In March of 2010 I forever changed the course of my life by taking a major leap of faith. I had fallen in love with another man and willingly chose to be with him, because, well, he's quite spectacular. However, there was a catch. I was engaged to someone else; I won't share too many details out of respect for the key players, but I am forever grateful that I reconnected with Scott two years ago. I do not condone my actions, because those actions do not represent me as a person, but they did help to create a path which led me to Scott and ultimately brought us here to Australia. The first few weeks after cutting off my engagement were shaky at best. There was a lot to process and a lot of packing; I stayed and the ex moved. I was working two jobs at the time in order to help save for the wedding that never was; I ended up diverting my extra earnings to help support myself until I could move to be with Scott. Those few months on my own proved that I could land on my own two feet and allowed me to shake my fist at the naysayers. My parents were super supportive, without them and Scott I don't think I would've made it; they gave me a shoulder to cry on and offered perspective whenever possible. A few weeks after making up my mind, my parents flew out to be with me.

Like old times, my mom and I went shopping. We both know a thing or two about shopping; as I was growing up, we spent nearly every Saturday together at the mall near my hometown. As we were shopping in Nordstrom, my eyes were bewitched by a really cute pair of ballet flats. I tried on several pairs that day, but these were too lovely to pass up.

These shoes became my liberation shoes. They went with everything I wore and were really comfortable for long treks or for the days when I worked both jobs. Miz Mooz released these shoes in the US at the start of Spring 2010, prime time for our shopping adventure. I later purchased them in red, but I returned them the very next day; red's really not my colour.

For all of the places I've been, they were with me… Miami, Amsterdam x 2, Las Vegas, Singapore, Australia and Italy. I travelled a lot during 2010/2011 and I'm so happy they came along for the ride. I finally had to deem them as unwearable; I started getting blisters from them and even brought them to a cobbler because they were in such disrepair.

While Scott and I were shopping in Italy, he found a suitable replacement - a beautiful pair from TOD's. My Miz Mooz shoes were retired once we returned home from Italy last month.