Female readers of this blog already know from their own long-standing, bitter experience just how hard it is to find a swimsuit that works. Really works. Doesn’t move, doesn’t dip too low or ride too high, doesn’t give you a muffin-top or a muffin-bottom (you know what I mean). It doesn’t require expensive salon waxing jobs with exotic names. The perfect swimsuit is covering but still attractive. Trendy is probably too much to ask, but we keep the candle of bright hope burning that it might be possible. Somewhere, our swimsuit is waiting for us, crammed on a rack or visible from one angle only on the pages of a catalog. We will know it when we find it, and when we do, we will all be able to fearlessly frolic, at one with our inner beach bunny.

I’m happy to report I have found one such suit. So pardon me while I shamelessly revel and gloat. But I am super pleased! STV and I leave on our vacation in Maui next Wednesday. Now, I would count myself blessed just to get to go to Maui, even dressed in a burlap bag. Hawaii has been a dream of mine for several years now. I good, active tropical vacation where I get to surf and hike and scuba dive and such is one of the things I had promised myself I would do one last time before we start a family. Part of this, granted, is that I also want one last cavorting session where my abs look decent in a bikini. STV claims I will get them back eventually, but I don’t believe him. At least not in their present state, honed by years of belly dance and a very brutal but effective personal trainer. I wanted a new bikini for said cavorting, so I got the green string top and fuller-coverage bottom pictured here. And OMG, they’re awesome. I can put them on and forget about them. It’s heaven in paisley print. I’m tempted to buy the tank and the string bottom, too, to have the whole suite of options but 1) they won’t get here in time for the trip and 2) heaven has a not-insubstantial price tag… isn’t that always how it goes?