A Bikini? A Tankini? Or A Body Suit?

I have to make a choice.

It’s summer - finally.

Our vacation to the Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs is fast approaching.

I don’t have a swim suit.  At least not one that fits.

I’m also as white as a ghost.  Glowing white.

A long time ago, I use to be a ‘sun goddess’ as they call them.  I had a love affair with the sun.  And baby oil.  Not that you would EVER find me purposely applying baby oil a.k.a. mineral oil to my skin these days since it’s pretty much toxic…but I digress.

The sun.  Baby oil.  A magazine.  Approximately 6-8 hours a day.  I was a ‘sun goddess’. 

See what I mean.  This was June 15, 1992 – 18 years ago!  My friend and I were baking cookies for a bake sale we were doing for Poms.  A little tan, a little burnt. A  Tan-burn.

Soon after I got married, that all ended.  I can’t even tell you why.  The last time I wore a bikini was my honeymoon!  Ten years ago! 

I even stopped wearing shorts.  Capri pants became my best friend.  Maybe it’s because you couldn’t buy stylish shorts that went past your butt and I wasn’t into walking around with daisy dukes that didn’t cover my bum. Yep.  Capri pants it was.

I had to start wearing swimsuits about 6 years ago when we started going to Glenwood Springs every summer.  Ugh.  I never liked how I looked in swim suits.  First and foremost, because I’m female, but mostly because I have an awkward shaped body.  High hips. Really high hips.  Chicken legs.  Padded mid-section.  Not too bad, but padding none the less.  After all I have given birth to two kids.  I have a not so abundant bosom (I blame the kids).  Like I said, ugh!

So, I was browsing the internet looking for swimsuits I could buy.  I’m not into the swim suits at Target and such, only because I’m not into the fabric of most of them, they fade easy and they stretch quickly.  Yes, I tend to stretch out the bottoms.  Anyhooodle…

Here’s what I found.

(all photos taken Hapari’s website, Nordstrom’s website and some other sites from forever ago that I don’t remember.  oops)

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Wishing we could get away with more full coverage suits like the ones below these days. Okay, a little, um, out there.  Maybe I could try the cape and cause a new fashion frenzy.  Right here in Colorado – imagine that! 

Maybe this – a little more classy.  I like the heeled sandals.  I normally wear heels at the pool.  Seriously. Shoot, this covers up all insecurities. Updated version of the black classy one above.  Being strapless, I’d probably slouch.  Not attractive. Thinking this would emphasize my funky hips too much! Cute, but you really need a toned butt, not to mention thighs, to wear shorts like that.  Okay and a six pack.  I like how these things cover the bum!  You can have a little ‘junk in the trunk’ if you know what I mean – and still look good!  Not that this model does, but just in case you do… They do say the color black slims you up a bit.  I hope it’s dark black, because I don’t think I’d have such smooth lines as her.
These are more my type – even though I still don’t like wearing bikini bottoms. 
I like these colors and the flowers.  My chest is small enough (thanks to nursing for 29 months  [and counting] of my life) that I don’t have to worry about showing any cleavage.  I got NONE!

Not a huge fan of the colors – but I definitely like the skirt.  I can so do this.  It would hide pretty much everything!  

So, what style do you wear???

Let’s face it.  I’m a female that is a tad insecure about how she looks in anything other than her jeans and hoodie.  I’m working on being confident enough that it doesn’t matter WHAT I look like.  I won’t care what anyone thinks (well, except maybe hubby).  Until then – this is a big issue for me!

I’m going shopping this weekend to look for the perfect swimsuit – as if that really exists.  Hopefully I can find one at a store.  If not, I’ll be getting online and trying my hand at buying a swimsuit on the web.  How in the world would I even know what size to get?  I usually have to try on 15 sizes, at least twice, to make sure something like this fits me!  Here’s to happy shopping!

Happy Friday Bloggy Friends!  Have a great weekend! As always….

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.”

John Lubbock