Earlier this year, in the middle of my unemployment stint, I had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii with one of my oldest friends! As far as unemployment stints go, it was definitely a well traveled one!
Since Hawaii is such an incredible place, and I was there for a week and a half, I ended up with a lot of photos from this trip. I even got to work with the amazing Bailey Makaimoku, and her beautiful photos definitely deserve their own post.
I haven’t been to Hawaii since I was a teenager. I definitely remember having an amazing time, we did a bunch of touristy things, and I learned how to surf (which was incredible by the way!). It was really fun to get to revisit everything as an adult, I feel like my traveling style is a little different from how my family vacations were. I love doing touristy things, don’t get me wrong, but I also love being able to just experience a place for what it is.
This actually ended up being the first relaxing vacation I’ve had in probably five or more years! Normally when I travel somewhere its “Go, go, go! Do, do, do!”, which I definitely love, but I forgot how nice it is to just sit back with a cold beer, and stare at a beach! I got spend a lot of quality time with my friend Dana, and her family. I have known them literally my whole life (literally, like day one!), so it is always a treat to be able to see them. Dana was in Hawaii for ocean training, she is an Olympic level swimmer, so I even got to join in on her workouts with her! I was on swim teams from age 5-19, so it was really fun to do a structured swim workout.
I’m a huge nerd for the ocean (is that a thing you can be?), I love everything about it. From where I live in Washington I’m able to drive to the Pacific Ocean in about an hour and a half, but its way to cold to ever get in. It was so wonderful to finally have the chance to swim in the ocean again. It makes me feel like a little kid again to be able to play in the waves!
Anyways, this post is kind of a big deal for me fashion-wise. I’ve made a lot of summer posts, but never done one about swimwear. I’ve always had a lot of insecurities about my body, whether they are warranted or not, they are still there and something that I deal with. The thought of posting photos of myself in a swimsuit is really terrifying to me. However, when in Rome (or Hawaii) right? You can’t really write a fashion post about a place with gorgeous beaches without talking about swimsuits.
The black suit is from American Eagle, and is actually the first one piece that I’ve bought in quite a while. Because I swam competitively for so long, one pieces always just make me think of business, not relaxing. I am definitely pleased with this one though! I originally bought it for my trip to Las Vegas, but never got to wear it due to the pools being closed. I really loved this swimsuit, it might not have been a “body surf, and play in the waves” kind of suit, but it was pretty sturdy! I love the deep v, and the lace detailing around the edges!
The bikini is from Old Navy, and I’ve got to say, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to tiny bikini bottoms! I am so excited that high-waisted bikini bottoms are so easy to find now. Since I was on vacation, I was all about trying all the food and drinks that Hawaii had to offer. That is definitely not conducive to feeling great in a swimsuit for me. However, with this bikini, I was able to sample all the food and drinks that I wanted, get bloaty (boo), and still feel great in a swimsuit! If you don’t always feel your best in a typical bikini, I would highly recommend finding a good high-waisted swimsuit.
In this post:
One piece swimsuit: My one piece is the Lace Trim One Piece by Aerie, its technically sold out but that link will take you to one listed on Thredup! | Similar: one, two
Bikini Top: My bikini top is the Underwire Swim Top from Old Navy
Bikini Bottom: My bikini bottom is the High-Waisted Bottom from Old Navy
Hat: My hat is from Forever 21, and sold out | Similar: one, two
Photo credit goes to my friend, Dana.
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Also, since this is a vacation post, here are a couple personal photos!
Palm tree love!
Fun fact; we used to be on a summer league swim team together when I lived in Texas! It clearly worked out better for Dana, but thats ok! Anyways, go Seals!
Go, Dana go!