In preparation for my trip to Europe, I am on a mission to find a couple of pairs of comfy and cute walking shoes. I don’t want to walk around in typical sneakers (call me crazy, but I don’t like the way I look wearing regular gym shoes with jeans) and I am determined to find a pair of cute flats and a pair of sneakers that don’t scream “Nike!” or “Adidas!” as I’m walking down the street.
Attempt number one:
I bought this pair of charcoal Superga sneakers through RueLaLa (where else?) a week or so ago and received them in the mail today. I laced them up and decided to take them on a test walk with Ryan and Sadie after work today.
I actually left the tag on for the first half of our 40-minute walk. 
I spy a doggie paw!
I assured Ryan that the “tag on the shoes” look is totally rockin’ right now. Does anyone else remember when guys used to keep the tags on their baseball hats? I’m glad that was a short-lived phase.
About 20 minutes into our walk, I deemed the shoes acceptable for Europe! My feet felt comfortable and no blisters seemed likely to form (famous last words, I know).
Plus, the brand of the shoe is Italian so I’ll be totally legit! 
Just call me Signora Julie.
Our evening walk was fantastic because it was warm, but not sweatin’ hot. Plus we saw several different families of swans, each with cygnets. (Cygnet = baby swan. I definitely Googled that one.)
Sadie wanted in on the birdie action…
Go, go Gadget Neck! That one little bird has quite the reach!
Dinner
Once we arrived home from our walk, it was dinnertime.
Tonight’s dinner didn’t involve the oven or the stove. Hello, Mr. Microwave!
Microwave quesadillas were enjoyed by all!
I made the ‘dillas by spreading a layer of shredded cheese on top of a whole wheat tortilla. I then added a layer of black beans and another layer of cheese and microwaved everything for 80 seconds.
Once the cheese was melted, I added a thin layer of salsa, topped it with another whole wheat tortilla and microwaved the whole quesadilla for another 15 seconds.
I definitely prefer ‘dillas made on the grillas griddle, but this microwavable quesadilla was still pretty darn tasty.
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mmmm love me some ‘dillas.
I just wanted to say I loved the sunshine quote in the last post and it was exactly what I needed! I’ve been struggling with an issue for quite some time and it is hard to not let it get the best of me. I need to see the bigger picture and realize life is amazing!
is everything ok with you? i feel like in the last few posts you have seemed down and stressed.
keep your chin up!!
Way to go on the shoes! NO running shoes with jeans! 🙂 On my first Spain trip I actually wore these $10 Urban Outfitters ballet flats and they were SO comfy! Who knew!?
The packing and anticipation is so much of the travel fun!
I don’t mind wearing running shoes in everyday life, but I do prefer something else. Good walking shoes are so important when travelling!
I really like the shoes. Hope you have a great trip! Someone has probably already mentioned this but I would recommend brining a pair of waterproof shoes, a light waterproof jacket, and a warm top (if you can) for when you’re in London – English weather can be very unpredictable! (Hope you get lucky and visit when we have good weather)
Cute shoes! and even cuter baby swans!
I have to admit, I wear my Nike Free’s with my jeans on occasion… but I work around 7 year olds, so I think it’s (sort of) acceptable! I used to be vehemently against wearing tennis shoes with anything but gym clothes, but now I just never wear anything nice to work at all! Everything I wear to the school gets ruined in a matter of minutes thanks to cheesy Cheeto fingers and renegade markers!
Sneakers + jeans = SNEANS.
Sneans are not okay.
(But your new shoes are cute!)
The one’s from Rue are super cute. If you’re still looking, however:
Try Sperry’s:
http://www.sperrytopsider.com/store/SiteController/sperry/category?catId=cat90048DM&trail=1002%3Acat100138DM&subCatName=New+Arrivals
Keds:
http://www.keds.com/store/SiteController/keds/home?kwid=G_keds
Or TOMS:
http://www.toms.com/
They look great! Perfect for the season and for comfort!
I love the sneakers, and the color will go with everything !
Good to try them out, because you want to make sure they are comfy, glad they worked out! Geez Europe soon for you!! So exciting!
Hope all is well girl, I know you have had some work stress, just send good vibes your way : )
Hey julie, you might want to try TOMS shoes. They are really cute, but very comforatable. I can wear them all day in Bangkok.
I hate wearing gym shoes with jeans or casual wear also. When I had a bad bought of plantar fasciitis I had to wear them everyday for months and it was torture. For casual sneakers, I like traditional Vans. They are comfy and (semi) stylish in my opinion.
Cute shoes for sure! I like tennies that can be worn with lots of different things. What about Sperrys?
I love quesadillas for a quick meal.
I like the sneakers. It’s funny because I went on the same sneaker hunting mission when I went to Washington DC for a week last September. It’s hard to dress cute when you’re wearing athletic shoes.
the baby birds are adorable
Well Signora those shoes are adorable!
Sperry’s and Lindsay Phillips ballet flats (there is a boutique called Chloe Lane in Winter Park that sells them). The LP flats have interchangable toe decorations and are SUPER comfy and cute.
oh! her flats are ADORABLE!
cute shoes! I had the same problem when I went to Italy last year! If you want a cute sandle option that is still comfy try these from Aerosoles http://www.aerosoles.com/product1.asp?P=LATTE
I wore them all over Rome and they were super comfy!
Beware..girls in Rome can strut down cobble stone streets in 5 inch heels like its no big deal…i felt like the clumsy american haha
Those sneakers are super cute!! If you’re looking for something else to bring along, check out Toms shoes (www.toms.com). Most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned EVER! And they look adorable with jeans, dressier pants, skirts, shorts, anything…you could easily get away with just one pair of shoes for the entire trip. Plus, with every pair you buy, Toms donates a pair to a child in need! 🙂
Personally I totally rock the gym shoes/jeans look. Because I only own four pairs of shoes and I have no desire to spend money on any more 😉
I’m so jealous of your Europe trip. I’m taking my last year of Italian right now and everyone in the class has plans to go this summer but me! At least I can travel vicariously through your blog 🙂
do you cook the black beans before you layer them in there? I’m always confused by those little buggers!
straight from the can, no i don’t! 🙂
I agree with not liking “the-way-I-look-wearing-regular-gym-shoes-with-jeans” combo too… I feel like I look short(er).
I bought a pair of Privo flats from Nordstrom for a recent trip abroad and I couldn’t have been happier. Cute and comfy. I also just bought a pair of Toms, but the Privos have a bit more structure and support.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/privo-darebin-skimmer/3094636?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=privo_'darebin'_skimmer:298126&cm_pla=shoes:women:slip_on&cm_ven=Froogle&mr:referralID=NA&mr:trackingCode=CF4AEF6E-1968-DF11-9DA0-002219319097
Those shoes are so stinkin’ cute!! 🙂 I love the light style shoes like that.. it’s like walking on air!
Another thing you might want to consider is how comfortable they are to stand in.
My family and I just went to Italy over Thanksgiving and I seriously underestimated the amount of time we would be standing in place – waiting to get into the Vatican, waiting to get into St. Peter’s Basilica, standing on the metro, etc…
The shoes I took were great for walking, but were killer for standing in one place for a long time. Like you, I packed light so I didn’t have any other shoe options and I really regretted my choice by the end of the trip.
Another vote for TOMS – LOVE THEM!! Cute, comfy, and the best part is for each pair you buy, they donate a pair to a child in need. Also, check coupon websites before you buy them – I can usually find a $5.00 coupon or free shipping coupon! 🙂
You are too cute! Those shoes look perfect! Sadie is so funny. Where did you get her harness? I need one of those to control mine when she goes after squirrels!
it’s the easy walk harness and we got it at petsmart! LOOOVE it.
Thanks!! I can’t wait to get one too!
If you can get your hands on a pair of these babies, you will never want to wear any other shoes again! They come in a million different colours/styles and I’ve received soooo many comments on how cute they are.
http://www.sanuk.com/womens-sidewalk-surfers
I’m just now catching up on all this blog world-osity I missed from my weekend away, BUT I swear upon AE footwear. I’ve never had a pair of uncomfortable shoes from them!
Although they’re not rockin’ in the sneaker department (that’s where my favorite non-workout sneaks come from), there are some really cute and comfy-looking shoes on their site: http://www.ae.com/web/browse/category.jsp?catId=cat90122
Comfort is essential when walking for a long time. I like the shoes, it’s a good look, and the dinner pics made me hungryyyyy.
Make sure that you’re entering your payment details on a secure site.
Look for “https://” in the URL of the site that you’re trying to buy something
from. If you don’t see that or no sign of any website
security, then it’s probably a good idea not to trust those people with your account information.
Glad the first pair of shoes you bought worked well for you. Quesadillas sound good for dinner tonight too, thanks for sharing.