected.

they aren't quite as worn as the purple pair in the same style, thus making them my go-to for the classics.

performa this is pair number four. they're leather and super duper minimalist. if you want next to nothing on your feet, they're the winner. the bottom is made thinner than every other pair, and instead of the bottom being one piece, like the other pairs, this pair has 7 separate pads. (5 for your toes, one for the ball of your foot, and one for the heel.)

kso trek sport pair number three...these are probably my least favorite of them all, though that doesn't say much, as i LOVE them. they're a little bit harder to put on, and they have more grips and are thicker on the bottom. though you can still move a lot, i mostly only wear these when i need something heavy duty.

classic this was the first pair i ever bought. i wore them EVERYWHERE for three months. work, play, my Alaskan cruise, everywhere. if i left my house, they were on my feet. it took probably eight months of heavy wear before they started to show all the wear and tear. they're still in great shape, but i don't wear them very often because they're getting a little more worn and i love them and want them to live forever. maybe i'll replace them. 

wearing fivefingers is like begging for people to stop and ask you about your shoes. 

my response is the FAQ list:

Q. does it bug your feet to have stuff between your toes?

A. not at all. does it bug you to wear flip flops? i didn't think so. you get used to them within a matter of hours.

Q. but there isn't any support. does that kill your feet?

A. also negative. if you think about it, God made your feet for YOUR body. They were designed to accomdate weight gain, weight loss, and hours upon hours of standing up and moving around. Shoes are a recent thing for humans, probably from the past couple hundred years or so. you don't NEED support from shoes. if you go barefoot, the muscles in your feet will strengthen and be their own support. it's shoes that destroy your feet. i look at it like this: if you didn't wear shoes, you wouldn't need shoes. and these are about as close to barefoot as you can get without becoming a Social Outcast. 

Q. well my middle toe is longer than my big toe. would they fit me?

A. yes. if you look closely, you'll notice that my number two toe is longer than my big toe too. when you size them, you go from the back of your heel to the end of your longest toe. sorry webbed-feet pals. they don't make them for you. although, i heard of some people cutting the seams and sewing them back up to work with their freaky toes....

Q. how do you get them on?

A. same as any shoes...by putting my feet in! ;) kidding...you have to put your toes in first. it's easiest if you put them on while they're on the floor. after awhile though, your toes know where to go. i can put all mine on in less than thirty seconds.

honestly, yeah, they're a little expensive. but i'd rather spend 100 bucks on a pair of shoes than having issues with my back, hips, and feet. they've saved my life so many times i can't even count them all. i can go to work and be on my feet for twelve hours without flinching because of these shoes. i connect with the earth in ways i never thought possible. sure, i feel every rock. but they don't hurt me and there is NOTHING like wiggling your toes while wearing a pair of shoes. 

so, here's to Happy Feet! :)

and to the many more pairs of fivefingers i'm sure to buy.

now, Vibram, where's my sponsorship?