Amish chic

So Erich and I have booked the 10th anniversary trip to the Dominican Republic which of course means I'll have to get a swimsuit. Oy.

Now I understand that swimsuit shopping is traditionally akin to a root canal procedure for most women but I just lost 250 pounds and it should be an exciting experience for me. Not so much. I do look like a shar-pei puppy now, so the look I'm going for would be....Amish-chic, I suppose.

I got a new suit last summer that is now, of course, too big for me and wasn't suitable in the first place. My Amish-chic suit would include 3/4-length sleeves, full support/coverage up top and knee-length inseams. Such things are available if you're willing to take out a second mortgage on your house or sell a kidney or something. Over $100 for a swimsuit is a bit much, in my opinion.

There's this little number, which is just ok. It does fit what I want but I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong about what I want!

This one is more "swimsuit-like" and price-friendly - desirable - but noticeably less coverage on top. The skin on my upper arms could have its own area code but honestly, I'm more concerned about the thighs. Hm.

A friend directed me to Land's End and I did find some board shorts there that I like quite a bit.

The sizing confuses me somewhat. Evidently, a size 42 is equal to a 16. The second choice above says it's a size 34 or "girls size 16". What the hell does that mean? I wonder if there's a language barrier of some sort and the ad means to say "woman's" size 16; "girls" to me means child. I may have to send the seller a question on that one. I tried a size 38 on in a store over the weekend (supposedly equivalent to size 14 - again, confusing) and it fit ok.

Again, oy.

I was never much concerned with myself in a swimsuit at 444 pounds. Not like I am now. That might sound odd but it's true. Honestly, parts of my body looked better to me when it was filled in.

I'm really excited for the trip to the Dominican, though! We're going to the Grand Paradise Samana on the northeast coast of the island. This is another thing I wouldn't have been able to do pre-op because: I'd need two seats on the plane so it would cost too much. The heat would've been too oppressive for me and I wouldn't have had the energy, stamina or desire to do any activities once I got there so what would've been the point? Now I want to hike, swim, bike, go horseback riding and possibly zipling. We have to see what's available for us, but I want to do as much as we can afford.

Sometimes I get mixed feelings thinking about the trip, though. There's a weird sense that it's something I don't deserve or shouldn't attempt. The pre-op part of my brain, the part that sent signals for almost 40 years telling me not to do this or that because either I couldn't physically or I'd embarrass myself trying - that's the part that's holding me back from truly embracing the anticipation of this trip. Every now and then I have to stop myself and remember there's nothing I can't - or shouldn't - do now. Including wearing a swimsuit, right? Right.

Sweeping on.

You might notice a new badge on the left. I've created a Sweeping Cindy Facebook page, like I talked about about before. C'mon, don't you like me??