Women Don't Hike?

It absolutely amazes me than many of the places that carry inexpensive hiking boots do not carry them for women. Walmart and Target, for example, carry hiking boots for men but do not have a single pair for women. It makes me wonder if there is really such a small number of women who hike and spend time outdoors that these stores can't justify carrying these items.

I was lucky enough to find a sale on an inexpensive pair of waterproof hiking boots at a sporting goods store, but they cost double what my boyfriend's waterproof hiking boots cost at Walmart.

Not only are so many stores not carrying hiking boots, but many of them do not carry various other outdoor apparel for women that they do carry for men. It sounds to me like more women need to get out and enjoy the outdoors or need to let these stores know that we'd like outdoor gear, too!

Retiring

I've come to the conclusion that I need to officially retire my size 14 jeans. They've been big for a while, but comfortable and familiar. Afterall, I've been this size for quite a while now. I own a few pairs of size 12 jeans that fit better, but the 14s have been hard to give up.

This morning, I've realized that the size 14s no longer look good on me. They sag in the butt, hang off my thighs and are practically falling off even with a belt. The size 12s are here to stay and even those are loose now and will soon need to be replaced with size 10 jeans. The size 10s at the store fit, but I'm more like a size 10.5 and I'm not allowing myself to actually spend the money on the 10s until they look good. Just a few more pounds...

Another realization hit me this morning. I'm wearing a size large tshirt that was much too tight when it was given to me two years ago. I've been wearing it off and on for the past few months and didn't give it much thought other than the fact that it was no longer tight. This morning, though, I am wearing a long-sleeved tshirt under my size large tshirt and *gasp* it's loose. Could it be? Can I really start wearing size medium tshirts?

Now, I've always been a window shopper but never got too excited about shopping unless it was for shoes, horse equipment or I got a heck of a deal on something necessary. However, this weight loss is turning me into someone who enjoys and looks forward to going shopping. Who knew that being able to fit into things at the store and feel confident in them would change one's outlook so much? I'm thinking I need to do some shopping this weekend!