This post is sponsored by Zappos in support of its “Friends with Benefits” Road Show.
Last weekend, the rain abated and it finally felt like spring with balmy temps and sunny skies. To celebrate the changing of the seasons, I went out to visit with a posse of puppies—not to mention a number of my local friends who all joined me in Midtown on the fringe of the Vandy campus for the Nashville stop on the Zappos Friends with Benefits Road Show.





I can’t tell you what a genius nationwide event this is on Zappos’ part. It’s not necessarily designed to sell merchandise—though there is a little bit of shopping available, of course— but rather to genuinely have a great time and reward its customers with one uniquely awesome (and free!) experience.


There was free food from The Grilled Cheeserie. There was a bar with complimentary mimosas and beer from local Nashville breweries. And the coolest part of all? One tricked-out porta-potty that had all sorts of cool designs and functions inside and dispensed individual prizes once you flushed.



Plus, there were a lot of blow-up toys (including a gold swanicorn!). The kids, big and small, had a blast.

Ella was mad that we told her she had to stay behind, and she definitely gave me the cold shoulder after she smelled other dogs’ scents on me when I got home!


Obviously, for the occasion I had to order a new pair of shoes, right? Any excuse to shop, y’all. Just four days before the event kicked off, I found these amazing Kate Spade striped wedges on Zappos.com, ordered them, they arrived pronto with a day to spare, and I dare say they’re going to be my shoes for every wedding we’re attending this spring (at the moment, that’s three and counting…). So if you see me at any weddings, don’t be surprised!
I think Blaze the foster pup enjoyed my new kicks as much as I do.
While we’re on the topic of shopping, I also noticed that Zappos is carrying my very favorite Michael Kors Damita wedges again. Since I often get questions and emails about what I wear in images on this blog, I’ll take a moment to plug these bad boys. They’ve been staples in my wardrobe for two solid years—I bought them after seeing my sis wear them (#sorrynotsorry I’m a big sister copycat!) and I take them everywhere for all occasions, from casual to dressy—and I’m a big proponent for finding something I love and ordering it in every color of the rainbow.

I’m only human (and female), after all, friends.
If you love shoes (or clothes and accessories for that matter) as much as I do, don’t miss out on the Zappos Rewards program. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been shopping with Zappos for years and only recently signed up. Why did I wait? I have no idea. It’s free, and you get points toward incentives and other perks the more you shop.
And for those of you who love good food, good company and a great cause, be sure and keep your eyes on Zappos Friends with Benefits Road Trip to see if it’s headed your way next. You can even head to the website and vote for the show to come to your city next.
Thank you, Zappos, for providing awesome 24-hour customer service always—those free returns and that quick shipping are clutch for an indecisive gal like me—and being so devoted to finding homeless dogs their fur-ever homes!
PIN IT HERE



Oh! I need to see if they have this event near DC! I do love shoes… and puppies!
They haven’t announced their next locales, but you can vote for DC as a road show stop via the site!
I LOVE THE PICS! Just ordered a new pair of wedges from Zappos because of your last post!
Shoes + Puppies = <3 <3
I hope you let me borrow them sometime!
Love this picture of Ella…it needs to be blown up and put in someone’s house😘
Also, loving the shoes, as usual your feet are gorgeous!!
I’ll tell the boss man!
Awww all those beautiful little pups!! 🙂
Don’t you want to adopt every one of them??
Love Zappo’s even more now! And the winking dog is too cute!
Thanks, Christina! He winked at me at just the right time, with my camera pointed at him 😉
I just bought my first pair of shoes on Zappos a couple of weeks ago and loved the fast shipping and free returns. Will sign up for the rewards program with my next order. And when clicking on your Kate Spade wedges, I noticed that they have Zappos Luxury now. Nice!
Yes, that was new to me, as well! Glad you had a good first experience. I just (accidentally) bought three new dresses from Zappos while putting together and pulling links for this post (oops!).
I LOVE Zappos and I love that adorable pic of your dog!
Thanks, Christy! She’s definitely got personality 😉
Sooooo, these amazingly adorable I-need-to-pet-them-now dogs WILL be reassembled for my June visit…. right?
I mean, there are FIVE dogs ready for you to pet the moment you touch down.
Love Zappos and everything they’re about, especially what Tony did in DTLV.
Puppies and Shoes!!! Some of my favorite things…now I need to go shopping 🙂
I definitely bought three new dresses while writing this post (no lie).
Sooo I need to step up my shoe game this Spring after reading your blog and checking out all the photos. Looked like a fun even and love the smiles captured.
You need a new pair of shoes to match that watch (and abs)! 😉
Brilliant idea! Rescue dogs and shoes– What’s not to love? 😍
AND beer. So basically all my things crammed into three hours 😉
I love Zappo’s (and I love dogs!) A lot of people are surprised when I tell them that I do almost ALL of my shoe shopping on line. But here’s my logic. I have really bad feet and I can’t just wear ANY shoes. I always read the reviews, and I eliminate all the styles that have fewer than 4 stars, then choose from there. I almost never have to return shoes!
I hate hate hate going into shoe stores, Cynthia, so I’m with ya. Thanks to free returns, I just buy several different pairs and keep what fits, send back what doesn’t!
The Zappos roadshow looks like so much fun! Do you know where the schedule is posted? I’d love to see if they’re planning a stop here in LA.
Hey Melissa! They haven’t announced the next city, so you should definitely vote for LA =)
Here’s the link to do that: http://bit.ly/2npXOG6
The Zappos roadshow looks like so much fun! The Dogs are looking so amazing in the pics.
Zappos + cute pups is, basically, my love language.
xox
Right? You should go vote fro them to come to Arizona next!