[attagirl_]

shelly, you've gotten such great advice here. i just want to add my two cents. first off, this is my first chance to respond to something you've written and i've wanted to say hi for a while because i grew up in hawaii! went to kalani and absolutely love your neck of the woods...waimanalo, lanikai, kailua are my favorite beach memories for sure. secondly, i can commiserate: i am as fair-skinned as they come and i was always chubby, and even when i wasn't, i didn't know it (remember, you are never as fat as you think you are!) and growing up in hawaii is all about laying around on the beach getting tan. i was never bikini ready (or bikini brave) so being in the midst of a sea of "hot bodies" was excruciating. i was always a swimmer, but i too would not participate in things like waterskiing for fear of what others would think and as i look back, i realize i missed out on so much fun that was mine for the taking. you know, we women get to a certain age, we've lived enough life and gathered a whoe lotta wisdom along the way, and we realize, as i hope you will, like misplaced southerner said (i live in nashville!), this is OUR life, this is OUR joy, this is OUR opportunity to reclaim ourselves, our purpose, our confidence, our spirit. don't let another day slip away, shelly. the ladies are right--lands end miracle suits are awesome. slap one on, make a mad dash for that bathtub of an ocean, sink down until just your head is bobbing in the water, and reaquaint yourself with one of the best parts of living in hawaii. wish i could take a swim with you.

sending love and aloha your way,
attagirl