This will be an odd second post to the first one and it is not really what is foremost on my mind, but I will write it anyway because I don't have the time or effort right now to put into that. So.

Today is July 17th. Summer began officially on June 21st at 5:45am and will continue until September 22nd at 9:18pm (according to Wikipedia). This means we are not nearly even half way through summer. Not to mention the fact that, until very recently, summer has consisted of rather chilly rain. So you can imagine my surprise and consternation when I went to buy a bathing suit today only to find that, according to Target and Old Navy and who knows who else, summer has ended and it is time to start shopping for school clothes.

Now, if I was my normal size this wouldn't have been so much of a problem at Target. They had quite a few tiny, little bikinis left to choose from. However, I have had to shop in a new department of late, due to my ever-blossoming top half (which now seems to consist of two cantaloupes and a watermelon). The maternity section had probably ten or so tankini tops total, most of which were either XS or XXL. In fact, I found one top that came close to fitting me, and no bottoms (none that fit me at all, let alone matched the top). This was especially discouraging, because I realized I was looking in the wrong section at first (the plus size section), and had already tried on a few things and realized the clothes I was wearing were really annoying to keep taking off and putting on.

So I gave up on Target and headed to Old Navy. Nothing. Not one single bathing suit in sight, and certainly nothing maternity. Oh, discouragement.

So I went back to Target and decided that I would try on that one top that fit me, with some bottoms that I found in the plus size section that were too big, but would be better than nothing. I convinced the fitting room attendant (whom I had already returned things to two or three times by then) to let me pull those items off the rack of clothes that had to be put back and tried them on together. I didn't like what I saw, but decided I would never again find another bathing suit that even remotely fit me in this world of school clothes and sweaters and people who know that you have to shop for bathing suits in December. I resignedly put my clothes back on (which had become a severely depressing ritual by then) and headed out of the dressing room.

On my way to the front of the store I passed by a rack that I hadn't seen before and there before my weary eyes were all of the bottoms! In several sizes! And two different colors! And, as if that wasn't enough, one, singular top in my size that I had envied on the other rack but didn't even bother to try on because the three there were all XXL and larger! I had a brief moment of dread at the thought of passing that fitting room attendant yet again and completely undressing again and staring at myself in a bathing suit again, but I decided it was worth it. So back to the dressing room I went.

Then I had a whole new dilemma. Maybe for some people all of the troubles would have been over at this point. Not me. Now I had a choice. I could buy the black top and the black bottoms that fit me, or I could buy the brown top and the brown bottoms that fit me (there was a lot more different about them, but that is how I will distinguish them here...it was definitely more than a simple choice between colors, however). Some people could just chose or buy both, but I became paralyzed by indecision. I just sat there on the little bench in the dressing room and looked at both of them. I tried them both on several times. I almost asked the opinions of some strangers in the dressing room, but I couldn't bring myself to. Finally, I took a picture of myself wearing each and texted them to Brandt and made him pick. I almost sent them to Audrey, too, but then I worried that she would say something different from Brandt and I would end up having to choose myself anyway.

It was a long ordeal. I hope you weren't bored, but it was nice to share.

I ended up getting the brown one.