Of Parties and Shoes

Today is going to be a very busy day as I will not only be trying to get some moving stuff taken care of but tonight is the employee party that American Ambulance holds for us every year. They call it the holiday party but considering we are way past Christmas and Valentine's Day is nowhere in sight, I think of it just as the annual employee party and let it go at that.

No matter what you call it, though, I look forward to the party every year as it not only gives me a chance to dress up a little bit but it also gives everyone the opportunity to socialize outside of a work setting without having to worry about 911 ringing again or your ambulance being called out for an emergency. During the course of the evening there will be dining and dancing and service awards given out (I'm up for my five-year pin this year) as well as the naming of the Employee of the Year.

I think I have a pretty good idea of who is going to be getting the coveted parking space in the front of the building this year and if it's who I think it is, he well deserves it. That might sound funny as you would think that anyone who gets Employee of the Year deserves it but, unfortunately, sometimes it kind of feels like the person who should have received it got cheesed and it went to someone who knew how to play the game better. That's only happened once since I've been at American but still - I really had to wonder what the Executive Team was thinking that year but that's probably enough said on that before I get myself in trouble here!

Those of you with whom I am friends on Facebook will probably recall that I was on a mission last Saturday to find shoes to wear to tonight's shindig but was having no success in finding footwear that was both attractive and yet comfortable at the same time. Having back issues and being a bit of a clod when it comes to walking around in heels, I have to be really careful about what I put on my feet but at the same time, I don't want to look like someone's grandmother (even though I am, in fact, someone's grandmother!).

The Fashion Nazi's at work had strictly forbidden me to wear slippers or some snazzy black sneakers (which I thought might be kinda cute) but the search was proving to be quite futile until I stumbled across a website called Endless.com (and no, this isn't a paid post for them!). Like my other favorite shoe website, Zappos, this website promised free shipping both ways and they had a fantastic selection. I typed in the sort of shoes I was looking for, hit search, and was given pages and pages of some great-looking shoes at quite reasonable prices.

I narrowed my choices down to three different pairs, called Amanda into the living room for a consult, and ended up choosing this lovely pair here that cost me a mere $19.90 plus tax. They didn't have free overnight shipping, like a lot of the shoes did, but the website said I would have them in plenty of time and - sure enough - I did as they arrived on Wednesday. I figured if they weren't comfortable in real life I could send them back using the free return shipping and it would be no harm-no foul but they are quite comfortable and I was even able to take a walk around the inside of the house without turning an ankle - woohoo!

With any luck I'll keep the things on my feet all night though I wouldn't place any money on that as I never seem to keep my shoes on when I'm doing the dress-up thing. A lot of it is going to depend on how my back holds up and how much time I spend on my feet overall - perhaps I could sneak my slippers in with me just in case? Considering I don't usually spend a lot of time on the dance floor (being a clod not only limits my ability to wear high heels but also to dance), my feet should be just fine.

I'm really looking forward to the evening and will be sure to take pictures and let you know what a good time it was - and whether I was right on my guess for the new Employee of the Year! Of course, that post may be a little while in coming as I've got to be at work bright and early Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. no matter what time I get home tonight and will be there until 11:00 p.m. - ugh! Methinks I may not get to that post until Monday at the earliest or maybe even Tuesday depending on how long it takes me to recover!