We spent the past few days camping with two of our grandchildren, 8-year-old Drew and 6-year-old Jami. The prime attraction at the campground was the outdoor pool where we spent many very enjoyable hours. Drew even learned to swim this week!

I’ve never been particularly fond of swimsuit shopping and though I hate to admit it, the newest one in my bag was probably purchased more than a decade ago! It wasn’t until I entered the pool this week that I realized how saggy it had become. I was literally in danger of showing off body parts that ought not to be displayed in public!

On Wednesday, I had to go into Edmonton for a medical appointment, so we had arranged in advance for the children to spend several hours with their auntie and uncle, our youngest son and his wife. Before it was time to pick them up again, we had a bit of time to kill and I decided that I’d better use it looking for a new swimsuit.

I started at The Bay in West Edmonton Mall and got no further. Apparently late July is the ideal time to shop for swimsuits at bargain prices. Every suit in the store was on sale, many for as much as 60% off. The swimsuit department was a hodgepodge of season’s end offerings, but there were still many to choose from.

I quickly realized that it had been so long since I’d shopped for swimwear that I had no idea what size I should be looking for! I wandered around gathering up a variety of sizes, styles and colours and was delighted when the attendant let me take all of them into the fitting room at once! As I narrowed down the field, she kept stopping by and taking away the ones I rejected. Soon, I was down to two choices.

Choice #1:

Because I’m quite long in the body, I prefer a tankini, but this one piece was very comfortable. I liked the colour, the ruching which disguised the bulgy bits around my middle, and the removable straps. I prefer a higher cut leg, but the price was great. It’s hard to say no to a $95 suit that’s selling for $38.50!

Choice #2:

This one was a tankini. The downside to a two piece these days is the fact that the pieces tend to be priced separately. As a result, this one was almost twice the price of the first one. I loved the bold black and white stripes though and I also liked the racer back which doesn’t show in the photo.

So which one did I choose? Both of them, of course! I wore one of them to the pool yesterday and the other today and I felt comfortable and attractive in both of them.

Which one do you like best? What do you look for in a swimsuit?

I’m only home overnight; long enough to do laundry and repack. Tomorrow, we take Drew and Jami back home to Calgary and then make our way to Camp Harmattan where we’ll spend the coming week. Nestled in a beautiful location in the Little Red Deer River valley between Olds and Sundre, Camp Harmattan is a place of peace and tranquility where I look forward to a time of social and spiritual refreshment. Following Augustine will be on hiatus until our return. There will be no Fashion Friday post next week, but I’ll see you right here when I get back!